Weird Al, king of rap....
 

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I think there is no doubt, the best rapper is Weird Al, and perhaps the most under appreciated artist of my generation.

"I don't want fans who don't know who G Rap is" (RA the Rugged Man)

Certainly the king of mainstream rap, and the king of alternative polka-rock.

I think it's fair to say that most hip hop, but especially gangsta and dirty south, would be very different if they were around at all if not for Kool G.

You forgot one:

vs

I think Weird Al gets underestimated as a musician frequently because of his chosen medium. It's hard to take parodies seriously, but really one has to respect the man's versatility if nothing else.

Hehe I didn't forget it, the problem was I didn't know what the original was.

Yes, I have always known that Weird Al kicked some serious ass. I hope to one day see the man perform live.

weird al is awesome...

There's also this:

VS.

While I think Weird Al is overrated, I do appreciate his talent. Some of his songs are pure genius. He did put out a lot of shit too, though. Talented musician!

I don't get Redjake here. He says he's overrated and in the next sentence says some songs are pure genius.

"I'm just too white and nerdy"...lovin' it. I've always liked him since I saw "Eat it" probably 20 or more years ago. He always puts a smile on my face.

If you have some more, please throw them up here.

He's a parody genius.

OMFG CLIFFHANGER TITLE I HATE YOU

I thought this was gonna be like... Weird Al, king of rap....

DIES AT WHATEVER AGE HE IS!!

I was going to be quite sad :\

Ok proceed with thread

A lot of people act like ALL of his songs are pure genius and that everything he touches is pure gold! I digress; he portrays amazing talent in some of his songs, but others are junk.

Wouldn't that mean that some of his songs are pure genius, but that he's still overrated? :thumbsup:

I don't think his talent is overrated, per se - but I definitely believe the quality of his "portfolio" is inconsistent.

almost none of the videos work :(

They all work for me. Is your computer man enough to handle the videos?

Redjake, it's my opinion that when someone proclaims an artist to be great or amazing, they are commenting mostly on their high marks, rather than their entire portfolio.

Do it. I've seen him 3 or 4 times, and he puts on an outstanding show. Also, let's give some props to his backup band, who he has had since the beginning. They also do an amazing job of replicating the original sounds.

The last tour just ended a couple of weeks ago, so you'll have to wait a bit.

Also, this fine quote:

I can listen to White and Nerdy all day long. I just visited this thread to watch it again.

he's good at what he does....I agree, he's under estimated because of the spoofs, but he seems to be able to do anything

-Will

Not to bud in, but isn't it the entire portfolio that makes one great? If you go based solely on their high marks then you could call one hit wonders great. When I speak of great artist I think of Micheal Jackson, Prince, or Seal, etc. People that with few exceptions really put their all into every song and it shows. An artist doesn't reach great status simply by releasing 5 or 6 songs that make it big, they must show time and time again that they have what it takes to last in an ever changing music industry. I too think Al is over rated and agree 100% with Redjake, he has a few songs that are truly exceptional and then a bunch of mediocre songs that are nothing more than forgettable.

When I pressed play, it say "File does not exist anymore". What more is there to it than that?


As they do work now, those have brought back great memories.

I love his work, always have. :D

I love Wierd Al! that guy just never ceases to amaze me with his creative mind. Over all these years, never fails to impress

Randle2I, I can only remember a handful of Michael Jackson, Prince and Seal songs. I think its the same with every artist.

I'm confused :eek:

Let me rephrase: Weird Al has some good stuff, and he has some bad stuff. In my opinion, his good stuff is really good, but on the other hand, his bad stuff is.......really bad. :thumbsup:

Am I the only one who notices that that's Donny Osmond in the background?

No. Donny Osmond is also white and nerdy.

There's an A&E Biography episode about Weird Al on this Sunday morning (8 am EST).

Watch Weird Al Yankovic on A&E TV

Everyone focuses on his parodies, which are usually genius (and while I can't say even one of his songs are terrible, some just aren't as good as others), its too bad there is never any focus on his originals. Incredible stuff and I have found that an original on his album is better than any of the parodies sometimes.

Weird Al has a way of turning a music genre I don't like to listen to into something I can enjoy in his form. That's genius.

Very true. Also, the originals have more staying power; a parody has a shorter shelf-life.

That guy's a genius!

In my opinion, White and Nerdy is his best parody.

The first music concert I ever attended was Wierd Al at Pine Knob - now called DTE Energy Music Theater, where I also saw Ozzfest someyear (like it matters), Tom Petty, Curiosa festival, and Pearl Jam twice. /digress

I can't stand most of his pre-Bad Hair Day material. It just falls completely flat for me. Otherwise, it's about 50-50. For every "Your Horoscope For Today", there's a Mencia-level travesty like "The Saga Begins" or that almost-as-painful-as-eminem eminem parody.

I still consider his best parody to be "Amish Paradise", though "It's All About the Pentiums" and "Jerry Springer" come close.

His originals are indeed often his best songs. And the best one? No-brainer, it's also the best song of all time (narrowly edging out Beethoven's 9th, John Cage's 4'33" smoke break from his pretensions, and the Beatles' "Things We Said Today"):

Albuquerque.

He hates sauerkraut. That's all he was really trying to say.

If one day you wake up to find yourself in an exisential quandry, full of loathing and self-doubt and racked with the pain and isolation of your pitiful, meaningless existence, at least you can take a small bit of comfort in knowing that somewhere out there in this crazy, mixed-up universe of ours, there's still a little place...called Albuquerque.

Quoted from memory, as could be most of that song. Not that it is amazing or anything :p

And I love "The Saga Begins...", but then again, I also enjoyed Episode I more then it seems most people did. Especially after I found out that he wrote about 99% of the song based solely on Internet rumor and conjecture before the movie came out. That amazed me for some reason.

To be fair, I also hated Episode 1 AND American Pie. That just might have something to do with it.

Nah...:p

LOVE that one. He's also assisted on that track by the horn section from Reel Big Fish, another of my favorite bands.