You Were Thinking It, I Just Said It: Let’s Talk About Music, Past & Present.
The delicate history within music; is it deteriorating or is it evolving? Well, Millennials have been introduced to various types of music that had stretched from its home genre. You can name over ten genres, but could never place where the current lands in Hip-Hop, or your childhood favorite artist has suddenly faded into the recent tuneful records that encompass every outlet. Well, is the entire art heading towards destruction, taking everything with it, or could it be leading into a new era for those who are sure to arrive after generation Z?
There have been periods where we were given songs that related heavily to Hip-Hop. The upbeat nature of the tunes could keep us moving, whether we wanted to or not. The bitter days were hidden away for those minutes of joy. It held the sense to free yourself, as it maintained a deeper meaning within it. So, are these type of songs gone? Well, not exactly. See, we are given gleeful tunes that make us want to “jump, jump” but they are suddenly overshadowed by next week’s catchy song. As stated from the book Can’t stop, won’t stop: a history of the hip-hop generation: “Why is the subgenre that brought us the “Stank Legg” and the “Laffy Taffy” worth saving, you ask? Because it is the true populist music of its time. It is authentic.” While these songs were authentic in a sense, I believe they’ve done their purpose. They were to distract those young enough to be influenced by lyrics speaking of hurting another person or preaching hate. They were to give the older crowd what our parents had: fun and excitement.
Ever since we’ve been given records to fill the subgenres, Hip-Hop continued positively through the trenches, but struggled due to dozens of bigger songs in the expanding genres, many powerful enough to overshadow its true essence. So imagine when a megastar construct and introduces a song containing dislike toward another artist. The many that have made it to radio stations and talk shows were praised. This has already become ordinary for Hip-Hop and the artists within, past or present, who fell for the illusion. Check The Technique: Liner Notes For Hip-Hop Junkies, delves into the history a bit, stating, “Back in the day, hip-hop barely got a recording budget, let alone a decent packaging… if the monetary rewards an album weren’t reaped, it was forgotten.”. This could be exactly what’s taking place again. Except this time, there are younger children becoming a subject to the influence.
The book, The Hip Hop Wars: What We Talk About When We Talk About Hip Hop — and Why It Matter gives examples about certain funky, hip-hop–centric, songs that are enticing, but are also filled with lyrics that don’t seem to fit the beat. For example, it states, “Once I really listened to the words and thought about the story being told, it was hard to know what to do: Respond to the funk and ignore the words, or reject the story and give up the funk.” which is sometimes what we hear in certain tracks, contrary to the way it makes us feel. Personally, it starts to feel like an attack. It’s like I’m subjected to the music I hear, engaging with the lyrics it brings, but not consciously knowing what I’m saying or hearing. Music that makes you feel good and happy — you become prone to it. It’s natural. Then there’s music that holds the same effect, yet contains hate, drugs and even hints at taking another’s life. It’s honestly a style of brainwashing. I mean, listen to the many that continue the tactic and the new ones that follow.
Even our parents had their fair share of artists from Generation X, spewing hate and violence, but look at them now; Snoop Dogg a.k.a Snoop Lion became a household name, even positively reaching children across many television programs. Ice Cube made the children’s film franchise, Are We There Yet and Are We There Yet 2, sticking to the comedy genre so he could now teach love and laughter. They were once the negative influence that carried on in Gen. X, bringing a few catchy songs that contained poor lyrics. They’ve since changed, which doesn’t necessarily get them off the hook for creating it. I mean, look at those it inspired in recent years. The Dirty South: Souther Rapper Who Reinvented Hip-Hop said it best, “The ones that get the most recognition are those empathizing the negative”. Was it for the money? I’m certain majority of the time it is, but look at the aftermath. There’s no stopping a derailed train once it has started.
While we have our favorite past artists, we also have our new ones. Whether it be Tupac Shakur, The Smiths, or even The Beatles, they left an imprint on us. We will always remember riding with our parents trying to learn the words of the current play as well as we’ll remember hearing less and less of the artist. Rock ’n’ Roll has evolved, for sure. I’m not that intertwined with its blossoming days, but living in the present comes with seeing people expressing their nostalgia across social media. Users would express their gratitude for the past hitmakers, some would bash the present, though, both held one common question: why have they gone away?
I may not have the answer to the question and knowing there are a few still treading the music industry, e.g., Madonna, and up until recently, Prince, I started to ask similar questions about the others. Did Gen. X give up on them? Are they considered “played out” due to others like Selena Gomez and Chris Brown? The main question I’ve always been asking: “Will these new artists become as effective as idols like Michael Jackson and The Beatles?” These names have a history, each reaching across twenty or more years of it. But could the same happen to the present performers? Well, in my eyes, yes and no. To me, generation X passed these huge artists along to their descendants. To our generation, yet, not so much to generation Z. But could they be overshadowed by the present musicians who have similar tones and sound? That’s up for debate.
Things like this aren’t just spoken, “The phenomenon of Elvis — good- looking, mildly rebellious.. But Elvis did not bring just charisma and energy to the music scene; he also introduced two musical elements to[sic] the black Rhythm and Blue mixture.” — The History of Rock ’n’ Roll, they actually hold meaning. It helps shine light on how intriguing Elvis Presley was in his time. How different he was compared to other musicians. Though he had trailed a few bad moments in his time, he still managed to create new elements to genres and will be remembered for his eccentric style of dancing and outfits. Tune In: The Beatles — All These Years, spoke highly about John Lennon, “He was advanced of his time, lyric-wise, in a different class from the other performers… He’s the greatest rock ’n’ roll poet.” This shows how unique they were and what each artist had given to their audience. Their legacies are still holding on.
Many of the musicians displayed on our television screens have substance, I truly believe that, and though I enjoy many of them, I still haven’t seen any innovative characteristics by various heavy hitters. While David Bowie is said to have had universal messages from his song “Changes”, from Experiencing David Bowie, “It contains universal truth and is just as much about you. You are kindred spirits, you and he”, he still left us with other songs like “Heroes”. And these kind of songs are known to positively affect people, which is why they’re constantly used in the media. They’re uplifting and millions still remember enjoying the comfort they bring. While we have stellar songs from newcomers, many fail to leave their presence after such a song.
Modern music has its moments, but what type of avant-garde will we tell Post-Millennials about it, and what will they say to the next? Will they soon go to the web, telling how they miss these bands and artists’ catchy songs? Or what hit they’ve made that never got old? They could even tell how the 1980s artists affected them, but what would come from the present performers? Recent songs like, “Royals” by Lorde, spoke of being free and living as who you were meant to be. It connected with the right listener’s, gained the right attention and momentum, leading it to winning a Grammy for “Song of the Year” in 2014. This is the right message for our future generations. Though, I can’t say whether Lorde, herself, would become an imprint on millions, I can say she provided an amazing song — a hit that has done a magnificent job. There are a few that are similar, like Lady Gaga, who’s the epitome of being oneself, and a figure that has shone a brighter light on the LGBT+ community. This would be her remembrance, even if she begins to fade.
Musicians will continuously pave their way. In various outlooks, they hold the childhoods’ of millions in their hands. They are the influences, whether they’re playing in someone’s car or performing on television. They may not hold all of the responsibility — because it’s always up to the guardians — but sometimes they can hold a part of the guidance. Power can and should be innocent, so let’s just hope for the sake of the art and future listener’s, that artists will leave something good. In our world today, we need all the good we can get.
