[King John]

Originally Posted by Askari

Everyone on both sides are essentially proving my point.

There are millions of rappers and most concepts have been touched on at least a few times, but gunplay is the one that comes up in EVERY rap battle I see.

I think if LB used less gunplay and more complex/original topics then there'd be a lot more hype and excitement around battles because I wouldn't go in to read a battle and be able to predict what's coming.

Also, you can justify it as entertainment, but it's the "entertainment" factor that sees people like Flo-Rida and Pitbull - two decisively average emcees - at the forefront. I thought rap was all about being real and emotive, spitting what you know and unleashing your creativity. Gunplay's ok, but there are little or no rappers PERIOD writing fresh concepts about it.

It's not the fact that it's played, it's the fact that on LB it's more played than any other concept by a million miles.

Whatever appeals to the masses is always going to sell more, and most people listen to music to be entertained, same way they watch movies to be entertained.

That's why huge summer blockbusters with lots of action and explosions make way more money than indie art house films, you can say one is better because it's more creative, but at the end of the day I'd rather watch 300 than Citizen Kane, or watch an Arsonal battle over a Bender battle, or listen to Wayne over Canibus.

[King John]

Originally Posted by Askari

Everyone on both sides are essentially proving my point.

There are millions of rappers and most concepts have been touched on at least a few times, but gunplay is the one that comes up in EVERY rap battle I see.

I think if LB used less gunplay and more complex/original topics then there'd be a lot more hype and excitement around battles because I wouldn't go in to read a battle and be able to predict what's coming.

Also, you can justify it as entertainment, but it's the "entertainment" factor that sees people like Flo-Rida and Pitbull - two decisively average emcees - at the forefront. I thought rap was all about being real and emotive, spitting what you know and unleashing your creativity. Gunplay's ok, but there are little or no rappers PERIOD writing fresh concepts about it.

It's not the fact that it's played, it's the fact that on LB it's more played than any other concept by a million miles.

Whatever appeals to the masses is always going to sell more, and most people listen to music to be entertained, same way they watch movies to be entertained.

That's why huge summer blockbusters with lots of action and explosions make way more money than indie art house films, you can say one is better because it's more creative, but at the end of the day I'd rather watch 300 than Citizen Kane, or watch an Arsonal battle over a Bender battle, or listen to Wayne over Canibus.