Last Friday I found myself surrounded by the all too familiar scent of Natty Light and awkward desperation. As a sophisticated senior, this was a social situation I had far outgrown. Nevertheless, here I was. I began to ponder exactly what I didn’t like about this party. Cheap beer, scantily dressed girls, and ego-flaunting aside, I realized my discontent really came down to one thing: the music. Now I understand that many of my peers find listening to beats about guns and hoes while grinding up on a stranger to be satisfying. I, however, do not. Neither did my friend. He went inside to ask the DJ if he could play something else. Maybe something a little less…angry? A little more dancey? A little more…Funky?! Ah, funk music. The ultimate dance music. Surely if we could get some funk playing we could turn this party around.
As I waited outside for my friend to return, a young whippersnapper wearing a white shirt two sizes too big and a gold chain around his neck came stumbling up to me. In attempt to get him to leave, I told him that my boyfriend was inside requesting a music change. After further inquiry, I informed him that we wanted to listen to some James Brown. The conversation proceeded as follows:
Him: Why would you want to listen to James Brown?
Me: Because I want to dance to James Brown.
Him: James Brown? You can’t dance to James Brown.
Me: Are you kidding me?
Him: Maybe for a song, but not for the whole night.
Me: I could dance to him all night.
Him: James Brown, really? Well don’t you like Beyonce?
Don’t you like Beyonce? What kind of question is that? How can you even compare James Brown to Beyonce? That’s like comparing apples to oranges; comparing a chocolate soufflé to cotton candy. Sure, cotton candy is alright, but the soufflé is really a rarity—something that doesn’t come around every day.
Now I have no problem with Beyonce, hip hop, or R&B. My issue lies with the fact the so many from my generation disregard the raw talent of classic musicians. James Brown, also know as the “Godfather of Soul,” has been one of the most influential figures on modern hip-hop. Not only is he the number one sampled artist in hip-hop, he is the most sampled artist ever. Ever! And the reason, according to New Black Magazine, is because of his rhythm. The horn riffs on “Funky Drummer” or “Get Up, Get Into It” aren’t harmonic, or melodic—they’re rhythmic. Dion Marshino at Helium eloquently summarizes James Brown’s influence:
“Brown’s vocal panache included a variety of catch phrases, incantations, declarations of self-confidence, and a tendency to occasionally talk rather than sing. Each of the first three attributes has been exhibited by rap MCs and can be heard in the best-known hip-hop performances of the last thirty years and the last one has, of course, become the trademark of the music itself. They key instrument of rhyming is, not surprisingly, the human voice.”
James Browns vocals are symphonies of pure rhythm; and rhythm is what hip-hop and R&B are all about.
I don’t know whether it’s a lack of education or a blatant arrogance that leads many of my peers to neglect the founding roots of modern popular music. I like to believe it is the former. Pop culture, as manifested through outlets such as MTV, rarely pays tribute to the foundations of modern popular music. Prior to Michael Jackson’s death, the media attention surrounding the “King of pop” focused primarily on his attraction to plastic surgery and his fondness for children. It wasn’t until after his death that reverence for his talent and influence emanated from the headlines.
The media is not entirely to blame, however, seeing as how it exists in a symbiotic relationship with the public; and the unfortunate reality is that the public is often more attracted to celebrity scandals than to the work of the celebrity himself. As an individual there is not much I can do to change this dynamic. So I’ll take some advice from the “hardest working man in show business” who said, “Dance as you’ll feel better.”
First and foremost, I have to say that I absolutely LOVED this post. This is something that’s been in the back of my mind for a very long time, and you are the first person I’ve met to have voiced it so well. One thing to consider, though, is that you really aren’t alone. The ridiculous “music” centered around slingin’ gats and ridin’ on 24′s with scantily clad women in the music videos popping a bottle of champagne, excuse me, Dom Perignon, all over themselves has begun to fall out of the limelight. The number of artists making this music has decreased significantly in the past year, and it’s become obvious by how few mainstream artists you hear when you turn on Power 106 (one of the more popular hip hop and R&B stations in Southern California). Also, you have all those same artists featured in every other artists’ songs on a very regular basis.
