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Annotated Bibliography

Drew, Kenny. "What the F**K Happened to Black Music." All About Jazz. 6 Apr. 2006. Web. <http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=21243&pg=2>.

Modern rap has basically come to ho’s and nig**rs, and still makes the most money in the music world.  Now modern rap stars have no talent whereas someone who has graduated with a Ph.D. in music is never seen as talented in today’s society.  The author explains how modern rappers make millions of dollars for useless crap and how playing an instrument at a high level is not well respected in society.  He also makes it clear how artists that are famous usually have some kind of problem whether they got shot or suffer from eating disorders.  Drew points out how the average person can not tell the difference between great musicians and famous artists.

Mccall, Delton. "Questioning If Hip Hop Has Lost Its Roots." Helium. Helium, 16 Nov. 2010. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://www.helium.com/items/2014826-questioning-if-hip-hop-has-lost-its-roots>.

States that rap in the modern world has lost its soulful roots.  The music is about how much money you make and how materialistic you are, and it is accepted by society.  McCall explains how older hip hop consists of hardships of young black people, however today's rap is about ho's, money and sex.  She claims that hip hop has not lost its roots, but supplies her readers with many reasons on how it has changed since the beginning of rap.

Newton, Abby H. "Mainstream Music: Where Did All the Good Artists Go." Huff Post Teen. 11 Nov. 2011. Web. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/01/mainstream-music-is-about_n_1069230.htm>.

Where has the good artist gone?  This article explains that it’s not about the music anymore, it’s more on commercials and useless products.  You have to be pretty or good looking, drifting away from what really matters, the music.  Explains how producers had to change and not take chances on a group that is out of the norm.  Newton explains specifically on how mainstream music has to fit a slim mold that is made by society, and how producers have to make music that sells.

White Washed. Perf. August Burns Red. YouTube, 2010. Music Video.

Music Video of August Burns Red’s White Washed, and is a clear indicator of how there is more going on in the music rather than just the singer/screamer.  Shows clear examples of break downs, temp changes, and difficulty of the music being played.  This also show the style of dress fits the music being played.

X Factor. Dir. X Factor. Perf. Drew Ryniewicz. X Factor, 2011. TV Show.

This video is about a T.V show about a young girl who messes around with the arrangements’ of a pop song to make it her own, without changing the meaning or quality of the song.  Ryniewicz also shows how to change around elements of the song in order to let her own flare shine through as well as her creativity.  The judges in the video show and point out what makes her stand out over every other competitor, therefor they know what good music is and can point it out.

Yahoo. "How Much Skill Does Rap Take Compared to Metal, or Rock in General?" Yahoo! Answers. Yahoo!, 2008. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071018185211AADBWYP>.

This post compares rock/metal to rap, and the author puts down rap saying it takes no talent whereas in rock they at least have to learn an instrument.  This really explains and compares rap to metal/rock and brings up the issues of singing versus screaming versus rapping.  This post argues how it is hard to compare two genres of music because they are so different and take different sets of skill to master.

For those who don't think Metal or Screamo doesn't take talent

August Burns Red is known as a "screamo" band and to most people would not call this music, and label it as talentless crap.  What does this song not have to make consider it music?  It has a melody, difficult rhythms’ and chords, different styles of singing, a bridge, a chorus (that does not suck), and a full rounded sound.  Individuals that call this talentless have a closed minded view when it comes to music, and probably is uneducated in the music world.  Even if you do not like this style of music you have to respect the musicians, and what they do.  For example, I do not like country music; however I have respect the genre because it is just a different style of music, and because I have an obsession for Taylor Swift (got to love the guilty pleasures).  There is always exceptions to music and every genre has a band that makes the genre look bad.  For example, some metal band have songs about killing someone.  Metal is not the only one with this problem.

