Rap Music's Place In Prog

Textbook wrote: But is this just a prog ROCK place? I thought there was quite a bit of stuff around here that doesn't particularly rock.

lucas wrote: Green Shield Stamp wrote: Someone said earlier in this thread that 'we' (assuming he is speaking for all prog fans) don't like country music.  I obviously don't belong in the 'we', because I think that 'Red Headed Stranger' by Willie Nelson is a definite 5 star album.   I don't belong to this category as well. there are some really interesting artists in this genre : johnny cash, townes van zandt, willis alan ramsey, new riders of the purple sage and many others...

To say nothing of Gene Clark, Gram Parsons and (more recently) Lambchop.

How about Graeme Edge 'rapping' on some of those early Moodies albums ('Red is grey and yellow white / But we decide which is right')?

Yeah, POS has been getting a lot of attention this year. Not proggy, but his group, Doomtree, can be rather strange.

If there's any DJs out there, the market's wide open on some hip-hop prog remixes.

Organised Konfusion were another act that felt prog at times.

I love early 90's rap but it's way to commercialized now.Personally, I really enjoy listening to some Hip-Hop with funky beats but the whole pure rap music thing is just insanely awful. It should be a niche genre. Rap can be Progressive, but it certainly isn't at this time.

Edited by Xanthous - October 09 2009 at 18:45

I like Outkast



and for a "mainstreem" rap group they certanly are a very creative duo with some grate albums with some great arangments. (they have even sampled Focus - Focus III on there album ATLiens on the song Wheelz of Steel) and have a lot of Psychadelia, Jazz, Electronica, funk, rock and soul elements

Oh, I applaud the offerings, Logan. And whether or not they moved me (didn't, but I didn't dislike them either) it's worth the effort to give them a listen. I do think it sounds like there is a desire to expand the scope of rap and hip-hop, but I just don't see that it really has a chance of expanding into the area of prog. The styles are just much to incongruous to ever truly combine effectively, or even realistically.
Maybe someday, someone will find that "missing link" and mesh them triumphantly, but it just seems a bit of a reach to me.

Yeah, guess you're right, *frinspar*.  Even the collaboration with Faust (one of the big names of Krautrock, and a favoured band by me) isn't really structurally progressive, I think.

Still, this album should interest a number here:


3.42 | 4 ratings
FAUST vs. DÄLEK - Derbe Respect, Alder
2004

Maybe we'll have to wait until "Rap in Opposition" catches fire.

I know I've heard some pretty experimental bands that made rap with fairly unusual structures and instrumentation such as "live" violins and cello (I don't really like rap to be honest, but I've been looking to find some "chamber rap" artists and good and original cosmic jazz rap) on a CBC (Canadian radio) radio arts programme (but I don't remember the names). Some of the best sounding I've heard has been pure mish-mash with rap dubs, but I'd rather hear more original compositions.  At least Dr. Daneil Bernard Roumain is a very talented guy whose been active in hip-hop (though the greater world of hip-hop I can enjoy).  TO be honest, it's not really a style I've explored that much, but thought I'd post those and see what others thought (to me they didn't really sound atypical structurally either).

Edited by Logan - October 08 2009 at 16:41