I used to hate rap music. It just didn't appeal to me in any way. If anything, just listening to it made me feel uncomfortable, seeing as the only words I could distinguish from most raps were expletives. I was of the relatively common belief that rap "music" could barely be classified as a genre of music, let alone an art form. Aside from the apparent lack of vocal talent and sonic appeal, I also took issue with the crude recurring themes within rap, most prominently, the excessive swearing, the casual objectification of women, the frequent references to guns and violence and the generic narcissistic brags about material wealth; none of which I could relate to. As far as I could see, these themes were inherent, perhaps even fundamental, to rap music and as such I could not comprehend how anyone could like it.
And I retained these views on rap until a few years ago when I heard the pop/rap song "Stronger" by Kanye West. In hindsight, it wasn't a particularly great song, but it was catchy, which is probably why it caught my attention. More importantly, "Stronger" led me to discover, another Kanye West song, "All Falls Down". Almost instantly, it became my favourite song; I couldn't stop listening to it. Originally it was the sound of the guitar and the general "feel-good" vibe it had that appealed to me. Up to this point, I had very much been a dilettante when it came to music and really I didn't care for it too much and rarely, if ever, made an effort to deduce the meaning of songs. But after a few listens, I started to pay attention to the song's lyrics and in them I found a very relatable message which addressed the superficiality within modern society, ranging from a girl enrolled in college just for her parents' approval to a man who indulges in luxuries he can barely afford just to maintain the façade of a lifestyle that others may envy. It'd be an exaggeration to say that this song led me to some sort of epiphany, but it did mark the first time I actually understood a rap song, but more importantly, it was the first time music felt real and relevant to me.
Songs like Kanye West's "Spaceship", which addresses the conflict between ambitions and the reality of a menial job, verbalised many of the thoughts and feelings that I had had at one time or another and listening to these songs became almost a personal experience. In my pursuit of more rap music with substance, soon enough I was listening to the albums, and then I became acquainted with the "classics", so to speak, of the hip-hop genre such as Illmatic and Ready to Die. By then, music had become more than something to occupy myself with, it had become a medium through which I could further my knowledge and understanding, for example, Nas's "NY State of Mind" depicted American inner-city destitution so vividly that I, from a different continent and a different way of life, could vicariously experience a completely different world. By the time I'd reached around 16, music had become integral to my life; whether I was on the bus to school, or brushing my teeth, I would always be listening to music; rap music, to me, became simultaneously a thought-provoking diversion, a source of guidance, a source of motivation and a source of comic relief. Through the social commentary on Food & Liquor, the self-deprecating/reverent introspection on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and the eclectic, comedic raps on Stankonia, I finally understood the appeal of rap as a thematically and lyrically versatile, relatable form of music.
It was as a result of purposely trying something unfamiliar that led to my discovery of rap music and in that respect, rap has taught me something of pertinence to everyday life; to appreciate the potential rewards of exploring new things. But moreover, if I was asked, right now, to name something that I was truly passionate about, against my own expectations, it'd be rap music. I believe your taste in music says a lot, in general, about you, hence the sub-cultures that are often related with certain musical genres (for example b-boy, goth, indie, Rasta, punk). Whether it's your musical preferences that influence your personal characteristics, or vice-versa, I'm not sure, but my interest in rap music has been crucial to my development. Ultimately, I cannot adequately describe in words the exact consequences of the evolution of my musical taste, because the effect rap has had on me is immeasurable. Rap has stimulated my imagination better than I myself could, introduced me to novel outlooks on familiar concepts and has had a genuinely profound effect on my way of thinking, my beliefs and has expanded the scope of my perspective far beyond my own relatively insular surroundings, and as a result, it has shaped my identity and most probably will continue to do so for a long time to come.
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Any advice is welcome... I'm debating whether this is sufficiently interesting or if I should write a different essay on father figures???
Is it too long?
And I retained these views on rap until a few years ago when I heard the pop/rap song "Stronger" by Kanye West. In hindsight, it wasn't a particularly great song, but it was catchy, which is probably why it caught my attention. More importantly, "Stronger" led me to discover, another Kanye West song, "All Falls Down". Almost instantly, it became my favourite song; I couldn't stop listening to it. Originally it was the sound of the guitar and the general "feel-good" vibe it had that appealed to me. Up to this point, I had very much been a dilettante when it came to music and really I didn't care for it too much and rarely, if ever, made an effort to deduce the meaning of songs. But after a few listens, I started to pay attention to the song's lyrics and in them I found a very relatable message which addressed the superficiality within modern society, ranging from a girl enrolled in college just for her parents' approval to a man who indulges in luxuries he can barely afford just to maintain the façade of a lifestyle that others may envy. It'd be an exaggeration to say that this song led me to some sort of epiphany, but it did mark the first time I actually understood a rap song, but more importantly, it was the first time music felt real and relevant to me.
Songs like Kanye West's "Spaceship", which addresses the conflict between ambitions and the reality of a menial job, verbalised many of the thoughts and feelings that I had had at one time or another and listening to these songs became almost a personal experience. In my pursuit of more rap music with substance, soon enough I was listening to the albums, and then I became acquainted with the "classics", so to speak, of the hip-hop genre such as Illmatic and Ready to Die. By then, music had become more than something to occupy myself with, it had become a medium through which I could further my knowledge and understanding, for example, Nas's "NY State of Mind" depicted American inner-city destitution so vividly that I, from a different continent and a different way of life, could vicariously experience a completely different world. By the time I'd reached around 16, music had become integral to my life; whether I was on the bus to school, or brushing my teeth, I would always be listening to music; rap music, to me, became simultaneously a thought-provoking diversion, a source of guidance, a source of motivation and a source of comic relief. Through the social commentary on Food & Liquor, the self-deprecating/reverent introspection on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and the eclectic, comedic raps on Stankonia, I finally understood the appeal of rap as a thematically and lyrically versatile, relatable form of music.
It was as a result of purposely trying something unfamiliar that led to my discovery of rap music and in that respect, rap has taught me something of pertinence to everyday life; to appreciate the potential rewards of exploring new things. But moreover, if I was asked, right now, to name something that I was truly passionate about, against my own expectations, it'd be rap music. I believe your taste in music says a lot, in general, about you, hence the sub-cultures that are often related with certain musical genres (for example b-boy, goth, indie, Rasta, punk). Whether it's your musical preferences that influence your personal characteristics, or vice-versa, I'm not sure, but my interest in rap music has been crucial to my development. Ultimately, I cannot adequately describe in words the exact consequences of the evolution of my musical taste, because the effect rap has had on me is immeasurable. Rap has stimulated my imagination better than I myself could, introduced me to novel outlooks on familiar concepts and has had a genuinely profound effect on my way of thinking, my beliefs and has expanded the scope of my perspective far beyond my own relatively insular surroundings, and as a result, it has shaped my identity and most probably will continue to do so for a long time to come.
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Any advice is welcome... I'm debating whether this is sufficiently interesting or if I should write a different essay on father figures???
Is it too long?