The hip-hop groups Noel Gallagher said no one would equal
Noel Gallagher is renowned for being one of the greatest musical minds in the world of rock, and that’s always been the genre he adored.
However, while Gallagher might only be a big name in the world of rock music, there aren’t many genres he fully dislikes. He appreciates the fact that regardless of the kind of music someone is making, the whole industry is filled with innovative minds, and these are necessary for someone to be able to well and truly leave their mark on music.
He has previously spoken about how artists like Jimi Hendrix and the Sex Pistols might have originally received pushback when they first started making music, but with persistence and resilience, they managed to conquer the creative world. He trusts artists are trying to make the best music they possibly can, regardless of what the public might think.
“The customer didn’t want Jimi Hendrix. But they got him. And it changed the world,” said the Oasis guitarist, discussing the plight of innovators, “The customer didn’t want The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper, but they got it. They didn’t want Sex Pistols, but they got it. Fuck the customer. The customer doesn’t know what he wants.”
One genre that certainly did receive a lot of pushback from listeners when it first came about was hip-hop. The genre is one of the biggest in the world, and people originally saw the potential of it because it was a very effective way for people could say a lot in a little amount of time. As such, you have plenty of artists who used it to talk about politics and society. Given that the songs tended to be a reflection of a specific way of life, a lot of people turned their nose up at the songs.
Noel Gallagher wasn’t such a person; he took issue with some of the imagery within the genre, but not the sound of it. “If I’m being honest, I don’t find any of it despicable, if you know what I mean. The hip-hop thing was mainly about the videos, the way women are portrayed in the videos—it’s not great,” he said, “I don’t give a fuck what anybody says. It’s not the best. Women don’t come out looking great in the hip-hop scene. And that’s not for me. I’ve got a daughter who’s 15 years of age, and maybe that’s just me being a concerned father.”
He continued, “But I don’t despise any of it. Nobody will ever be as good as Public Enemy or the Beastie Boys.”
Gallagher wasn’t the only great songwriter who liked hip-hop, either. Plenty of great lyricists have a profound respect for rappers because of their ability to write intricate poetry and lay it over complex word schemes. Lou Reed was always a huge fan for that very reason, as the lyricist massively appreciated what different hip hop artists would do.
There was only one genre that Noel Gallagher hated, and the less said about that, the better. “If you’ve never been to a jazz club, this is what happens at a jazz club,” he said. “A jazz club is like four guys on stage enjoying themselves more than the 50 people in the audience. That’s what it is. They’re all playing a different song, all at the same time, in different tempos, in different keys, and they call it jazz. It’s fucking nonsense.”
