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The Vagrance

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Everything posted by The Vagrance

  1. It does have problems, but the problems won't be solved by censoring the music, they can only be solved by fixing the root problem which is the unfortunate fact that blacks have disproportionately higher crime rates and poverty levels. The art is a reflection of that, and going "boo rappers" isn't going to incite them to act but rather to ignore your message. And to completely ignore all rap music because a couple of songs talk about drugs is seriously short-sighted. You admit you stopped listening to rap a long time ago, especially indicated by your examples of 50 Cent and Lil' Jon as mainstream, try picking it back up again. Myself and others (Ramaniscence comes to mind) have already dropped names of good, insightful rappers, don't their contributions mean anything? At the moment all of your criticisms sound like someone who heard a 60 Minutes report about violent rap music and who's life has never been the same since.
  2. Hey, I tried to have a decent conversation but a lot of your accusations are based on minimal evidence. Great, you've provided a list of songs that mention drugs, but you haven't shown anything that links the existence of these lyrics to a raise in crime rate. You seem to be arguing with crazy scenarios that can't really be directly addressed: [QUOTE]You know, because dealers only sell the drugs to the inner city kids who are getting badly influenced anyway.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE]But, again, try controlling a kid who is constantly high and/or owns a gun that he got illegally. There comes a point to where locking your kid up is the only option, and that's no option for a kid.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE]Try saying that to the victim's families of gang warfare, or the parents of some 17 year old inner city kid who thought it was fine to OD on crack.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE]\Times change. Rappers, particularly ones like those listed above, cannot put themselves in chains. They cannot stop promoting a gangster culture that things it's not only ok, but satisfactory to do or sell copious amounts of drugs and kill other people, sometimes for as little as having better lyrics than you. If they can't put themselves in the chains, I'm afraid it's up to the rest of us to do it for them. [/QUOTE] I've given up trying because I don't even know what you're arguing for anymore. Complete censorship of bad rap lyrics? What about bad rock lyrics? It doesn't matter if you find something wrong with a 50 Cent song because you're either advocating for the strict censorship of a particular musical genre while ignoring all others or you're advocating for a rollback to 50's censorship. Your arguments are full of loaded questions and unrealistic scenarios portrayed as commonplace. That's great that you're a Philosophy major, I'm a History major so if you're going to advocate the shackling of an artistic movement there'd better be some damn good evidence in your favor.
  3. http://tindeck.com/listen/xvog The acapellas are people that I've recorded previously and just wanted to hear what it would sound like if someone rapped over the beat, they're not meant to be permanent.
  4. I didn't want to fill up your PM box any more so I forgot to mention to ignore the random vocal samples in what I sent you, the only ones I'm even considering keeping are the last two right before the breakdown and even then not likely.

