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Image via GBrydson
Kiss frontman and reality TV star Gene Simmons weighed in on the state of the music industry in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, and he is deeply discouraged, particularly about hip-hop.
“I am looking forward to the death of rap,” he said. “I’m looking forward to music coming back to lyrics and melody, instead of just talking. A song, as far as I’m concerned, is by definition lyric and melody … or just melody.” He later continued, “Rap will die. Next year, 10 years from now, at some point, and then something else will come along. And all that is good and healthy.”
Simmons backpedaled on his comments slightly and said that he actually thinks rap is OK, but it’s not for him: “I don’t have the cultural background to appreciate being a gangster. Of course that’s not what it’s all about, but that’s where it comes from. That’s the heart and soul of it. It came from the streets.”
Throughout the rest of the conversation, Simmons repeated the theme that rock is the most (or perhaps only) worthwhile form of music, saying, “As far as I’m concerned, if Lady Gaga dropped the disco and the pole dancing and all that stuff and put together a rock band, that would be legitimate.
Read the interview here.
