Why is it that Rap has such a short shelf life?

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Jul 20, 2002
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#1
You're only as hot as your last song and songs get hot and cool off so fast that it's hard to survive in this here rap game. have you ever noticed that all other genres of music, the songs last longer and have a longer shelf life ? Rock songs last forever and so does Country. Rap is like when wearing Jordans were hot, your shit is popping only for about a month and then it's on to the next guy.
 
Oct 31, 2003
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#3
I think this is a good question. I see it as an overkill type of thing. There is so much shit coming out that you don't get a chance to soak it all in. Like I was at Rasputins the other day and I was lookin though the rap section, I mean it was SO MUCH BULLSHIT to sift threw...And rappers pimp them selves out to make that quick money so they over stock the shelves wit they shit...Like I was looking for Disobayish by Messy Marv, but damn I had to go through about 10 diffrent cd's to get to it...it makes shit less special. I like it when artist put their all into ONE project and make that shit the best project possible...That's why I think Quinn's album came out so good...alot of these rap albums are like suger rushes...quick energy with an even faster burnout.
 
Aug 18, 2002
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#5
Plus a lot of folks that are out there keep trying to emulate the latest trend to try and stack somethin quick. After it passes nobody wants to hear it anymore.....like Cuddie said it's about music making.
 
May 3, 2002
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#6
it's one of those laws of nature - "you get back what you put into it" type of shit. most rappers today rush things just to make a quick buck, and as fast as they rush their projects is as fast at they get left behind. the more people "flood" rap music, the less time to "soak" it in because it all keeps changing, so there's not a certain sound or rhythm.
 
Dec 1, 2003
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#8
With rap music you every politician and critic on every word you say, and execs have to sneak in who they can under that radar and still maintian the street credibilty to sell enuff to recoup for the labels. Where as rocc music had an almost free run at it,thus creating strong fan bases all over the world. Cuzz smart marketing would tell you to saturate this market and with the delay of other world markets that makes the shelf life even longer. Now Every one is file sharing so that delay is constantly being trimmed down. It's a race to get a rapper made that can still knocc in the streets/clubs/and radio and stay outta the political limelight enuff to build a fan base that can give him the longevity needed to sustain a long career in this game, And that is the last in depth thing I will say all day. Believe it cuzz my head hurts already...ruinin my high.
 
Apr 25, 2002
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#10
Good rap don't have a short shelf life.

i.e. In A Major Way went Gold in 1995 and Platinum in 2002.

It's just that most are trying to make what's hot right now and don't stand the test of time.

Also there's old songs like Freaks of the Industry and a lot of others that I still hear on the radio regularly.
 

og MS

Member since 1997
Apr 25, 2002
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#12
rappers arent the the people tryin to eat off music... it happens in all genres across the board.


I think the shelf life scenario has to do with Hip Hop being "relatively new" Rock & Country.. for instance have been around for decades. Hip Hop has just started to become accepted across the board and is still the scapegoat in the industry.
 
May 4, 2002
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#13
...

ill tell you one reason from my perspective, thier is so many motherfuckers in rap, thats one reason you got everyone and they momma thinking cause they got a mic and some recording software that they can get a cd out with sharpie marker and get people to buy it, then you got some new cats im not talking about all that think they the shit cause they got one hot feature......rap just has too many people so shelf life come and goes.....i mean back in the golden era of rap i could bump a cd over and over nowadays a cd can be good but its not something that even has a lasting effect.....rock, country, R&B, Soul, whatever just has less people doing it so you dont have as many people trying to take that shelf space..
 
Nov 7, 2002
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#15
"yo kid that's my style"


to me that's what's wrong with rap...everyone wants to be diff. from one another
from day one . and that divde us and theb the clicking starts
my crew this my label that....

look at rock bands like areosmith, they love to tour with bands like limp, and chit like that
and they init together, were's you won't find golden era groups or solo's performing with locksmith,xzibit,dmx and what not...why cause them bg's think that the og's sound is out of date and the og's think tha bg's are in it for feddi
they are both right but can not find common ground ....

when i look at rock concerts, i see old bring they kids and even dead heads with grandkids
it's a bonding time for the familia,

but hip hop is a trendy based , what's new...what's cutting edge....what's crackin'....hell look at our slang in nor cal...every 4 min. e40 got a new word for a new drink...
last i heard was a drink called crunk juice and before that henny and passion fruit (u can tell how long it's been since i been at a club) they feel cool with the kids jammin out with them...they look at music diff. too....they talk with they kids about learning about music gear, how to write it, how to grab a gutar and learn notes so that it becomes a learning experinace ...you know these notes have to build up a certain way,they study past artists art first then brake off on they own....when was the last time you saw your mom on a table yelling..."go shorty it's your birthday"
but not us i remember hiding my too short tapes from "mama son' and i knew that if she heard one "bitch " comming from my room she was gonna batter ram my door
so hat puts room between the generations and you think she gonna pay 60 bucks to hear all the words that she did not want me to say in front of her? and
you think i'ma bring my kids to the "meat market"

well?
 
B

BureFedorov

Guest
#16
How long has it been since you can HONESTLY say you bought a CD that you play all the way through and you were satisfied from start to finish? The most recent ones were any of the East Co Co Records releases(Northern Expozure 1,2,4,5, Life Storiez etc), C-Bo(Enemy of the State), and Masta Ace(Disposable Arts)...The artists I named don't have albums comin out every few months which makes the product better because the focus can be put on that one album...Nowadays you got these MCs comin out with new shit before you can even let the previous album soak in and it really doesn't even matter cuz the album was garbage anyways...You can forget about most rap albums having long lasting affects today cuz you simply don't have many artists who make an album that knocks from start to finish...Those kind of albums are few and far between and end up gettin lost in the mix with the garbage albums which is a real shame.
 
May 15, 2002
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#17
Rap has a short shelf life because if you ask the majority of MCs who flood the market with bullshit, they are only in this for the money, which motivates so many MCs because the MCs who do this for the love take their time to do an album that can be played from start to finish. The shelf life is short because so many MCs have short-term goals, like they think a deal will get them ice. cars, better homes, when everybody ain't got it like that on the spot.
 
Jun 30, 2002
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#18
hip-hop/rap is eveywhere - cds, radio, tv/movies, videogames, at the clubs, its all over... other music doesn't get that much rotation as rap does in terms of all these sources... just my opinion...
 
May 15, 2002
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#19
The reason for this is because people are making these songs that are just hot at this moment. You gotta make some music that people are gonna be able to listen to for years to come. Like 2pac albums, his music will never play out, because the things he talked about still goes on today. Plus Pac lyrics touched your heart, so u had a connection with the artist. These people drop songs today without even thinking about things like that, theyre just worried about whats gonna sell right now. When I put out something, I want it to still be selling after 5 or 10 years.
 
Dec 21, 2002
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#20
STREETFIGHT said:
I see it as an overkill type of thing. There is so much shit coming out that you don't get a chance to soak it all in. I like it when artist put their all into ONE project and make that shit the best project possible...alot of these rap albums are like suger rushes...quick energy with an even faster burnout.
I agree with that 100%