The 'Explain The Appeal Of......' Thread

[SleepingSilence]

@Fabricant451 That's fair I wish it wasn't so scattershot either. I'm tired as hell right now, so my arguement probably isn't fantastic and sloppy and I apologize if I somehow struck a nerve. Though if a teacher calls you out for using a stronger vocabulary in writing, they're shitty at their jobs. XD Maybe if you FAIL at it...but using complex words correctly...yeah.

[mickilennial]

I just feel we appreciate different things about the music...or look for different things in the music. I won't necessary say your wrong and I certainly don't think what I think is good, is somehow bad or lower quality. I've taken music classes and play instruments...(hell I even actually CAN rap.) I know more than the average joe...and yeah...professionals watch and listen to other professionals to get better at it. It's more than a few albums and songs. xP I've listen to the old, the new, the stuff barely considered rap. Instruments on their own, for free styling. Etc etc.

And no, I admitted for Danny brown. I've listen to a whole album of Kendrick...(took me several tries is all.) And I wasn't being sarcastic or looking for a fight. I like some mainstream artists and even if I don't like the whole of something, I'd always be better if I could find some good parts...I just need something to sink my teeth into. I just haven't found that from the artist yet. I listen to all genres of music though, and I'll admit his on a far back burner of music I want to listen to.

Dammit, I like rap music. I know rap fans are about as tolerant of dislike of their favorite artists as metal is but. I didn't mean to start a riot. I blame it being so late at night. XD

@SleepingSilence

Your entire first paragraph is full of fallacies, so I’m not going to address them.

You mentioned you’ve listened to a song and made some loosely constructed point that Danny Brown, a streetwise musician and storyteller, is vulgar. I must remind you that some of the most vulgar hip hop is immensely intelligent; especially a lot of what was coming out of inner cities like Compton in the early nineties. Which goes back to my very first point: hip hop is the language of the street and if you don’t like the language of the street don’t listen to it or for that matter believe yourself to have a insightful perspective on it.

On a final note, this isn’t about me defending Kendrick Lamar in his name; I could not care less if you liked his music or not. This is me stating your critiques are not good ones. Kendrick Lamar isn’t even on my top ten of personal favorite rappers nor is he someone I think about very often.

[SleepingSilence]

@Inkarnate It wasn't a fallacy, it was admitting I don't know Danny brown and my first impression is something I hope isn't his strong step forward. I mean seriously, are all songs by all artists good? Every band or artist has dud, I'm acknowledging that. I strongly disagree the using fuck a lot somehow becomes smarter if it's from the ghetto. XD

I really don't think the defenses, really answered a lot of my questions either. Though I admitted to not being perfect. I've yet to get leeway from the other side here. :P

Also saying, "if you don't like it. So you must not get it and you shouldn't listen to it." Is a horrible message. And it a big fallacy itself.

Well my question was why everyone did think about him...so I suppose that kind of displays my trouble. I would be interested to know who you're favorites are...better than arguing about one person neither person supposedly cares much for.

EDIT: I think the best way to explain my confusion at this point.

Is most of the things said by both of you, when I asked a question. Is another question...which is a deflection which are used in debate to not answer their question because you don't know, and it gets the other side on their toes...Also saying 'you don't understand' doesn't teach me anything. I have given examples and REAL explanations for the most part. If I don't understand why one seemingly childish line is somehow brilliant and unique then actually explain it and then tell me why saying it with more vocal flare would somehow lessen the meaning behind it. And the "dont listen, if you dont "get" it" is the exact opposite of what you should tell a person who wants to learn about music and is a logical fallacy on par with. "Lets see you do better."

[mickilennial]

I strongly disagree the using fuck a lot somehow becomes smarter if it's from the ghetto. XD

@SleepingSilence

Not my point.

