I see your point Janzoon and even agree with it but i think at least in gansta rap most listeners want too believe those stories were real so we can go "he knows whats up"

to be honest im right in the middle of you and DJ's point, i think you are both right and i enjoy the songs from both perspectives.

agree with janz

I mean-i dont know much about the genre-but I'm guessing many country singers don't/haven't lived in rural America, farm land etc. It's this antiquated cultural portrayal that people want filled for reasons unbeknownst to me.

I don't doubt it's who they feel they are, or are expressing the culmination of self-induced exposure to the provocative world they feel attached to.

DJ you like Drake right? Started from the bottom?

Or tyga? The dude who grew up in malibu.
I don't think either of them would necessarily mind making songs about having a leg up, or comfortable upbringing. Songs like that aren't interesting.

Odd Future Wolf Gang are just educated kids. "Free Earl" the dude was like in hawaii or something. There's some artificiality people come to expect with the genre now.


As for the original question I don't actually listen to whole lot of gangster rap. It's typically rather boring. Flockavelli i can get down to. But freddie gibbs and sean price and those guys get dull so quick.

You know why you find it boring. You can't relate to their "based on a true story" style of rapping.

This whole discussion doesn't have anything to do with what I listen to. I hate that stupid Drake song because every one knows he started in the middle.

I can listen to Clipse talk about moving dope all day long.

I am just standing up for the point of view of why more and more people don't listen to gangsta rap anymore and "keeping it real"/" being authentic " is most definitely one of those reasons.

Tyga is trash BTW. I liked him when he singing about coconut juice in the burbs with Travie.

i can't speak for anyone else but how 'real' a gangsta rapper is makes no difference to me. one of my favorite albums is the infamous by mobb deep and they were undoubtedly one of the least genuine gangsta rap groups of all time - they even met in art school for christ's sake.

i do agree with dj that gangsta rappers are different from other entertainers in that they never drop their persona. pacino ceases to be tony montana when he is not playing tony montana. sure you can cite sun ra but at least he was original. there are a million drug-lord-turned-rapper personas out there. it's not at all original, it's just perpetuating an old trope that has been proven to work.

but i think modern mainstream rappers have largely adopted the same basic criminal persona but made the music more accessible and less aggressive. and so there are tons of people who listen to that kind of rap music. the more aggressive stuff fell by the wayside because times change and musical tastes evolve.

I was reading this argument at the beginning so I'm not sure what direction it has gone, but I sort of see both perspectives.

DJ Chameleon is right in that if you are going to rap about the gang bangin, than you should have some street cred, otherwise the music is fake and your a poser. After all authentic music is suppose to come from the heart and personal experience.

Janzoon is right in that musicians (in this case rappers) are creative people who often affiliate or brush shoulders with those who walk on the dark side of life, but they themselves are not usually thugs.

Thugs & psychopaths aren't usually at the top of the creative heap so its up to the rappers who've dabbled in the street life to tell the story. If only the hardened gangster was allowed to rap his tale, than gangster rap would hardly exist.

I'm from Canada so a good rule of thumb to spot a studio gangster is if they're allowed to cross the border or rap abroad, because if you have a criminal record its a no go.

Thank you. What you've just said here is exactly why I've never had the expectation that gangsta rappers were performing autobiographical songs. The kids who devote their time growing up to honing their musical chops are generally not going to be the ones out striking fear into the hearts of everyone in the neighborhood. It's such an obvious thing that there's no need for them to declare it as fiction, just like there's no need for Jimmy Buffett declare that he's not really a smuggler/modern day pirate.

i have no problem with gangsta rap not being autobiographical, who wants to glorify crime? in a way it's a relief that most of it is fictional. to me what is important is the euphony, words that roll and sound good, and let's not forget the g-funk, although that path was very narrow indeed...