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What are your thoughts on video game rappers?

Unless it's purposefully being done as a joke, it's really cringe worthy.

It's like rapping about TV shows or movies. No one does songs about entertainment.
 
Thr only one I know of is Mega Ran and that's because he followed me on twitter a couple weeks ago (he unfollowed me though, what the fuck). Don't know much of his music.

I've heard other game raps before and they're usually pretty bad. I don't know of any artists in particular though.
 
A problem with a lot of these rappers is not the subject matter, but their execution. Voice is a lot of importance in rap and a good chunk of these rappers are pretty garbage because they haven't mastered use of their voice. Wordplay and flow are also factors in this, but I also see a lack in general when it comes to that department and that is why I see J-Roc being the pinnacle in that regard and others like MC Frontalot and Adam Warock being garbage. J-Roc has great control of voice and flow. His method is more of the freestyle approach when it comes to it, but he makes it good. The majority of rappers in the realm are also too on the nose sometimes on the subject matter. There should be a breadth of subtlety.

Instead of directly talking about the game, choose a theme or story element that could be the focus of the song without it being blatant. There are plenty video games out there with themes that are shared in some of the greatest storytelling rap songs. Vice City and San Andreas both have tales of rags to riches stories that occur in a lot of rap songs such as Biggie's Juicy. And there are countless games with love as a theme and there are just as many rap songs on the same subject.

If the rapper is clever enough you wouldn't even know it was even about a video games unless you paid very close attention to it. Take Common's I Used to Love H.E.R. for example. Upon a first listen one might actually think he was talking about a woman he had a crush on, but aside from him revealing at the end of the song that he was talking about Hip-Hop, you would have to use contextual clues from the metaphors and euphemisms that he was talking about how culture changed over time.

Sammus is close to that, but there are some parts she is on the nose about. Von Poe's Castlevania is close to this as well. I was confused at first why it was titled that, but after repeat listens I could see the relationships. The song ends too son before it can really make full use of it however and Death could work on his flow a bit though that song was one of his better ones. I would post the one I'm writing at the moment that's in the style of Slick Rick's storytelling, but it needs refining and I would rather do it when it's done. When or if I post it, I doubt any but a select few people would recognize that it's about Final Fantasy IX and not just fucking up on getting some pussy like it appears on the surface.
 
Some really great suggestions on here after I went to bed. Gonna comb through them now. Thanks everyone.
Blasian Persuasion said:
A problem with a lot of these rappers is not the subject matter, but their execution. Voice is a lot of importance in rap and a good chunk of these rappers are pretty garbage because they haven't mastered use of their voice. Wordplay and flow are also factors in this, but I also see a lack in general when it comes to that department and that is why I see J-Roc being the pinnacle in that regard and others like MC Frontalot and Adam Warock being garbage. J-Roc has great control of voice and flow. His method is more of the freestyle approach when it comes to it, but he makes it good. The majority of rappers in the realm are also too on the nose sometimes on the subject matter. There should be a breadth of subtlety.

Instead of directly talking about the game, choose a theme or story element that could be the focus of the song without it being blatant. There are plenty video games out there with themes that are shared in some of the greatest storytelling rap songs. Vice City and San Andreas both have tales of rags to riches stories that occur in a lot of rap songs such as Biggie's Juicy. And there are countless games with love as a theme and there are just as many rap songs on the same subject.

If the rapper is clever enough you wouldn't even know it was even about a video games unless you paid very close attention to it. Take Common's I Used to Love H.E.R. for example. Upon a first listen one might actually think he was talking about a woman he had a crush on, but aside from him revealing at the end of the song that he was talking about Hip-Hop, you would have to use contextual clues from the metaphors and euphemisms that he was talking about how culture changed over time.

Sammus is close to that, but there are some parts she is on the nose about. Von Poe's Castlevania is close to this as well. I was confused at first why it was titled that, but after repeat listens I could see the relationships. The song ends too son before it can really make full use of it however and Death could work on his flow a bit though that song was one of his better ones. I would post the one I'm writing at the moment that's in the style of Slick Rick's storytelling, but it needs refining and I would rather do it when it's done. When or if I post it, I doubt any but a select few people would recognize that it's about Final Fantasy IX and not just fucking up on getting some pussy like it appears on the surface.
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Great post. You are absolutely right, I've heard some clever wordflow from some of these guys, but intonation is just off and it takes away from the flow by quite a bit.

Pure_Phazon said:
Bonus points to anyone who can guess the sample used on this.
Click to expand...

Spoiler tag it? I wanna know.
 
HamsterPackage said:
T-rock, used to be from three six mafia. who can guess what the beat is?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jGP_-Uqvvo
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I couldn't do it. What's it from?

jesu said:
This is a good one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJXUzKwkQak

DJ Yoda featuring Scroobius Pip - Sega RIP
Click to expand...