Also, this has been covered many times over and I won’t get into it. But the music is blunt for various different reasons. Original hip hop auteurs did not intend to glorify the life of the inner city, as much is clear from Tupac’s early body of work as well as Public Enemy and before them Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five. The point wasn’t that saying “fuck” or other expletives was intelligent because of the fact it was stated from the inner city but rather some of the most intelligent and artistic work that is meaningful has come from hip hop musicians who have been blunt and liberal with their language. I’ve already mentioned Public Enemy, but there are many many others. It seems you read my sentence yet don’t actually comprehend the point I’m explaining, it’s really quite frustrating.

if you don't like it. So you must not get it and you shouldn't listen to it.

@SleepingSilence

Again not my point.

Hip hop is the language of the inner city, the byproduct of lower class breaking out and expressing themselves. If a few words offend you, then hip hop [or punk rock, for that matter] is not the type of art you should try to appreciate as you already have convictions and ideals going in. If you are going into something with presumptions and biases, you shouldn’t waste your time because you are going to perceive it incorrectly and use individual ignorance as foundation for how you view music that the individual would not understand. To understand you do not elevate your prejudices on a piece of art, it is foolish to do so.

I would be interested to know who you're favorites are...better than arguing about one person neither person supposedly cares much for.

@SleepingSilence

Would this be a valuable usage of my time or will it just turn into another back-and-forth and frustrate me furthermore?

I have given examples and REAL explanations for the most part.

@SleepingSilence

Like when I countered your whole argument that Kendrick Lamar does not have technical ability [which you suggested by saying he's outright bad]?

Hider

—or do you mean when both myself and Fabricant countered the point on elaborating on how Kendrick is a good storyteller and producer? Because that happened as well. We provided examples and explanations. Kendrick isn’t the most cerebral or even the most technical rapper, but he is not without his merits. This was the framework of Fabricant’s [and my own, to a lesser extent] argument; that Kendrick has a good amount of technicality, diction, storytelling ability, and compositional integrity.

[BingTheWing]

Could someone explain to me the appeal of reaction videos? TheFineBros actually manage to have diversity in their subjects to be unique, but I don't know how just watching some random guy howl and hoot to the newest movie trailer makes for good channel content.

[Bee]

@Fabricant451 That's fair I wish it wasn't so scattershot either. I'm tired as hell right now, so my arguement probably isn't fantastic and sloppy and I apologize if I somehow struck a nerve. Though if a teacher calls you out for using a stronger vocabulary in writing, they're shitty at their jobs. XD Maybe if you FAIL at it...but using complex words correctly...yeah.

@SleepingSilence

Having a stronger vocabulary doesn't necessarily make you a better writer. It's better to be concise and direct rather than fluff your sentences up with words that shouldn't be there. If a teacher calls you out then they're good at their jobs. Nobody wants to read a sentence full of complex words when it could easily be said with a much simpler diction. All of my English teachers have said that they really don't like wordy sentences. Why spend precious time overcomplicating things? Excessive use of complex vocabulary only serves as a detriment to your writing.

"I am mad" vs "I am very unpleased with the occurences that have transpired"

Having a strong vocabulary makes you more versatile, but being a good writer is having strong command of said vocabulary and utilizing it to communicate what you want to say without having any hitches.

[mickilennial]

Could someone explain to me the appeal of reaction videos? TheFineBros actually manage to have diversity in their subjects to be unique, but I don't know how just watching some random guy howl and hoot to the newest movie trailer makes for good channel content.

@BingTheWing

I find only a small few reaction videos on their channel interesting—particularly with the guessing of songs by only having fractions of a piece at seconds of a time.

Having a strong vocabulary makes you more versatile, but being a good writer is having strong command of said vocabulary and utilizing it to be direct to the point.

@QueenOfTheBee

“Intelligence is knowing a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.”

Writers need to be succinct and know when to use their vocabulary to their advantage.

[Fabricant451]

Could someone explain to me the appeal of reaction videos? TheFineBros actually manage to have diversity in their subjects to be unique, but I don't know how just watching some random guy howl and hoot to the newest movie trailer makes for good channel content.

@BingTheWing

I've been asking myself this question for years. There are some reaction videos that are good, I'm talking like H3H3 because he doesn't just watch a video and go "OHHHH SHIT OHHHHHHHH IT'S A THING". I haven't exactly figured out why people like watching a person or persons watch a thing and arbitrarily interject something. I would say it's a personality thing but most react channels are personality-less. I've settled on the answer of "I guess some people just like seeing someone excited about something." There are plenty of obviously fake reactionists out there but there's something...I dunno...invigorating about watching someone legitimately excited over something. It's like watching a child open gifts at Christmas in a way.

