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**Patrick Bateman** · (This post was last modified: 12-13-2011 06:49 AM by Priya.)

I seen in another post (the one asking who likes Wayne and Drake) a poster (think it was Laz) say that he doesn't like 50 cent because he supported Bush. This is fucking stupid. You disregard all of the music someone has made because there opinion differs to yours? I should disregard the dope music that 50's made (Power of the Dollar, Guess Who's Back, GRODT), because his opinion differs to mine?
Nas, as well as plenty of other rappers, supported Obama, and I don't like Obama, should I now stop listening to Illmatic, and the other classic material that he's released?
If Rakim comes out with a political opinion that I don't agree with, do I now disregard all of his music?
If Common says his favourite shoes are Nike, but mine are Adidas, I suppose I should stop listening to his music because I disagree with him?

On a similiar note, I see some posters say things like "I like this rapper, because my favourite rapper likes him" and "I don't like this rapper because my favourite rapper does not like him". Are you to stupid to come up with your own opinions about music? Can you not judge for yourself?

And to end my rant, some people say 'fuck mainstream, I only listen to underground'. Why do you say such stupid statements? Do you listen to music, go on the internet, see how many albums its sold, and then depending on how much it sold, decide weather you like it or not? Why does how popular an artist is/isn't have an affect on weather the artist is making good music?

In conclusion, make up your own opinions about music, instead of taking into factors about what the person says, who likes them, and how many people like them.

/Endrant

**Midnight EyeZ** · 12-08-2011, 12:44 PM

I agree with the first part, but as far as the "fuck mainstream" part goes, mainstream isn't how it used to be...I literally do only listen to underground rap at the mo, but there was a time when good rap was mainstream...Like when Eminem entered the charts with The Real Slim Shady and Stan, or when Pac, Dre and Snoop were getting mainstream airplay...

Nowadays "mainstream" artists are bullshit...I don't listen to radio or music channels coz it's all bullshit...The only ones I listen to are Magic 105.4 and Magic TV, coz they play the 80's classics like Phil Collins and Heart and Beverly Craven, truly timeless music that I'll still be listening to in 10 years when the garbage of today is long gone...

**ClichéGuevara** · 12-08-2011, 12:48 PM

I'd like to point out that there's a difference between mainstream and commercial mainstream.

**cleef** · 12-08-2011, 01:10 PM

I’m gonna be one of the people to say I disagree. I do think that an artists actions outside of their music make a big impact on whether or not you like them.

If a guys making bare songs about helping the poor etc and then goes and signs a deal with Nike to get little kids in Asia to stitch trainers with his name on I might question my support.

Things that an artist speaks about are something that we try to find some kind of relation to and if you find out that they’ve been bulshitting about something you feel strongly about its hard to separate that. You can appreciate them as a good musician but still ‘F them’

Also in terms of the mainstream thing. I think it has less to do with sales and more to do with the perceived integrity of an artist. Too many times I’ve seen the standard of an artist slip when they get picked up by a major label. I think the whole ‘fuck mainstream’ attitude comes from the fact that it seems a lot of the time that artists are putting out what the label says to put out.

I think its as Sean put it. There's a difference between mainstream and commercial mainstream.

**TheMythOfSisyphus** · 12-08-2011, 01:20 PM

Cleef you are right, that impacts whether you like the artist himself or not, but I don't see how that would have any impact on his music. Like, if it turned out every night IT washed his hands in the sweat of 1000 Taiwanese children I would still listen to his music, I would just think he was a tremendous cunt. And I wouldn't not listen to an artist on the sole basis of them being "mainstream" or commercial "mainstream" or whatever other labels people come up with. I don't know about everyone else, but I actually listen to music, then I determine if its shit (like JMT's new album) or if it is actually worth listening to (unlike most of Lowkey's new album).

**ClichéGuevara** · (This post was last modified: 12-08-2011 01:30 PM by ClichéGuevara.)

(12-08-2011 01:10 PM)cleef Wrote: I’m gonna be one of the people to say I disagree. I do think that an artists actions outside of their music make a big impact on whether or not you like them.

