5 things I hate (to love) about Pop Music

As a 90's kid, i was raised with the radio always playing in the background so i grew up loving whatever the radio was playing. Not too long later, i realised that all the radio played was pop music and all the good stuff never got the chance to be aired. And if it did, the singer must have a huge support team around them with deep pockets and massive connections. Thats the reality that all musicians have to face breaking through the industry because money talks louder than passion. Which it shouldn't but it does.

Radio has in some ways been replaced by the internet and nothing has changed. Pop music has become this annoying unwanted parasite that is sucking the life out of what i will term as 'Good Music'. Good music to me is timeless music that has meaning, affects our lives in a very positive way and can be entertaining. Commercial music is just entertainment and has become more of a business than an artistic outlet. 

I have become a victim to this unwanted parasite over and over again. So you ask why i do i hate (to love) pop music? Here's why :

#1. Gets stuck in your head without you even wanting it to.  

Put your hands up if you have ever found yourself humming along to a pop song that has a catchy melody but you dont even understand what they are saying. Its not uncommon for people to fall into this trap, so dont worry, you aren't alone.

#2. Dies out faster than I can ran 100 metres.  

I might have exaggerated that a bit, but im sure you get what i mean. Its basic human nature to want satisfaction here and now, and that's exactly what pop music thrives on. Who remembers the biggest pop hit last year? Not me that's for sure.

#3. Makes a whole lot of money and the content is just bleugh.

Safe, simple and easy is what i will call it. Pop rarely strays away from its comfort zone, save for when it wants to make more money.

#4. The musicians think it's the only way for your music to be heard. 

Everyone wants to be a pop star. Many musicians want to use the easy way out becuase its more profitable and "successful". They dont want to put their back into it, write their own songs or even master their craft. No. They want to get involved with music labels and leave all their artistic flair to the labels discretion. Its no wonder numerous musicians cry about foul play from the record labels. What did they honestly expect? 

#5. We would rather listen to it than listen to good music. 

We love to listen to pop music because it feeds our need to get what we want without much hustle of listening or feeling anything. Three minutes and a half of pure pleasure for a few months than we are onto another pop hit, is what we like. Nope. It shouldn't be like this. Music should not be this shallow but unfortunately it is.

From a worried fan!

Happy Reading. 

Esther xx

'The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, Rules the World'; Sex-Appeal-Commercialism Vs 'Speak-The-Truth-About-Your-Hood' (Substance) in Rap music.

So Nicki Minaj's video for 'Anaconda' has just come out, and i watched it and i got angry, then i thought about it, then i got angry some more. There has been a lot of buzz about this music video on twitter and i got curious. Well, curiosity did kill the cat this time. All i saw was ASS-ASS and more ASS and it sickened me. And to make matters worse, the song was just bad. Dont get me wrong, i have mad respect for Nicki that she has been able to do her and still get this far. And i also get that  she was trying to employ the 'Curvy is Beautiful' slogan in her song and all that jazz but there was definitely a better way of glorifying the female body than 'My anaconda dont want none if you aint got buns, hun'. By now you know where I am going with this and if you have concluded that my opinion is biased because 'Im a girl',  or 'I'm Jelous' or 'I'm a hater' then let me stop you right here. Goodbye. But if you can handle the truth, continue reading.  

Many female rappers (and musicians) have been known to use their sexuality to make it in the business claiming that it's the only way to gain fame and fans in this testosterone-driven industry. Come on ladies,  Queen Latifah, Missy and many others made big money with their clothes on. Rapping about big behinds, big penis', money in the bank and 'how he wants it' shouldn't be what puts bread and butter on your table.  I mean you cry in your lyrics for respect when you are busy flaunting your barely covered bodies on national television and singing/rapping obscenities that could make your own ears bleed. You get angry when someone calls you a 'bitch' in real life, but use the same word in your songs like your mama gave you that name. Check yourselves and the dictionaries that you can afford to buy. Respect, nudity and profanity dont fall under the same category of words to be used in the same sentence. It might look like im coming down hard (which i am) on female rappers, but the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world you know.

I am all for femininity, gender equality and being able to do what men can do but does that mean that if male rappers start jumping off 12-story buildings, female rappers should do to. Because that's what people mean when they say that if 'male rappers rap about p$*&y, money and weed, then female rappers can.' Frankly that's just mediocre. Okay. Yes, its your body. Fine. We have freedom of choice on whether to continue watching or switch of the television. YAAAY, for freedom of choice, yes? I 'totally agree' with your excuses to make you look like the good guys who are doing what they want in the name of entertainment but something needs to change because what you are doing and what you should be doing are on total opposite ends of the spectrum. We have become victims of this virus called sex appeal commercialism that's spreading faster than Ebola ever could. Basically a marketing ploy by big entertainment companies to exploit us, keep us hostage and manipulate us to thinking that we like it. All in the name of entertainment.

Old school rap music was all about what was going on in the community. It was about struggle and enlightenment, freedom and truth, pride and vision. It could resonate with anyone in the same situation, miles away. The music spoke from the heart and didn't have the over-exaggerations that we have today. It had substance. It had power. Rap music now has the wrong kind of power on our over-sexualised societies. If we leave all that power to ASS then surely the next generations will be adversely affected. Rap has taken the route that commercial songs have taken and frankly i am a lot disappointed. I do understand that evolution in music has to happen especially due to the introduction of new technologies, but this kind of evolution has taken a step too far. In the wrong direction.

One thing i have learnt from my years in music education (and generally, common sense) that humans can be conditioned to change. Take for example peer pressure in all age groups. If you are constantly around people who are doing something different from what you are used to doing, sooner or later you will begin doing those things. Constant exposure to a particular behavior becomes more appealing as days go by. Its basic human nature. So why not use that to your advantage Femcee's and make songs that everyone can appreciate and doesn't leave us squirmish in our chairs or embarassed when we are with our children/parents. 

To all Femcee's upcoming or otherwise in it already: cliché or not, the change begins with you.

From a very worried Musician and Music lover.

Happy reading!

Esther xx