Why Keith Richards Doesn’t Like Pop Music and Especially Rap

Keith Richards has explained why he had no time for pop music, singling out the rap genre for particular scorn.

In a new interview the Rolling Stones guitarist, 79, told the Telegraph he’d never been impressed by certain styles of chart-friendly material.

“I don’t want to start complaining about pop music,” Richards said, before adding: “It’s always been rubbish. I mean, that’s the point of it. They make it as cheap and as easy as possible and therefore it always sounds the same; there’s very little feel in it. I like to hear music by people playing instruments. That is, I don’t like to hear plastic synthesized Muzak, as it used to be known, what you hear in elevators, which is now the par for the course.”

He then turned his attention to rap, saying: “I don’t really like to hear people yelling at me and telling me it’s music, AKA rap. I can get enough of that without leaving my house.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Richards touched on the media-led rivalry between his band and their old friend the Beatles, saying: “I don’t think John Lennon would have had much problem fitting into the Stones, or George [Harrison], if you can imagine that sort of thing happening. We were the same generation, and we all loved the same music.

“When we first heard the Beatles, we were relieved that there was some other band in England on the same track that we were on. And within a few months, that track was the main track.”

Rolling Stones Planning Hackney Diamonds Tour

While he offered no details, Richards confirmed that the Stones were planning to tour in support of their upcoming album Hackney Diamonds – which features Paul McCartney in a guest spot. “I’m dying to get my teeth into some of these songs on stage, God willing and the creek don’t dry,” he reported. “Musicians are a weird bunch, but if you’re playing with the right people, a life of a musician can be pretty good. It’s a fascinating trip… and it ain’t over yet.”