"Ghost" writers for SINGERS is totally acceptable, but NOT for RAPPERS, amirite?

I don't think this is unpopular as there has been many instances of rappers being ridiculed (looking at you drake) for having ghost writers. However, no one really cares about finding out who wrote Taylor's swifts songs for example

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I'd be careful buddy. You saw what happened to Damon Albarn

by Anonymous 8 months ago

What happened to Damon Albarn?

by Anonymous 8 months ago

He said Taylor Swift didn't write her own songs and was Lambasted by the swifties

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Ah I have seen they can be quite militant! I'm sure Damon won't take too much to heart given his own career.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Because Taylor herself wrote them..? She writes all her songs, she may have co-writers but she's the main writer

by Anonymous 8 months ago

It's like altered a siren goes off whenever anyone says something like that

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Rapping has a lot to do with the voice also, not everyone sounds good doing jt

by Anonymous 8 months ago

This is true, but a rapper with a good vocal means nothing without lyrics, so if they didn't write the lyrics, they are not a good rapper. Just a good musical entertainer

by Anonymous 8 months ago

The end result for the listener is the same. I don't really care who wrote it as long as it sounds good

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I'm the complete opppsite. The delivery is the most important part of any rap song for me

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Lyricism is part of what makes you a good rapper. I don't see how any rap fan could possibly disagree. I think this is would apply to any other type of musician also. If it came out that a famous blues guitar player didn't write most of his stuff it would seriously diminish people's opinion of him as a musician.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

So basically what you are saying is that for a singing is a talent fully based on the vocal so it wouldn't diminish their skill but rap as genre is dependent on on the lyrics more than any other genre so it would be disingenuous to label yourself as such if you don't actually right the lyrics.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Kind of, I'm not saying the talent of singing is FULLY based on the vocal, nor is the talent of rapping FULLY based on the lyrical ability, but the core/basics of the talents are vocals for singing and lyrical ability for rap. So a ghost writer doesn't really take away from the singers core talent, but it does take away from the rappers core talent.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

This why you don't see hip hop cover bands

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Facts

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I feel like if a hook was written by a writer and sung by a rapper that's acceptable but yeah that's not really rapping. ALSO you better not shout FREESTYLE then read out something pre-written.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

At this points freestyle lost its meaning long ago Freestyle songs are just usually ones written in like 15 minutes instead of ones tought of on the spot and its just a reality we have to accept

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Unless you're going to do what Kanye did on sway, that was just painful to watch.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Ghostrappers

by Anonymous 8 months ago

You're late to this conversation

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I think you're wildly downplaying the skills that go into rapping.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Another point - Every individual goes through life with unique circumstances & experiences. When you use a ghostwriter, you're tapping into another individual's spirit and using ideas you would've never got on your own. It's 100% cheating. That's why rap fans get so offended when someone gets busted for ghostwriting. The main thing you're getting props for is your lyrics, and if you didn't write them, you're a fraud.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I think you combining two skills with being a rapper that you aren't with being a singer. There is a lot of skill involved in the speed, cadence and delivery of rapping, that to me make it comparable to singing. It's a skill in itself. Then there is the writing of the rap. I guess free-styling being such a big part of rap music does lend itself to your argument though.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

So true.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

That's why I say that Drake is not a rapper.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Sounds like you just need to listen to more rap music. A huge part of what makes a great rapper is their FLOW and the way they say the things they say. I can hardly understand what rappers say most of the time, but I still love rap music because of the way they use their voice.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