Being a musician myself, my favorite part of this specific genre of music is the talent behind the vocals that is being played, because when most people listen to music all they pay attention to the singer (or lead vocalist).  For example, how many people can name five of their favorite bands’ drummer?, that is highly doubtful.  Now ask them to name the lead singers, I bet they can name tons more.  For example, name the drummer for KISS.  Oh look you cannot do that, but now names the singer for Kiss that's easy, Gene Simmons.  Next time you listen to one of your favorite songs, listen to the music behind it.  Before you tend to bash a song or certain genre, look at these musical elements behind the singer or screamer.  The point of this post is not to say that metal is the best genre of music out there.  Honestly there is no best genre; if you love music, you love all music not just some.  Even if you don't like a genre then you can at least respect it, and recognize it as music.

People often look over the difficulty of the music playing behind vocalists.  In this specific song the band has "break downs".  A break down occurs when the music all of a sudden slows down and grooves, in other words it breaks away from its normally fast tempo.  For all the non-musicians that do not know much about the talent it takes to cut the tempo in half time (cutting the beat from 140 beats per minute (bpm) to 70bmp), it is difficult.  Another common style in these times of songs is a double bass pedal that the drummer uses.  So as opposed to only having 3 limbs playing in most genres of music, now all 4 limbs are doing something different simultaneously.  Ask a drummer if this is harder, because being one myself I know how hard this is.  Look at these kinds of things before you bash a band or genre.  This concept goes for all kinds of music that tend to be overlooked.

 People in these kinds of bands tend to have gauges, abnormal piercings, and tattoos everywhere.  It is just a part of the style of the music.  Every kind of genre has a style of dress or different things they do.  For example, country music are rednecks, pop singers like Katy Perry and Lady Gaga have outrageous hair and outfits, and oldies rock was into the face painting with metal shoulder pads (KISS).  All of these trends are abnormal but cannot be made fun of because in reality they all look stupid, but music as well as dress is a way of expressing of your own personality.  Make sure that you do your research before saying a type of music is bad or unskillful, because you better have a great argument against metal.  Talk to musicians that you know and ask them what is hard to play, because I would say that metal is one of the most difficult kind of music to play.

What it takes to be a talented musican

Music has many different components, but what makes music good? The video posted is a small clip from the X Factor which is a show that takes musicians through an audition process to discover a new pop star. Based on the previous few blogs have pop music has been brought down due to receding talent. In this video, Drew is a competitor on this show but she shows musicianship by taking a pop song and completely changing the arrangement to make it fit her style, and make her strong aspects shine.

 The song, originally performed by Nelly "It was just a dream", was originally made to appeal to a pop music scene, mainly for the radio listeners. So what?  Drew completely changed the arrangement around, such as the tempo, drum track, and the music behind it.  Nelly's original meaning was supposed to appeal to the radio crowd mainly because it was a more of an upbeat/up-tempo song and Drew took that element out of the song by slowing down the tempo, to show her own flare on a classic song. By doing this she took something out of her element and made it her own. Slowing the song down allowed her sustain the notes that she's capable of doing, that showed her true talent. The way she thought about this song and her interpretations allowed her personality to shine through.  When I think of her I see a younger Adele or Christina Aguilera , where she likes the slow aspects of songs, and really belts her voice trough.  This is a true artist and this is what every mainstream artist should be like.  The mainstream music scene should show more elements like in this video, and allow the stars to show their personality through their songs rather than all of them sounding the same.  As shown in the video it is possible to take these already made songs and changing them completely to illustrate talented musicians.

 The judges see what good music is, hence why they were chosen to be judges for this show, and point out what makes music good. Tone of someone’s voice really shows character, along with how you view yourself. For example, one judge said that from her voice Drew sounds like a mature and older women but when she smiles revealing the kid inside her.  Also one of the judges says "you have the spirit of a superstar", which shows again how the style and sound of your voice makes good music, because it shows your true "sprit". If there is an artist out there that can sing with any other artist and fit both their own and the artist they are with, that makes a real musician.

mainstream music stars focus

Many pop music stars seem to lack focus in their music, and are spending more of their efforts involved with the media/the public eye.  For example, there are not many girls in the music scene who are not attractive therefor they put a lot of focus on image rather than music.  Many cases of female artists’ worry so much about their figure that they have been diagnosed with eating disorders, which goes to show that the artists’ seemed to be more worried about looks than the music (which they are more paid to do).    These producers also make their money on various useless products that have these stars on them.  I understand that celebrities especially female ones’ are always being judged on looks by society, however the artists’ main source of income should be focused on their music.  Music is strictly auditory, it does not matter how pretty you are, but in the minds of many people image in an artist is extremely important.  This view screws up what makes music, music and shifts the focus in an undesirable direction.

