Sales of Rap Albums Take Stunning Nosedive

Foxnews.com ^ | March 1, 2007 | Foxnews.com

[IDontLikeToPayTaxes]

NEW YORK — Maybe it was the umpteenth coke-dealing anthem or soft-porn music video. Perhaps it was the preening antics that some call reminiscent of Stepin Fetchit.

The turning point is hard to pinpoint. But after 30 years of growing popularity, rap music is now struggling with an alarming sales decline and growing criticism from within about the culture's negative effect on society.

[IDontLikeToPayTaxes]

It's about time if you ask me. The article also states that rap is 30 years old? I didn't know rap was around in 1977.

[brivette]

Down with "C"rap music.

[HIDEK6]

Rap was around in the 20s.

Then they were called "patter songs."

"I'm a Ding-Dong-Daddy from Dumas," is a prime example.

[the808bass]

I enjoyed a lot of different rappers in the 90s. A few in the early part of this millenium. And now there's none that I would listen to on the radio, let alone buy a CD.

Maybe I'm getting too old. More likely, it's all crap.

[KoRn]

Looks like da homies have finally gotten into downloading mp3s.

[jammer]

I didn't know rap was around in 1977.

Actually, I pinpoint the birth of rap (no one else does that I've heard of) to the 60s with Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues.

[Gorzaloon]

The crackheads died off, the Gangstas all killed each other, and everyone else grew up.

[IDontLikeToPayTaxes]

Rap was around in the 20s.

Then they were called "patter songs."

"I'm a Ding-Dong-Daddy from Dumas," is a prime example.

LOL Learn something new every day I suppose!

[Tijeras_Slim]

How many rap records do you need? They all sound the same.

[Disturbin]

You can olny go so far with a vocabulary of 30 words and referrring to every woman as a ho.

[duckman]

'Jocko' Henderson, a black Philly 50's RnB DJ, did alot of rap on his Rocket Ship show.

[AIM-54]

A ray of hope for our culture!

But I'm not going to get my hopes up too high. .

[durasell]

Established rap artists have been heading for the mainstream for years now. Ice T is on TV, Usher is/was on Broadway, Ice Cube is in movies, and Queen Latifah does make-up commercials. And Will Smith isn't even thought of as a rapper anymore.

[stayathomemom]

How about Gilbert and Sullivan?

[IDontLikeToPayTaxes]

Maybe I'm getting too old. More likely, it's all crap.

Same here. I'm not a big music listener, but when I happen to change the car radio station over to the "hip-hop" channel, I swear every song I hear sounds like every other song. I'm frankly amazed that rap/hip-hop is still as popular as it is after all these years. Every song sounds alike, and every rapper is basically a no-talent thug. They can't play any instruments and they're all dumb as a box of rocks, generally speaking.

[Blackirish]

Rapture by Blondie...1980?

[July 4th]

? I didn't know rap was around in 1977.

A lot of rappers trace their interest in the genre to The Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight," which was released in 1979.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Yep. Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five started in the Bronx in the late 70's.

[Vaquero]

rap...which is not music, is a perverted phenomenon.


daily I am assaulted by boom box cars going by my house with white kids, hats on crooked, blasting this aberration...probably looking to kill whitey....

[Red Badger]

Actually it's "Roots" go back hundreds of years. Have you ever heard (of) "The Signifyin' Monkey"?........