Francisco Legorreta
4/25/12
English 114 B
Music
Our Unknown Drug
Music plays a huge role in almost every
individual’s everyday life. The influence of music can be as simple as a person
listening to a song on the radio while being stuck in traffic, or can be as
inspirational as person who listens to music to rid their drug and or alcohol
addiction. No matter the case, music has always been a key influence on the
general population, and it has also been around for thousands of years.
However, in our current society music has transformed and has separated into
many different genres. Some of these particular genres have become more popular
than others, but nonetheless no matter what musical genre it may be there is
always some one who happens to enjoy that particular type of music. In these
many different types of music it has become known that they all have a unique
style, for example certain genres of music have been known to make the listener
happy or even sometimes make the person sad. Music has the ability to
accomplish this through simply the beat of the music, be that is it may, the
lyrics in the musical piece are equally as important and also have the ability
to make the listener really understand what the artist is saying. Some lyrics
in particular songs have so much emotion and raw feelings that some people feel
as if they can relate to the song. This extraordinary feeling rests solely on
the listener because they alone have the judgment to acknowledge if the song
they are listening is describing the situation they happen to be in. However,
something that my peers and I both noticed is that in specific areas of the
United States, primarily music cities, a particular genre of music happens to
dominate more than the others. Yes, other less popular music is still played in
these areas, but they do not stack up to immense amount of popularity that the
leading musical genres receive. I also noticed that the people who usually end
up listening to the more popular music usually end up embodying whatever is
being said in the song. Hence, this shows that even though music happens to be
artistic it still has the power to greatly influence the identity of the people
and the city.
Everyone
in the entire world has his or her own personal identity, but how the person
grows into it may be different. There are several factors that influence the
people to be a certain way, but music happens to be one of the most influential
factors. Which is why I decided to choose some of the most popular genres here
in the United States. These music genres consist of Hip-Hop/Rap, Rock &
Roll, Country, Spanish, and Pop. Each one of these genres have different
styles, this is due to the fact that each one of the genres originated in different
areas. When it comes to Hip-Hop/Rap, the style is very rugged but yet very
lyrical at the same time. This type of music also happens to describe the
identity of the people who either enjoy it or live in a city in which
Hip-Hop/Rap happens to dominate the other genres. When people think of the city
in which this music is praised and most influential, they think of New York,
and the reason being because this city is the birthplace of Hip-Hop. The people
who live there and listen actually embody what is being said in the songs. For
example when big name artists such 2Pac, Biggie Smalls and Nas, say certain
things such as what things they like, or the type of clothes they wear, and
even the slang they use, the fans will immediately want to imitate their idols
by doing what they do. The same thing goes for the other genres that I chose,
for example in Rock and Roll the identity of the people change in so many
different ways. For example the people like Rock they usually end up wanting to
play an instrument such as the drums or the electric guitar, they almost never end
up focusing so deeply on the lyrics, which is the opposite of Hip-Hop. The
style and slang of Rockers also greatly changes, for example they would much
rather prefer long hair and painting their finger nails black. The city in
which Rock thrives also differs from other cities, such as Cleveland; this is
the city where the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is located. Even though Country
and Rock music have similar roots and both use extensive amounts of instruments
they still differ.
Country music also has its specific style and
the people and city who enjoy it also have their own identity. For instance, in
the city of Nashville, Country music is the predominantly the favorite music
and it is clearly evident. For instance, the people still wear plaid shirts, Wrangler
Jeans, huge belt buckles, boots; the city also resembles the people which means
that the even though the city is modern it still has a Western theme. Spanish
music also has its own style and it is clearly evident with the people who
listen to it. The most obvious aspect that shows the identity of the people is
that they speak Spanish. However, there are only a few cities in which Spanish
music thrives, and these cities have to have a rather tremendous amount
Latinos. The three cities that come to mind are Los Angeles, Miami, and Chicago;
in these three cities Latinos make up at least one fourth of the population.
