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Rappers, Sorted by Size of Vocabulary

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Re: Rappers, Sorted by Size of Vocabulary

#151

Post by seltzered_ »

randomdrake wrote: post #61

For those who aren't familiar with Aesop Rock, I'd invite you to give him a listen sometime. His earlier albums, in particular, have been very influential to me in many ways. Both in my artistic and professional careers. From comments on the conditions of the working man and the condition of feeling trapped in a "j-o-b"[1]: "Now we the American working population Hate the fact that eight hours a day Is wasted on chas…

Found a video rendition of aesop rock's "no regrets" pretty inspiring: https://vimeo.com/14583499

" 1-2-3, that's the speed of the seed

A-B-C, that's the speed of the need

You can dream a little dream or you can live a little dream

I'd rather live it, cause dreamers always chase but never get it"

Re: Rappers, Sorted by Size of Vocabulary

#153

Post by vlncrt »

GFK_of_xmaspast wrote: post #76
shaggyfrog wrote: post #23

Incredibly, a list about rapper vocabulary is missing anyone associated with nerdcore. I'm interested to see where the likes of MC Frontalot, Wordburglar, YTCracker, etc. rank on that scale...

I don't see why novelty acts would be relevant.

I'm not really sure that the other acts totally lack artistic integrity, but I'm pretty sure that ytcracker isn't a novelty act.

Some of them aren't serious and have the overdeveloped sense of irony that you expect from people kidding around, but I'm not sure that that makes them novelty music any more than, say, The Electric Six are.

Re: Rappers, Sorted by Size of Vocabulary

#154

Post by TheCoelacanth »

seizethecheese wrote: post #124

Many here seem to be interpreting vocabulary size as a signal for quality. When it comes to rap I completely disagree. Firstly, the repetition is rap's main ingredient. I read an article a while ago where researchers found that listening to a spoken phrase that is looped activates the same part of the brain as music, which helps explain this phenomenon. Personally, if I want food for thought I read. Rap is not an int…

> It seems that the best rappers are in the middle, and being on either extreme is a negative signal.

Objectively, I don't think that is an accurate assessment. There are highly respected artists all across the chart, including the extremes. For instance, Wu-Tang Clan and its members at the upper extreme and Kanye, Snoop and Tupac at the lower extreme.

Re: Rappers, Sorted by Size of Vocabulary

#156

Post by omegaham »

likeclockwork wrote: post #141
x3ro wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Eminem for example clearly holds back on his vocabulary. What makes you say this?

I'm sure the answer to this question is "He looks more articulate than the average rapper."

Gibes regarding racism aside, some people seem more articulate due to the fact that they carry themselves differently during interviews.

Of course, many musicians will keep a persona going during interviews as well, so it's still not a very reliable metric.

The most extreme example I've seen was Marilyn Manson, but there are plenty of musicians who rap / sing about really inane stuff and then show that they're way smarter than the way they present themselves with their music.

Re: Rappers, Sorted by Size of Vocabulary

#157

Post by jboggan »

dylanz wrote: post #98
skylan_q wrote: post #3

Kool Keith should be exempt from this list. He's not from any of the 4 regions listed, but from Jupiter.

I checked for him immediately once I saw this chart. Between Doc Oc, Dr. Dooom and Black Elvis, he has some insanely weird lyrics. We stuck together when one of my parakeets died You broke down and cried, for the love of animals I used to always cut the legs off a roach See if he'll stay there on a piece of tissue And give him a piece of toast That morning, he would wake up and be gone What, the insect had a ambulanc…

I had never heard this particular Kool Keith rap before but as soon as I read the lyrics I could hear his very distinctive delivery pattern. I listened to the track on YouTube and was not surprised it was just as I have imagined. How distinctive.

Re: Rappers, Sorted by Size of Vocabulary

#158

Post by loso »

I enjoyed reading this chart but I hope it doesn't reinforce the bias that some fans have that word complexity is the only way to tell if a rapper is good or not. There are several ways to judge the strength and weaknesses of a rapper. Complexity is one of them, flow is another. Story telling ability is also another very strong in indicator. The best rappers are able to bring a mix while some are just so strong in one area that they explode no matter if they are really weak in other areas.
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