Identity is how a person comprehends themselves and perceives their reality, one of the most talked about topics in the modern world. The media film and music have all been made extremely sensitive, and nothing can be said about almost anything without offending someone. People have gotten sensitive about things because of the growing consciousness about equality, which is not entirely bad. Because of racism and other inequalities in the world, there is a need for people to be put into trouble so that they forget their beliefs of themselves being better and superior to others. Language is the most important thing that allows people to think and limit their thinking. So, limiting the language can create at least some form of restriction on the thoughts of people regarding what others identify with.
Music strongly impacts people as it is not just a variation of sounds but words and meanings that affect people’s understanding of their surroundings. The songs a person listens to make and break many of their conceptions. This fact is evident in the cult following of the songs of Metal Rock musicians like Metallica Guns and Roses and AC/DC. The words of the songs have a great impact on people, and there are societal understandings of judging people by the kind of music they listen to. The music has a soothing power that is beyond anything, and it can also be used to bring people together.
Music has had an increasingly important impact on me. I started listening to music when I was a kid and can’t even remember the first songs I might have started listening to music with. However, the first song that deeply impacted me was Eminem’s “Not Afraid” as it had a very strong tone that showed determination. I was a physically active child, but I didn’t talk a lot and felt like I was not able to make people understand what I felt. “Not Afraid” (Eminem – Not Afraid – YouTube) made me feel like I was saying the words even when I did not understand what the rapper was saying. This led me to associate with songs with a strong tone and talking about the singer’s or rapper’s frustration. Eminem became a favorite because of his dealing with his own psychological and family situations in his songs. The situation he was in was not directly relatable, but there was something of a connection that became possible due to the anger he showed in his music. I found catharsis through his words, imagining that I was saying the same words as many people who listen to rap music do.
As the age proceeded so did my taste in music, but the thing that the rap music gave me through a show of anger remained a part of the personality. It made me grounded too in many ways I thought of the problems that these people saw and felt that I had it way better than many out there. Rap music became an important part of my life, giving me a sense of belonging in all situations. It was not that I was shy, but sometimes I felt like being alone, and rap helped me enjoy my alone time. In the meantime, Alternative Rock music also impacted me through the aggressive tones of Linkin Park and the mellow tunes and subjects of Chris Daughtry. The songs like “Numb” (Numb (Official Video) – Linkin Park – YouTube) and “In the End” (At The End (Official Video) – Linkin Park – YouTube) songs that would be on a loop for weeks. When I started listening to rock music, these songs were a part of my list, and they took me by surprise. The need for music became stronger as the vastness of genres kept increasing, and the subjects widened. The dark lyrics did not make my personality murky, as is suspected of such music, but they gave sleep to the dark parts of my imagination. The aggression that I might have had because of the thought of alienation sometimes went dormant, and I became more sociable.
I sometimes listened to pop and electronic music in some peer groups, but my favorites remained rap and rock. I also listened to music like that of Pink, Coldplay, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Trey Songs, and many other R&B, hip-hop, and pop singers. Some songs from many singers got to the favorite lists for some time but faded away completely.
One song that I would consider a guilty pleasure would be “Marshmello remix of Hello by Adele” (Adele – Hello (Marshmello Remix) – YouTube) as it is a song that is not the type I usually listen to but it just has a thing cannot be explained. It just has a very strong instant effect on me. I have sometimes listened to Rap music filled with boasts and show-offs about money, sex, and drugs but I never got too influenced by the subjects of such songs but listened to them for their beats, word patterns, and musicality. The music that is still a part of my list and that I listen to is the conscious rap music of artists like Hopsin, NF, and Logic. A recent addition to it is Joyner Lucas. The songs about how the false standards of success that are being promoted by pop culture today are creating problems are the ones that talk most to me because I have had so many experiences of people wasting their potential because of the pursuit of false ideals. The people around me have shown a tendency to reach the height of riches without doing anything because of the music they listen to. The music can be seen as having a huge impact on modern pop-rap culture. Songs like Gucci Gang (Lil Pump – “Gucci Gang” (Official Music Video) – YouTube) and Superstar (Post Malone – Rockstar Ft. 21 Savage – YouTube) are an indication of what is popular and makes people happy. Talking about money and drugs and bragging about sexual exploits is the matter of the songs these days that spend weeks on top music charts. I loved the remixes of Gucci Gang (Joyner Lucas – Mask Off Remix (Mask On) – YouTube), Bank Account (Joyner Lucas – Bank Account (Remix) – YouTube), and Mask Off (Joyner Lucas – Mask Off Remix (Mask On) – YouTube)made by Joyner Lucas who contradicts all of the points that the original songs tried to make about having fun with drugs, money, and sex. There is a need for such musicians who would negate the dominant negative teachings in the music and bring in the subjects in a moral and positive light.
Work Cited
Adele – Hello (Marshmello Remix) – YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQtPtgkMTq4. Accessed 3 Feb. 2018.
Eminem – Not Afraid – YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5-yKhDd64s. Accessed 3 Feb. 2018.
In The End (Official Video) – Linkin Park – YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVTXPUF4Oz4. Accessed 3 Feb. 2018.
Joyner Lucas – Bank Account (Remix) – YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFy7RdZWwj8. Accessed 3 Feb. 2018.
Joyner Lucas – Mask Off Remix (Mask On) – YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYIHrd7e-n0. Accessed 3 Feb. 2018.
Lil Pump – “Gucci Gang” (Official Music Video) – YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LfJnj66HVQ. Accessed 3 Feb. 2018.
Numb (Official Video) – Linkin Park – YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXYiU_JCYtU. Accessed 3 Feb. 2018.
Post Malone – Rockstar Ft. 21 Savage – YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UceaB4D0jpo. Accessed 3 Feb. 2018.
