Musical Interests

Many ancient cultures have written about music and it's significance. They have steeped their cultures in legends where, when the music left, the sun disappeared and there was eternal night. Music is powerful.

My interests in music are very varied and diverse. As I've met individuals from different cultures and backgrounds, the one thing that they've introduced me to that has been so varied, other than food has been music. However, still as I've been exposed to music from all around the world, American music in all of it's various genres still remains my favorite. Maybe it is unfair to characterize classical jazz as American for the world loves it, listens to it, and plays it in many cases better than Americans. However, Jazz music originated in the United States and is rooted in the slave past of the United States and was once called Jack Ass music because it was slavery music, just like hip hop music is characterized as an urban genre today, and I love hip hop, to me it is real life, I did not discover how real until I became an adult.

But ultimately, I think I like American music because to me it is the music of the world. It is the music of black slaves, European, Asian, and Indian immigrants. It is our cultural music, which ultimately is the heritage of our country.

There was an incident at the school I graduated from. It was an incident of a white guy dressing up in black face as a black rapper, some blacks were offended by that, but I was flattered personally. If you've ever driven down I-285 on Friday evening around 4:30 both ways you will see black and white guys playing loud hip hop music and it's not the inner city they are driving to. One time I even made a comment about seeing a white guy blasting hip hop, to an older relative, her response was, "oh I see it all the time". So my response is if someone wants to dress up like a hip hop artist, that's their right no matter how its meant.

The bottom line is the artists who produce the albums are getting "paid". Just to prove what I'm saying take a look at the billboard top 100, not in a rap or r&b category but in all categories, the top selling singles are all virtually from Hip Hop artists. Furthermore Atlanta according to the Financial Times of London and quoting a Georgia State University Study is responsible for one in five chart topping acts, which are hip hop acts. Read the article here.