These cities also have taken up a new an identity because they may now have
Latin restaurants, clubs, and businesses. The identity of people who listen to
Spanish music is also very much different from the identity of other genres because
of the fact that instead of talking a particular type of slang, they possibly
could speak Spanglish. Another thing that can really make the identity of these
people different is their preference in sports. For example when people think
of basketball they also think about Hip-Hop, and when people think about
baseball they also think about Country music. With that being said, Spanish
music also has a particular sport that has been synonymous, which happens to be
the sport of soccer. This shows that people who live in a city in which Spanish
music no matter what type is played the identity of the city and more
importantly the listeners are different. Pop music on the other hand is the one
type of music that can be played and is huge in any city. The reason being that
this music genre is much more broad than the others, because after doing
research there are so many different artists that are considered pop. Some of
the more notable artists happen to be Michael Jackson, The Beatles, Elvis Presley,
Brittany Spears, and Lady Gaga as well. Pop music does have an identity and it
can make the listener create a one of his/her own, however it does not go to
the extreme that Country and Rap may go to. All popular music that is being
played on the radio in our current day happens to fall under the genre of Pop.
Hence this shows that even in a city that is known for a particular musical
genre, Pop music is still played because of the fact that it happens to be the
most popular type of music in the United States right now. After some more
research I also found out that Pop music got the name from the word “popular,”
which make sense because everyone in our country has more than likely heard of
a song from that genre.
Even though each and every genre of
music gives both people and the city an identity, there has to be a reason why
people listen to it, and why a particular form of music prevails more in
specific cities. For example why is Country music more popular in Southern
cities with the people than other music? The reason why it is more popular is
because in Country music it talks about subjects that people in these areas can
relate to. For example in some songs the artists talk about how they love
farming life, relaxing drinking a beer on a hot day, or driving around in their
pick up truck. In Rock and Roll people may also like it because of the fact
that they just like how it sounds and how the instruments are being played.
Some other people also may just like the message it is sending, message such as
partying, living the high life, or just being famous. In the case of Spanish
music it is a different matter because of the fact that people might like
because it actually deals with their heritage. For example a person might just
like it because they grew up listening to it while they were young. The people
also might listen to this type of music because of the fact that in certain
songs it talks about the struggles they have been through, such as the struggle
they had to endure on getting to the United States and trying to make a better
life for them. Pop music on the other hand is a lot different than most music
because it does not really have much meaning behind the music. However, people
still love to listen to this type of music, and the reason behind that is because
they just like the way it sounds. For that reason alone this happens to be type
of music that can reach out to biggest audience such as young kids and all the
way up to elderly people. This is also the type of music that is responsible
for the most amounts of catch phrases and lines that kids like to say the most.
Hip-Hop/Rap and the people who listen to it have an identity of their own, and
the reason why they listen to be due to the fact that people could relate to
what the rappers are saying in their songs. For example, the reason why most
people in New York love Biggie Smalls and Nas is because of the fact that they
rap about true events that most individuals live through. So whenever they say
or talk about something in a song, the fans want to do the exact same thing as
them. So this is the reason why these people get their identity from.
Music is a huge part of everyone’s
daily life and has been ever since the beginning and it will forever be a huge
factor. But no matter what there will always be cities in which a particular
style thrives more than the other, and this will be evident in both the people
and the city. The reason being, because the music will change and mold the
identity of both things. For example New York will forever be known as a Hip-Hop
city and Nashville will also forever known as a Country city. Even in other
cities that were not mentioned, there will always be a certain genre of music
that dominates, that is just the way our society works. To top it all off this
also the reason why peoples’ identities are formed because of the type of music
they listen to and the one that thrives the most in their city is more than
like the one that they will end up listening to. So all in all music is a very
powerful and has the power to mold the identity of a young person, this shows
that music can even be a captivating drug in a sense.
Work
Cited
Scaruffi, Piero. Country Music. A Brief
History of Country Music. 1968. Web, 23 April 2012
Aces And Eighths. History of Hip Hop.
2001. Web, 25 April 2012
Scaruffi, Piero. Scaruffi.com. The Golden
Age of Hip Hop. 2009. Web, 25 April 2012
Wikipedia. Demographics of New York City.
20 April. Web, 28 April 2012
Shinemusic.com. The History of Pop Music.
2007. Web, 23 April 2012
Scaruffi, Piero. Scaruffi.com. The
History of Rock Music. 2009, Web, 22 April 2012
McDonald, P.J. Music and Personality.
2007. Web, 28 April 2012
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