5 ms·

Out of ignorant curiosity, what makes him awful (in the negative sense)?

ritchiea 14y ago
I also think he's awful and I would say it's mostly because of his lyrical content. It's a pretty common problem with indie rappers, it's hard to walk the line between "I'm not mainstream and I don't rap about drugs and cars" and "I'm really smug because I don't rap about drugs and cars and I love to recycle." I don't really care about drugs and cars but when I listen to music I don't want to feel like the artist is trying to impress with with how good a person he is.
- kingkawn 14y ago
  people who define themselves only by what they aren't are wack
- svachalek 14y ago
  OK, I'll grant that on a few songs the guy is practically preaching, but if you're getting that out of Thrift Shop I really think you need to turn the sensitivity meter way down. Other than the $50-for-a-T-shirt line, this song could just as easily be a mockery of thrift shops as a sincere ode to them. IMO that's what great about the song... thrifting is a complex balance between "value" on the one hand and straight-up "cheapness" on the other and he walks the line the whole song with one funny zinger after another. The touch of sincerity at the end ensures that we know it's not just typical rapper "I'm richer than you" mockery and we close it out with a little fun. In this song, I just don't know what you're seeing.
  - ritchiea 14y ago
    I'm not getting that from Thrift Shop, I like Thrift Shop, I think the rest of the album is preachy.
rjtavares 14y ago
Awful was too much. Should have said average. Also, I'm judging him from this song only. His main problem is the simple rhyme schemes. His lines are basically long sentences that rhyme at the end. He also frequently makes long pauses (a criminal offense in hiphop, IMO). Allow me the use of a simple example to show you the difference between him and an amazing MC (rhymes are marked as -): > Macklemore: I call that getting tricked by a business, that shirt's -hella dough- And having the same one as six other people in this club is a -hella don't- Peep game, come take a look through my -telescope- Trying to get girls from a brand? Then you -hella won't- > Nas: It ain't hard to -tell-, I -excel- then -prevail- The mic is contacted, I attract -clientele- My mic check is -life or death-, breathing a -sniper's breath- I exhale the yellow smoke of buddha through -righteous steps- Deep like the -Shining-, sparkle like a -diamond- Sneak a Uzi on the -island- in my army jacket -lining- Hit the Earth like a comet –invasion-! Nas is like the Afrocentric -Asian-, half-man, half--amazing- Cause in my physical I can -express- through -song- Delete -stress- like -Motrin-, then -extend- -strong- I drink Moet with Medusa, give her shotguns in -hell- From the -spliff- that I -lift- and -inhale-, it ain't hard to -tell- --- Also note the abundance of alliterations in Nas' quote. EDIT: fixed formatting EDIT2: couldn't resist doing the whole verse for Nas. Illmatic is so good...
- mikeevans 14y ago
  Here's a pretty good YouTube video I've found that explains what separates the great rappers from the average rappers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miIxNCn-vjY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miIxNCn-vjY
  - jgj 14y ago
    That's, at best, one thing that can separate good writers from average writers. Great rappers don't necessarily need to have complex rhyme schemes, and a complex rhyme scheme does not a great rapper make. Neither does a complex rhyme scheme alone make a great writer, as content and the use of various literary devices come into play as well. IMHO, the mark of a truly great rapper is the ability to become an instrument on the track while still communicating a great deal in a small number of words. Flow and presence are as important as lyrics and rhyme schemes, and a great rapper is one who has at least 3 out of those 4 qualities at a high level, with the 4th not bad enough to detract from the others.

I also think he's awful and I would say it's mostly because of his lyrical content. It's a pretty common problem with indie rappers, it's hard to walk the line between "I'm not mainstream and I don't rap about drugs and cars" and "I'm really smug because I don't rap about drugs and cars and I love to recycle." I don't really care about drugs and cars but when I listen to music I don't want to feel like the artist is trying to impress with with how good a person he is.

kingkawn 14y ago
people who define themselves only by what they aren't are wack
svachalek 14y ago
OK, I'll grant that on a few songs the guy is practically preaching, but if you're getting that out of Thrift Shop I really think you need to turn the sensitivity meter way down. Other than the $50-for-a-T-shirt line, this song could just as easily be a mockery of thrift shops as a sincere ode to them. IMO that's what great about the song... thrifting is a complex balance between "value" on the one hand and straight-up "cheapness" on the other and he walks the line the whole song with one funny zinger after another. The touch of sincerity at the end ensures that we know it's not just typical rapper "I'm richer than you" mockery and we close it out with a little fun. In this song, I just don't know what you're seeing.
- ritchiea 14y ago
  I'm not getting that from Thrift Shop, I like Thrift Shop, I think the rest of the album is preachy.

rjtavares 14y ago

Awful was too much. Should have said average. Also, I'm judging him from this song only. His main problem is the simple rhyme schemes. His lines are basically long sentences that rhyme at the end. He also frequently makes long pauses (a criminal offense in hiphop, IMO). Allow me the use of a simple example to show you the difference between him and an amazing MC (rhymes are marked as -): > Macklemore: I call that getting tricked by a business, that shirt's -hella dough- And having the same one as six other people in this club is a -hella don't- Peep game, come take a look through my -telescope- Trying to get girls from a brand? Then you -hella won't- > Nas: It ain't hard to -tell-, I -excel- then -prevail- The mic is contacted, I attract -clientele- My mic check is -life or death-, breathing a -sniper's breath- I exhale the yellow smoke of buddha through -righteous steps- Deep like the -Shining-, sparkle like a -diamond- Sneak a Uzi on the -island- in my army jacket -lining- Hit the Earth like a comet –invasion-! Nas is like the Afrocentric -Asian-, half-man, half--amazing- Cause in my physical I can -express- through -song- Delete -stress- like -Motrin-, then -extend- -strong- I drink Moet with Medusa, give her shotguns in -hell- From the -spliff- that I -lift- and -inhale-, it ain't hard to -tell- --- Also note the abundance of alliterations in Nas' quote. EDIT: fixed formatting EDIT2: couldn't resist doing the whole verse for Nas. Illmatic is so good...

mikeevans 14y ago
Here's a pretty good YouTube video I've found that explains what separates the great rappers from the average rappers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miIxNCn-vjY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miIxNCn-vjY
- jgj 14y ago
  That's, at best, one thing that can separate good writers from average writers. Great rappers don't necessarily need to have complex rhyme schemes, and a complex rhyme scheme does not a great rapper make. Neither does a complex rhyme scheme alone make a great writer, as content and the use of various literary devices come into play as well. IMHO, the mark of a truly great rapper is the ability to become an instrument on the track while still communicating a great deal in a small number of words. Flow and presence are as important as lyrics and rhyme schemes, and a great rapper is one who has at least 3 out of those 4 qualities at a high level, with the 4th not bad enough to detract from the others.