WE GET IT!! Kpop raps suck compared to actual rap music. You are not smart or cool for pointing this out. In fact, your the dumb one for thinking this matters. Why are we comparing singular rap verses in a pop song to full on western hip hop tracks? Wouldn't the smarter thing be to compare kpop rap verses to raps in western pop songs? (Before I go deeper into this, this post has nothing to do with the cultural appropriation, mocking, or imitating of western rap and western rap culture.) I struggle to wonder why just because two thing's sharing a word (that being "rap"), that those two things have to be viewed on an equivalent scale. That would be like saying kpop is worse than western pop and that this comparison would be fair to make because they are both pop music. While we absolutely can have discussions and productive dialogue comparing kpop and western pop, same with rap and kpop rap, to say one is better than the other is simply illogical because they are fundamentally different things. Yes, the rapping ability of the best western rappers clears the rapping ability of the best kpop rappers. However, a kpop rap verse and a western hip hop track are both attempting to accomplish different things and serve different purposes, so you get nowhere productive by saying western rap songs are better than kpop rap verses. Like imagine trying to decide what is a better play between Hamlet and some teachers acting out the three little pigs for their grade 1 class. One play pushed the limits of what is possible in storytelling in theatre and the other is just to teach and entertain some kids, AND THAT IS OKAY. Both have equal rights to be called a play. We can absolutely have some productive discussion comparing the two, but you see how calling Hamlet the better play literally gets us nowhere or accomplishes anything? And I am not saying this to protect kpop raps from criticism because what they are doing "isn't that deep" or whatever. You can and should push for kpop rap to be better but you have to recognize what makes a kpop rap good, and how that is different then what makes a western hip hop rap good. Making a rap verse work for a pop song, let alone a kpop pop song, let alone all the wild concepts and unique themes kpop songs have can actually be really hard. Rap isn't just rapping ability. When asking if a kpop rap verse is good, we have to ask many questions, many of which have nothing to do with the rapping skill. Does the rap add energy to the song? Does the rap affectionally transition from the chorus to the next verse? Is the rap catchy? Does the rap take you out of the song? What does the rap add to the rest of the song? etc. Why would you want an idol doing a peak western rap verse straight from a hip-hop track in a kpop song when you don't even want that for western music. There is an understanding that rap features in western pop songs are not the same and should not be treated the same or approached like a hip-hop track. Because pop music is different and therefore requires different things. Why can't people also accept the same being true for kpop? It seems like a lot of kpop fans feel the need to tell themselves and convince themselves that kpop sucks. I listen to basically every release that comes out, and I can tell you honestly, the average kpop rap verse is at least serviceable. That does not mean good, but also that means that the average kpop rap is not complete dogshit and ruining the song like many like to claim. I am not trying to discourage music discourse but I just have to call out the people who think they are smart by shitting on kpop rap verses. submitted by /u/SnooOranges829 [link] [comments]