I don't like reaction videos with very few exceptions, and those tend to be people in the H3H3 category where they add a funny spin or when people watch a trailer and then do an analytical breakdown - but then it runs the risk of someone doing the most basic breakdown ever put to digital film.

In short, it's because of hype culture.

[SleepingSilence]

@QueenOfTheBee I feel like all of these words, really miss the context of what I'm talking about here...

I think at the end of the day my question and disagreement comes from.

"You see it's leaders and it's followers
But I'd rather be a dick than a swallower" That somehow being clever...when there's a hundred rappers that use the exact same simile/comparison.

Rapping is literally suppose to be poetry, and writing is suppose to be interesting...I've heard that it's so awesome to make complex ideas with simple words but did anything shown actually show anything remotely complex? Not really...

I feel like it eventually just boils down to opinion, but really I feel like arguing why that's not as clever as other people think it is, is a slight waste of time.

@Inkarnate I just noticed I read something you said wrong from last night...you said you wouldn't address my first paragraph, it wasn't a fallacy and that was a deflection. You told me I wasn't knowledgeable in music and instead of asking you what you know about music...I actually explained what I know about music...a fallacy isn't a perfect counter point to what you assume. And your overall message is something I strongly disagree with, and if your best argument is "Don't listen, you just don't get it!" I can't debate any further because that just kills any critique I may have. Nobody is perfect, if you'd defend Kendrick Lamar's "Pussy" song, with such a defense or as some master form of writing than we just live in different worlds.

You people turn literally everything into an argument or something you have to win don't you? Yes asking for the songs that you like, was a genuine curiosity to listen to new music, won't say shit about them unless I enjoy them.

[Fabricant451]

@SleepingSilence You're really hung up on the dick line from Kanye as if a blunt metaphor somehow invalidates the song as a whole. Can you point to these hundred rappers that use the exact same comparison? It's as if you're stuck on this notion that because a line is blunt and includes sexual imagery that it can't be as good as someone that spends an entire verse talking about lighting up some weed.

I've heard that it's so awesome to make complex ideas with simple words but did anything shown actually show anything remotely complex? Not really...

Yes. Complexity doesn't just mean multisyllabic words.

You people turn literally everything into an argument or something you have to win don't you? Yes asking for the songs that you like, was a genuine curiosity to listen to new music, won't say shit about them unless I enjoy them.

It got turned into a discussion the moment you challenged the points being made. You made a remark about Kendrick that is pretty factually incorrect and it escalated from there. It's not a matter of wanting to win, it's a matter of trying to inform.

[SleepingSilence]

Also, this has been covered many times over and I won’t get into it. But the music is blunt for various different reasons. Original hip hop auteurs did not intend to glorify the life of the inner city, as much is clear from Tupac’s early body of work as well as Public Enemy and before them Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five. The point wasn’t that saying “fuck” or other expletives was intelligent because of the fact it was stated from the inner city but rather some of the most intelligent and artistic work that is meaningful has come from hip hop musicians who have been blunt and liberal with their language. I’ve already mentioned Public Enemy, but there are many many others. It seems you read my sentence yet don’t actually comprehend the point I’m explaining, it’s really quite frustrating.

@Inkarnate

*Sigh* Liberal with language would mean the opposite of what your trying to argue. If it's suppose to be a bunch of simple and concise points, conservative is the word you're looking for. I know exactly what you're saying, I just don't agree. People can have different opinion and both not be wrong. :/ But I'll say I have about the same opinion of your argument as you do mine.

Hip hop is the language of the inner city, the byproduct of lower class breaking out and expressing themselves. If a few words offend you, then hip hop [or punk rock, for that matter] is not the type of art you should try to appreciate as you already have convictions and ideals going in. If you are going into something with presumptions and biases, you shouldn’t waste your time because you are going to perceive it incorrectly and use individual ignorance as foundation for how you view music that the individual would not understand. To understand you do not elevate your prejudices on a piece of art, it is foolish to do so.

