That’s not music, that’s just noise

With the Grammy’s right around the corner, it is pertinent to look back on the great music, or maybe the lack thereof, of 2011. 

We frequently listen to many different styles of music in The Famuan.  Some of us enjoy the sweet sounds of gospel while we work, while others enjoy the pounding double bass of heavy metal.

Some even like Miley Cyrus.

Music is art.  It enriches our lives, pleases and devastates us, enthralls and, in some cases, disappoints us.  Music is one thing nearly everyone can enjoy.  People can hum it to themselves on the bus or listen through a brand new set of Beats by Dre.

Arguing for or against Grammy nominations is pointless these days.  The commercialization of one of the greatest international and cross-generational art forms is very real and the Grammys are proof.  Popular songs with plenty of airtime are usually the ones that get the nods.

But really, seriously, is this a good thing?

Some of the sad excuses for music that are played throughout the School of Journalism and Graphic Communication and throughout Florida A&M as a whole can be downright annoying.   Rich people who make up stories about their lives call themselves rappers; once proud guitarists make tunes they know will make mass audiences smile instead of experimenting like they used to.

Take a second and think about what you’re listening to for a minute.  Not just with rap music’s endless digs at women and the “establishment” (that most of them work for) or with Ke$ha’s … whatever it is she does.

Really listen.  Focus on what you’re pumping through those $20-$300 headphones.  Some if it is really just the same thing you’ve been listening to forever.  No innovation.  No soul.  Just factory-pumped noise you’ve been programmed to enjoy.

Music is forever, but it really needs to find its soul again.  A generation could grow up without hearing music with real feeling behind it.   That wouldn’t just be a shame, it would be a tragedy.