juliaallison:

I was comparing the storytelling of Gym Class Heroes to other rap artists’ lyrics, which tend to focus on the following:

[the rest of her post can be found here]

As I have read about and understand it, Julia has a limited knowledge of music. Except when it comes to Disney soundtracks, ’80s anthems and terrible pop songs. 

Regarding today’s post, yes, there is a lot of terrible hip-hop out there. She nailed most of the stereotypes right on the head. But along with hip-hop, there’s a lot of piss-poor rock, country, soul, blues, gospel, jazz and world music. Every genre is prone to it.

In defense of hip-hop, I invite Julia to expand her repertoire of what constitutes “good storytelling” beyond Gym Class Heroes (who, by the way, are responsible for the atrocity “Cupid’s Chokehold”):

• Wu-Tang Clan, “Tearz” off Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers): A song about a man losing his brother to the senseless violence of the ghetto, while another rapper’s friend contracts HIV from acting recklessly.
• DJ Shadow ft. David Banner, “Seein’ Thangs” off The Outsider: A bit of a paranoid song with lyrics like “Why ain’t George Bush in jail for stealin’ them votes / Why the CIA ain’t closed for pushin’ that dope / Gettin’ crack in America, the CIA a.k.a the KKK / it’s judgment day.” The song goes on to talk about the bureaucratic failures of the government after Katrina and in the inner city in general.
• Lupe Fiasco, “American Terrorist” off Food and Liquor: References include early American expansion by poisoning Native Americans with smallpox blankets to more modern issues of racism, religious radicalism and American imperialism. Another standout on the album is “The Cool,” which is about a gang-banging zombie who comes back to life to work the same corners he did before his death.
• Notorious B.I.G., “Warning” off Ready to Die: A song about the jealousy that can infect people when they hear of others getting off the street and becoming successful. The life Biggie once lived struggling to survive still followed him when he was a successful, rich artist. Sean Taylor of the Washington Redskins is a perfect example of this song.
• A Tribe Called Quest, “I Left My Wallet in El Segundo” off People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm: A buddy/roadtrip movie in song form.
• Eminem, “Brain Damage” off The Slim Shady LP: Say what you will about the content and his latter music, but this song is like a comic book for the ears.  
• Deltron 3030, self-titled: A concept album about the year 3030 and how Deltron Zero fights the corporations and government that have taken over.

And, since Julia is a dating columnist, I’ll throw in Outkast’s The Love Below, a concept album about the ups and downs of falling in love.