@Inkarnate

You're saying, if I can't stand language I shouldn't listen to music. A pointless and worthless jab, because this started from someone ELSE asking for no language, which I provided with minimal problem/effort. I did what he asked for and didn't flip him off and say. "This is so smart, fuck you." No, I have zero problem with cursing or immaturity in music, or mainstream artists (I've already said that, but will say it again.) But I'm not blind to how that appears to the people that dislike that stuff. Also I literally lived in the ghetto...but arguing if nigga really needs to be used 100 times in a song and about trends that really should die. I'd be getting in the weeds. Once again, it feels like your trying to close someone off. (because you are.) If someone didn't like "screamo" and thought that was metal in a nutshell, I wouldn't tell them they don't get it and tell them how important the harsh vocals are and how skillful it actually is...and just fucking show them metal that has none of it and is still perfectly good. I've found plenty of rap artists, I do like perfectly well. If I followed your rules for music, I wouldn't of listened to so much music...

Like when I countered your whole argument that Kendrick Lamar does not have technical ability [which you suggested by saying he's outright bad?

@Inkarnate

By posting a few songs, would of helped posting the actual lyrics and why those are particularly strong lyrics, because the lines I saw weren't impressive to me...and I never saw anything tell me why anything I posted was worse in quality? I know lyrics only a part of the puzzle but it is the most important piece of rap. Also ability to do something doesn't mean they are fulfilling that potential. Like a lot of pop singers...but I suppose that's opinion and won't say otherwise either way.

or do you mean when both myself and Fabricant countered the point on elaborating on how Kendrick is a good storyteller and producer? Because that happened as well. We provided examples and explanations. Kendrick isn’t the most cerebral or even the most technical rapper, but he is not without his merits. This was the framework of Fabricant’s [and my own, to a lesser extent] argument; that Kendrick has a good amount of technicality, diction, storytelling ability, and compositional integrity.

@Inkarnate

Ooooo, the producer thing always kills me. The beats really shouldn't be why you love the rapper. Because rappers almost never make their own music. Ever. He also apparently has like 20 goddamn writers for his lyrics too...o.o So now I ask, how much of the stuff he wrote that you all adore, is shit that he actually wrote? Seriously 4 producers and 6 writers on one song...I think Wikipedia just gave me a whole new distaste that it took 6 people to write some of these songs...

[Fabricant451]

You're saying, if I can't stand language I shouldn't listen to music. A pointless and worthless jab, because this started from someone ELSE asking for no language

They just asked to explain the appeal of rap music, not "Hey can you give me rap songs that don't have profanity?"

[Mistiel]

Explain the appeal of Garry's Mod please? I'm interested since there seems to be a lot of people who RP through it. Unfortunately, after sitting through an hour long download, I don't really understand the way things are like...made and/or done in both the single and multiplayer realms. No clue what or how to even "play". :/

[SleepingSilence]

You're really hung up on the dick line from Kanye as if a blunt metaphor somehow invalidates the song as a whole. Can you point to these hundred rappers that use the exact same comparison? It's as if you're stuck on this notion that because a line is blunt and includes sexual imagery that it can't be as good as someone that spends an entire verse talking about lighting up some weed.

@Fabricant451

Because it was defended and it was a bad/corny line. There's more bad lines in that song and Kayne literally has ruined more guest's songs than most rappers in general. And though I really don't wish to look at every mainstream lyrics page to show the dick sucking comparison has been used the thousand times and you pretending otherwise is beyond pointless but here's a few of them.

"I'm a dick, so it shouldn't be that hard to swallow." - Chris Brown

lyrics.com/serp.php?st=dick+swallow&p=2

Now you'll say, but some of those don't have the "same meaning" that Kayne does. But...my point is the line itself has been done plenty of times. He means he'd rather be crude than passive. You're telling me there's no better way to say that? I'll just agree to disagree about kanye. Because like I said, unlike some less known rappers he also has like twenty writers and producers. Holy shit, Kanye has 10 and 11 writers in his single songs...and 8 producers...for a single track...