That's not my argument and I literally listen to rap music daily lol. Whats the core of rapping? Take away flow, beats, cadence, personality Etc.. all of that, what are you left with? The lyrics, that's the core of rap, my argument is not about like ability or who does and doesn't love it, I'm literally a rapper myself. The argument is you cannot say your a good rapper, when your not the one actually creating the raps you perform. You are more so a good music entertainer and that's fine, nothing wrong with that at all, but not a rapper. I've used this analogy a couple of times, but you wouldn't call Steve Jobs a good tech creator would you? No, because he didn't actually create any tech, he's a great businessman and should be applauded for his accomplishments, but to call him a good tech creator would just be silly since he didnt create anything, the same goes for rappers who aren't actually creating any raps. They are great performers and entertainers, and should be applauded for things like that, but not for being great rappers.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Wait why would you take away flow, cadence, and personality?? That's what makes different rappers, artists, and genres unique.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Because we aren't talking about what makes an artist unique, we are talking about the most essential basic core of rap, and that is the lyrics. If you can't display essentials/the basics of rap or anything for that matter, then I wouldn't call you good at that thing.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I don't agree that lyrics are the most essential basic core of rap. The definition of rap is: "a type of music in which rhythmic and usually rhyming speech is chanted to a musical accompaniment." It's about the delivery and flow, not the lyrics. Many musical genres have lyrics. The way rappers deliver the lyrics is what makes it rap.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Agree to disagree, the word speech is literally in the definition, the speech is the lyrics, no other way around it. You can't have rap without speech, or in other words you can't have rap without lyrics, That's just a fact, therefore it is the most basic and essential part of the talent. You can have singing songs without lyrics or any form of actual words. You cannot do that with rap, so how would lyrics aka speech, NOT be an essential basic core of rap? Water is an essential basic human need, we don't get it, we die, speech and lyrics are a basic rap need, without speech and lyrics, rap LITERALLY doesn't exist

by Anonymous 8 months ago

That is soooo true idk how can anyone disagree And yeah it's not like if you have a ghostwriter your music cant be entertaining its just that you aint a good rapper, reminds me of Drake - I like some of his music but I dont think he's a good rapper because he has tons of ghost writers

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Am i the only one who just wants to listen to good music and doesn't care about how and from who it's made?

by Anonymous 8 months ago

A good voice with no lyrics is useless so I don't see your point

by Anonymous 8 months ago

That literally is my point for the rapper side. I think you misinterpreted what I said. If your referring to the singer, that's why I mention scat as a genre, singers can still show off their ability to sing without any lyrics, as shown in scat, also shown in various other genres of music where singers aren't saying any words, just harmonizing over a melody and things like that.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Yes because scat and Gregorian chanting are such popular genres of music. A good singer and a good rapper are equally useless without lyrics.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Does it really matter? no rap "music" is written above a vulgar 4th grade level, its not about the lyrics, anyone could write them its about the presentation

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Lol rapping has to do with overall charisma , The voice ,their marketability (which is same for a singer lol, not many ugly singers out there is there?) stupid opinion for sure but that's cool , Most rappers who aren't marketable never make it despite the lyrics lol

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I also think rap is different because it's more personal.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

This is correct but not an unpopular opinion

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Based on some of these replies it's definitely more unpopular than you may think lol

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Jay Z wrote Still DRE, I don't see that as diminishing anything about Dre.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Because you listen to singers for the music. The music for rappers is pretty much secondary if not completely unimportant. People listen to rappers for the personality. Doesn't matter if Clarence is the best rapper on earth if he has a dorky name and his parents have a good marriage

by Anonymous 8 months ago

You're right, but also I just like to listen to good Music that gives me joy in either genre and could not care less if it's ghostwriten or not.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Not unpopular at all

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Rapping for a small group versus rapping for the radio and clubs are different. If you're rapping for the world, who cares who wrote it.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

In the rap community I mean that's kind of known. Dr Dre for example. Love his albums, but everyone knows he has ghostwriters and he's known for his producing.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Don't worry if I write rhymes I write checks

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Rapping is a different kind of singing. If all raps were one offs it would be different but they aren't.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

This isn't unpopular most people think like this

by Anonymous 8 months ago

This also goes for comedians. A comic actor can have lines written for them. A stand-up comic must write their own material.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

all unoriginal material under the name of any artist is really annoying. that said, so many song lyrics are out there and the market is flooded with material. a lot of it is just so damn similar.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Hooks are acceptable to be written by someone else, a verse, certainly not. Hip-hop is expression of oneself and representing the culture. If the words are not yours, then it's fake. It'd be like a politician, an author or a comedian not writing their own words.

by Anonymous 8 months ago