Reply #63: Remove the bigotry and it STILL sucks ass, as does music in general

[Nevernose]

There have always been good and bad rap songs, just as there have always been good and bad rock, R&B, country, whatever genre. But it's getting much, much worse. Music execs are so busy wondering why they're losing money and blaming Internet piracy, and it's never occurred to them is that the reason we're not buying their product is because it's largely SHIT.

It's the state of the entire music industry that's the problem.

1) Lowest common denominator: less and less regionalism and more nationalization of a few big brands, companies, and outlets.

2) Madison Avenue: a rapper's lyrical talent is less important that his clothing line, and can you imagine Janis Joplin getting a recording contract in 2008?

3) Rampant consumerism: we buy, as a society, whatever we're told to. Points one and two just feed into the fact that we'll buy whatever shit we're told to. Energy drinks, vitamin water, electric cars for kids, $200 pay-per-view sports packages, $200 shoes, new cars when the old ones are just fine, 3,000 square foot houses for families of three, specialized toilet scrubbers (w/ disposable attachments), the latest 50 Cent album.