BleepingComputer.com: Do you think today's music is not music?

Okay....it really is easy to say today's music isn't music.
I have to agree, the way the music industry seems to work now is to make hit-makers and aggressively advertise things so you buy. For example, you walk into a store and find toppling towers of albums from people like Miley Cyrus or Paris Hilton or Nickelback...and you have to duck behind the fashionable teens to look around back for some Stevie Wonder, Dave Brubeck or Queen album that is amazing, but which they don't have.
I remember watching this video my dad taped decades ago, it was of a lot of pop artists performing in the 70s. A lot of them really sucked. Some, though were rather good.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that you really have to dig to find good artists these days. Probably harder than in previous decades. But good artists do exist, they're out there and hopefully they'll keep being as good as they are or improve. The thing is when you have a good artist from the past, if they're really good, people will remember them, put them on great music compilations, and with the net, will recommend them to the world. For the time being, there's advertising you have to be able to ignore.
Also, what do you call music? Soulja Boy is indeed terrible rap. But dig some and you might come up with Run DMC. If you can't stand them either, do what I do and invest in a good pair of headphones and crank up what you love. Make a face at Hannah Montana's poster and know she'll never rock as hard.
I wish you could blame the kids being bad on today's music and make them all listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd, but honestly...there's "questionable content" everywhere. And it always has been so: old murder ballads, ancient love songs, innuendo loaded poetry...you can't make kids ignore what they want to listen to. You do tell kids not to follow everything they see on t.v. Tell them to be likewise smart about the music they hear, the advertising, the movies and so on.

actually today's music is totally different ....well they are producing music according to the peoples need ....and u know very well that peoples listen hip hop very much as compare to other type of music .....today's world is so fast so hip hop is today need ....i personly like hip hop

i hate to these days music
i liked music like jimi hendix eric clapton guns n roses direstairts
and all those good bands

but its whats people like
some people like action movies
some people like romance movies lol

MOST music today is just terrible - it means nothing, it's demeaning to various groups, etc. I don't dig the term political correctness, that is why I didn't choose that word - political correctness is for people who can't handle the truth (in most cases)

I wish it could be the 1950s all over again - music was cool (actually it still is cool) as were many other things about the '50s!

I dislike most rap and such that I hear, but.. I actually think it's the people who are blaring it that add the negative reinforcement to it for me, not the other way around >.> Some 16 year old in an escalade he needs a ladder to get into, with rims so polished they could be used to reflect the suns rays at a solar tower for cheap renewable energy, rolls up next to my car using his bass to attempt to destroy my windshield just erks me for some reason. Not sure why XD

If I was to say I didn't believe it was music it would either be because it's so absolutely commercialized that it's almost like the songs are just advertisements. Most of the songs have no actual meaning, tell no real story. It's singing about fluff. Money and hoes, cars and gold. And let's not forget the anger and rage toward any form of official governing body >_>;

Even old celtic "smut" style songs at least had a tune, a melody you could sing along with. To me rap just seems like America's black culture is really really embracing the micro machines guy. Plus drums.

zarraza, on Jun 23 2009, 07:31 AM, said:

I agree. Rap Music, I can't stand. Techno Music would drive any Sane person,over the edge.
I am a Country Music Fan,but not the crying,my Dog's died,my wife's left me,type of songs.

To my ears it's noise.

While I gotta agree that most rap should tack a C on the beginning, its not all bad, just most of it lol. I'm a musician irl (only a hobby these days), and I was taught most of what I know by a professional bluegrass guitarist. I remember one time I asked him why he only did "covers" of old fiddle tunes rather than writing original peices, and he just gave me this weird look like I'd said water wasn't wet and said "the originality is in the variation. You take a song and make it your own." In that context, I can really appreciate sampled songs. Sampling has become very very common in rap, and exists in some rock as well (Skinny Puppy and TKK do a lot of it), and I have to say that there is originality in composing a colloge of sounds/tracks/voices into a coherent whole. Its impressive, and fairly hard if you've never tried it, but only "music" if its got that infamous intangible groove to it. At the end of the day, don't we all just want something to tap a foot or nod a head to?

Lately I've been listening to a lot of grunge-era rock-- STP, Silverchair, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden and all those old favorites-- but I do enjoy many of the classics. Everyone loves Jimmi of course, and Clapton. And who can not like Pink Floyd? I don't think there's a band in the last couple of decades that can match the stature of Pink Floyd or the Beatles, in regards to this stuff being classics one day, but I do think there are a few groups who's music will be remembered. Tool will most likely stick around, they've been consistantly popular for a long time and have music interesting on more than just the "nod your head" level... Metallica started in the 80's, but they're a shoe in for the "classic" status... Manson has probably shocked his way into everyone's memory with... remarkable... showmanship, but he's got a way with words that I think will carry him as well.

What do you guys think will be the "classic" bands from the last twenty years?

We keep comparing today's music to yesterday's music without acknowledging that the business side has completely changed. Until the 80's DJ's would play what they wanted to play (Remember Dylan's "Last DJ" song? sorry if I credited it wrong) There were massive amounts of bands releasing songs that in todays culture the play ratings would not even get into the billboard top 100 much less the top 20 which is what most radio stations play, repeatedly.