  5. On the first part, you named Lil' Jon and 50 Cent, two people who haven't been popular for ~4 years now and even then most of the lyrics are about hot women they want to bang, which makes them slightly more straightforward than "I Wanna Hold Your Hand." Most popular rap songs are about fucking, bluntly, girls don't want to dance to a guy talking about how many cops he's killed and how many kilos he's dealt. Also I don't think in any of the cases its implied rape, they're just being very forward when hitting on women. The idea that they're trying to put out isn't "I'm gonna get my nut off however I can" but rather "You're hot and I'm gonna spit some game so that you'll come have sex with me, but that's all I'm looking for, sex." As for drugs, most rap artists only talk about doing weed, which while it is illegal, is on the path to being legal once again and also isn't any more harmful than alcohol or cigarettes (I don't want to get too far down this path, I'm just saying). Most of the talk about crack/coke/harder drugs is about dealing them, which is a sad but very real thing that goes on in rougher neighborhoods and that the rappers have often been exposed to and thus they'll naturally rap about. One of the key rules about dealing is to not start doing coke/crack yourself, or else you'll get addicted and get into trouble. Stop using the example of yelling "Fire" in a crowded theater because you're losing sight of context (and also I personally disagree with any restriction of free speech). When was the last time you saw something on TV and thought that it was real? In a movie? What makes music any different? The difference between yelling fire in a crowded theater and this is that yelling fire is meant to cause disruption, and everyone in the theater is immediately subjected to it. With music you have the option of turning it off or changing the radio station. Also yelling fire in a theater isn't recognized as a performance, while music is. In addition, what makes "Folsom Prison Blues" any better than rap music, or any other song that fits your description but isn't rap? Also, out of curiosity how much rap do you actually listen to? First off you can't drop out of school at 13, and second their parents should be less shitty. Then the problem isn't the rappers, its the kids' parents and friends. You can't ban/restrict things because some dumbass in an unfortunate situation will misuse it. You're getting too caught up in "what if" scenarios and not paying attention to the fact that gangster rap isn't intended for children. Yep, all of those things should be allowed. The problem with free speech is some people are assholes and speak freely, but the beauty of it is that I can call them assholes and everything is fine. No, not at all, but the media isn't some giant monolith that is uncontrollable. People run the media and ultimately it all falls down to the will of the public and their money. If they want to hear a song about shaking their ass, then its their god-given right to hear a song about shaking their ass.
  6. If we got rid of cursing and talking about drugs in rap music, that wouldn't make it go away, it would instead just make for tamer, faker music. I need grit in my music, I want to hear something rough sometimes, and if allowing a random hooligan to curse for no reason is the price to pay for songs like to exist then I'm totally fine with that. Art should be allowed to do anything under the guise of art except for activities that are illegal otherwise, which is how art is treated now. That's why artforms such as graffiti (which at its core MUST be done on other people's property) are illegal, because it falls under vandalism. Rap isn't doing anything illegal, talking about what they talk about isn't illegal because, frankly, a lot of the shit they talk about is exaggerated. Also, I have yet to see you present evidence for cursing in music leading to more crime, in fact the only evidence you've provided so far is that people who view pornography often overestimate the frequency of certain sexual acts (which honestly I don't see much of a downside to).
  7. That's the thing though, is that art doesn't have to necessarily make a commentary. FFS how many of the remixes on this site make a commentary? The problem with using this definition is there becomes no clear line as to what is and isn't "art", and the only thing separating the two is "meaning" which is flimsy and completely up to the listener. I can understand if someone thinks that cursing hurts the meaning of the songs, but the existence of it (even without it being there for the purpose of commentary) doesn't make the song any less "art" than the next song because at that point you're hitting a completely subjective definition. Is cursing always necessary? No, but its a part of the culture and what people want to hear.
  8. Except they were both once poor and unsuccessful. Also, your argument is like saying just because pornography exists doesn't mean filmmakers shouldn't be allowed/should be discouraged from using nudity in their works to an artistic effect. Plus your example is Lil' Jon and 50 Cent, the least you could do is call out Lil Wayne or Flo Rida or someone current (Sidenote: When the fuck did Nelly make a comeback?). Its weird because I've totally been in your shoes thinking that rap was an "inferior" music genre and that the cursing was unnecessary and vulgar (I'm a white kid from the suburbs so its not that much of a stretch) but that's because it takes a whole 'nother mindset to get into Hip-Hop music. Listen to it with an open mind and check out some underground artists first (like the aforementioned Aesop Rock and Atmosphere, or a couple of my favs Count Bass D and Busdriver), you might find yourself surprised.
  9. Pretty much. So what if someone expresses a viewpoint unpopular or just plain rude, its a discussion forum and just looking for the same viewpoint over and over again is kinda pointless. That said I disagree with A-Ron over his sentiment about rap (and what seems to be a relatively common one here) about the quality of modern rap and how it pertains to cursing. Rap is, first and foremost, a musical expression that originated from poor mostly-black communities and in a lot of cases reflects that. Cursing is integral because its about people telling their stories, and when you live in an area strife with gang violence your story isn't going to be peaches and cream. I'm not necessarily saying cursing makes a song better or "more real", its just another method of expression and shouldn't be judges independently. For example, the song "Mind Playing Tricks on Me" ( ) is full of curses but ultimately is about the paranoid feeling the rappers have and the cost of their death.Also I'd argue modern rap is just as good, just as modern rock is just as good as the classics, problem is all musical genres have become more niche. No longer is there just "rock music" but now its "2nd Wave post-hardcore" and stuff like that, same with rap. For every good classic rapper there's now 3 in their place doing their thing, and the production now is as good as ever. Ski Beatz and 9th Wonder are on top of their game, the LA led experimental hip-hop scene is fantastic, there's still dudes like El-P coming out with crazy technically brilliant stuff as well as guys like Edan and DJ Shadow still doing this with a more old-school edge. As I've said I'm sure multiple times by now there is no better time to be a listener of music.
  10. Your wish, my command, etc.