I do my best to be open to the ever-”evolving” genres of music, but I’m finding it increasingly more difficult when I hear a Lil’ Wayne song on the radio, then he makes guest appearances in the next 2 songs played. To shift gears here, how about the new EXTREMELY popular genre of electro music (techno, house, trance, dance, whatever) ? If you really want to get a taste of this ridiculous, but ever growing genre, go to an Electro style concert. In my experience, I’ve found that I can’t stand there for more than a minute without someone with ridiculously dilated eyes trying to wave lame neon lights in my face or a 14-year olds tweaking on whatever pills they can be find because, for some reason, it’s become socially acceptable. I may be a bit hypocritical in pointing fingers at electro music because I do actually enjoy a few artists, but going to a rave also proves some major points: do the majority of people really like the music, or just the mass serotonin release and amphetamine high they get from those silly little pills while they listen to that music…you tell me.
To bring this all together, do people like going to raves because of the music, or the drugs? Do people like going to frat parties because of the music, or the booze?
Wonderful post and very well put. My parents raised me on classic rock, my grandparents played me classical music. I learned how to sing and improvise harmonies from listening to the best of the best from “back in the day.”
With that being said, I would be careful to deem all modern forms of music as trash. Music is definitely evolving, and actually I think that the use of the word evolving itself gives modern music too much credit. When I say evolving….that does not necessarily mean…transforming into something better…but just that interesting forms are being introduced along side the old. There are definitely artists out there that certainly respect the older artists from which their musical styles are spawned from. A lot of (perhaps lesser known) bands and singers fall into this category.
It seems that your issue is primarily with the “Top 40″ charts and the mega popular hits and more specifically the artists that sing about nothing more than sex drugs and violence. You also very correctly talk about the failure of people to appreciate the roots of the music. On this subject I couldn’t agree more. One of my biggest pet peeves is when I hear someone say, “oh! it’s that song from rock band!” However, with that being said, there are enough people who do care about this (take the classic rock class offered at ‘sc). The problem is that these people are overshadowed by those that really could care less about the songs being “sampled” as back beats in many songs.
Speaking of which, when it comes to hip-hop/ rap, I used to loathe most of the music I heard. The thing is, I based my viewpoint off of the music I would hear on the radio and played around school. Until I ended up dating someone who happens to understand and love the two genres as much as oldies themsleves. He was (and still is) able to introduce me to non-main stream artists that don’t fit the mold you described in your post. After hearing songs that didn’t conform to the prototype, I was definitely more excepting of the genre’s and the unique skills that go into producing one of the songs. Hearing songs with a meaning definitely helps. They exist! The problem is…they aren’t in the limelight. he
The problem with music is that it’s hard to say one form is better than the other. Music occurs at a time, for the time and it’s people. And like anything, people have different opinions about what styles suite them. I mean, a classical pianist from the real “good ol’ days” would probably be put into a coma if he heard Led Zepplin or Frank Zappa. Does this mean clasical music is terrible and old fashioned? Does this mean that rock music is better? My classic rock teacher still refuses to regard “disco era” music as actual music. He was straight out of the 60′s and saw the 70′s and the advent of drum machines as pure evil!
What I think is the main problem, and I encounter this when it comes to my fine-art work as well, is appreciation. I dislike country music…alot. However, I appreciate it as a musical form though it doesn’t appeal to me. I now appreciate rap music, especially the ones with better taste. But even the popular rap music speaks to some people though certainly not me. What we need for people to understand the roots of where music comes from and that’s what you so brilliantly stated.
So many issues… so little time… lets get started.
James Brown is, indeed, the forefather of hip-hop. No matter how effective my argument is, nothing but his music and its performance will do the Sultan of Soul justice. I will say this quintessential Master of Ceremonies established both the culture and the music that inspired early disc jockeys like Grandmaster Flash and DJ Kool Herc to hop behind two turn tables, mix multiple songs over a single break beat, and make sure the party went all night long.
