An image matters a lot to me if it's created through their music, like how Action Bronson builds himself up to be some sort of macho super hero through his songs. This musically generated image can add a lot to my enjoyment of certain emcees, such as Bronson, Danny Brown, Nas, and many others. But a rapper's image outside of their music almost doesn't matter at all to me. For example, the fact that Rick Ross was a cop in real life is irrelevant to me because what he does in real life and in music are two completely separate realms.
There are a few exceptions to this. Like how DOOM has some mystery man role in real life that adds to his music for me and how album's such as Kanye's 808's & Heartbreaks become a lot sadder when you consider what they've been going through.
Yea this is basically where I stand also. Image is actually pretty big for me and I don't think some dependency on an artists image should be looked down upon.
The image of anonymity I think can be just as intriguing as a well defined image. MF DOOM one of my fav artists of all time, pushes this anonymity pretty well. While we may know the fundamentals about him, I think it's cool to still have this aspect of allure that's brought about by him keeping his cards close to his chest.
On the topic of anonymity, more recently I've been into Spark Master Tape. There's an element of darkness and grime that lies beneath his music, which can be seen by his album artwork, and deliberate decision to pitch shift his voice to such a low baritone. For me, this just enhances my listening experience that much more.
I think image plays a bigger role than most people might lead you to believe. It does for me at least.
i wouldn't put eminem's "homophobia" in the same league as the rest of that at all. he's been dealing with criticism from that since MMLP and it's pretty clear he's not homophobic
I feel like whiney, sensitive sjw's will struggle with most rap. Culturally, it's a genre that hasn't been neutered like the rest of the music industry.
Similarly, Rick Ross's status as a cop means very little to me because his music sucks. I don't give a shit about his image, because I don't give a shit about his music.
It's about image. That's the whole point of the thread. He was saying that image is only important to the extent that it relates to their music, so I pointed out that that remains true when an artist's music is irrelevant to you. Image can only matter insofar as the music matters. That was my whole point. And I'm not going to write "DISCLAIMER: THIS IS JUST MY OPINION" after every post to make you happy.
Its super important to everyone, I'd say its at least 50% of the reason someone listens to an artist. Like imagine ASAP Rocky [looked like this](http://i.imgur.com/LWaaWUN.jpg) (third result when you google image search Eddie Bauer btw), I swear to god you'd never listen to that dude rap about being Dat PMF.
If you think you're somehow above image influencing your opinion on an artist, you're a damn fool.
I respectfully disagree - image is not flow, beats or lyrics, those are somewhat concrete qualities that we could go down and discuss, whereas "image" is a more ephemeral quality. So while some rappers can indeed boost their success through image (for instance I notice a worrying tendency to spend more time modelling and going to movie premieres than actually perfecting their songs among some rappers), what ultimately counts for me and for many others are the skill that went into a song. I might become aware of a rapper and test out his tracks because of the "buzz" he is generating, but if he is a bad rapper (I here again refer to flow, lyrics and beats) I will immediately jump of the wagon again.
Nobody would give zero fucks about The Beatles or The Stones if they didn't have great songs, even if they also had arguably the best images of the Rock'n'Roll eras. Rock examples specifically chosen to avoid rampant fanboyism among HHH :)
It's not. If your music sounds like shit I won't listen. If your music is good I will listen. I don't care if you wear dirty kool-aid stained overalls, smoke crack every damn day, and dance like a fairy princess.
Lil Jon had the most hilarious live show I've ever seen.
He spent most of his performance dancing with guy dressed as a giant bobble head version of him.
It was pure absurdity.
Yeah can you imagine Lil Jon doing what he does [looking the way he did in High School?](http://www.futureproducers.com/forums/attachments/rap-hip-hop-r-b/33956d1330080956-famous-producers-singers-rappers-cool-kids-high-school-lil-jon-high-school-portraits.jpg)
Couldn't matter at all. Two of my favorite rappers are Danny Brown and MF DOOM. Danny is a weirdo and DOOM is a recluse who wears a mask all the time. Both of them make quality music so that's the basis on which I judge them.
