Why does it seem people within the "Hip Hop" community represent more than the "Indie" community?

1. Because hipsterdom is all about rejecting labels, whether they be musical labels or record labels.

2. Because most so-called “indie” bands think of themselves as playing a particular type of music and do not appreciate being identified by their industry status rather than their musical style.

@SavoirFaire haha so true, I mean I have a buddy who plays “Blues” rock and every time he’s on stage he lets the crowd know that they’re in for some Blues. I don’t understand the sensitivity with the indie crowd.

It’s kind of at the root of the label. They’re independent, not part of some strictly defined genre. It’s not sensitivity, it’s integrity.

The need to label and categorize a musical artist is driven solely by marketing. How can we sell this if we don’t know what to call it?

Earthy blues with classical nuance and poetic lyrics band Big Blue Walrus doesn’t quite roll off the tongue like Hot new indie band Big Blue Walrus.

As far as hip hop goes, that’s because that genre, its fashions and culture is mainstream. That automatically gives it a bigger audience.
Derived from rap, which itself derived from something that may, originally, have been identified as indie music. Like I mean when rap was about racism, poverty and oppression, and not about mo’ bitches and gangblang.

@Symbeline A lot of rap is still about racism, poverty, and oppression. Just not corporate rap.

Dude, Saul Williams is awesome. :) Kinda reminds me of Loco Locass which is a French rap band, although they’re not actually considered rap. Is symphonic rap a music genre?

Yeah, Saul is pretty great. I’m also a big fan of Boots Riley (of The Coup and Street Sweeper Social Club). As for symphonic rap, I don’t see why it wouldn’t count as a genre. A number of rap and hip hop artists have done symphonic songs, and there are a few groups that are dedicated to it, so it must at least count as a sub-genre.

Speaking of French rap, one of the best diss tracks of all time—though she swears it’s not one—is “Je veux te voir” by Yelle. The song only works if you actually know French, but it’s a simultaneously humorous and brutal takedown of a sexist rapper from another group.

Baaahahaha nice. I don’t know which specific rapper she’s talking about, but if he heard the song, he probably got pretty humiliated. XD Basically making fun of everything that mainstream rap seems to represent. All dem dudes thinking they’re an Adonis and such haha.

Well if you understand French, check out the group I was talking about. Loco Locass Basically talks about how shitty Québec has become as a province lol.

On the subject of symphonic rap, what I have noticed is, I don’t know if it’s enough to consider it as symphonic rap, but a lot of artists will include organs and violins and stuff in the music, as opposed to merely jockeying and synthesizers. One of the things that made me pay attention to rap in the first place. although being a metal fan, I’m not allowed to enjoy rap haha