Can you consider it creative if it took an entire classroom to do it?

Yes. Complexity doesn't just mean multisyllabic words.

@Fabricant451

Yes, but it also means complex ideas and things that I don't like Lil Wayne was exactly the best choice to prove rappers can have meaning in their songs...or Kendrick for that matter. Still, you say it's better to be simple and know how to use it than be complicated and gibberish which is all good, but how about complicated and articulate? Are we really arguing the dumber lyrics can sound, the better it is to be taken seriously as an art form?

It got turned into a discussion the moment you challenged the points being made. You made a remark about Kendrick that is pretty factually incorrect and it escalated from there. It's not a matter of wanting to win, it's a matter of trying to inform.

@Fabricant451

Well, maybe you are genuinely doing so. Saying you don't get street language and telling people to not listen doesn't do that. But my feeling is you'll defend anything by a rapper you enjoy and not admit when they have a dud line or make mistakes...So to prove this point...

Is "Pussy" by Kendrick Lamar a terrible song...or is it somehow ingenious piece of writing because no one has mocked trap music before.

[Fabricant451]

<Snipped quote by Fabricant451>

Because it was defended and it was a bad/corny line.

@SleepingSilence

It's not a bad line nor a corny one. You can dislike it all you like for whatever superficial reasons you're drumming up, but it doesn't make it a bad line. Your entire argument boils down to "it's a dick line it's not good because dicks".

There's more bad lines in that song

You're going to sit here and say that a song like New Slaves has bad lines in it? I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you think the dual usage of pussy is one. Maybe it's his repetition to drive a point home when he says "I see the blood on the leaves" and "I know that we the new slaves." Not every Kanye song is great lyrically, but New Slaves is consistently tight.

and Kayne literally has ruined more guest's songs than most rappers in general.

I'm just gonna go ahead and drop this



as just one example. There are countless more examples of great Kanye guest appearances but why not go with a modern classic.

And though I really don't wish to look at every mainstream lyrics page to show the dick sucking comparison has been used the thousand times and you pretending otherwise is beyond pointless but here's a few of them.

My issue was you using hyperbole and more and more it just comes off as you not liking the use of 'dick' in songs.

"I'm a dick, so it shouldn't be that hard to swallow." - Chris Brown

In New Slaves, Kanye is using entendre to state that he'd rather be known as an asshole that speaks up than someone who lies and stays quiet and follows along. In the second verse this is reinforced with "They throwin' hate at me/Want me to stay at ease". It's a song full of criticisms of modern culture and, yes, race. The name of the song is New Slaves for fucks sake.

Meanwhile the lyric you pulled isn't even from Chris Brown. It's by Kevin McCall on a Chris Brown track and the lyric (and song) is about leaving a woman. It's literally a break up song and thinking McCall saying "I'm a dick so you shouldn't be surprised I'm leaving you" is on the same level as Ye's verse is dishonest. It's not the same metaphor as both of them are saying wildly different things.

lyrics.com/serp.php?st=dick+swallow&p=2

Now you'll say, but some of those don't have the "same meaning" that Kayne does.

No I'll say that none of them do, from the page I looked at. Because they're just talking about actual blowjobs. Unless you take every single lyric at face value comparing the language and saying it's the same thing shows a lack of comprehension.

But...my point is the line itself has been done plenty of times. He means he'd rather be crude than passive. You're telling me there's no better way to say that?

You're telling me you could do better? The line's meaning is not a new concept but that doesn't make the line, which fits in with the entire theme and point of the song, a bad line at all. What you're doing here is removing context and thinking it reflects on the song and the man as a whole. It's presenting a notion that has been used a lot in the genre (specifically speaking up about things like, oh I dunno...systemic racism just as an example) and being on point about it with language that is, pun intended, easy to swallow. Why muddy the message with bullshit?

I'll just agree to disagree about kanye. Because like I said, unlike some less known rappers he also has like twenty writers and producers. Holy shit, Kanye has 10 and 11 writers in his single songs...and 8 producers...for a single track...

