As a non native speaker I never really had the same social connotations with accents native speakers have, so I like artist like for example [Little Sims](https://youtu.be/hxfGQ2AJHGk). I have however been told on numerous occasions that many Americans simply can not take music like that serious, what specifically about the accent in that context makes it so funny?
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I personally don’t listen to rap at all, but I think it has something to do with some British accents being seen as posh, and the juxtaposition of a posh accent singing about fucking bitches and shooting people.
I say singing, but it’s more talking with rhythm, which allows more accent to come through, so it’s very noticeable.
There are a few UK rappers I like (NBA 2k21 got me into [Simz](https://youtu.be/e2Nka2ykGm0), [J Hus](https://youtu.be/5K5MYYbOAmk), and [Stormzy](https://youtu.be/O_YwE1KnH2s)), but I can’t deny that a lot of them come off as goofy to my American ears.
I think it’s because we associate British accents with classiness and good manners, and a lot of rap is all about being a badass and doing illegal shit. Those two things just don’t mix well.
Imagine someone from your country who has the classiest, most sophisticated voice out of anyone you know, and now imagine them talking about smoking weed and having sex while using tons of slang terms. You would probably find that hilarious.
Then there’s also the fact that it’s a black American artform and we are all used to seeing black Americans rap, so when we see/hear anyone else do it it’s just a little shocking. People probably find UK rappers goofy for some of the same reasons we find a lot of white American rappers goofy.
Just different. British accents are usually associated with elegance and being proper so hearing one rap about being on road and shit is funny.
That said, Uk rap>>>US rap(generally) love J Hus, Dave, Fredo, AJ Tracy etc etc
For me personally almost all foreign rap feels odd, besides places like Mexico or the Caribbean its super bizarre to hear other countries rap. It is a genre that feels very culturally specific, similar to maybe listening to country/blue grass from a foreign artist.
And British accents feel kind silly in that context.
I feel like Americans naturally speak with a rhythm and tone that translates to good sounding rap. Don’t listen to much UK rap but I do wonder if the really “technical” rappers still sound “weird” to the ears.
I wanna hear some UK raps that sounds and is as technically proficient as this:
https://youtu.be/prmQgSpV3fA
Personally I think any foreign rap is bizarre since rap is so specific to the US culture and a specific context in which it grew under. It would be like hearing german bands specialized in singing US civil war folk music. It’s just so disconnected from your culture. But of course, music is just music, and the style is “cool” so I can see why people in foreign cultures imitate it.
ha ha they sound different ha
Americans can’t differentiate between a posh Mayfair / Belgravia accent and a working-class bloke’s accent; they think all of England is Downton Abbey. So the notion of an English rapper embracing a musical genre associated with suppressed dreams, rage against racism, yearning for more, etc. is hilarious.