Next issue to tackle is the commercialization of contemporary music. We all have our different subjectivities and preferences in regards to art, so I’m not going to argue that the music is bad. But, when the primary motivation of music is centered on fame and fortune, the art is lost and corporate America wins. That said, there are more artists out there then ever before since the spread of digital technology allows a larger portion of the population than ever before access to the ability to create and record music. Unfortunately though, a lot of this music will go unheard by the general masses, and I always wonder how many of the best artists in the world live on in relative obscurity. We always see trends in the music industry, the rise of the indie artists into the top 40, but I’m no market expert, just a wishful thinker.
And back to the source of your blog, the DJs dillema. Is a DJs responsibility to play good music regardless of the dancers preference, or should he simply appease the masses and give them what they want to hear regardless of the quality. The modern mix masters have a lot of discretion and a lot of tools in order interpret the needs of their audiences and still make turn it into quality music. While the spectrum of his music is a sometimes a little too broad, obsure, and A.D.D. for my preference, Girltalk, a mash up artist famous for taking classic songs from all genres and mixing them with modern hip-hop lyrics, is an example of the creative options at the disposal of a DJ. Ultimately, though, the scenario you described sounded like a situation where guys won’t dance unless their grinding on a girl, and the girls won’t dance unless they are familiar with the music. It’s a situation where none of the parties involved care about the what is being played since it is, to put it simply, a means to an end, so playing something with a simple, repetitive beat that everyone is familiar with is the best way to make sure the girls are comfortable dancing to it. Am I simplifying the scenario and making stereotypes and assumptions? Possibly, but I hope I served some food for thought by breaking it down…
In conclusion, please join me in a toast to honor the legendary James Brown. May you rest in peace while your heART and your beats live on forever.
Tiffany, you wrote about the evolution of music. I would have to say that, especially in the last decade or two, music has seriously DEvolved. It pains me to turn on the radio and hear people with zero musical talent like Ke$ha “singing” about how much they party and do nothing else with their lives.
I have been hoping for a while that perhaps our society might realize how absurd it is that we glorify these artists, especially the ones who voices are so electronically distorted that they can hardly be called their own. While references to sex and drugs have long been referenced in songs, it was never as blatant as it is today.
James Brown would not be my first choice of party music, however, I love the sentiment of this post.
Hello Mr. Ryan!
When I said evolving, I distinctly mean that musical forms are changing, as anything else in this world. Music, like any other art form is expressive, adaptive and very much connected to the era and the people it’s being produced in. This however, as I stated in my posting, does not mean that today’s music is any better or worse than music produced years ago. I think everyone should take history class the specifically looks at the progression of art forms across generations. As I said, my classic rock teacher HATES disco music, and even goes so far to say that it is not music at all. For flower children such as himself, this change from the rock-n-roll music of the 60′s that he grew up on was seen as blasphemy.
I agree with you that much of today’s music does not appeal to my tastes at all and I find most of the music played on popular radio trashy. However, it speaks to some people. With that being said, the issue should be focused more on getting people to appreciate the roots that the modern music is heavily based on. Also, being sick of certain kinds of modern music (Ke$ha), I stick to the lesser known and less trashy artists that do exist. Everything isn’t about sex and drugs…saying that is an exaggeration.
You said, “I don’t know whether it’s a lack of education or a blatant arrogance that leads many of my peers to neglect the founding roots of modern popular music. I like to believe it is the former.”
For me its neither.
I don’t really listen to classical, classic rock or jazz. Why? I really don’t find it as enjoyable as other types of music. Why would I listen to it if I don’t like it? Skill itself does not mean much to me, but the subjective enjoyability does does. Skill may allow an artist to create more enjoyable music, but I wont care about a song regardless of how musically genius or skillful it is if I don’t find it personally enjoyable. Basically, I say, “If it sounds good, I don’t care about the rest”
Next, a lot of what many people call “bad” music, for example a lot of electronic music, requires a lot of skill, knowledge, and work. You wouldn’t believe the amount of knowledge and skill necessary to compose an electro piece like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt4H7S0Yc_0&feature=related