Keep your rap out of my metal

You may as well yell, "Keep your rock out of my blues," or "Keep your south out of my rock," whatever. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it isn't acceptable or even good.

You can't argue someone into {dis}liking music.

Rant and rave all you want, cross-breeding music is what's kept it interesting and new.

If you don't like it, change the channel.

Blame nobody but yourself and limitations as a listener. Chances are that you aren't the target audience. True punks don't play music for classical fans, after all.

"Keep your classical out of my progressive rock." Ha!

File under: Your radical ideas about new metal. . .

Maybe I'm not listening to the same rap-rock or nu-metal you guys are, I'll admit. I prefer "intelligent" music, whatever the fuck that is, but the few bands I have latched onto in this new wave of metal have been more intelligent than their average counterparts.

A few years ago, there was a band named Mudvayne in Peoria, Illinois. They play what might be construed as nu-metal, whatever. This was before the huge explosion, limp bizkit was still being mocked for pay for play and Korn was, well, Korn (say what you will, but Korn might have the darkest platinum selling record, ever).

Guess what. They {mudvayne} are smart guys. Their lyrics showed it. They weren't as tight, musically, but they were younger. They had talent. They're album has themes of human evolution and other fun things.

One of the guitarists for Slipknot loves the guitar wankage that was so popular back in the 80's (Joe Satriani and Steve Vai being notable examples). Plays it regularly. While I don't like it, it takes skill. Eddie Van Halen is dumb, but that doesn't make Eruption any less awe-inspiring.

In closing:

I'm ashamed at my fellow noder's mass generalizations, regardless of their perceived truth by any number of people.

Now's time for mine: Your reations against what you see as a dumb fad are quite obviously the result of a reactionary stance towards the media. "If it's on MTV it must be bad!" Busta Rhymes is on MTV. Nirvana was/is on MTV. Hell, I once saw a Lynyrd Skynard video on MTV. You get the idea I'm heading for, don't you?

Whatever, believe what you will, you still can't argue someone out of or into liking music. Say what you want. You are free.

Well, see, here's the thing. Southern rock, blues, rock and roll, metal, rap... all of these are genres created and maintained by musicians whose songs express their talent, ideas, and emotions, along with the other good components shared by most forms of art. Rap-metal hybrids are completely devoid of musical goodness, on any level. They weren't formed by musicians of different genres getting together and jamming, and hence sharing and developing musical ideas. They exist because, some years back, some marketing guy at some major label said, "Hmm. Metal sells, rap sells... hey, let's start signing some of these talentless buffoons with rap-metal demo tapes!" And, based on the scientific principle of monkey see, monkey do, more rap-metal groups formed, more got signed, and now you can't even turn on a grunge radio station without hearing the shit.

Oh, but you want me to defend the claim that "rap-metal hybrids are comletely devoid of musical goodness." Well, let me summarize. The members of a rap-metal group have to offer, collectively:

• No technical ability with musical instruments.
• No skill with words beyond being able to say "I'm a badass and I'm gonna fuck you up" in 1000 different (but very similar) ways
• No knowledge of musical theory, beyond (maybe) the tritone
• No insightful information about the human experience
• No emotions, except "I'm mad', "Shit sucks" and "You suck"