Many artists that are right on the verge of making it big fall into the producers trap, which is changing their style of music.  A prime example, Fall Out Boy is a group that has completely changed their style of music due to their producers trap resulting them losing many fans that loved them prior to them making it big because of this drastic change in style of music.  This results in music being more about money than its original meaning, pleasure.  To prove this, hypothetically, a producer was to fire a famous artist the artist would stop making music resulting in Music being no longer pleasurable and strictly about money.  I do understand that this is a wide concept across the board of people being paid for what they do.  This concept is applied to many things such as pro football, basketball, hockey, or any other pro athlete.  If this genre of music is known as talented then why the hell to these musicians worry about how they look or how the media views them?  Their job is to make and perform music, and all of their efforts should go toward their music.

The general listening age of this style of music is from teens to young adults.  People often have asked how come teens do not listen to other genres of music, and listen to rap and pop religiously.  When you are a teen these artists are everywhere from TV to radio to billboards to computer, and if people have not heard of the groups you listen to then peer pressure is likely to kick in.  This age group is likely to gossip about these stars, whether it is her being pregnant, or he's in jail, or he was busted with thirty pounds of weed.  So why do producers like to make these artists’ stars?  The only reason is because it sells.  There is a simple way to help with this problem if you agree with what has been said about this issue.  Open your horizons; go out of your ordinary music taste, because you may never know what you may find.  The best artists are ones that no one has heard of, or that are hard to find.  They tend to be good because they are making music for the sole purpose of pleasure or they love it, and are not in it for money.  This encourages the musicians to better their skills to appeal to their listeners, and grow.  Ponder this…Do you think some of the most famous artists’ still go out and practice their skills aside from their songs? They are already at the top.  Do you think they want to achieve any higher if this is the case?

Mainstream Music Sucks

Why does mainstream music suck?  The primary reason for the production of mainstream music is solely for profit.  Producers’ goal is to benefit by making as much money as possible.  Producers’ will produce what sells, and sadly computer generated music sells.  This style of music sells because it is catchy, producers do not want to take a risk by trying something new due to CD sales being wiped out, and it makes you want to dance.  I feel like too much credit is given to this genre of music, because everyone seems to like this music. 

Have you ever had that song that for some reason you remember vividly?  Or those songs that just stick in your head, and most of the time you do not even know who sings it, you just know the chorus?  All modern rap music is catchy, and for that to happen people have to be able to sing to it or play the beat.  If you are not able to make these connections or do these then you are less likely to like it.  As a musician myself these beats and rhythms are easy and boring, but in the general public's’ eye it is enjoyable and the public usually likes it.  To be catchy it has to be simple and that is where the lack of talent arises.  The main aspect of mainstream music is the chorus and how it is played over and over again.  All the popular pop stars have to form to this criterion in order to make money to make it big.  This is why bands and artists change their style, where all the pop bands begin to sound the same.

By the lack of talent in mainstream music is partly caused by CD sales being down due to the sharing or illegally downloaded music.  Producers have had to change the way they do their business because they do not want to risk with a group that is out of the ordinary, because they do not know if these artists will sell, resulting in all mainstream music sounding virtually similar.  Now that there is software that is eliminating the CD business, producers have lost substantial amounts of money which drives them to not take chances with groups that do not fit this mold placed by society or the market of music.  It is sad that people like this non talented music, but if you were to talk to anyone that has a music/musician background, does not matter what kind of music, they would agree with me that this new era of mainstream music has gone downhill and is gradually getting worse by the day.

