Be honest

[dead prez]

Do you pay full attention to the lyrics your listening to the first few times around? This might seem like a stupid question, but I tend to listen more to how the rappers sound than what they say at times. I know this isn't a good habit, but unless it's a story with vivid detail or I've listened to the song a million times, what they say doesn't really register in my mind.

I might come across as ignorant but even with lyrics that might go over my head a lot of it is just noise that sounds good to me, (Chemical calisthenics and Nutmeg for example, thought two totally different reasons for that) and don't make an attempt to decipher what they're saying unless I feel that it would make the song me appreciate the genius of the rapper's craft (Lupe Fiasco Dumb it Down).

This also kind of ties back to my other thread about listening to Hip Hop in other languages, though I really mean to say if you listen to Hip Hop in languages that you don't understand. Even if you don't know what they're saying they still sound nice soninically.

[classthe_king]

Yes

[Raids-God]

i actually give the song/flow/delivery/beat my attention in the first listen
second listen i focus on the lyrics

thats about it

Same Here

[FreeSpeech]

It depends who it is. If it's Eminem or Lupe or someone definitely, I google the lyrics and read along as I'm listening for the second time (I don't wanna ruin any suprises on my first listen). If I am just listening to the radio and it's Rick Ross or someone mediocre, then no because I don't expect to hear anything I wanna remember.

[dR3]

If it's my first time hearing a song, I don't focus on the lyrics immediately. After a few listens, I do pay attention to them.

[GladHeAteHerr]

I try to listen closely to the lyrics my first time, but I usually fail. I really can't understand a lot of them but my second and third time through I guess I get more used to the style and delivery and I hear the lyrics a lot more clearly.

[Bistnal]

Not extremely attentively the first time, but enough to determine if it's something I like. First listen is usually just the flow/beat/delivery.I usually listen to a song a few times after that really paying attention to the lyrics, etc.

[Mahmoud48]

its not about lyrics no more its about a hot beat and a catchy hook

[FreeSpeech]

its not about lyrics no more its about a hot beat and a catchy hook

You aren't funny, do you ever make actual posts?

[Mahmoud48]

its not about lyrics no more its about a hot beat and a catchy hook

You aren't funny, do you ever make actual posts?

i just make a post
and thats my feeling towards this topic
who said im funny? y are u assuming things?

[Ticalrecords]

damn this is how i should have phrased my post about established rappers with shitty flows. good look man.

to be honest I try to listen for lyrics first and foremost, but if the flow/delivery is SHIT (worse than Redman at his worst) than i don't even bother.
as a rapper its very depressing that lyrics are the last to be analyzed, but it makes sense that the average consumer would do that.

[8milestyle]

I don't try to listen to listen for lyrics the first time through. However, a lot of times I'll just pick up on multis or maybe a stand out metaphor/punchline and the general flow and delivery. If it sounds good, I'll go back for another listen if I want to catch the deeper lyrics. However, lyrics aren't everything. If something sounds good, it sounds good, yaknow?

I'm not gonna force myself to like a song if it has good lyrics and I won't suddenly stop liking a song if the lyrics aren't perfect.

[Graphic]

For an album, I listen through and just take in whatever comes into my head. Second listen, I read along with lyrics.

[DanWS]

If it's my first time hearing a song, I don't focus on the lyrics immediately. After a few listens, I do pay attention to them.

[GladHeAteHerr]

Nothing like the feeling of being impressed with a punchline that you weren't expecting the first time listening through..