Alex Da Kid — Reinventing Music for Mass Movement
When I hear music, I’m devoid of all vulnerabilities. I get entrapped in a world where emotions spark dreams, dreams render reality, and reality elicit response. That’s because music has the power to change the world.
Have you ever heard a song that just hits you. To the point, it detaches you from all certainty surrounding you and plummets you into a state of indestructible consciousness. Well, if it doesn’t, something’s wrong with you.
Take for example “Love the way you lie” by Eminem ft Rihanna and produced by Alex da Kid.
People love this song for many reasons. The rap. The acoustic guitar. The feels. The intense, chilling, meaningful and frightening feels. And the words. Oh, the words. The words are deep. For most, the song elicit’s an intense depiction of a violent relationship and the effects of unguarded misogyny. But the song was written by Skylar Grey who wanted to portray the abusive relationship she felt stuck in with the music industry. See, that’s the power music has in developing meaning. Music is rooted in our primitive brain structures that are involved in motivation, reward and emotion. Think of it as a type of perceptual illusion. The sequential sounds found in music creates an entirely new system of meaning for each of us.
The power lies within the artist.
The appreciation of music is tied to the ability to process its structure. The ability to predict what will occur next in the song but at the same time leave some level of surprise for the audience. Skilled composers manipulate the emotion by knowing what their audience’s expectations are and controlling when and if those expectations will be met. When a composer succeeds, you feel the chills.
And that’s why Alex da Kid does what he does. He produces powerful, meaningful and often socially controversial musical collaborations with both up and coming artists and those already well established. Take a look at “Words I Never Said” by Lupe Fiasco ft. Skyler Grey.
A message directed against the government, referencing controversial political and socioeconomic topics. It’s even been used as the theme song for Anonymous, an anonymity and anti-authority organization stemming from 4chan.
Music has a certain power to move people. Alex da Kid, having recognized such, has created a musically driven social movement to get people to be informed and take some actions.
And he’s done it again. From producer to artist, he never disappoints.
Emotion, language and memory is connected during the processing of music. Which is why some musicians have the ability to create music loaded with emotional quality, and others simply cannot. The mystery remains unresolved, but keep doing what you’re doing.
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