akibun 0 Posted October 17, 2003 Share Posted October 17, 2003 Funny topic, we talk about this last night. In English, what do you call it when especially rapper artists move their hands when they are rapping. Like pointing, I can't explain really. Do you know what I talk about here? Link to post Share on other sites
indosnm 0 Posted October 17, 2003 Share Posted October 17, 2003 japanese rappers are the worst. because it all looks so fake and try hard. no style at all.... Link to post Share on other sites
mogski 0 Posted October 18, 2003 Share Posted October 18, 2003 And non-japanese rappers have style when they do it huh? Sheesh. I don't hate rap okay, just think the hand thing has gotten old and no longer represents "style." Style should be measured by the persons music, not what they do to make people like them on the vids. Same goes with pro skiers and boarders. It's what you do and how you execute that matters. Pull me a fluid smooth 360 off anything and you will have more style than Mr/Mrs flat d-spin 1080 triple flipper. Link to post Share on other sites
veronica 2 Posted October 18, 2003 Share Posted October 18, 2003 I think it all looks completely forced and laughable. It's becoming a parody of itself. Link to post Share on other sites
bobby12 0 Posted October 18, 2003 Share Posted October 18, 2003 I find Japanese rap (and reggae) really obscene, because it is so disguistingly commercial. There is no difference between what Rip Slyme is doing and what SMAP is doing. I would even argue SMAP have more authenticity. Reggae was 'rebel music' - a political fight, a way get yourself heard. Rap was doing a similar thing albeit less political in the US in the 80s. Japanese 'rappers' (I prefer to call them performers) have taken something from the street, something very meaningful, powerful and expressive, and turned it into this kind of cringeworthy karaoke. I am not saying that you have to be from the street or whatever to make decent rap/reggae, but for me it at least have to come from somewhere. In Jamaica/the US there is the reggae/hiphop scene that has been there and is a development. So I think I can respect what artists today from those areas are doing. But in Japan, its just a bunch of clever producers who know how to copy a style and promote it and go out and get a bunch of fresh faced kids to karaoke it to the masses. This is why I say the likes of Rip Slyme are no different to SMAP. I also dont like the influence rap has on the kids here. In my city there is a huge gang of about 70 kids who walk through the city on a weekend sometimes in crazy quasi-ragga style of baggy red clothing. Its actually really scary. Perhaps I am going to far to attribute that to rap music though, the clothing is only superficial after all. Oh, and I dont know what the finger pointing is called ;-) Link to post Share on other sites
enderzero 0 Posted October 18, 2003 Share Posted October 18, 2003 I can't really comment on pointing or j-rap, but I have been too a considerable amount of real hip-hop shows and throwin your hands in the air is just part of getting into the music. Are we talking about the up and down hand motion (aka "rockin to the beat" - I think db knows what I am talking about) or some kind of choreographed actual hand ponting here? Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted October 18, 2003 Share Posted October 18, 2003 Lots of musical styles have their own characteristic gestures whether opera, Frank Sinatra style crooning, heavy metal etc. In the same way, rap/hip-hop has its own gestures. I believe these are called 'burns' although I may well be wrong. Some of it is as meaningless as the gestures used in other musical types, but some of the gestures are also borrowed from gang hand signs (gangs everywhere develop characteristic hand signals). The gestures used by rappers are not only gang related though - they have either no significance or something very limited like an E-shape to signify East Coast / a W-shape to signify West Coast, which is a means of promoting the profitable hostility between E/W coast rap. You may enjoy this highly reliable article about it. My favourite gesture is to shape my index finger and thumb into an O and thrust my tongue through it. I find that it always elicits a positive reaction. Link to post Share on other sites
jared 0 Posted October 18, 2003 Share Posted October 18, 2003 Thats a fantastic site. Link to post Share on other sites
indosnm 0 Posted October 18, 2003 Share Posted October 18, 2003 Mogs, I think it all looks gay too BUT what i was trying to say was that it seems that the more try hard you are they more you wave ya hands, hence the J rapper comment. Not saying that a few non J rappers don't do it either. But look at some of the crap j rap ( if you could call it that) on MTV then look at Snoop doggy, pharrell, Jay-z and they are style. and they dont wave and point all that much. Like Ocean said is a part of rap, just like headbanging in to heavy metal! Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted October 18, 2003 Share Posted October 18, 2003 I sometimes wonder if some of the gestures also stem from scratching. Rapping and scratching and being a dj/mc are all linked, and the hand movements in scratching are kind of similar to what rappers do... Link to post Share on other sites
badmigraine 0 Posted October 18, 2003 Share Posted October 18, 2003 When used to identify gang affiliation etc. it's called "throwing signs" and sometimes "flashing signs". But I think a lot of rappers now make up signs that really have no meaning, or have about as much significance and currency as a dance step or trademark clothing item. Link to post Share on other sites
mogski 0 Posted October 18, 2003 Share Posted October 18, 2003 Does the scratching of ones groin count as a rap move? If so I think I might become a millionare overnight! Link to post Share on other sites
badmigraine 0 Posted October 18, 2003 Share Posted October 18, 2003 Mogs, only if it is your OWN groin. Your incessant scratching of groins of other people and animals will not make you rich. Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted October 18, 2003 Share Posted October 18, 2003 I wonder if the girls who ask these kind of questions on here actually come away any the wiser... akibun, did we answer your question? A question I have is, do mogs and migs email each other to say, "I've posted something on SJ - come and take a dump on it?" Link to post Share on other sites
mogski 0 Posted October 18, 2003 Share Posted October 18, 2003 Ah the answer to the Ocean would be "No." For your information our private e-mail exchanges is relfected in our posts with of course the espletives that cannot be added here for obvious reasons. Migs just likes to dump. He is quite regular and usually does this after his morning coffee or a hard night on the town. Link to post Share on other sites
nekobi 0 Posted October 18, 2003 Share Posted October 18, 2003 check out the main picture on salon today- uncle sam with some rap hands... Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted October 18, 2003 Share Posted October 18, 2003 Definitely gangsta him. Link to post Share on other sites
snowboard_freak 0 Posted October 18, 2003 Share Posted October 18, 2003 Word. Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted November 15, 2003 Share Posted November 15, 2003 Some of it prolly came out of scratching too. There seems to be a similarity between the way one manipulates a turntable and rapper hand gestures in general. Check out the rapper Rob Sonic's logo for some social anthropological verification. Link to post Share on other sites
cakehead 0 Posted November 15, 2003 Share Posted November 15, 2003 Strange logo. Link to post Share on other sites
neversummer 0 Posted November 16, 2003 Share Posted November 16, 2003 I like it a lot Link to post Share on other sites
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