Classic bands? easy,

Sevendust
Korn
Black Label Society
Jay-Z (Hov has earned this)
Toby Kieth
Tantric/Silverchair
Greenday
Rob/White Zombie
Rancid
Mudvayne
Slipknot
Brad Pasiley
Nirvana

Each has contributed something to their style of music that was not heard before if not creating their own style of music.

I find music to be mostly annoying. It seems I have a sound virus to 100's of songs. (sound virus = music playing in your head even if not wanted). Too bad there seems to be no anti-virus to cure the condition.

I'm not really into "Soulja Boy" or anything consisting of rap; I absolutely hate it, save maybe 2 or 3 songs by Akon. Most people assume I do like that type of music, mainly because... Well yeah, I'm a teen, and I guess people think *all* teens like Rap.


I myself prefer the classics, and a lot of the new bands who do Rock, Alternative, and stuff like that.



Remember people: "Rap" is Crap just without the "C".

This post has been edited by KonamiYoto: 29 July 2009 - 11:26 PM

I like classical, country, old bands. (NO RAP). To each his/her own. Just don't make it so loud that people who don't want to hear it have to.

Wow...

All rap/hip-hop is not trash. Most of what is advertised, on the radio, t.v, etc is garbage. Maybe more than any other genre (except smooth jazz) you have to really search for quality hip-hop. I understand why you rant against rap but judging rap based on what you hear at parties, the radio etc. is like listening to free jazz and saying all jazz sux, or listening to emo and saying all rock sux, etc. There are rappers who talk about things other than jewelry, hoes, cars, and alcohol. They are just considered un-marketable b/c they don't conform their music to make singles that will be hits, thus the public never hears about them.

A good current example of this would be Joe Budden. When people who listen to hip hop think of him they of his two biggest "commercial" successes "Pump it up" and "Jump Off". He was new then and allowed people to influence his music. On his mixtapes however almost all of his subject matter is about his life and struggles coming up. Not about partying. He even disowns his earlier music in several of his songs and berates people that can't see who he really is. Youtube "Pump it Up" and "Who killed Hip-Hop". It's like listening to two different people.

People also says rap takes no skill. I'd like to see those same people make sensible unique beats with proper cadences in the harmony and drum kicks, then adjust the EQ until it sounds right. The reason everything sounds the same on the radio (other than the same repeated cliches) that the beat format and the hooks rarely change. Different words; Same rhythms and melodic motifs and format to a song (verse, chorus, verse, chorus, etc.).

Ex. "Auto-tune" T-Pain, Akon. "Futuristic Music" Young Dro, Yung L.A., Travis Barker, J-money.

The same with writing lyrics. Your metaphors, similes, storytelling have to be on point. Then your flow over the beat has to be correct. Your breaths, enunciation, place of accents, and rhyme schemes have to be well thought out otherwise to the public aka un-trained musical ear it will just sound wrong. There are even regional differences. Most southern rappers tend to be behind the beat while guys up North are generally right on or ahead.

Basically what I'm saying is not to judge rap if you haven't even tried to scratch beneath the surface. I'd be remiss to post all this and not suggest hip hop songs and artists that I consider are of quality for people actually willing to give a shot.

Atmosphere- "When Life Gives you Lemons" album. /minimal cursing

Random- "Mega Ran" -album/ no cursing. This is a concept cd using all Mega-man samples from the video game as beats.

Cannibal Ox- "Iron Galaxy" (the second verse is classic)/cursing

Jay Electronica- "Act 1: Eternal Sunshine(The Pledge)" song and "Style Wars ep" / curssing

Tonedeff- "Gathered" "Porcelain" "More than this" songs /minimal cursing in these songs

Blu & Exile- "Below the Heavens"- album /cursing

Immortal Technique- "Industrial Revolution I and II" - album/ politically correct and easily offended should NOT listen lol

Vakill - "The Darkest Cloud" -album- /cursing. Dark portrayal of inner city Chicago life

Capital D and the Moleman - "Writer's Block(The Movie)"- no cursing...He went to prison. Converted to Islam. He's in the same camp as Vakill.

Cunninlynguists - "A Piece of Strange" - album/ minimal cursing

P.O.S.- "P.O.S is ruining my life"/ miminal cursing. Check out his group DoomTree if you like him.

Reks- "Pray for me" "Say Goodnight"- song /cursing

Termanology - "Circulate" "Watch How it Go Down" "Think it Over"

Joe Budden- "Just to be Different" /minimal cursing

Mickey Halstead- "Liquor Store" / cursing

Slaughterhouse "Move On"- song/ cursing

Brother Ali- "Uncle Sam Goddamn" /politically correct and easily offended should not listen... "Daylight" "Rain Water"- songs / cursing

Aesop Rock- "Water" "Coffee" - /cursing



This a SMALL sample of underground hip hop. All of these songs can be found on youtube or streamed from some site. I even labeled if there was cursing or not for the sensitive ears out there.
Btw I'm a Saxophone Performance major in both classical and jazz styles and mostly listen to Jazz, underground hip hop, and classical music.

enjoy.

This post has been edited by 7heRollzRoyce: 07 August 2009 - 08:13 PM