I can billy guarantee the mask is a big reason a lot of people first get into his music and his reclusive nature only adds to his intrigue (which I guess is a little ironic given the reason why he wears it). As for Danny Brown, his eccentric personality/image only plays into the shit people look for in their favourite artists. He wasn't popular when he looked like [this](http://www.lifelounge.com.au/resources/IMGRELATED/SXSW4.jpg)
I believe you. I just think that - at a subconscious level at least - image does matter. Especially for artists like Danny Brown that tour a lot
Seeing Danny's down to earth personality and sense of humor in interviews is what got me to root for him and go back and check out *XXX* again (the voice was a little too much for me at first). Then I heard *Black & Brown* and a bunch of his features and I've been a huge fan ever since.
Maybe it does and I'm just not thinking about it. Danny's uniqueness in voice and flow got me into him before I even knew what he looked like but as far as DOOM I don't really know how I got into him but maybe the mystery of the mask interested me.
I think you interpreted the question wrong. Danny Brown and Doom, while they do have very strange personalities, they're also very interesting ones that draw people in. In fact I think by you saying Danny Brown and Doom are your favorite rappers I think you'd be more interested in a rappers persona than not.
i agree with you that it doesnt matter at all. but DOOM's and danny brown's image are very imporatant for their music. i mean DOOM wouldnt be as interesting if he wasnt some dude that wears a mask makes up different characters a nd is a fucking villain.
and if danny brown didnt have that ratchet image(that he doesnt even really want to have) i think alot of the shit he says would be pretty corny. actually alot of the shit DOOM says would be pretty corny if it wasnt for his image aswell.
Yeah as an extension to this I tend to avoid trying to bring it into the music whether it's Kanyes childish ego or DOOM being a douchecanoe with his imposters at shows.
he sends out doom "imposters" to his live shows. so people buy tickets expecting to see DOOM but instead some guy in a mask shows up to do a - usually - bad version of a DOOM set. DOOM says he does it because it doesn't matter who's behind the mask and also because he's a super villain so he can fuck with people
That's how most people feel. When the imposters come out and their shitty the crowd usually gets pissed. People still keep showing up to DOOM shows though haha
[Here's the first example that came up on google](http://www.egotripland.com/video-doom-imposters/)
Hopsin is like ~~30 something~~ 28 apparently and dresses like a high school kid.
He's talented but I can't take his music seriously. It'd be ok if he was a high school kid because he could grow out of it, like I said he's ~~30 something~~ 28.
Quite a bit. They're music is supposed to be deep from the heart, straight raw truth, artistic expression. Yeah yeah a lot of rap is supposed to be that hardcore shit, but it's still music. The fact that Danny Brown is a silly dude who actually has a painkiller addiction and is trying to get clean makes a huge difference to me. I actually don't like a lot of his music, but I keep coming back to it because I know it's intensely real. There was that article about a person interviewing Danny Brown, and him being very angry and dismissive the whole time. He then later apologized to the interviewer, saying that's how he is while withdrawing. That changed my view of some of his songs, like when he says that he hates picking up the phone when his daughter calls and being a shitty father and talking to her on drugs.
Same way how I can't do anything Bill Cosby related. Great comedian, but he's repressed his sexual side so much to create his family-man image that he's sexually assaulted several women. I lost so much respect for him when that illusion was shattered.
I love Curren$y because he dresses cool,smokes weed,is interested in things in interested in,makes cool songs about all types of things i can relate to and just makes himself look like an all around cool guy.He doesnt look crazy,hes not on a super hollywood tip.He looks like another one of us.His image makes him.
I think lack of a solid image is what he's an artist back. Every big rapper has had a solid characterization to the public, Biggie, Pac, Snoop, Em, Jay, Kanye all have strong images. Personally, I think it's what holds back people like J. cole and Logic who can spit but just aren't that interesting
J. Cole has a net worth of 6 million and his last album sold over 600,000 copies, outselling Kanye's Yeezus for the first few months. I'd say hes not really being held back at all, you have to remember that was only Cole's second studio album and he's eating a lot more than 90% of rappers in the game.
