Metal (Pro) Vs. (Insert Genre Here)

I want to kind of cut to the chase really quickly on the debate to save both Pro and I a little bit of time. We can both be throwing out reasons why our genre is better than the other genre for days and come up with books of reasons why our genre is better, but at the end of the day what really matters is: what are the qualities that makes a good genre of music? I'd argue that a genre's ability to diversify to reach different audiences, it's ability to challenge the talented, as well as invite the not-so-talented to try, and it's ability to appeal to the populace. In all three catagories, rap (also known as hip-hop) is the superior genre. DiversityWhile my opponent makes a decent argument in showing how metal interacts with other genre's and is compatable, it's just absolutely dwarfed in comparison to rap's influence and interaction with other genres. With nearly sixty different subgenre's of rap(1), not even including national and regional differences in the hip-hop scene, rap just absolutely demolishes metal in that sense. Lyrically, rap is just as diverse, if not more so, than metal. Everything from thug life(2), to raps that tell a story that addresses topics such as depression, abuse, and suicide(3), to witty battles between popular figures from all walks of life(4), anything and everything gets addressed by rap lyrics. Moreover, rap has another edge in audibility. One of the most common problems with metal music is while screaming well can be very difficult to do without destroying your vocals, it's equally difficult for people to listen to and understand. This discourages people from listening to the music, and creates problems for those trying to understand the lyrics(5)(6)(7)(8)(9). Rap doesn't have this barrier since the lyrics are spoken, not screamed. Musically, as well as lyrically, rap has the edge over metal in terms of diversity. SkillI'd be willing to posit that all types of music have about as high of a skill ceiling as you're willing to go: bands are constantly looking for new ways to improve their music. Metal music players have ways to improve their screams (and god hasn't everyone heard at least one amazingly sick guitar solo in a metal song that just made them melt in epicness), but rappers have the same in melding words together to create different emotions and impacts, mixing beats that get us off our feet and get crazy. However, this is where my opponent's argument about the harshness of doing screaming works against him here: screaming well and screaming in a way that doesn't destroy your vocals is, as he himself admits, very difficult to do. If you do it even slightly wrong your voice box gets absolutely destroyed, which means the learning curve to becoming decent at metal is a lot harder vocally. Instrumentally, the same thing applies. The technical ability required to perform the insane guitar rifts that are the norm in metal songs, the raging drum beats and bass lines, all requires a high level of proficiency just to be average. This makes it harder for people to get into the metal scene and become at least decent, if not eventually good, metal players and vocalists. Rap doesn't have this issue. String a few words that rhyme together, come up with a few witty retorts or a decent story with rhymes in it, and suddenly off you go, rapping away without a care in the world. The music, as my opponent himself admits, is also easier to make, meaning that there are more ways for people to create the beats required to rap. To conclude, both genres have high skill ceilings in terms of who the best artists are, meaning that skill should be decided on how low the skill floor is. The lower the skill floor, the more inclusive the genre is, meaning more people can participate in making the music as well as listening to it. By my opponent's own arguments, metal music is harder to make both instrumentally and lyrically than rap music. Rap music takes the edge here as well. PopularityThis argument is relatively straight-forward: the best genres are ones that people listen to. The only reason people make music, outside of the whole "I enjoy making this music", is to share the music they make with the rest of the world. This puts the deciding factor on what the best genres of music are on the public: the better the music, the more people who are going to listen to it. So what time is it? Stats time! In 2011, 14.7% of American listened to rap music, compared to 9.5% of Americans who listened to metal. 2012 had the same results, with 13.1% of Americans listening to rap compared to 10.2% of Americans listening to metal. (10)This means that more people are listening to rap, making it the prefered genre of the people. Score one for rap, once again. Conclusion: In all the categories that makes a genre great, rap is superior to metal music. I'll kick the floor back over to my opponent now. Sources:(1) . http://en.wikipedia.org...(2) . http://www.youtube.com... The first video(3) . http://www.youtube.com... The second video(4) . http://www.youtube.com... The third video(5) . http://www.ign.com...(6) . https://answers.yahoo.com...(7) . https://answers.yahoo.com...(8) . https://answers.yahoo.com...(9) . https://answers.yahoo.com...(10) . http://www.statista.com...