If a guys making bare songs about helping the poor etc and then goes and signs a deal with Nike to get little kids in Asia to stitch trainers with his name on I might question my support.

Things that an artist speaks about are something that we try to find some kind of relation to and if you find out that they’ve been bulshitting about something you feel strongly about its hard to separate that. You can appreciate them as a good musician but still ‘F them’

I agree to an extent that their actions affect whether or not you'll like an artist. But I sometimes like listening to music that I can't relate to so I can hear a different perspective on life or on the world.

I think it's interesting that, generally, the majority rappers come from working class backgrounds and embrace political views of the middle and upper class. Whereas the majority of punk musicians come from middle class backgrounds and embrace working class politics. Again that's a generalisation.

**The Stoned Raj** · 12-08-2011, 05:31 PM

(12-08-2011 01:20 PM)TheMythOfSisyphus Wrote: Like, if it turned out every night IT washed his hands in the sweat of 1000 Taiwanese children I would still listen to his music, I would just think he was a tremendous cunt.

Lol that's sick man, straight sick.

There are certain Lil Wayne songs I don't mind hearing once in a blue moon, but my focus is a rappers lyrical prowess, some people want a nice flow or beat or whatever, I like hearing when someone has something deep to say. That is why I need to have some sort of ideological connection with a rapper to truly become engrossed in their music or with them as a rapper, or any musician for that matter. But do I have to AGREE with them? Not necessarily, Pac said some really questionable shit in his career, did some really questionable shit at times, same goes for Shady and L, Pun and Notorious. I don't consider them role models or any shit like that, certainly not. They are people with the same internal struggles with this external world as the rest of us, they are just deified too much. You can learn something from anybody and everybody, whether it is the right or wrong way to approach things, rappers are no different just cause they're surrounded by cameras.

**strange.famous** · 12-08-2011, 06:02 PM

There are 2 things which decide for me to like a rapper: Beats n Lyrics.
Done.

**Younes** · 12-08-2011, 06:17 PM

used to be like that... didn't wanna listen to mainstream, didn't wanna listen to some one if his political opinion differed too much from mine.
But now, yeah I guess I listen to Rap based upon their lyrical prowess, kinda moved on from the Underground/Mainstream shit... there is only good and bad rap... and the case is that todays mainstream is filled with bad rappers with the exception of a few such as Jay-Z, Lupe and so on...

**Djoser** · 12-08-2011, 07:00 PM

I really don't like KRS but I still bump the very few songs I do like from him. Nelly can suck a big one, but I still bump "Must Be The Money".

If I like your song or music, I'll bump it. Just don't expect to see me at a concert or to not call you out if I see you in public. There's plenty of people I don't like in music but I still listen to what they put out regardless. I just won't idolize them(I don't do that anyway), which I think is one of the main issues in music.

**Raheem** · 12-08-2011, 09:06 PM

Actually 50 cent supposedly is doing something positive. He's selling a energy drink to help feed children around the world. His goal is feeding a billion of children.

**Just Jim** · 12-08-2011, 10:01 PM

In my opinion, Multiple people have stated the right answers but not combined.

I think it depends on the reason you like the artist. If IT or Lowkey or someone similar started promoting Nike or began to appear in multiple hate rallies then I would instantly lose respect for the artist and probably not listen to them because the reason I listened to them in the first place was not because they had the best delivery or whatever but because the preached a true message that they believed in and used their lyrics to educate their listeners. Even if I didn't agree with every single thing they said, at least it was a true and honest depiction of how they saw things. If they went and did the exact opposite to what they preached then of course it would turn you off them.

However, if you listen to an artist for delivery and clever similes, metaphors, wordplay etc. then there is no reason not to listen to someone who has separate political views than you or whether they are supporting Nike or Adidas or whatever.

And as regards mainstream...the reason for not listening to someone should never be because they make too much money or because theyre too popular BUT as people have stated, the majority of commercial music out there is total and utter shit for the main reason they are making music for money and for no other reason. These are the likes of tinie tempah, lil Wayne, tinchy stryder, pitbull etc etc.