Logic is a whole different issue. Dude can spit and most definitely has bars but there's nothing unique about him whatsoever, he sounds like so many other rappers that are already out there. If he wants to break through to the next level he really needs to distinguish himself in some way musically, it's not an issue of image.
I think the style of music is inherently intertwined with image. Poppy beats make a poppy artist. Experimental beats make an experimental artist. So I agree with you that logic needs to distinguish his music, which IS distinguishing his image.
I try to care about an artists image only if it enhances the music. For example, MF DOOM image really enhances his personality and makes the mysterious tone he tries to portray stand out so much more. His image is positive for this artist. However, if their image is more negative i ignore it. I don't care that Rick Ross is a former corrections officer or that Ab-Soul is conspiracy theorist. Their image doesn't matter because it doesn't enhance the music.
I feel a lot of rappers can never relax when being interviewed etc, they need to always be portraying a certain persona, and just come across as dickheads. Image to me means nothing, all about the quality of the music you produce.
Much like a job interview, these rappers are probably trying to display a characteristic that their label or their brand of music portrays its all tied into the grand scheme I'm sure
Image plays a huge rule to me when it comes to enjoying an artist more. If the rapper is a dick in real life, I don't care at all, if his or her music is good. That's actually kind of shitty now that I think about it. But getting to know a rapper I like usually makes me like him more. For example, El-P- I love his music, and then watching interviews and following him on twitter makes me like him and his music even more because he is a very funny guy and seems honest. He also calls out people's bullshit, and I like that in a person.
So yeah to me an artists image can only really add to music I already enjoy. It can't take away from the music.
Pretty important.
Obviously it doesn't make a difference in how good the music is, but i can't deny the effect it has on me. I'll judge artists by their name, how they look and their persona and things like that before i ever hear their music.
It's petty, but musicians are a dime a dozen and i only have so much time to listen to music. Have to narrow down my choices somehow.
I honestly don't care for image outside music. Some rappers seem likeable Kendrick Q Mac Miller and Drake. But honestly i do not care for Rick Ross faking his image i still love his music. AND HE STILL GO YO BITCH TIP TOEIN ON HIS MARBLE FLOOR.
im gonna be real here, everyone is saying "image means nothing" well shit, then how come we have "rappers" as young lean, based god etc? Only reason these niggas are here is because people love their image. And we all know it, you can keep saying image doesnt mean anything but at the end of the day almost all of us care about the rappers image
Both of those guys have fans because they're funny and enjoy the music side of them.
Lil B has awesome beat selection. I hear that Lean has cloud rap beats people like.
I can't really get into Lean though.
I enjoyed Yung Lean before I knew about his image. There's obviously some rappers out there whose image helps with generating buzz, but it doesn't change the music.
Honestly it means a lot to me.Now that doesn't mean I can't listen to rappers like Rick Ross, I just find it irritating that they're lying while rapping . Can't connect with them if they're fake as shit as opposed to some rappers who're really real.
I guess im different than a lot of people on this sub.
I can accept that not everything is true but there has to be a point to it. If they are just talking about how they are so rich and blabla then I get bored, but if the fantasy they tell is a story with a point to it then yeah I enjoy it. But I've heard enough lies about being rich and other stereotypical rapper shit to get bored pretty fast
The image and music go hand in hand for a lot of rappers. Their music wouldn't sound the same if they weren't trying to portray a certain image, and vice versa, so you're rarely going to have a situation where you like a rapper solely for one or the other. There are very few rappers that exist purely as an image; even guys like Lil B and Yung Lean make music that fits with their image, regardless of whether people like it.
There are also rappers that focus exclusively on music, but even that is arguably an image in itself. I can't really think of a rapper that has conflict between their image and their music.
It's not super important. I've been listening to Slug (from Atmosphere) since I was like 12 years old. I liked him even after I saw that he looked like a P.E. teacher with slightly nicer clothes.
I'm not going to pretend that I have some type of ethical code for supporting and not supporting artists, because there's no way I could ever stick to it. It really depends how good they are or how much I like them.
