The Daily Grist:
“It was hard for me to realize that they really liked that kind of music. …I don’t think you could think of no kind of music, I ain’t never heard none of it that I didn’t like SOME of it. Do you? I don’t like it all but any music I can listen to on radio or TV or anywhere else, they’s a some of it that I like. Of course, some of it I like better.” (Clint Howard)
I have always considered myself a very eclectic music fan. Bluegrass music is currently tops on my interest list but in years past I have gravitated mostly to other musical genres like rock & roll, blues, jazz and classical. It has always troubled me that there was this one musical genre that I just don’t like at all. And that musical genre is rap.
I heard the progenitors of what came to be known as rap in the seventies and i didn’t like it even then. It seemed to be just a bunch of guys crudely scraping and destroying vinyl records on a turntable platter while reciting so called poetry to an artificial electronic beat. Then the music evolved to a formula of these so called poets spewing expletive-ridden misogynistic lyrics to a mechanized rhythm. I wondered. Is that really music?
As a music fan it has always troubled me that there was this one genre of very popular music that I just couldn’t buy into. My kids listen to some of this stuff that so repels me. What’s wrong with me? I can listen to Tibetan throat singing with enjoyment. Why can’t i embrace this very popular form of music?
Well finally now I can! Thanks to COVID-19 I watch quite a bit of TV these days and although i hate commercials in general I actually look forward to a certain Geico commercial with the rap group Tag Team performing a parody of their rap song Whoop!
I looked up the original lyrics to their hit tune and they are mildly objectionable but the TV commercial version is totally G rated. The rappers dish out chocolate with syrup and “Whoop” becomes “Scoop”. If you haven’t seen it yet maybe you don’t watch enough TV. More likely I watch too much.
The quote in the daily grist above comes from a Carolina Scrapbook CD by the Kruger Brothers. They do a rap inspired spoof about a misfortunate duck called The Duck is Flat and it’s somewhat amusing. Talkies are common in country western music too but generally speaking I’m still a fan of melody and when it comes to music.
On the other hand I like it when Tag Team gets almost the whole kitchen dancing:
Scoop! Chocolata chocolata chocolata, chocolata …
