Technicalities vs Content/Substance

[dead prez]

Yeah if you could only listen to one type of rap which would you rather choose? I'm not going to name rappers who are more geared towards either, cause I know people are going to bitch about how X rapper isn't only capable of dropping a hot 16, therefore missing the entire point of the thread.

I'm sure most of you know where I'm getting at, what's more important to you a rapper able to write a hot 16 filled with crazy punchlines and multies off the chart, and possess all the aspect of a good technical mc, but can't make a concept or deep song to save his life?

Or would you rather listen to a rapper who makes music that you can relate to and has deep concepts, but isn't that impressive technically and doesn't have more than two syllables per bar (okay maybe that's a bit much)? Still said rapper is able to tell stories and makes songs with unique concepts and has a lot of passion in his music but isn't that skilled.

[Satire]

Content/Substance with a good beat.

I like the underground-punchline-multis-go type of rap but that shit would get tiring fast. As long as the content/substance rap isn't the boo-hoo-my-lifes-depressing kind of ish all over I could listen to it forever. I've always enjoyed story-telling and great concepts more than multis and flow anyways tbh.

[dead prez]

I'm probably dwelling on semantics and you mean braggadacio "I'm better than you, I'm gonna shoot you verses", but Gangsta Rap can be very substantial if executed properly. Not if done by glossy 50 cent type pop rap, yes, but Gangsta rap comes in many different moods depending on who delivers it, ranging from nihilistic, materialistic, depressed, sociopathic, and cathartically aggressive among other things.

As for me I'm not sure honestly what I'd rather listen to if I could only pick, I mean I'm a sucker for songs with great rhyming and don't really listen to songs that pertain to me or my life tbh, but I can definitely see myself get bored of "mixtape" rappers after a while.

[juelz21]

i like when a mc can combine rhyme skills with substance.

[dead prez]

i like when a mc can combine rhyme skills with substance.

We all do, but if you HAD to choose between one or the other, which would you?

[VenomBlackViper]

Technicalities
Might be just me but I listen to rappers who spit lyrical fire over rappers who I can listen to and be like "hey that situation slightly resembles my life!!" .
That's also the reason I prefer SSLP & MMLP to TES and Relapse to Recovery.
Also songs relating to anger > songs relating to depression
songs relating to hate > songs relating to love

[juelz21]

i like when a mc can combine rhyme skills with substance.

We all do, but if you HAD to choose between one or the other, which would you?

rhyme skills.

[Hiphopdane]

Rhymes and flows don't mean much if the lyrical content sucks. Honestly I can't listen to someone just because he is capable of rapping fast or has found a lot of words that sound alike.

Good songwriting is what changes the world and people's way of thinking.

[FreeSpeech]

Technicalities are more important. By that, I don't mean crazy wordplay and multis, but good flow, beat selection, production quality, etc. I don't care if you spit the most heartfelt lyrics ever, if your voice sucks and you have no flow I won't listen to you.

I prefer my music to have some depth, but I don't listen to rap to learn about physics, naw'mean? I like Eminem, Kanye, Jay, etc because they know how to make personal songs that still sound great. So much underground rap focuses on the lyrics and forgets basic flow and just doesn't sound good.

This kid gets comments on his vids saying how he should be signed, is way better than Wayne, etc. but people overlook his choppy, repetitive flow and awful voice:

[dead prez]

I probably should have cleared that up, but obviously the content/substance side aren't going to be as bad as the guy in that vid. He was awful.

[mcZu]

Content/Substance, without a doubt.

[FreeSpeech]

I probably should have cleared that up, but obviously the content/substance side aren't going to be as bad as the guy in that vid. He was awful.

Oh ok, we'll assuming they both have flow and good beats, I prefer substance. I definitely prefer 2/3 syllable rhymes with meaning than 6 syllable punchlines about being dope. And when I say meaning, I don't mean super-interlectual stuff where the rapper is just trying to be smart or expose a conspiracy, like Canibus or Immortal Technique. I mean songs like...

Kanye: Heard Em Say, Homecoming, Roses
Nas: I Can, One More Dance, The Cross
Lupe: Sunshine, Daydreamin, Little Weapon

Basically, just people naturally expressing themselves. That's why I like Cudi. He's not really much of a rapper in the traditional sense, but most of his songs are straight from the heart.

[dead prez]

Kanye's beats however even him out with rappers of tremendous skill but have shoddier production in comparison to him. One be Lo for example, but I'm not labeling him as a technicalities only rapper either. Either way Kanye is a pretty average rapper in terms of technical skill though he is a good songwriter.

[Tornado]

Content/Substance. Seperates the best from the rest IMO. Think it like this. Joe Budden Verses Solo>Joe Budden Verses in Slaughterhouse

[Devil'sAdvocate]

Technicalities.

but i care alot abt the Content/Substance.