It seems that Mr. Barry Prismall over at The Examinerfeels that he has “Rap” music all figured out and that all of “Rap” music is the exact same thing across the board.
In his editorial about rap music, he longs for the olden days of Rock-N-Roll (ie The Beatles and Stevie Nicks etc.) back when music made sense to him.
Since the very beginnings of Hip Hop, people have been waiting for it to go away. They deemed it a fad, something temporary that the masses would eventually get bored of and abandon. It’s been over 40 years, and it’s still here, more mainstreamed, and prevalent than ever. In fact, it changed the way Rock music was not only created, but listened to. However, we seldom hear it’s critics discuss that.
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We found many problems with Barry Prismall’s arguments and our main issue is that he has no clue what he’s talking about. But instead of just stating that he he doesn’t have an arthritic leg to stand on, we figured we should probably show him why he has zero idea what he is talking about when it comes to “rap” and Hip-Hop.
Reason #5 Not All “Rap” Music Is The Same
It’s very easy to cast every rhymer into the same category if you don’t know anything about the multiple genres that live within the music. Not every rapper is as he says,
“Canned crap from rap flunkies who can’t sing as they mutter away to a thumping beat – chattering a useless, deviant monologue of prose with an obligatory video of lecherous beauties fastened to the performer, and partying like there’s no tomorrow.”
In fact it’s culturally insensitive to even suggest such ridiculous nonsense. Just like not every rock group is yelling and screaming and openly biting off bat heads as they Satan worship live on stage, not all rappers are speaking gibberish lyrics about nothing what so ever, nor are they trying to be.
The reality is, he hasn’t bothered to investigate the validity of his statements.
Reason #4 The Deviants Are Not The One’s Calling The Shots
So, apparently Mr. Prismall, is speaking on the way things go in “Rap” music without understanding who is driving the bus when it comes to what particular music is being created for mainstream air play! He would be very surprised to know that it is people who look just like him in business suits and ties who determine what is going on within ”rap” music and who gets played commercially. His idea seems to be that there a bunch of thugged out black guys with gold teeth and wife beaters sitting around a conference room table fighting it out over who gets to be heard on the radio. Not even sort of close. The average rapper makes less than a kid working at McDonald’s. They only wish they had the power to decide if they can get on the air or not!
Reason #3 Production Is Not What It’s Being Characterized As
Mr. Prismall insists that “rap” music is only comprised of high tech gadgets and no true music is employed. This is simply hilarious. Instead of knowing the history of how beats and tracks were originally and continue to be made, he throws up facts that he clearly got out of some 1964 back issue of ”Teen Scene Magazine” and not from any credible source. There is a science to it, and any producer worth his salt isn’t just sampling Michael Jackson. That is just another insult! Many producers in hip-hop play instruments and are well versed on multiple categories of music.
Says Prismall;
“And, they did it in studios so primitive the quality is miraculous. Today’s studio of wannabe rock stars simply learn a Michael Jackson dance routine, dial up a song on auto-tune, and later add voice-overs to a shemozzle of prefabricated sound; like a fault- ridden bongo organ, thumbing over programmed rifts of beats and notes.
Shameful how he just throws all the “Rap” producers world wide, past and present into the same wack category. We would never compare David Foster with Rick Ruben, as they should never be compared. They are both genius in their own right, even though they both serve very different purposes within an ipod.
“The rap raiders replaced song with such mindless drivel they ought to hide the lyrics, if there are any. They call it rap because that’s what you want them to do – wrap it up. Rap started in the US in the 1970′s as a type of street art (sic), according to apologists. More like a squandered literary licence, hacking into the rhythm of poetry’s maligned iambic pentameter.”
Name one person that you know of who is apologizing for rap! Don’t worry we’ll wait.
First of all, it started with the DJ culture and its roots go back much more than 40 years to the Bee Pop era. But you could only know that if you bothered to find out.
It started from people talking about what they knew and their realities of life. It was an outlet for a community who was tired of their needs and and plight being ignored. It was not meant for anyone other than those who wanted to listen to it. Therefore, the music was never “maligned poetry” to those who could understand and sympathize with the plight of the artist spitting.
See, unlike Mr. Prismall, we understand it, and may have felt kindred to what artists like KRS, Chuck D, NAS, Heavy D, Slick Rick etc had to say. We comprehend it, in ways that Barry Prismall will never get, nor would he ever have to. So, he shouldn’t claim to know our lives or our creative outlets, as he clearly would’t waste one minute to learn about them.
Reason #1 “Rap” And Hip Hop Are Two Totally Different Things
According to Mr. Barry Prismall;
“Rap chatter-boxes managed to side-step contests like The Voice and American/Australian Idol, to gatecrash the charts with the phenomenon of some fast talking. Once they signed a recording contract they produced at will a deafening, staccato speech about vomit, violence, blood, sex and dark depression.”
Oh my dear Mr. Prismall, if only you had a clue what you were saying. Just because you write it eloquently, doesn’t make it accurate!
Just to blow Barry’s mind one time, we’re going to show some examples of artists that defy the stereo-types that he has put forth as truth. His allegations are simply; preposterous, rantings from a man of advanced age, who doesn’t seem to care about what other communities experience. He has no idea that “Rap” is not what the music really is. There is a difference between Hip Hop and “Rap”.
Dee-1
Soul Khan
Jasiri X
Hip Hop defies every single notion that Mr. Barry Prismall suggested. And Hip Hop is not just mumbling over some synthetic drums. It’s a culture, a way of life. People eat, sleep, breathe… live Hip Hop, and it’s a complete and utter disgusting slap in the face for this man, who knows nothing about what he speaks, to even begin to voice his opinion on something he never even bothered to get facts on!
Hip Hop is not about a bunch of gold digging hussies trying to find a rapper to screw to pay their rent! His depiction of women affiliated with the genre was despicable, and incredibly wrong. His ideas that every rapper is talking about hoes and guns and money is hurtful to the masses who read his words and believe him, instead of doing the math themselves.
The truth is simple, this music isn’t made for Mr. Prismall, and he isn’t built for the music. So, instead of bashing what he doesn’t have the ability to research or understand, how about he just set his FM dial to the easy listening or oldies station and mind his business, so that others can go back to minding theirs.
Barry Prismall ended his tirade with;
“Rap is as bad as lip sync, and, just as dishonest.”
This comment is disingenuous, and flat out wrong. The only one being dishonest sir, is you.