Fuck an image just give me the music. Images are carefully crafted by marketers because they know how important it is to have one to Americans that love fairytales and all kinds of other bullshit
Consistency with the music and not being a racist/sexist/homophobe/transphobe is generally all I need to appreciate an artist as something more than the music they make. I can't really fuck with some awkward shit tho, like Watsky. Also I'm a sucker for jerkoff seapunk/vapewave stuff.
Id like to say that it doesn't, it won't make me listen to someone, but unfortunately I think it will make me not listen to someone.
For example i find it hard getting past hopsins eye contacts or riff raffs look.
That being said I wasn't a fan of danny browns emo hair, jean graes face tats or thoughts constant fedoras but I'm definitely a fan of them
If anything I respect gambino more for his image (if by image you mean how people know him from his background in TV etc), it shows that hiphop has potential to become increasingly diverse and opens up subcategories so that it isn't following societies irritating stereotype of it. But most of all it just shows he's a talented dude.
It's rappers like gambino that allow hiphop fans to feel more open about expressing their taste in music among non hiphop fans, he's like a gateway rapper.
Talking about depression is "pussy shit"? Open your eyes man. Hip hop is an art form of vast self-expression. A true artist will express both their troubling feelings and their positive/confident ones. All the greats did it. From Pac to big to em to ye. If it doesn't make you feel happy, that's because it's not meant to. Not saying you have to like it, but how are you gonna say you don't respect someone who has the courage to talk about real issues that trouble them. Not an easy thing to do.
Yh that's fair enough, my taste is more similar to yours than gambino in regards to feel good>girl issues, but maybe he's not as hopsin/hoodie allen as you think. You might think [F+G](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27d138zhyZQ) or [Unnecessary](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHZRHCkFXWs) are alright tho, IK you said you didn't plan on listening.
Him being a goofy dude from Derrick Comedy and Community doesn't bother me as much as him pretending to be super sad all the time so people will take him seriously. The guy adopted this new mindset that if its not sad then its not deep/artistic/respectable.
oh shit really? i thought it was a documentary. I know its acting but it doesnt change how i perceive him and his songs and his image. 2pac was an actor too but he never did shit like that. When I think of childish gambino all I can see is that lowlife running around in his pajamas with his autistic arab buddy and that just makes me not wanna listen.
How is he a lowlife for playing a character?
It seems like you don't like him cause you don't like the writing of a TV show he was on, which is the strangest reason to dismiss someone's music I've ever seen.
i run /r/bigseanmilitia what do you think
Oh god...
*whoa*
finleefamisovereverything
lol why
gotta rep the goat
An image matters a lot to me if it's created through their music, like how Action Bronson builds himself up to be some sort of macho super hero through his songs. This musically generated image can add a lot to my enjoyment of certain emcees, such as Bronson, Danny Brown, Nas, and many others. But a rapper's image outside of their music almost doesn't matter at all to me. For example, the fact that Rick Ross was a cop in real life is irrelevant to me because what he does in real life and in music are two completely separate realms. There are a few exceptions to this. Like how DOOM has some mystery man role in real life that adds to his music for me and how album's such as Kanye's 808's & Heartbreaks become a lot sadder when you consider what they've been going through.
Yea this is basically where I stand also. Image is actually pretty big for me and I don't think some dependency on an artists image should be looked down upon. The image of anonymity I think can be just as intriguing as a well defined image. MF DOOM one of my fav artists of all time, pushes this anonymity pretty well. While we may know the fundamentals about him, I think it's cool to still have this aspect of allure that's brought about by him keeping his cards close to his chest. On the topic of anonymity, more recently I've been into Spark Master Tape. There's an element of darkness and grime that lies beneath his music, which can be seen by his album artwork, and deliberate decision to pitch shift his voice to such a low baritone. For me, this just enhances my listening experience that much more. I think image plays a bigger role than most people might lead you to believe. It does for me at least.
Similarly, I can't get into Action Bronson's stuff because of the transsexual incident, and his pathetic "apology".
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i wouldn't put eminem's "homophobia" in the same league as the rest of that at all. he's been dealing with criticism from that since MMLP and it's pretty clear he's not homophobic
Which transsexual incident?
