pourmeanother

Can we finally put to rest commentary on rap that involves a comparison to "guns and hoes"?

Common phrases:
-"I don't listen to rap it's all about bitches and hoes and money."
-"Artist 'x' is so refreshing because he doesn't rap about the standard bitches and hoes like the mainstream."
-"I only listen to underground because mainstream is all money and bling."

Why ^these phrases should be buried...
-If you don't listen to rap because you think it's all about bitches and hoes and money, then you have never given rap a chance in the first place. Women and money are common themes in rap, like all genres of music. So, while these topics may appear more common, they are far from the only items covered. If you truly want to give rap a chance, take the 12 seconds to research the thousands of artists who go more in depth than that.
-Artists no longer need to be praised for deviating from bitches and hoes in their lyrical content. Is it really all that surprising to hear a new track that talks about "real" topics? As many members of this site can attest, most rap fans' music library are comprised of hundreds or even thousands of tracks that fit into this category. So it may be refreshing to hear a new track that offers some quality lyrical content, but it is not some new, groundbreaking idea to talk current events, politics, love, life, etc... so please don't act like it is.
-The concept of underground and mainstream has become very convoluted with the onset of the internet and mass music sharing. Atmosphere, once considered a cool "underground" group by their 37 billion listeners, just had an album chart at #5 on the Billboard 200. For the most part, if you've heard of someone they probably aren't underground anymore. Beyond this, if you can still categorize a "mainstream" and an "underground"... money and bling is rampant in mainstream rap, and, guess what?, also exists in the underground. By the same token, thoughtful and insightful rap exists in both the underground and mainstream, albeit less common as it is harder to sell to the masses. Chances are your underground isn't underground, and it probably is not that much more lyrically thoughtful at its core than anything else.

RIP to phrases like "it's so refreshing to listen to underground rap artist 'xyz' that doesn't talk about the usual about bitches, hoes, money, drugs, bling, chains, guns, vaginas, crack rocks, strippers, making it rain like the mainstream does".... never utter them again!

__________________
Life is just blah, blah, blah
You hope for blah
And sometimes you find it, but mostly it's blah
And waiting for blah
And hoping you were right about the blahs you made
And then, just when you think you've got the whole blah'd damn thing figured out
And you're surrounded by the ones you blah
Death shows up... anddd blah, blah, blah.