There is a simple way to slow this pop problem down.  Expand your music horizons and go out of the ordinary with your music preferences.  If everyone keeps buying this mainstream music producers will keep producing this genre, however if their sales decline then they will be forced to try something new and singing new bands.  Next time you hear a great, local, no name band and you like it, buy their CD, it says that you appreciate their music and you support great musicians.  If everyone were to do this then it would make producers sign more of the local no name bands, they would keep their same style, and the producers will not make them change their style.   Go through your parents old school CD's because you never know what you may find.

Where has rap music going?

I have been pondering on how far music and amount of talent has faded away in modern pop/rap music.  In the 90's the music played on the radio such as The Goo Goo dolls, Lifehouse, LL Cool J, The Sugar Hill Gang, Everlast and Everclear has actually had the concept of music, which requires talent.  Today's modern music scene is ranging from Ludacris to Wocka, in comparison to the 90's artists these artist seem to have a decline in talent in the past few decades.  In the 90's and earlier the talent that it took to become a famous artist seemed to be much more difficult than it is today.  It seems like rap has lost its roots and lost the talent from its origin, which use to be to express feelings.

Music has three main components to it including melody, harmony, and rhythm.  Music has to include these three components to be well respected.  It is impossible to pick out the melody and harmony in many rap songs in the last few years.  If rap is considered "music" that requires talent, then why is it missing two huge aspects of it?  Rap has completely taken all instruments out of the music and now uses computers for these sounds.  It is not easy to be a music producer for these rap songs, but using a computer for instruments is not a musician.  It takes many years to master an instrument, to make music with a computer only takes a few buttons to make tracks.  Putting the music together is challenging however to press buttons to create music is not hard.  In other words, if making music with a computer is difficult then playing an instrument would seem to be impossible.    Again, where has the music gone, and where is it going?

 Rappers do have the talent to flow which is not an easy task to accomplish, so I do agree that rappers need to be quick and good at improvising to come up with good solid rhymes on the spot.  What I really do not like about these rhymes is that most of them seem to be vulgar.  It is hard to name songs that are not vulgar; on the other hand it is quite simple and relatively easy to name some ones that are vulgar and offensive.  Rap artists do not need to worry about tones, pitches, and notes because most raps are talking in rhythm and does not sing.  What makes this kind of music much more respectable than a jazz or rock?  I am not bashing the rap genre, I just do not like how it gets more respect from society than most other genres.  I do listen to rap music occasionally. 

What happened to the lyrics of rap songs?  I personally cannot name 5 rap songs that do not cuss in them or that is not about sex, drugs, fame or money.  The messages of these songs are all around vulgar, and upsetting to me, if this is called music.  I really could care less how big that girls’ ass is or how she backs up her ass on you or how huge her boobs were or how you super soaked that ho.  I understand that is only one rapper who says that (Soldja Boy), but it is not just him.  What happened to music that told an inspiring message, or how you let emotions out.  Music use to tell stories or to let your feelings out to a love one that has died, how you dealt with problems, or just for plain out fun.  How does this considered talented?  Rap is considered one of the best known genre around the world, which usually means that it is the most talented genre.  Our most popular genre is about degrading women and how being materialistic is everything.  I understand society has changed its views on women, and how hook ups are more acceptable (both men and woman), but leave that for society to worry about and do not degrade music with these beliefs.

 Rappers will make more money than a talented band or singer any day now.  They will make more money than someone who got a Ph.D. in music.  Please explain to me how this works?  This is not music, and they are given enormous amount of credit and fame for a lack of talent?  I do understand how it is not easy always being in the spotlight, but I am only concerned with the music that is being produced by these stars.  Most rappers hardly or did not even graduate high school (Jay-Z, Drake).  I would respect rap more if rappers told their life story and how they managed rough times in their life.  I still just do not get what makes rap a talented genre in music.  Most rap about stupid pointless things, most do not even sing they just talk in rhythm to computer that is repetitive and requires no musical talent, just someone to press buttons.