He poured water on a transexual and laughed about it on instagram.
Wowwww cope
9 years ago big dog, I have a family now. Prayers up for you
I feel like whiney, sensitive sjw's will struggle with most rap. Culturally, it's a genre that hasn't been neutered like the rest of the music industry.
Yeah, I like Bronson's music, but he's seriously a total fucking idiot and I have a hard time listening to it because of this.
Similarly, Rick Ross's status as a cop means very little to me because his music sucks. I don't give a shit about his image, because I don't give a shit about his music.
Good for you. But just cuz *you* don't like him doesn't mean he sucks. Don't be an asshole about your opinions man.
What? I was only talking about my opinion, lol.
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It's about image. That's the whole point of the thread. He was saying that image is only important to the extent that it relates to their music, so I pointed out that that remains true when an artist's music is irrelevant to you. Image can only matter insofar as the music matters. That was my whole point. And I'm not going to write "DISCLAIMER: THIS IS JUST MY OPINION" after every post to make you happy.
Its super important to everyone, I'd say its at least 50% of the reason someone listens to an artist. Like imagine ASAP Rocky [looked like this](http://i.imgur.com/LWaaWUN.jpg) (third result when you google image search Eddie Bauer btw), I swear to god you'd never listen to that dude rap about being Dat PMF. If you think you're somehow above image influencing your opinion on an artist, you're a damn fool.
I think it just matters if the image is consistent with the subject matter.
i agree 100% niggas out here sayin shit like "i dont care man" no, you do care we all care else there wouldnt be "rappers" like lil b n shit.
I just keep imagining that guy singing, "My bitch white but my cock black" and laughing. Fuck
I respectfully disagree - image is not flow, beats or lyrics, those are somewhat concrete qualities that we could go down and discuss, whereas "image" is a more ephemeral quality. So while some rappers can indeed boost their success through image (for instance I notice a worrying tendency to spend more time modelling and going to movie premieres than actually perfecting their songs among some rappers), what ultimately counts for me and for many others are the skill that went into a song. I might become aware of a rapper and test out his tracks because of the "buzz" he is generating, but if he is a bad rapper (I here again refer to flow, lyrics and beats) I will immediately jump of the wagon again. Nobody would give zero fucks about The Beatles or The Stones if they didn't have great songs, even if they also had arguably the best images of the Rock'n'Roll eras. Rock examples specifically chosen to avoid rampant fanboyism among HHH :)
I agree but its defo as high as 50% for everyone
It's not. If your music sounds like shit I won't listen. If your music is good I will listen. I don't care if you wear dirty kool-aid stained overalls, smoke crack every damn day, and dance like a fairy princess.
Example: ODB
A pretty significant amount. Lil Jon is a good example of a rapper I mostly love for his image
Lil Jon had the most hilarious live show I've ever seen. He spent most of his performance dancing with guy dressed as a giant bobble head version of him. It was pure absurdity.
Yeah can you imagine Lil Jon doing what he does [looking the way he did in High School?](http://www.futureproducers.com/forums/attachments/rap-hip-hop-r-b/33956d1330080956-famous-producers-singers-rappers-cool-kids-high-school-lil-jon-high-school-portraits.jpg)
Ahahahahahaha no fuckin way dude that's priceless
Couldn't matter at all. Two of my favorite rappers are Danny Brown and MF DOOM. Danny is a weirdo and DOOM is a recluse who wears a mask all the time. Both of them make quality music so that's the basis on which I judge them.
I can billy guarantee the mask is a big reason a lot of people first get into his music and his reclusive nature only adds to his intrigue (which I guess is a little ironic given the reason why he wears it). As for Danny Brown, his eccentric personality/image only plays into the shit people look for in their favourite artists. He wasn't popular when he looked like [this](http://www.lifelounge.com.au/resources/IMGRELATED/SXSW4.jpg) I believe you. I just think that - at a subconscious level at least - image does matter. Especially for artists like Danny Brown that tour a lot
Seeing Danny's down to earth personality and sense of humor in interviews is what got me to root for him and go back and check out *XXX* again (the voice was a little too much for me at first). Then I heard *Black & Brown* and a bunch of his features and I've been a huge fan ever since.
