BlizShadow

Jan 23 2012, 03:05 PM

Nicki's style nearly comes wholesale from the Lil Wayne School of thought and is in general a problem I have with the majority of mainstream rapping as a whole today.

For one, the lyrical set up is mindnumbingly simple because everyone uses the same damn rhyming scheme for their verses: AAAA or ABAB. Lines rarely flow into one another either. There's little variation, little surprise, and little to break the rapping from its most basic of confines to something more narrative-like or conversational the way Eminem did in his heyday. An example line from his song "Who Knew?" (which is a great song, btw) to demonstrate:

"I'll burn your f***in' house down, circle around, then hit the hydrant so you can't put your burning furniture out"

Even within one single line, Eminem is rhyming multiple consonants ('ur' and 'ow') in different words and keeping with a very tight flow, but he doesn't have to sacrifice the line's function as an everyday, conversational sentence to do it. It's friggin' awesome, but Young Money rappers don't do this often if at all, either because they're content with what they're doing or because they're just shit at it.

Going from there, lyrical writing from rappers today is also an absolute mess. Every song is treated like a freestyle piece: Random sentences that may or may not have to do with an overall theme because their point is not to express a theme, but to be punctuated by lame-arse punch lines. These punch lines- usually separated by a pause like some hash tag on Twitter- generally aren't as witty or relevant as their inherent emphasis usually suggest. An example line from Nicki herself in one of Drake's songs:

"I'm a star- Sheriff badge!"

What the hell does a Sheriff badge have to do with anything in the song or the line other than adding unnecessary visual emphasis to a common word and forcing a rhyme? It's stupid as hell, everyone does it, and yet for some strange reason, they're treated as lyrical geniuses for doing it. I hate it with all my heart and soul.

Also, just because one like Nicki Minaj's music doesn't make it good, (I'd also never call her the Queen of Rapping, even with the distinction of her being the "Modern" one. There's much better female rappers that she has yet to ascribe to, popularity notwithstanding). Pointing out that someone's opinion is an opinion is redundant.

Edit: Also, Nicki's growls and cartoony changes in voice tone got old really, really fast. I wish she'd stop doing that shit.

Ayane

Jan 23 2012, 04:31 PM

Who cares/is that concerned about flawed rhyming or ABAB rhyming pattern rubbish? That's why it's RAP, notPOETRY, because, at least nowadays, the two are completely separate.

Rap music consists of songs. Songs consist of lyrics. If your lyrical structure is bad, a big component of your song's already bad. That's comparable to saying that because films are visual mediums, they shouldn't concern themselves with writing or music.

Let's not forget, Nicki Minaj isnt just an artist, she's an entertainer. And the point of an entertainer is to entertain. There are different key aspects for every form of entertainment-- and they vary even further from entertainer to entertainer.

She doesn't entertain me.

An aspect of Nicki's form of entertainment is COMEDY. Her lyrics are supposed to be funny, amusing, in-your-face, blunt, shocking, and memorable. And she certainly succeeds.

Her lyrics don't make me laugh.

I mean, c'mon. Among those who have heard the song, "Roman's Revenge", who honestly doesn't remember the funny line:

"Rah, rah, like a dungeon dragon" (a line that even the great Eminem borrowed)?

Heck, I was reciting that line before I even knew what song it was from. Entertaining, memorable. Exhibit A.

I actually don't like Roman's Revenge either. That line has no impact. It's once again a silly, empty simile- only a step up from the hash-tag punchlines I mentioned earlier because it uses the word "like" to connect the two parts of the sentence into something more grammatically coherent. Also, Eminem borrowed the line because he's on the song itself and that line is in the chorus.

The reason Nicki Minaj raps "random" words, phrases or lines is because that's her STYLE, which she is entitled to. And it's a unique style. She may not have invented it, per say, but she certainly innovated it and brought it back to mainstream, which is certainly worth something because it's actually good.

It's also called Word Association, Bliz, something even famous poets and authors are known for.

A few rappers do this (the most practiced one being Nicki), but because their lyrics are unrefined, bold, shocking, tongue-in-cheek, etc.. They are suddenly set apart from the refined intellectuals who are doing the Same. Exact. Thing... Only with more syllables, bigger words, and a gentler overall sound.

I'm also entitled to say that her style sucks, and no amount of you pointing this out to me or gussying it up in hyperbole like "amazing" "shocking" and "bold" is going to make me be sympathetic to her and suddenly like her. And it's not unique to her either nor did she "innovate it;" it's a staple of Young Money artists and it's boring and overused.

I also don't care what it's specifically called and am not sure why you're justifying her usage of it on the basis of other people using it, as if the usage of a particular technique in a number of songs validates the quality of all of those particular songs. Not every piece of artwork is equal.

Anyways, Nicki's word association style is exactly what it's supposed to be: entertaining, amusing, shocking and memorable. Simple as that.

Also, on a smaller scale (as in, within each individual song), she uses this unique style to get her point across.

Examples:

-"The f*** I look like getting back to a has-been? Yeah I said it-- has-beeen. Hang it up, flat screen. Plasma. Hey Nicki, hey Nicki, asthma.."

-"I am a movie, camera block"

-"I got em scared, shook, panickin, overseas, church, Vatican, you better stand, still, mannequin" (a really good line)

-"About violent as hair on eyelids, eyelash" (omg, and that line was Eminem's! Go figure.)

Btw-- all those lines were from "Roman's Revenge", a collaboration of Nicki Minaj and Eminem's excellent rapping talents; also one of Nicki's best songs.

All of those lines suck.

And about Nicki's grunts (and "growls") and "cartoon voice changes", i've got 14 words for you: Amusing, memorable lyrics rapped in her own personal style as a form of entertainment.

Again, hyperbole is not going to get you anywhere. It as if you're getting paid by her.

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@ Blaire: That was a tirade against bad rap, not rap music as a whole. =P Honestly, I think rap is an easy target for people, and I especially sigh when it's compared unfavorably to rock as if mainstream rock hasn't gotten terrible either. xP