Can you consider it creative if it took an entire classroom to do it?

So do you not know how Kanye operates? How he works with people, curates, and bounce ideas off of? Do you think music production is something every artist can do? Is a song somehow worse because it has people like Rick Rubin on the production end of things? Do you think that Kanye just, what, has everyone else doing work while he just stands in the booth? Are you honestly trying to discredit Kanye as an artist because he gives writing credits to people he works with? Is that really what you're trying to say here? Because why else would you bring it up? Is Quentin Tarantino a bad director because he uses ideas from other film makers, including titles and characters? Of course fucking not.

Yes, but it also means complex ideas and things that I don't like Lil Wayne was exactly the best choice to prove rappers can have meaning in their songs

Why not?



Also, for a fun little game, go ahead and count the profanity in it, because profanity is bad and makes songs worse. Fun fact: this song is from the same album as A Milli, the other song of his I linked earlier.

or Kendrick for that matter.

We've been over this already. But if you don't think Kendrick has meaning in his songs than this is a lost cause.

Still, you say it's better to be simple and know how to use it than be complicated and gibberish which is all good, but how about complicated and articulate? Are we really arguing the dumber lyrics can sound, the better it is to be taken seriously as an art form?

That's your argument here. You're voicing this narrative that Kanye or Kendrick are worse because of their 'simple' vocabulary. And yet you're the one who isn't getting the meaning behind those supposed simple words. The lyrics I've posted haven't been dumb and the lyrics you've posted haven't had me go "Oh this is clearly better than this other stuff look it has demons and Wiccans in it." Every rapper has their own style and just because someone can be fast doesn't make them better. Would you say this is complicated and thus 'better'?

'Imitator intimidator, stimulator, simulator of data, eliminator
There’s never been a greater since the burial of Jesus
Fuck around and catch all the venereal diseases
My thesis will smash a stereo to pieces
My a capella releases classic masterpieces through telekinesis
It eases you mentally, gently, sentimentally, instrumentally
With entity, dementedly meant to be Infinite'

Now for a more 'simple' word scheme.

'I woke up early on my born day; I'm 20, it's a blessin'
The essence of adolescence leaves my body, now I'm fresh
And, my physical frame is celebrated ‘cause I made it
One quarter through life, some godly-like thing created
Got rhymes 365 days annual, plus some
Load up the mic and bust one, cuss while I pus from
My skull, ‘cause it's pain in my brain vein, money maintain
Don't go against the grain, simple and plain
When I was young at this I used to do my thing hard
Robbin' foreigners, take they wallets, they jewels and rip they green cards
Dipped to the projects, flashin' my quick cash
And got my first piece of ass, smokin' blunts with hash
Now it's all about cash in abundance
Niggas I used to run with is rich or doin' years in the hundreds
I switched my motto; instead of sayin', "Fuck tomorrow!"
That buck that bought a bottle could've struck the lotto
Once I stood on the block, loose cracks produce stacks
I cooked up and cut small pieces to get my loot back
Time is Illmatic, keep static like wool fabric
Pack a 4-matic to crack your whole cabbage'

If you're of the mind set that the first example is better because it has more complicated words then you've been missing a lot of the point of this discussion.

Well, maybe you are genuinely doing so. Saying you don't get street language and telling people to not listen doesn't do that. But my feeling is you'll defend anything by a rapper you enjoy and not admit when they have a dud line or make mistakes...So to prove this point...

No I won't. I don't even like Li'l Wayne. I don't think Kanye is infallible.

Is "Pussy" by Kendrick Lamar a terrible song...or is it somehow ingenious piece of writing because no one has mocked trap music before.

Do you mean Pussy and Patron?