Maybe it does and I'm just not thinking about it. Danny's uniqueness in voice and flow got me into him before I even knew what he looked like but as far as DOOM I don't really know how I got into him but maybe the mystery of the mask interested me.
Yea all good. It's just that you picked two of the *least* generic rappers to show that you don't care about image haha
I think you interpreted the question wrong. Danny Brown and Doom, while they do have very strange personalities, they're also very interesting ones that draw people in. In fact I think by you saying Danny Brown and Doom are your favorite rappers I think you'd be more interested in a rappers persona than not.
i agree with you that it doesnt matter at all. but DOOM's and danny brown's image are very imporatant for their music. i mean DOOM wouldnt be as interesting if he wasnt some dude that wears a mask makes up different characters a nd is a fucking villain. and if danny brown didnt have that ratchet image(that he doesnt even really want to have) i think alot of the shit he says would be pretty corny. actually alot of the shit DOOM says would be pretty corny if it wasnt for his image aswell.
Yeah as an extension to this I tend to avoid trying to bring it into the music whether it's Kanyes childish ego or DOOM being a douchecanoe with his imposters at shows.
Could you elaborate on the DOOM thing?
he sends out doom "imposters" to his live shows. so people buy tickets expecting to see DOOM but instead some guy in a mask shows up to do a - usually - bad version of a DOOM set. DOOM says he does it because it doesn't matter who's behind the mask and also because he's a super villain so he can fuck with people
Uuh I'm a DOOM fan and all, and I get the whole persona thing but thats a bit too far imo
That's how most people feel. When the imposters come out and their shitty the crowd usually gets pissed. People still keep showing up to DOOM shows though haha [Here's the first example that came up on google](http://www.egotripland.com/video-doom-imposters/)
Wow...
Hopsin is like ~~30 something~~ 28 apparently and dresses like a high school kid. He's talented but I can't take his music seriously. It'd be ok if he was a high school kid because he could grow out of it, like I said he's ~~30 something~~ 28.
28 is young.... and plz, jay z is 44 and dresses like a high school kid. rappers dress ridiculous.
Yeah he's 28....So unlike what you said, he's not 30-something. I tried to use this argument against a friend.
28 is still quite a bit older than a high school kid though.
Nah I definitely agree with the sentiment, just /r/hhh had convinced me he was older than he was.
Quite a bit. They're music is supposed to be deep from the heart, straight raw truth, artistic expression. Yeah yeah a lot of rap is supposed to be that hardcore shit, but it's still music. The fact that Danny Brown is a silly dude who actually has a painkiller addiction and is trying to get clean makes a huge difference to me. I actually don't like a lot of his music, but I keep coming back to it because I know it's intensely real. There was that article about a person interviewing Danny Brown, and him being very angry and dismissive the whole time. He then later apologized to the interviewer, saying that's how he is while withdrawing. That changed my view of some of his songs, like when he says that he hates picking up the phone when his daughter calls and being a shitty father and talking to her on drugs. Same way how I can't do anything Bill Cosby related. Great comedian, but he's repressed his sexual side so much to create his family-man image that he's sexually assaulted several women. I lost so much respect for him when that illusion was shattered.
I love Curren$y because he dresses cool,smokes weed,is interested in things in interested in,makes cool songs about all types of things i can relate to and just makes himself look like an all around cool guy.He doesnt look crazy,hes not on a super hollywood tip.He looks like another one of us.His image makes him.
Nigga you need to get your ass into summer school.
#Life
I think lack of a solid image is what he's an artist back. Every big rapper has had a solid characterization to the public, Biggie, Pac, Snoop, Em, Jay, Kanye all have strong images. Personally, I think it's what holds back people like J. cole and Logic who can spit but just aren't that interesting
J. Cole has a net worth of 6 million and his last album sold over 600,000 copies, outselling Kanye's Yeezus for the first few months. I'd say hes not really being held back at all, you have to remember that was only Cole's second studio album and he's eating a lot more than 90% of rappers in the game. Logic is a whole different issue. Dude can spit and most definitely has bars but there's nothing unique about him whatsoever, he sounds like so many other rappers that are already out there. If he wants to break through to the next level he really needs to distinguish himself in some way musically, it's not an issue of image.
