The genre Gene Simmons is looking forward to seeing the “death of”
Gene Simmons loves rock and roll, and he really wants you to know that. This is far from being new information, as he has reminded his fans and anyone willing to listen of the fact throughout his career. If you were ever in doubt of the fact, then perhaps a few listens to Kiss’ catalogue that includes songs such as ‘Rock and Roll All Nite’ and their cover of Argent’s ‘God Gave Rock ‘N’ Roll to You II’ will help refresh your memory or convince you of his devotion to the genre.
This isn’t a bad thing, of course. I myself am an advocate for rock and roll – I’d be pretty lost in this profession if I weren’t. Granted, I’ve never written a song about how much I love rock and roll, so perhaps I’m not as committed to the cause as Mr Simmons, but I don’t think there are many people in the world who can match ‘The Demon’ when it comes to displaying enthusiasm for the genre.
However, being a lover of rock and roll doesn’t have to be a monogamous relationship, and most people who choose to indulge in this style of music are also fans of other genres. It’s perfectly acceptable to be promiscuous in your listening habits, nay, encouraged by many, and flitting from one genre to another is only going to broaden your horizons and help you discover things about other strands of culture that you wouldn’t be exposed to if you chose to remain steadfast in your tastes.
For example, there are plenty of things that a rock and roll lover ought to be able to appreciate in rap and hip-hop. Both genres were born from a place of rebellion against mainstream trends and have mostly maintained this ethos despite gaining traction, and for anyone who is an aficionado of lyricism, so much rap music is built around creative wordplay, incisive social commentary and poetry in its most unfiltered form.
The problem is, there’s no telling Gene Simmons that, and no amount of persuasion is going to swing his ardent opposition to hip-hop. Simmons has always had a vitriolic sense of hatred for the genre, and has publicly declared his displeasure towards all music that bears any remote resemblance, so trying to get him to concede that there are any redeeming qualities in rap music is going to be a Sisyphean mission.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Simmons declared: “I’m looking forward to the death of rap. I’m looking forward to music coming back to lyrics and melody, instead of just talking.” Now, as we’ve already established, rap and lyricism go hand in hand, so his objection on this front is a moot point. While admittedly, melody is something that is often lost in rap music, there are so many other elements of strong musicality that replace the need for a tune to be held, with rhythm and composition being far more important.
“Those are novelty records,” Simmons continued. “I don’t have the cultural background to appreciate being a gangster.” He may well have been raised in a different cultural environment than the artists producing the majority of rap, but then again, Wiltshire isn’t known for its burgeoning rap scene and I’ve still managed to acquire a taste for it. As for calling it a novelty, this is rich coming from a man who voluntarily wears face paint as part of his demonic stage persona.
