Ray Charles - "Rap is not music"

It's cool to see that you're passionate about music, and everyone has their own opinion on what they consider to be music. Ray Charles was a legendary musician and his opinion on rap is totally valid. However, I do think it's important to recognize that music is subjective and means different things to different people. Rap has become a hugely popular genre over the years and has had a major impact on music and culture. So while it might not be Ray Charles' cup of tea, there are plenty of people who love it and consider it to be music.

I LOVE Ray Charles…well, some of his music except for the shameless, over orchestrated covers but hey, he had to make a living.

I don’t take financial advice from Ray Charles.

I don’t take marital advice from Ray Charles.

I don’t take advice from Mr. Charles on virtually any topic other than “here is how I kicked heroin”.

Mr. Charles, if he was alive today, would be begging Kendrick Lamar or Anderson .Pak to record with them. Heck, for the last 20 years of his career, Sinatra could have been classified as a rapper. Leonard Cohen had a quarter-octave vocal range on a good day so he could be classified as a rapper.

Some people here need to add the following phrase to their tombstones “Get off my lawn”

There seems to be an awful lot of energy on this site devoted to criticizing rap. Ray is entitled to his opinion and is a fabulous musician. It doesn't make him right. Howzabout we lay off rap for a while guys?

It’s not up for debate. Whether one likes it is their business, but asserting it’s “not even music” vaporizes one’s credibility.  
If someone has actually listened to rap at all over the past 40-odd years, they would note that rap has,
1) these things called “chords.”  
“Chords,” by definition, is harmony.  
2) the songs have this thing called, “melody.”  
That would be the part of the song where a defined, composed, repeated sequence of tones/notes occurs.  
3) vocal melodies defining those integral parts of pop songs called, “choruses.”
4) counter melodies supplied by supplementary (background) vocal arrangements and/or instrumental arrangements.  
5) percussion arrangements.  
6) songs composed and structured with intros, verses, choruses, bridges, outros, etc. etc.

Last time I checked, aural phenomena that contains all of the above, simultaneously (and even only a few of the above, in concert) is what people call, “music.”
 
 

Talented and smart people say dumb things, and it’s dumb to agree with something dumb.

Rap is an acknowledged art form. It has millions of people who love it, buy it, celebrate it. Continuing to deny that it is art sounds, well, pretty ill-motivated.

I don’t like rap. I don’t listen to rap.

I don’t like twelve-tone music. I don’t listen to it.

I don’t like a lot of things. But they don’t get bumped from existence because I don’t like them. Or because Ray Charles or someone else doesn’t like them. Make an argument if you don’t want to appear lazy.

Oh, and trumpeting your mere dislike of rap -- as a thread starter -- is not a great look.