+1

Palingenesis said:
Egoraptor's Zelda rap is really funny and groovy imo, apart from that, I'm not really into rap.
Click to expand...

Groovy is a real good way to describe this track. Thanks.
 
1nBkkHk.jpg
 
More creative power to them. When I was younger I use to vaguely hear about the "Mario rap album'' that may or may not exist, this was probably around 98 or so.

Real rapper expose video games all the time or at least the essence of the beeps and bops they make. Remember "Game Over (Flip)" by Lil Flip? That was a fad for a while. I remember meeting various people with songs blaring at high volumes with this gaming sound to them or something.

Other than inspiration and so forth, it might not be for me. I see people do 8-bit and 16-bit tracks and that's fine. I heard the EVO or Street Fighter rap and it's neat for a while.

I most likely enjoy things from the game(s) themselves. Street Fighter III Third Strike has a wonderful soundtrack. Other than that you have to be pretty good or it just does not work. It's great they are inspired and it's great for the community, but it's not something I want to listen in my car. I like OST's more.

It's like how CoD has tried using the veteran status or soldier identity for their games. It just doesn't work IMO. The gun stuff is neat, where they have multiple people firing off weapons, but I don't think it does well when MGS has never sold that same level. Fans may enjoy it and some do it on the side, but to each their own.

The idea of turning something into game related material can be good, but it can also carry this form of cringe worthy moments or uneasiness.
 
HamsterPackage said:
megaman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJsn_C9rvIQ
Click to expand...

Lol, I'm a scrub, I've never really played any Mega Man games. I remember my parents getting me Mega-Man for the NES and I just hated it. It was too much for my little 6 y/o brain.

edit: Actually, now that I think about it I did play the original Mega Man Legends on the PSX. But I don't think that counts.

Dangansona said:
Y'all aren't including Del with statements like this are you? I sure hope not.
Click to expand...

Me too. Del is crazy talented. It's why I put Protoculture in the OP.
 
Northeastmonk said:
More creative power to them. When I was younger I use to vaguely hear about the "Mario rap album'' that may or may not exist, this was probably around 98 or so.

Real rapper expose video games all the time or at least the essence of the beeps and bops they make. Remember "Game Over (Flip)" by Lil Flip? That was a fad for a while. I remember meeting various people with songs blaring at high volumes with this gaming sound to them or something.

Other than inspiration and so forth, it might not be for me. I see people do 8-bit and 16-bit tracks and that's fine. I heard the EVO or Street Fighter rap and it's neat for a while.

I most likely enjoy things from the game(s) themselves. Street Fighter III Third Strike has a wonderful soundtrack. Other than that you have to be pretty good or it just does not work. It's great they are inspired and it's great for the community, but it's not something I want to listen in my car. I like OST's more.

It's like how CoD has tried using the veteran status or soldier identity for their games. It just doesn't work IMO. The gun stuff is neat, where they have multiple people firing off weapons, but I don't think it does well when MGS has never sold that same level. Fans may enjoy it and some do it on the side, but to each their own.
Click to expand...


Yeah that lil flip track uses sound effects from pacman if I remember correctly.
 
By God, the one I watched was the awful.

MF Doom is a good rapper and he references games. Does MC Frontalot count? I thought he was legitimately good.
 
Don't get all the hate here,I personally have not heard the Dishonored or BioShock one before and really liked them both.Its solid rapping, nothing extraordinary but nothing cringeworthy either. The lyrics are good enough in my opinion,I liked that the guy focuses on the plot of the games.

The Mass Effect one I have heard before,and do not like. The melody and beat are just off to me .
 
TheRealJakoozie said:
Don't get all the hate here,I personally have not heard the Dishonored or BioShock one before and really liked them both.Its solid rapping, nothing extraordinary but nothing cringeworthy either. The lyrics are good enough in my opinion,I liked that the guy focuses on the plot of the games.

The Mass Effect one I have heard before,and do not like. The melody and beat are just off to me .
Click to expand...

Music is extremely subjective. I knew when I created the thread that there'd be a lot of negative reception. But there have been some great examples too.
 
Hmmm Rap, i've nothing good to say about it. Better not say anything or i will get all sorts of hate, even tho you asked what we think about it.

Just put the letter C in front of Rap or Rapper, thats what i think about it. Sorry hehe just not my cup of tea.
 
kirby_fox said:
Unless it's purposefully being done as a joke, it's really cringe worthy.

It's like rapping about TV shows or movies. No one does songs about entertainment.
Click to expand...

This. My one friend did a satirical EP of raps based on Back to the Future (though metal is his preferred genre). "Biff Tannen Anger" and "Back In Time Rhyme" are a couple of the tracks. He even put on a live show once....

But yeah, it can not be done seriously. If it is, it's up there with cheesy stuff like people calling each other "babe" or the like.
 
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