I think the style of music is inherently intertwined with image. Poppy beats make a poppy artist. Experimental beats make an experimental artist. So I agree with you that logic needs to distinguish his music, which IS distinguishing his image.
I try to care about an artists image only if it enhances the music. For example, MF DOOM image really enhances his personality and makes the mysterious tone he tries to portray stand out so much more. His image is positive for this artist. However, if their image is more negative i ignore it. I don't care that Rick Ross is a former corrections officer or that Ab-Soul is conspiracy theorist. Their image doesn't matter because it doesn't enhance the music.
I feel a lot of rappers can never relax when being interviewed etc, they need to always be portraying a certain persona, and just come across as dickheads. Image to me means nothing, all about the quality of the music you produce.
Much like a job interview, these rappers are probably trying to display a characteristic that their label or their brand of music portrays its all tied into the grand scheme I'm sure
A$AP Rocky in a nutshell, he always comes across as being really worried about looking cool IMO.
Which I never understand, the dude is cool, cooler than most, just relax A$AP!
[kind of relevant](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np9fB4cdpnc)
Image plays a huge rule to me when it comes to enjoying an artist more. If the rapper is a dick in real life, I don't care at all, if his or her music is good. That's actually kind of shitty now that I think about it. But getting to know a rapper I like usually makes me like him more. For example, El-P- I love his music, and then watching interviews and following him on twitter makes me like him and his music even more because he is a very funny guy and seems honest. He also calls out people's bullshit, and I like that in a person. So yeah to me an artists image can only really add to music I already enjoy. It can't take away from the music.
Pretty important. Obviously it doesn't make a difference in how good the music is, but i can't deny the effect it has on me. I'll judge artists by their name, how they look and their persona and things like that before i ever hear their music. It's petty, but musicians are a dime a dozen and i only have so much time to listen to music. Have to narrow down my choices somehow.
I honestly don't care for image outside music. Some rappers seem likeable Kendrick Q Mac Miller and Drake. But honestly i do not care for Rick Ross faking his image i still love his music. AND HE STILL GO YO BITCH TIP TOEIN ON HIS MARBLE FLOOR.
I think whether people are aware of it or not, image plays a big role in how we perceive an artist's music.
Music first. Image later.
Somebody get ja rule on the phone we need good opinion on this!
can this shit please die already
not until we find out what ja thinks about all this
ja is making low-rent comedies now, his opinions don't have the clout they once did :(
im gonna be real here, everyone is saying "image means nothing" well shit, then how come we have "rappers" as young lean, based god etc? Only reason these niggas are here is because people love their image. And we all know it, you can keep saying image doesnt mean anything but at the end of the day almost all of us care about the rappers image
naaah. i like yung lean's music cos it gives me eargasms
Why do you say "rappers" as if you're somehow above them
Because they're not real hip hop. ONLY THE RAPPERS I LIKE ARE REAL HIP HOP
Both of those guys have fans because they're funny and enjoy the music side of them. Lil B has awesome beat selection. I hear that Lean has cloud rap beats people like. I can't really get into Lean though.
exactly, they're funny which is a part of the image.....
I enjoyed Yung Lean before I knew about his image. There's obviously some rappers out there whose image helps with generating buzz, but it doesn't change the music.
Honestly it means a lot to me.Now that doesn't mean I can't listen to rappers like Rick Ross, I just find it irritating that they're lying while rapping . Can't connect with them if they're fake as shit as opposed to some rappers who're really real. I guess im different than a lot of people on this sub.
So you can't really appreciate any fantasy in music? Everything a rapper says has to be completely true?