'I'm going through something with life
But pussy and Patron will make you feel alright
Pussy and Patron make you feel alright
Pussy and Patron, that's some great advice'

Sarcasm. These things are temporary fixes and don't actually solve anything. The song is actually against alcohol - especially as a problem solver. Pussy and Patron is a good song and it actually gives some insight into Kendrick as a person and story teller. Case in point:

'Pushing in my momma van, stop for gas on Rosecrans
Trust me these niggas rushed me for something my cousin probably did
Guilty by association story of my life, nigga'

and

'You gone make me flip then split your shit, judge give me life, nigga
Pain since my grandma's death, uncle killed at Louis's Burgers
Hold my tears I tried my best, let it go drench my pullover
Cycles of a starving artist tryna go beyond the margin's margin
Maintaining my modest, modest as I dream
So while I go through all this, all this bullshit what you call it
Life itself I know it helps let me scroll through my Blackberry'

and of course

'I said keep reading my diary, when my life's entirely
Surrounded by the irony of living in the city
I said they wouldn't hire me, I said I got my ass beat
And the only thing can help is ass and some titties'

If you read this last part and think "HE JUST WANTS TO FUCK" then I have to say congratulations on missing the point and taking things on a surface level.

[Utrax]

Explain the appeal of Garry's Mod please? I'm interested since there seems to be a lot of people who RP through it. Unfortunately, after sitting through an hour long download, I don't really understand the way things are like...made and/or done in both the single and multiplayer realms. No clue what or how to even "play". :/

@Mistiel

As I currently understand it, Grray's Mod is basically the same as Second Life but with physics as a main basis for use, free to play aspects, and ragdoll effects. A lot of playing Garry's mod involves going onto servers and playing by their mods, playing FPS type games, exploring, doing weird shit, and generally messing around. Garry's Mod is used in a lot of videos for general shenanigans and uh... pseudo cinematic productions. For the most part, in order to get the most value out of Garry's mod you need friends, knowledge of a fun server, or a story you want to make.
Also a lot of the appeal is the nostalgia of Half Life 2, since it uses a lot of the props and stuff from that game.

---

Can anyone explain the appeal of Romantic Movies and Romantic Comedies?

I personally absolutely do not like the genre as a whole. There are certain exceptions, of course. I don't discredit an entire bunch of movies because a few aren't my cup of tea. I want to know why some people swear by them-- Why some people have seen basically everything in the genre! Why?!
Thank you for your attention.

[SleepingSilence]

Explain the appeal of Garry's Mod please? I'm interested since there seems to be a lot of people who RP through it. Unfortunately, after sitting through an hour long download, I don't really understand the way things are like...made and/or done in both the single and multiplayer realms. No clue what or how to even "play". :/

@Mistiel

My roommate would be able to describe it better since he is a fan of it. Apparently one server was playing cops and prisoners and the role-played a revolution. I suppose imagine roleplay servers of mmo's or minecraft. Gives you tools to make a scenario and let's imagine do the rest. It's basically video game larping. lol. Probably fun with the right group of people. Just a different method to do it. :3 *never played the game myself, just saw him doing it on occasion*

[Fabricant451]

---

Can anyone explain the appeal of Romantic Movies and Romantic Comedies?

I personally absolutely do not like the genre as a whole. There are certain exceptions, of course. I don't discredit an entire bunch of movies because a few aren't my cup of tea. I want to know why some people swear by them-- Why some people have seen basically everything in the genre! Why?!
Thank you for your attention.

@Utrax

I can take this one. Or at least attempt to. Aggressively flexes useless film degree.

Okay so you know how people have comfort foods or the like? Romantic comedies are sort of comfort food for a certain group of people because the typical romantic comedy presents romance as the idealized dream. Case in point, most leads in a romantic comedy is a woman in a somewhat successful career but doesn't have fulfillment in her work - and boy is there a conversation to be had there but let's not - and often this lead is one of a handful of archetypes. She could be frigid, she could be neurotic, she could be a workaholic, or a combination. Obviously I'm generalizing but the shoe clearly fits in this case. Then along comes the opposite and blah blah you know how it goes.

There are, of course, exceptions (like, I dunno....Pretty Woman) but when you watch a romantic comedy you know what you're getting. You're gonna get 90 minutes of awkward interactions and gags with some pretty people. It's a different form of escapism that exists within other film genres. Romantic films have their cliches and revel in them but they're movie comfort food. Even something like Trainwreck which was like "Hah hah it's the anti-romantic comedy look at how much dick I sling" turned into the exact thing it was mocking anyway.

