It won’t surprise you to hear that someone with the outrageous image of Gene Simmons isn’t afraid to make his opinions on music known. Many different artists have been on the end of his sharp tongue, which has led to him having plenty of different arguments with his contemporaries. However, it’s rare he goes against a whole genre, that is, until he heard rap.
There are a lot of people who dislike rap music, and Gene Simmons proudly flaunts that hate-laced banner. Whenever he has been asked about the genre, he is always quick to criticise it with some incredibly harsh words. “Those are novelty records,” he once said. “I don’t have the cultural background to appreciate being a gangster.”
Simmons has also previously said that he wants the genre to die, admitting that he thinks music would be better without it. “I’m looking forward to the death of rap,” he admitted. “I’m looking forward to music coming back to lyrics and melody, instead of just talking.”
While I’m a big advocate for the subjective nature of music and would usually merely allow someone’s opinion to remain as that, Simmons’ hatred of rap music doesn’t make any sense. These seem more like the ramblings of an out-of-touch listener who has barely explored the genre as opposed to the well-thought-out opinion of someone who understands music.
Simmons’ own ideology doesn’t allow for the broad dismissal of a genre, plus, he has a lot more in common with rap music, both new and old iterations of it, than he might realise. These are three of the major reasons why Gene Simmons’ supposed disdain for rap doesn’t make any sense.
Why Gene Simmons’ hatred of rap doesn’t make sense
His willingness to embrace other genres
When Paul Stanley was discussing why Kiss decided to wear such flamboyant make-up, he was upfront about the fact the band had modelled themselves based on The Beatles. He admired the fact that The Beatles looked like they all belonged in the same band, and wanted to create his own musical outfit where this ideology applied.
Gene Simmons agreed with this mindset and said that while it made them look like a unit, it also gave them freedom to explore multiple genres. “We also took pride in having the same freedom The Beatles had,” he admitted, “Their philosophy was, ‘No matter what kind of music we do, it’s still The Beatles’. That’s what was amazing about them… The Beatles were not trapped in that way.”
Kiss embraced this mindset and used it when exploring their live sound and dabbling with various different styles throughout their career. Simmons’ apparent willingness to work within a number of different genres, but then blatantly dismiss rap without specifically listening to many artists, goes against his ideology behind the make-up.
The foundation of rap music
One of the reasons that rap music has become one of the most popular genres in the world in such a short space of time is that the genre has always been willing to adapt. That being said, while you get great versatility in modern rap, in the genre’s early days, the majority of artists were dressing like the funk, soul and disco bands who were popular prior.
When you look at how some of the biggest rap artists in the world were dressing in the ‘80s, there was a clear homage to acts like Sly Stone and Parliament. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5, as well as Afrika Bambaataa, had that flamboyant and exciting image about them. As such, Simmons must have had somewhat of a soft spot for these early acts, given their image was so similar to that which Kiss evidently were fans of. Don’t believe me? Just listen to their album Dynasty, which clearly takes inspiration from funk, soul and disco in a big way.
Themes overlap with one another
The modern versatility of rap music means there is something for everyone. Whether you are feeling political, in the mood for partying, horny, happy, existential, there is a rapper who connects with that feeling. Focusing predominantly on being horny and liking to party, there are plenty of mainstream rappers who touch upon these themes. Do you know what other band liked to write about these themes? Kiss!
Simmons could never say that he doesn’t see eye to eye with rappers, given so much of what their music revolves around overlaps with one another. How many modern artists, such as Future, Drake and Migos, all talk about the same subjects that Kiss have been talking about for decades? Even if Simmons dislikes the genre’s sound, he should be able to connect with certain themes on some level.
