Westcoast Rap

We talked about this in class but I wanted to talk about how revolutionary Westcoast rap really was. Westcoast rap was unique in itself because of the introduction of gangster rap by NWA. Prior to NWA, rap was centered around groups like the Sugar Hill Gang and Grandmaster Flash. They have the same rhythm and sound as gangster rap artists, but not nearly the same message and attitude. Gangster rap from NWA introduced what life was actually like around black areas. The slang and language used was a reflection of the reality, and people ran with it. Most rappers after NWA were gangster rappers; Tupac, Biggie, Mack 10, Snoop Dogg, The Game, and countless rappers afterwards. Even the rappers today who don’t even consider themselves to be gangster rappers still use language and slang which was started from NWA. Westcoast rap followed suit from NWA. Even the style in 90s rap changed because of the Westcoast. Prior to NWA, rappers, DJs, and MCs resembled a style that looked like Rick James or Prince. Once gangster rap took center stage, everyone dressed like Eazy-E. It is interesting to me how the influence of one group could spread to the entire Westcoast, and then take over an entire genre.

Music Lifespan

One thing that we have not discussed in class is the life span of certain music. I was made aware of this over the weekend. At my fraternity we were hosting a parent’s day party in our parking lot. I was playing music and making the playlist. I made sure to include songs that didn’t have any profanity, so most rap was out of the question. I played 70s and 80s rock most of the day. Of course, most of the parents were really enjoying the music, but it was fascinating to me to see that everyone my age also was enjoying the music and knew the words. It dawned on me that this music stood the test of time. People who weren’t even alive in that era could recite ever song perfectly. This is much like most popular music…prior to the year 2010. I believe that popular music now has evolved. Instead of having bands and artists that make music with a long life span, the goal of modern artists is to become popular enough to be played on the radio, but that popularity rarely exceeds two months. I am curious to see if this music will even be played years from now if most popular songs fade away from the spot light after a few months. I doubt that when I am in my 40s that my kids will turn on Megan Trainor, Cardi B, or Drake and be able to recite the words considering the fact that I have trouble remembering the words to their popular songs that I have been bombarded with on the radio in years past. The same cannot be said about music from earlier generations. There is a certain survival instinct in old rock, early rap, 80s pop, or doo-wop have that pop music today does not have.

Disco vs. EDM

Disco and EDM are almost the same thing: Electronic music, remixes of popular songs, easy to dance to, heavy base, and a culture of openness regarding style and sexuality. It just surprises, and intrigues me, that one genre died and the other thrived when they are basically the same thing. The only thing that separates the death of disco from the life of EDM is the existence of new and mainstream rock in the 70s. Today, the mainstream genre is rap, which doesn’t compete with EDM. No one in the rap community has a desire to kill EDM, or any genre for that matter. In the 1970s, disco was white-hot. It’s popularity was huge and it became extremely hegemonic in a short amount of time. Rock music felt threatened by this popularity and they didn’t find this music to be authentic. A massive “disco sucks” movement erupted from rock fans and it even led a DJ to blow up thousands of disco records which were given to him by patrons of a baseball game. EDM doesn’t have the same amount of hatred towards it as disco did because there is no mainstream popular rock to oppose it.

“Emo Rap”

As a fan of rap music, I can’t seem to figure out why a new fad of rap is getting so popular, and I also can’t pinpoint why I like it as well. I call this new style “emo rap”. Artists like Juice WRLD, XXXTentacion, Trippie Red, Paris rap about things like depression, suicide, and heartbreak. This breaks away from what most traditional rap is like. When I listen to it, I don’t necessarily connect with the lyrics but I can see why many people who struggle with these things can relate. The music style itself is a mix of new wave rap and R+B. I think the beat and rhythm come from mainstream rap but the lyrics are reminiscent R+B. It sounds like something that Drake would make in his early days, but much darker. The style of these rappers is different as well. This is something that I don’t enjoy as much. They look like clowns to be honest; bright colored hair, strange clothes, face tattoos, painted nails. It’s very weird and it seems like they’re all in competition to out do one and other of the clown scale. I suppose that every fan of a certain genre doesn’t understand new wave sound and styles. Maybe my resentment to this style is just me getting old. None the less, I still think it’s good music and its a cool new dynamic of rap.

Studio 54

My blog today is about Studio 54 and the disco era. Everyone has commonly heard that disco is dead, but what killed it? Is it possible that a club can make or break an entire genre? I think that for disco that is absolutely the case. Prior to Studio 54, discotheques were around but not extremely popular. It was considered to be a genre set aside for African-Americans. When Studio 54 came along, disco took the main stage because of the inclusiveness to all people. Disco was on top of the world, arguably because of the club. People traveled from all over the world to visit the club and foreigners would take the discotheque model and bring it back to their own countries. When Studio 54 was closed, it seemed that disco closed with it. Is it possible that when the energy of the American discotheque ended, the genre of music ended too? I believe this to be true and you can ad-lib new genres to test the theory. Think of what EDM would be if music festivals and raves didn’t exist. Sure, EDM is good music and people enjoy it, but if raves and music festivals were outlawed, the music would not gain the same popularity that it has and it would eventually fiz out. It is still amazing to me that one club, Studio 54, built and destroyed disco.

Was Elvis the King?