  11. I STILL want to finish this shit, I really sliced the shit outta those drums too. Anyway for me: 1. Sonic Pinball - Toxic Sewer Level http://tindeck.com/listen/xoad Remix I started for the remix-athon thing that happens in the summer (forgot the real name). Obviously didn't finish. 2. Metroid Fusion - Main Theme (Dubstep Remix) http://tindeck.com/listen/pleq Got fairly close to submitting it, actually may be worth revisiting if I can track down the file. 3. Sonic 2 - Chemical Plant Zone (Electro House Remix http://tindeck.com/listen/gvlq This one I got close to finishing to as well. I originally wanted to add vocals but never could get my friend on it. This one's probably long gone considering I don't really use FLStudio anymore. 4. Radiohead - Pyramid Song (Dubstep Remix) http://tindeck.com/listen/btsj Something me and a friend did for fun, should probably finish it because it'd be heavy to drop.
  12. Good work on my Treetops mix, has my approval.

  13. I don't think this is as useless of an endeavor as others do, but that said I don't know why you're specifically looking for a Polymoog. If you really want that one then more power to you, but there are a lot of different Moog synthesizers and even more analog ones. Dave Smith just came out with a couple of relatively cheap boxes (Mopho for monophonic and Tetra for polyphonic) as well. Also, don't be so turned off by monophonic synths. One of the best ways to use monophonic synths in a modern set-up is to create a badass sound then load it up in a sampler, or alternatively just record two/three/whatever number of tracks on it and have each one play a different part of the chord.
  14. Dude is borderline terrifying in this game.
  15. The rivers don't really look that bad and as someone else said the leaders are fully animated and voiced, especially Montezuma. Lastly, the keyboard shortcuts do still work assuming you're talking about space for wait, f for fortify, etc..
  16. Damn, I've been playing this off and on today and its really good. Some thoughts: - Everything is made to be way more streamlined and accessible. I wasn't initially a big fan of how these things are laid out but a lot of the game still seems to be in tact. - I've been loosely playing Civ games since #2 and this one is probably the biggest change for the series. Its almost as if they've re-approached the concept of the Civilization games (building an empire) and saw if they could make it better. - City-States are by-and-large the biggest change. Early on in my game I found two city states, one to the south and one to the west, and before long the one to the west wanted me to eliminate the one to the south, which I did to the ire of England who ever since has been hostile towards me. I have no idea as to how they'll effect multiplayer games but in single-player games they are the great instigators. - Epic games are so fucking long now, at least it has been so far. I think I've been playing for around 3 hours today and I just now got to 0AD - Barbarians still exist and quite frankly aren't nearly as annoying now. All of your troops have a +50% bonus against Barbarians so it makes it fun to go and wipe out their villages. Anyway, totally worth the purchase so far, anyone else played it yet?
  17. First the rap beats: http://soundcloud.com/fli/a-lot-of-people & http://soundcloud.com/fli/laura Both of which require some form of a sub in order to hear the bass And dubstep preview: http://soundcloud.com/fli/wiggles-preview
  18. Well you two have done a great job because this is definitely the most organized project I've been in (sorry other people's projects I'm in/been in). And I wasn't trying to complain about the tracklist at all, but rather make a smartass statement which is becoming an increasing tendency for myself.
  19. Has any project been this on-schedule before? Also lol at my dubstep track being the sacrificial lamb after Zircon/Tefnek's track and before McVaffe/Sixto's
  20. This discussion pleases me, and the point of the voice sample is more pertaining to the world of Chrono Trigger (the idea that the world was once full of magic and that has since been lost and forgotten) than to make a commentary on our society, and yes it is from a speech from a linguist.
  21. Same, before we know it the whole project'll be finished before she signs back in.
  22. You two are right, sorry, I totally forgot what my point is but retracted regardless.
  23. Honestly I'm not sure what good remixing would do to these tracks anyway, considering they're pretty much on point as it is. Thats why you usually see remixes of tracks from older games that didn't have the technology to do what new games can, and while SP:TG has a lot of chiptune-sounds in it, its all been professionally mixed and mastered and there's a lot more polish to it than most video game soundtracks. That said if anyone can prove me wrong and improve on the tracks then by all means do so.
  24. Fuck I forgot all about that game (probably because it stutters a ton on the 360). A reboot would be fantastic. Similarly I REALLY wish Okamiden was on the 360/PS3 instead of the DS, with better graphics and live orchestration on the music.
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