There is no doubt that music plays an essential factor within our daily lives and there is a continuing growth of support within this industry. Favorited rap artist, Eminem, is credited for creating lyrics based on reality, which had placed an impact amongst the generations of young adults today. Lynette Holloway speaks in her article in the New York Times of many children who had shared overwhelming interest and support for Eminem’s reality based rap songs. It provided insight both from the artist to the people, and the people amongst each other by sharing his own life experiences in the form of music.
Music and its lyrics can serve as a networking source in which other listeners can relate to. Others may also become inspired through lyrics found in music and it can serve as an empowering medium. Lyrics can also be seen impacting young adults with common phrases which soon become a motivating/inspiring factor. It does not necessarily have to be reality based, but it helps provide a clear sense in the idea that it gets people to behave differently.
There is always going to be a “gray area” in regards to anything that involves personal interest; lyrics that are strictly based on reality have their merits but aren’t necessarily the best factor in terms of music. There is an argument in which many different opinions agree or disagree for music as an educating factor as opposed to an entertaining factor, and vice versa. Surely, there is an extent at which all lyrics must be romanticized, otherwise it would behave particularly similar to that of politics, or simple self-grieving, or even lecture-based speech. Of course, the element of music has to be kept in-tact, otherwise it would obviously be anything but a song, however the amount of amount of realism and or romanticism found within a song needs an appropriate balance.
Music based on reality allows for a closer inspection, by the listener, in which connections can be made. A song can express and romanticize all sorts of dreams and ideas, however, in comparison to songs which express a commonality within the people, it will pale in comparison in both impact and sales. True, artists will attempt [to an extent] to cater to the people in an attempt to sell more, but it should not be the center of reasoning behind the music. Aside from the passion involved for the love of music, the consideration of the people [and their backgrounds] who listen to particular genres of music is important too. Artists also benefit from the expression of reality based music because of the amount of sympathy received, as well as the fact that it is already something that they had experienced- it should not be as difficult as fabricating an entire story on something that was not understood to begin with. It would not be improbable to state that artists have no benefit in personal gain through sharing their reality in their songs and instead, should be encouraged for the better of their mental health as well as others.
I really agree with what you had to say about music and the affects it has on people. I am a firm believer that as a human race we are entitled to use our brain to the fullest. In saying this we also have to understand that not everyone can use there brain to the fullest. In knowing this it is more than fair to say that we interpret things in our own way. I agree that it would be much easier to relate to an emotion or situation that we have faced before rather than try to relate to something we have never experenced or even heard of for that matter.
ReplyDeleteI truly feel that it is high time that we come together and reconize that rappers like Eminem and Ice Cube are merely talking about what we as humans do. They are not responsible for creating these actions, they are simply responsible for rapping about them.
You mentioned something to the effect of marketing. Making music so that others will relate and buy.. What is the world coming too? When you tak a drive in down town LA what do you see. I see prostitutes, drug dealers, gang bangers, druggies and the homeless. These artists did not contibute to any of these factors, they merely exploit them and sale them. When you think about the big picture maybe one will see the true bussiness man in all rappers.