Quote:Originally posted by Josh@Jul 8 2015, 09:08 PM

There is no such thing as something being classifiably good in music. Someone may think rap is bad music because a lot of the time it uses beats and instrumentals from other music so not as much seems put into it. While others will say rap is good because of the various ways to layer beats, write songs etc etc.

Personally I've never been able to get into rap, but I imagine that there is both good and bad rap. Like I said, the idea of there being classifiably good and bad music is a divisive one, but it's simply a form of analysis. There are innumerable variables in what would result in something being classed as good or bad music, and the formula you apply to one piece of music will most likely be different than what you apply to another.

That being said, some styles of music tend to entail more craftsmanship than others; you can state your personal preference for one style of music over another, but nobody who knows what they're talking about will take anyone seriously if they say, for example, that rap or punk are as good in terms of craftsmanship as the vast majority of pieces in the classical repertoire.

Addendum: comparing styles of music is problematic too, as all styles contain good pieces of music and bad pieces of music.