BEATS vs RHYMES

[vegaz]

When your listening to music what do you first look for in order to say a track is dope? Do you listen for the beat and the rythym or do you listen to the lyrics and the flow? I personally tend to listen for a dope track . And in my opinion If the beat is really dope It can compensate for a weak flow....I wont call out any names

[Ras Kass' Toothpick]

Production is more important.  Not many MCs can overcome a wack beat to make a good song.  Refer to the new Method Man album to see how even a great MC can't save the album full of terrible production.  
Now production can overcome wack rhymes and MCing to make a good album, peep Group Home's DJ Premier produced Livin' Proof for proof.

[hector]

for me its beats.  ain't nuttin like a dope ass funky beat.  wack beats will really ruin an album for me.

[Lord Funk]

Beats.

It sounds shallow, like I'd love to say it's all about the rhymes. But at the end of the day what Toothpick says is absolutely right - a hot beat with wack rhymes is still listenable. The other way round and it doesn't work (one of the reasons Canibus' first album let a lot of people down I think).

[Native_Joe99]

for me the has to 55% lyrics, and 45% beat, so if has a whack ass beat, but a tight ass rythm then i will try to hook it up with somthing else, or a song with a tight ass beat but a week ass lyrics n shit, mix n match, thats why i like remixes n shit like that.

[Nutty]

Beats then lyrics. The beat catches my attention first & after a few listens the lyrics start to grow on me.

But in order for me to consider a song dope overall, everything has to gel together, thas good lyrics & a good beat.

[f0n|{sta]

for me its beats.  ain't nuttin like a dope ass funky beat.  wack beats will really ruin an album for me.

[CRAFTY]

Quote from Quik: "lyrics ain't nothing if the beats ain't crackin"  
Still...if the lyrics suck, but the beat is tight, there's a chance I'll still like the track.

[Shallow]

Lyrics all the way, if I wanted to listen to hip hop for the "beats", I'd listen to the original tracks that were sampled, which I do. The rapper or the producer don't compose the music, or even play it, so I don't care too much about it. I rate the artist for the art he creates, not the art he buys the rights to.

[eS El Duque]

it's gotta be 50/50 beats and ryhmes...thats what hip-hop is? the mc and the dj.

[West C. Connected]

I can listen to a song with really bad lyrics but a great beat.
I can't listen to a song with great lyrics but a really bad beat.

[Lil Jay]

for me its beats.  ain't nuttin like a dope ass funky beat.  wack beats will really ruin an album for me.

[R-Tistic]

Well I am a producer so beats/music is a given. Thing is, some people, mainly east coast fanatics, trip so hard about lyrics, and I am like shit if lyrics are all you care about, go to a lyrics website or read a damn book! I listen to MUSIC because of what it is: MUSIC. Rhymes can be very important tho, and a track can never be but so good if the raps aren't good. With albums like Suga Free, his unorthodox style is soo hard to me, and over dope beats it is jus amazing. So as everyone else said, for an album/single to be classic or great, it has to have both, but I'd say it's beats 60% raps 40%.

[vegaz]

Lyrics all the way, if I wanted to listen to hip hop for the "beats", I'd listen to the original tracks that were sampled, which I do. The rapper or the producer don't compose the music, or even play it, so I don't care too much about it. I rate the artist for the art he creates, not the art he buys the rights to.

good point....

[Leggy Hendrix]

Beats then lyrics. The beat catches my attention first & after a few listens the lyrics start to grow on me.

But in order for me to consider a song dope overall, everything has to gel together, thas good lyrics & a good beat.