welcome to my daily (hopefully) rave on the music that we all listen to! except country, because it is not music. i don't get why xm radio dedicates 5 whole channels to that crap, but okay. youre not gonna hear it here, except for the occasional gargling of my...
okay! so hopefully this blog will serve to entertain, if not at least get you thinking more deeply about the artists you listen to.
so what shall we begin with? well actually, lately i have been taking the time to listen to our local crunk channel on the radio. song after song passes, with the frequent fill ins for all the vulgarity that goes on, like "what the frack", "mothertrucker", and even "monday-to-friday". if youre lost already, im just simply talking rap music. some of the rhyming and structure of the words is very impressive. but that's all they do. most of the time they hire someone else like timbaland to do all the background music. well isn't that the musical part of it? to me, it sounds like aggressive and amateur poetry spoken over a heart beat. and by amateur, i MEAN amateur. lil' wayne gets a grammy for wanting to "touch lady lumps" and for how bad "shawty wanna hump".
don't get me wrong, the whole "shawty" scene makes for a good laugh between pete and i. and don't get me wrong, rap gets the blood pumpin'. and don't get me wrong, the music occasionally makes you wanna break free and dance like a demented mannequin, or as if you've been shot in the leg. swagga!
but why do so many people like that?
cuz it's simple. and it's loud. and 102% of the time about how much of a "donk" she got.
oh and that reminds me, as you all very well know, i was at the senior prom last saturday. and yes, there was the usual "horrible to decent" dj playing songs that make all the americano's go loco. and DON'T get me wrong, the songs are catchy. they stick with ya. and make all the guys want their date to "ride the pony-snake all the way to tuna town" right there on the dance floor. but that's just it. they don't analyze the music for its musicality and quality. all they care about is having their own portable abercrombie and fitch store to listen to...with the hope that a fine young baby-mama comes around eligible enough to be taken to dai-y queen.
all im trying to point out is that america's music today is simple. people are lazy (not all, but a lot of them), and so therefore don't want to have to decipher the complexity of dave matthews band...or jazz. they want something that they can easily bob their head to without losing the beat. they want something that relieves one of the simplest forms of human impulse; sex. they want something that they can possibly try on their own without having to factor in their total lack of musical talent.
why not rap?! what a great idea! it's simple...all you have to do is hire a professional drum-machine player, steal a guitar riff from an old 70's guitarist, read a cosmo, and auto-tune your voice because you can't sing for crap! perfect. you got it. go you. you're on your way to getting a grammy already!
how's that for an opening blog? too harsh? eh i don't know. i do confess that some of today's rap is worth listening to for more than five seconds.
but it's just not grammy worthy.
alright, i think this is good for tonight. tell me what you think! =) thanks!
-Johnny
PS. if anybody is confused by any of the musical terms i mention, please ask =)
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
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Haha... this made me laugh, but it is very insightful and good. Great first post John!
ReplyDeleteoh- and Taylor Swift has Grammys as well; What, What? I think that she and Miley Cyrus are way too celebrated in the music industry. I think I want to rant about that...
Very niiiiice!!! A few things, my eyes are on fire, you may want to change up the color scheme. Seriously, though, I want to rip them out. Content is great, and you're right. A few more-than-sexy-time rappers/groups to check out: Talib Kweli will give you some very introspective stuff, with a good beat. Mos Def does the same, as does Common, but even they have gone towards Lil'Wayne'ish rap. Or, Bubblegum (W)rap I like to call it. The Roots are fantastic as well - really good stuff. Eminem is amazing lyrically, but you know that. Silly content, but the way he mixes words is nuts. That's enough for now though. Keep it up!!!
ReplyDeletehow come those artists aren't getting grammy's though? i would love to check them out too. i know the roots, they play for jimmy fallon at night
ReplyDeleteYou sited Dai-y Queen - Loved it. Very witty and insightful. Why didn't I get any writing talent?
ReplyDeletehehe, that was fun. thanks bloop. but how do you have time to write blogs?!?! do your homework or mom will kill you. (nick said i'm turning too much into a mother... uh, duh! i am one!)
ReplyDeletewow. came back to read comments. Do Emily's think alike or what? We both said insightful :) yay!
ReplyDelete