Portishead Again :) How Many Of You Believe that

pabloaugustus · Post by **pabloaugustus** » Mon May 05, 2008 4:00 am

I don't think Portishead is hip-hop music either, but I do like the description of their early style that I read recently:

From the april 28 New Yorker article by Sasha Frere-Jones:

'sepulchral music that sounded like a warm, thick reduction of hip-hop, flecked with samples of soundtracks and dominated by the heady cry of a female singer who sometimes became so unhinged that it seemed as if the music itself were scaring her.'

I do like KRS's definition of hip hop culture, but if rap music is the musical representation if hip-hop culture, that seems a limiting definition because to me rap has to have someone actually rapping, and a lot of music that I consider an expression of hip-hop culture doesn't have anybody rapping. i.e. instrumental tracks...DJ tracks by premier, clue, honda, mf doom, etc. is it rap music? Can't we just have a slightly circular definition where hip-hop can also refer to the musical expression of hip-hop culture? Ok, purists can hate me but I gotta say rap just seems like such a dated word....I almost cringe when i say it!! I mean, rappers don't even call themselves rappers anymore...they're all MCs now....

o0o · Post by **o0o** » Mon May 05, 2008 4:24 am

yes pabloAgustus this is what kind of what i mean, and i think that most of the founding forfathers of that music understand that albeit quietly. I think you understand what is between the lines. that 5 elements definition is like a press kit release that says you are welcome to come along also.
i liked the way the article you posted defined portishead also, but wasn't it kind of like saying, portishead is hiphop but let's not call it that?

beats me · Post by **beats me** » Mon May 05, 2008 4:33 am

For fuck sake. 97% of what makes music hip hop is somebody rapping over it. If somebody dropped rhymes over classical with no beats it would still be labeled hip hop. No rap, no hip hop. For all the genre purists on here this one is a real no brainer.

End of discussion.

o0o · Post by **o0o** » Mon May 05, 2008 7:34 am

then what of artist like gaslamp killer
or j dilla instrumentals
or dj shadow
or funkstorung
or amon tobin
or, or , or , rjd2
or

pabloaugustus · Post by **pabloaugustus** » Mon May 05, 2008 7:34 am

beats me wrote:For fuck sake. 97% of what makes music hip hop is somebody rapping over it. If somebody dropped rhymes over classical with no beats it would still be labeled hip hop. No rap, no hip hop. For all the genre purists on here this one is a real no brainer.

End of discussion.

I was looking at this discussion from the baseline of tonedefts post: the KRS1 definition of hip-hop and hip-hop culture.

If hip hop is a culture, and rap is a musical representation of that culture, certainly other musical that is purely instrumental or music with singing could also be a representation of this culture.

So, no, I wouldn't consider this discussion over with your post, strict genre definitions may be useful at times but do not completely describe musical reality. While they are useful when analyzing the history and evolution of music, they are not completely applicable or useful to what is happening musically today, at least not in my neck of the woods.

Maybe you should smoke some of what we're growing up here & open your mind.

landrvr1 · Post by **landrvr1** » Mon May 05, 2008 2:00 pm

boring.

BORING.

...

piZMo · Post by **piZMo** » Mon May 05, 2008 2:04 pm

landrvr1 · Post by **landrvr1** » Mon May 05, 2008 2:12 pm

piZMo wrote:STFU

Yup, it's definitely a Monday....

roby · Post by **roby** » Mon May 05, 2008 3:49 pm

beats me wrote:For fuck sake. 97% of what makes music hip hop is somebody rapping over it. If somebody dropped rhymes over classical with no beats it would still be labeled hip hop. No rap, no hip hop. For all the genre purists on here this one is a real no brainer.

End of discussion.

then what you call hiphop with no rap? unwrap?

ok, i go hide now

pulsoc · Post by **pulsoc** » Mon May 05, 2008 3:52 pm

o0o wrote:then what of artist like gaslamp killer
or j dilla instrumentals
or dj shadow
or funkstorung
or amon tobin
or, or , or , rjd2
or

Amon Tobin is considered hiphop? Jeeezus what are kids smoking these days.

Lo-Fi Massahkah · Post by **Lo-Fi Massahkah** » Mon May 05, 2008 4:37 pm

It's all pop.

In the sense of popular music. Music to sing along to. Verse-Chourus-Bridge-Chorus.

Pop, I say.

.m

harrison.forge · Post by **harrison.forge** » Mon May 05, 2008 4:54 pm

OMFG

roby · Post by **roby** » Mon May 05, 2008 4:59 pm

i think Slayer is considered triphop, right?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBW_b-WJ2us

bosonHavoc · Post by **bosonHavoc** » Mon May 05, 2008 5:03 pm

Corn Swabler · Post by **Corn Swabler** » Mon May 05, 2008 5:16 pm

are you cock gobblers still arguing about WHAT CATEGORY TO LABEL A BAND WITH? I'm guessing it's the most important thing you've done all week besides play GTA4.