Everyone who is alive knows that Elvis was labeled “The King”. Exalted as the king of Rock n Roll, Elvis’s records went platinum and he became one of the most popular artists of all time, but why? He rarely wrote his own music, his style was copied from jump blues artists, and the term “rock n roll” was coined by Allen Freed. Let’s break down a few things. First off, he was white. I’m not supporting the argument that just because he was white he was popular, but artist like Little Richard and Chuck Berry sounded almost identical to Elvis but didn’t receive nearly the same amount of fame. His race allowed him to be popular amongst a white and black audience where as Chuck Berry might have been forbidden to be listened to by some teenagers with racist parents (presumably). Second off, he hit the wave at the right time. The market was over saturated with crooners and doo wop bands. Everyone got a taste of fast paced blues for the past few decades in the form of jump blues, electronic blues, and urban blues. Elvis blended them together at the exact right moment for his music to be a hit. Third, and most importantly, he launched the concept and style of the American rock star. He danced provactively, dressed in wild clothes, had a model wife, got drunk and high before shows, and died on a toilet. These things might not have been new to artists, but he made them public. He made these traits to be admirable and Elvis alone is the reason that rock music was associated with “bad boys”. Generations of rock stars have come and gone but they never would have existed if Elvis didn’t pioneer their behavior. It’s almost like he made a rockstar handbook. His biggest contribution wasn’t the music, that’s not what made him “the king”; His contribution and title was earned through his his actions.

21st Century Wailers

In class, we discussed the early origins of popular music. Wailers were mentioned and easily distinguishable from crooners. Typically, wailers were female singers who projected their voices, and had a similar blues/jazz sound like the crooners did as well. Artists like Billie Holiday, Doris Day, and Ella Fitzgerald come to mind when we think of these artists. I believe that this style of singing is making a come back today. New age female vocalists are starting to make popular music which sounds reminiscent to wailers of the early 20th century. Today’s modern wailers may not have the same swinging jazz sound as original wailers, but it sounds most comparable to the blues and jump blues. Artists today which remind me of this style are Billie Ellish, Lana Del Ray, and Florence Welch. These artists have many songs which feature rappers and even have some songs which have an EDM flare to them. I personally think that these songs are only put out to pander to a radio audience. For all four of the aforementioned artists, they typically have a blues style while projecting their voices in a very strong manor. To hear specific examples of this, listen to “When the Party is Over” by Billie Ellis, “Blue Jeans” by Lana Del Rey, and “Over the Love” by Florence Welch. When listening, notice how each artist has a strong voice that dominates the track. Each song has a melancholy sound as well which is very reminiscent to the blues and the style that wailers had.

Modern Minstrel

We all know the impact that minstrel shows had on racial stereotypes. It painted African Americans as primitive and highlighted characteristics of slavery for the benefit of a white audience. We discussed in class whether or not minstrel-type of entertainment exist today and I believe that answer is yes, but in a different form. Minstrel shows had a touch of comedy in the performance, but they still acted as stereo-typically as possible in order to please a white audience. I believe that some black musical artists today do the same thing, but without the comedy. Many new rappers have started a sub-genre of “mumble rap” which places emphasis on the beat and black stereotypes rather than lyrics with substance and meaning. To me, this is a form of a minstrel show. Many artists “rap” about drugs, sex, money, or violence without providing any context for talking about these things. In many cases they are just saying random words to appease an audience of mostly white teenagers. I am not saying that rap is a genre without substance, in fact, I’m implying the opposite. Rap is a genre that empowers African Americans and helps them express their lives in an artistic manor (although this genre is not restricted to just African Americans). Rap at it’s core is a great genre of music, but some artists pervert rap by acting and sounding as ridiculous as possible. J. Cole points this out in his song “1985”, which criticizing mumble-rap. The lyrics illustrate my point:

“But have you ever thought about your impact?
These white kids love that you don’t give a fuck
‘Cause that’s exactly what’s expected when your skin black
They wanna see you dab, they wanna see you pop a pill
They wanna see you tatted from your face to your heels
And somewhere deep down, fuck it, I gotta keep it real
They wanna be black and think your song is how it feels”

I believe that J. Cole is eluding to the fact that modern rap is a form of minstrel-type entertainment; Black artists degrading themselves for the benefit and entertainment of a predominantly white audience. I see no difference from modern rap of the 2010s and minstrel shows of the 19th century.

New Era Rock?

My blog today is about something that was not yet talked about in class: What is the new sound of rock music? I ask this question because it seems that there is no definitive new sound when it comes to rock n’ roll. Since the time of Elvis, rock has been on the forefront of popular music. Even as hip hop became the dominant style of popular music, rock music was still listened to by a large mass of people. It just seems that there is no new rock sound for the 2010-2020 era. Every decade has their own style of rock. The 50s introduced artists such as Elvis Presley and The Beatles who had a blues sound infused with a new style of rock. The 60s introduced psychedelic rock. This sound was pioneered by artists such as Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, and Pink Floyd who had a trippy sound that inspired an entire culture of music and fashion. The 70s was the era of hard rock. Bands like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, The Who, and The Rolling Stones introduced the hard, fast paced sound of new rock and brought new energy into the genre. The 80s was the decade of hair bands like Twisted Sister, Scorpion, Motley Crue, and Pat Benetar who undoubtly had a unique sound and style. The 90s was the birth of grunge and alternative rock. Nirvana, Soundgarden, Greenday, and Red Hot Chillipeppers introduced a new sound of rock with a bit of teenage angst mixed in. In the 2000s, a new version of rock was introduced in the form of emo bands and teenage angst. Fallout Boy, 3OH!3, My Chemical Romance, and Blood on the Dance Floor had a unique style and sound. The big question is what new sound was introduced in the 2010s? What new rock sound was made? What new style is memorable enough for the youth of today to play for their kids and remember the good ol days? Hopefully the 2020s will introduce something new because this is the first decade since 1950 that rock has not had a new sound and style.

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