If John Lennon was still alive...

[aimeeandbeatles]

...he'd be a rapper (according to my friend, at least).

Do you agree or disagree?
Eleborate

It's good idea to read a couple of his lyrics first. Here's a few that make me agree...

http://johnlennon.lyrics.info/givemesometruth.html
http://johnlennon.lyrics.info/intuition.html
http://johnlennon.lyrics.info/borninaprison.html
http://johnlennon.lyrics.info/idontwanttobeasoldier.html

Debate!!

 

[Nylan]

If John Lennon was still alive we would have no need for rap

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

If John Lennon was still alive we would have no need for rap

Why not?

 

[Communisto]

considering rap is rediculously dead, I don't think so.

 

[Prince_Imrahil]

Because he'd be making good music, and others would be one-upping him with BETTER music. And rap would never get mainstream.

Oh wait, we have much better music than Lennon's stuff and rap is still mainstream. Ah well.

 

[sysyphus]

considering rap is rediculously dead, I don't think so.

And you live in Toronto? Take a step outside sometime.

On topic, my bet is that Lennon would have essentially retired from music by now and be focused on social causes.

 

[Nylan]

Because he'd be making good music, and others would be one-upping him with BETTER music. And rap would never get mainstream.

Oh wait, we have much better music than Lennon's stuff and rap is still mainstream. Ah well.

That might have something to do with knowing that rap is the least musical of all "music" and therefore does not seem to follow the rules

 

[Abaddon]

He would be charityness now, music would have made him rich but he would have then stopped.

 

[Communisto]

And you live in Toronto? Take a step outside sometime.

Precisely the reason I consider it dead. It's over-commericalized, overtly popular, sugar coated, controlled by rich old white people, parodies itself, boring, dead.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

I agree somewhat. I think he would enjoy public enemy. He was a rebel. And the song that says "I'd rather see you dead little girl if I catch you with another man... it's the end - little girl" from Revolver (or Rubber Soul, I dunno).

 

[LucyDuke]

He would not be a rapper exclusively. He'd incorporate different elements from current music into his music, like he always did, but he wouldn't give up on "real" music.

 

[Communisto]

I agree somewhat. I think he would enjoy public enemy. He was a rebel.

then how come he never got into punk rock? That's a rebellious music. He'd still be playing rock n' roll because thats what he played and loved.

 

[Pontiuth Pilate]

I think he'd be like Paul Simon or Yo Yo Ma... musicians that reached the top of their fields and then became obsessed with "incorporating" elements from other musical genres into their playing/singing/songwriting styles... to a certain extent diluting what made their music good to start with.

(although Yo Yo is still teh pwn )

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

And the song that says "I'd rather see you dead little girl if I catch you with another man... it's the end - little girl" from Revolver (or Rubber Soul, I dunno).

"Run For Your Life" on Rubber Soul

 

[Red Door]

If John Lennon was still alive...

We'd see another washed-out rock star trying to make music.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

I agree being dead is an excellent career move to avoid the late wash out period... which John was probably getting into when he died. I think his genius will stand the test of time though. I think punk didn't appeal to his musical ability. The Clash were probably the only good "punk" band around at the time, musically and lyrically.

EDIT: Run for Your Life is a great song... anyone who thinks the Beatles were all about peace and love should be forced to listen to that one!

 

[Communisto]

The Clash were probably the only good "punk" band around at the time, musically and lyrically.

maybe the only good well known punk band, not nearly the only good one, not by a mile.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Well I didn't include The Buzzcocks, The Stranglers, or The Boomtown Rats (last two pprobably not punk but good anyway).

EDIT: And the new wave stuff from New York which was the precursor of punk too.

EDIT2: And The Sex Pistols were great but I don't think they would have appealed to John that much myself.

 

[Communisto]

EDIT2: And The Sex Pistols were great but I don't think they would have appealed to John that much myself.

I very much dislike the Pistols, considering they were a marketing gimic, I don't think John would've liked/liked them very much either.

 

[sysyphus]

Well I didn't include The Buzzcocks, The Stranglers, or The Boomtown Rats (last two pprobably not punk but good anyway).

Early Stranglers was very punk, how they got into easy listening I have no clue.