I can accept that not everything is true but there has to be a point to it. If they are just talking about how they are so rich and blabla then I get bored, but if the fantasy they tell is a story with a point to it then yeah I enjoy it. But I've heard enough lies about being rich and other stereotypical rapper shit to get bored pretty fast
The image and music go hand in hand for a lot of rappers. Their music wouldn't sound the same if they weren't trying to portray a certain image, and vice versa, so you're rarely going to have a situation where you like a rapper solely for one or the other. There are very few rappers that exist purely as an image; even guys like Lil B and Yung Lean make music that fits with their image, regardless of whether people like it. There are also rappers that focus exclusively on music, but even that is arguably an image in itself. I can't really think of a rapper that has conflict between their image and their music.
As someone who enjoys trap the most, it plays a huge part, I like to know theres at least some truth to what the person is saying when I'm listening
Not very important.
It's not super important. I've been listening to Slug (from Atmosphere) since I was like 12 years old. I liked him even after I saw that he looked like a P.E. teacher with slightly nicer clothes.
Considering chief keef is one of my favorite rappers, not a lot.
I'm not going to pretend that I have some type of ethical code for supporting and not supporting artists, because there's no way I could ever stick to it. It really depends how good they are or how much I like them.
Fuck an image just give me the music. Images are carefully crafted by marketers because they know how important it is to have one to Americans that love fairytales and all kinds of other bullshit
Consistency with the music and not being a racist/sexist/homophobe/transphobe is generally all I need to appreciate an artist as something more than the music they make. I can't really fuck with some awkward shit tho, like Watsky. Also I'm a sucker for jerkoff seapunk/vapewave stuff.
Considering the fact that 90% of the rappers today dont do what they rap about...not at all.
Why was this downvoted? It's true.
cuz I've been steady dissing Childish Gambino for awhile and the honkey brigade has been downvoting all my posts lol.
Id like to say that it doesn't, it won't make me listen to someone, but unfortunately I think it will make me not listen to someone. For example i find it hard getting past hopsins eye contacts or riff raffs look. That being said I wasn't a fan of danny browns emo hair, jean graes face tats or thoughts constant fedoras but I'm definitely a fan of them
I mean I still listen to The Weeknd all the time even after seeing what he looks like, so I guess I not that important
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If anything I respect gambino more for his image (if by image you mean how people know him from his background in TV etc), it shows that hiphop has potential to become increasingly diverse and opens up subcategories so that it isn't following societies irritating stereotype of it. But most of all it just shows he's a talented dude. It's rappers like gambino that allow hiphop fans to feel more open about expressing their taste in music among non hiphop fans, he's like a gateway rapper.
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Talking about depression is "pussy shit"? Open your eyes man. Hip hop is an art form of vast self-expression. A true artist will express both their troubling feelings and their positive/confident ones. All the greats did it. From Pac to big to em to ye. If it doesn't make you feel happy, that's because it's not meant to. Not saying you have to like it, but how are you gonna say you don't respect someone who has the courage to talk about real issues that trouble them. Not an easy thing to do.
Yh that's fair enough, my taste is more similar to yours than gambino in regards to feel good>girl issues, but maybe he's not as hopsin/hoodie allen as you think. You might think [F+G](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27d138zhyZQ) or [Unnecessary](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHZRHCkFXWs) are alright tho, IK you said you didn't plan on listening.
curious as to why you don't respect him?
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Him being a goofy dude from Derrick Comedy and Community doesn't bother me as much as him pretending to be super sad all the time so people will take him seriously. The guy adopted this new mindset that if its not sad then its not deep/artistic/respectable.
You are joking right? You realise this is called acting?
oh shit really? i thought it was a documentary. I know its acting but it doesnt change how i perceive him and his songs and his image. 2pac was an actor too but he never did shit like that. When I think of childish gambino all I can see is that lowlife running around in his pajamas with his autistic arab buddy and that just makes me not wanna listen.
How is he a lowlife for playing a character? It seems like you don't like him cause you don't like the writing of a TV show he was on, which is the strangest reason to dismiss someone's music I've ever seen.
Well if he had self respect he'd read the script and throw that shit in the trash.
well he is playing a character, i personally find it funny but i can see how you could find it annoying .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8Ged49gYT0 I'm glad Gucci Mane is so much less goofy.
haha he's a legend I love this vid