What makes a dope record???
My friends and I argue constantly about who's hot and who's wack. I personally am a fan of the undergrounds' underground. Right now I listen to a lot of Lupe, Blu, Jay Electronica, J.Cole, and K'naan. I'm a fan lyricists. So the other artists that I may pay attention to all tend to be lyricists. As much as people hate..Drake can flat out rap. Lyrically he's better than a lot of people. Fab is another one..not so much lately, but Fab is a lyricist. Period! I respect lyricists.
But does that make a good song? I finally got around to listening to Kid Cudi...and he is not a lyricist...AT ALL....at least not in my book...But he puts so much emotion behind his music..you can't ignore it. his album strait through it very dope. So is it "emotion" that makes a record dope?? Some of the best albums were driven off of pure emotions regarding content
Gnarls Barkley- St Elsewhere and Kanye-808 and Heartbreak stick out in my mind at the moment.
WHAT DO YOU THINK??
September 16th, 2009 - 21:41
If you’re considering what makes a hot record, then you need to consider everything that goes into a record… the beat, the mixing, the lyrics, the voice/pitch, the meaning, the emotion.
And then you have to realize the shit isn’t formulaic. It’s not scientific. Because when you hear a record that sounds like it’s following a formula, it usually sounds unoriginal or just flat out whack. And don’t confuse “this shit makes me dance” with “this shit is hot” because records that knock don’t necessarily have to be club bangers.
So what makes a hot record? It boils down to what kind of shit you like to listen to. For me? A beat that knocks. Lyrics that stand out or make me think or make me wish I had thought of some shit like it. And an undeniable strength.
September 16th, 2009 - 23:15
Im off topic but somethin jumped off the page to me, I really dont try to hate but are you really gonna put Drake in the same category of lyricist as those rappers u jus named?…LUPE, blu, jay elec, j.cole, this niggas are on another planet as far as lyrics go…drake although makes “hit songs” imo he not sniffin them lyrically.
September 16th, 2009 - 23:43
na im not sayin hes on their level at all…the subject matter alone is completely diff…but bar for bar….he can flat out rap…listen to a drake song…for lyrical ability…as in stitching together words in unique ways…effortless punchlines….i think he can do that…and thats what im crediting him for…but that alone…lupe, jay elec, blu…they have a much deeper purpose to their music….thats why theres a vast separation between them and him…but i can listen to jay elects Act 1 and so far so gone and like both bodies of work[act 1 was 15 minutes longs so its a body of work lol]…. you dont think drake is a lyricist???
but cudi…i listened to cudi album…and he IS NOT A LYRICIST….but i feel like his purpose or message on this album is so relevant and passionate that i cant ignore it…so …what makes a dope song…lyrics?…passion?…as nice as lupe is..he pics some wack beats…and so does nas…..but i still listen bc the word play is ridic….
September 17th, 2009 - 00:02
courtney i think i agree but disagree…bc…there is a formula…..not to a timeless classic, but to a song that will get radio play and sell. I almost think emotion behind the lyrics is the most important thing..
What do you think is more impmortant to making a good ALBUM…..10 songs that hit diff people diff ways….club song. ladies joint, hood shit….bc that was the formula for a strong 10 years….or…is is better to have an album with a theme and all songs move cohesively??
September 17th, 2009 - 00:20
Good quesiton first of all. Personally I am drawn to a song for the lyrical content. The songs that paint me a picture or tell me a story really draw me in. What do you have to say on this song that I haven’t already heard 100x?! When people dig deep it helps me connect to it. The beat has to be ill too! I love a good head banger!! haha But it also has to be a track that I could put on repeat.
September 17th, 2009 - 00:43
ok I was confused but now I understand what u sayin now about drake he can def do those things well so I fully co-sign lol…as for cudi, julian is tryna put me on but i really jus cant fully get into his music tho cuz its so different that what i usually listen too but ima listen to the album in full and then see what i think of it, but it seems to me ppl either really like it, or jus dont fuck wit it, not much middle ground.
September 17th, 2009 - 00:54
I honestly didnt listen to him at ALL until Julian told me to check it out…i only like it when im in a bad mood lmao…lol
September 17th, 2009 - 01:11
I agree with what courtney said up top…mad shit goes into the record…mixing emotion beats rythm cadence flow topic emotion etc. Most people usually favor a type of rap music, or sub genre, for whatever subjective reason. I just try to put people on to random shit cuz i happen to like almost every sub genre of rap, whether its emo rap, underground, mainstream, east west south minnesota whatever.
and cudi is def only good 2 listen to in certain moods…the album was meant to be like that. but its way left field, and sometimes ppl dont like it. Same with other underground cats like El-P….mad ppl i know who love lyricism still cant fuck with his music cuz he’s waaaaaaaaaaaaaay out there.
“if i dont like it i dont like it it dont mean that im hatin’ -Common [altho if its drake, that means i am hating, in all likelihood lol]
September 17th, 2009 - 01:12
and JD for the record 808s and Gnarls aint hip hop anyway you spin it lol
September 17th, 2009 - 01:20
one more thing, while im ramblin–another thing that matters in song quality is CONTEXT. Thats why we often shit on some new jay-z songs even if they have some qualities superior to other songs we like. Thats why we push songs away that involve an artist doing a 180 or something entirely different, usually. Thats why ppl hated on nas second album so much, why people wouldn’t vibe with lupe’s early unreleased shit despite his gangster songs being more lyrical than 99.99% of today’s gangster songs….
September 18th, 2009 - 02:34
A dope record has lyrical content that makes you think, to me not many rappers do this. Some rappers that do this are Jay Z Drake Fab Nas Lupe just to name a few and those are all very popular names but to me they provide substance.
September 5th, 2010 - 05:50
I am basically a person who can’t be won over very easily,hence i am still an skeptic on this subject point.nevertheless apreciate putting ahead your point.