The appeal comes from the same sort of place of, say, a bad action movie. It's escapism and wish fulfillment. No one goes into a movie starring Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler expecting high art or the like; they go in wanting to be comforted and experience a cute little love affair. Romantic comedies are the movie version of a Janet Evaonvich novel.

[SleepingSilence]

[quote=@GarlandDaHero]
Could someone please explain to me why rap and hip-hop are so popular? The former I am especially dumbfounded by; it's all almost the exact same thing over and over again, what with all the talk about drugs, sex, profanity out the ass, and the frequent use of a certain 'n' word.
[quote]

<Snipped quote>
They just asked to explain the appeal of rap music, not "Hey can you give me rap songs that don't have profanity?"

@Fabricant451

No, maybe he didn't outright state he wanted the opposite but he clearly implied he didn't understand why people liked rap because every beat sounding the same, and the lyrics mentioned drugs, sex, cursing and the n-word.

To properly respond I gave him wildly different lyrical subjects, beats and things that DIDN'T prove this assumption a lot of people have about rap...

Telling the average person. This is why I love rap music, and why it's such great writing.

Wake up in the mornin'
Thinkin' 'bout money, kick your feet up
Watch you a comedy, take a shit, then roll some weed up
Go hit you a lick, go fuck on a bitch
Don't go to work today, cop you a fit
Or maybe some kicks and make you—

When metal has lyrics like -

Machines of air looking down on us -
The beasts of dust as we grapple heel and hand,
Mud and sand, (blood red oil)
The chaff of the harvest
Converted to currencies of wealthy means
Stepping stones cut from our perforated bones
Riches are reaped beside our bodies sown just to be thrown back again
And forgotten if we stumble in
Laid inside a homeless nest,
Stuck with eager dirty needles,
Shipped to an early steeple where boxes close
Descend with grace as you defend yourself -
Both charitable and chaste.
Praise me for my valor, lay me on a crimson tower -
Justify my endless terror as my “finest hour.”
Treat me as a token to deceive the child
Whom we fatten for this scapegoat slaughter.

Or

So this is the warning, you fall to learn.
And to the girls,
You're worth more than the cheap words.
You see your body as beauty, but your pulse is worth more.
Hear me, it's not what it seems, though the feeding tastes of honesty.
This is the warning, you're just a hit to coax my urgency.

or other music in general

Oh you, pious and profane
Put away your praise and blame
Said, "A glass can only spill what it contains"
To the perpetually plain, the incurably inane
A glass can only spill what it contains

This can go on, I can tell you the stuff I provided sounds more lyrically interesting...like people were talking about lyrical bluntness equaling power but which provokes a stronger lyric and paints a deeper picture?

"There's leader and followers and I'm a dick, not a swallower"

or

A man at home with a hammer in hand
Is thinking about his life
Deciding that it would be best
To kill his children and his wife
A woman at home with a ring on her finger
Is thinking about herself
Her husband is a good man
But she has sex with someone else.

Not rap, but purely a writing standpoint, simple doesn't have to mean vulgar and immature.

Also no that's not what I'm talking about, but I just realized I made a mistake there. It was another rapper people call fantastic. Got them mixed in my head for some reason. :P

So sorry for all the wasted efforts and assumptions you made...I fucked up on that one. But once again I feel like even other mainstream rapperS have crafted better verses than Kendrick, but we really are just diving into opinions.

So I would like the 12 writers, and 8 produces validated instead...how can you call someone a good writer if you don't even know if they wrote it themselves?

I do feel like this is going in circles, and very very nitpicky because correcting me that the lyric wasn't by chris brown is ABSOLUTELY not needed. Already knew that, but the song was addressed to him.

And I could post a bunch of awful kanye guest verses and bad lil wayne songs because this point it would be easy to overwhelm the good examples with those artists...I just feel like other rap artists have far more merit (and also have less than 60 people writing and producing their stuff for them. *Note the 60 part isn't literal and doesn't need correcting.*)

[Fabricant451]

I'm tagging out of this. I can't continue making the same points and doing this circle talk.