Hello and welcome to the special podcast installment of Know Your Meme. My name is Beth and today I'll be discussing the elements of musical memes and how they have evolved over the past 10 years. In the early 2000s musical memes were often three to four minute sketch comedy videos from creators life Shane Dawson and Liam Kyle Sullivan. In the early 2000 musical memes were also often older videos that had been converted and uploaded to the internet for the first time. For example a senior citizens choir singing hip hop very very badly. Then in the 2010s with the advent of Vine musical memes were completely changed especially in the ways that they were shared and created, this was partially because of the new shorter format on Vine allowing for videos to only be a max of six seconds. This allowed videos to be riffed off of more and drastically edited and remixed and reposted. And this also allowed for the creation for meta memes which meant that by the time a meme has reached its natural death it is often unrecognizable to anyone who is not a meme connoisseur and spends their entire life on the internet. But either way, throughout the 2000s and the 2010s there is an underlying of memes, and especially musical memes; and that’s that you either get it or you don’t. In other words, over the past 10-ish years the format of musical memes but not necessarily the content of musical memes.
This can be seen a lot more clearly through the examples of, from the 2000s Shoes by Liam Kyle Sullivan, and from the 2010s the Kazoo Kid - Trap Remix. Both of these videos, in my opinion, just completely epitomize musical memes for their respective decades. These videos also both have around 63 million views on YouTube, so they are in the same sort of realm of popularity. The videos are also just completely iconic to any millenial or gen-z or anyone that sort of falls in that era. If you haven’t heard these songs or seen these videos I am going to play short clips of them. So here is a short clip from Shoes. - Then this is a short clip from the Kazoo Kid - Trap Remix. Alright, I think we get the idea of what both of those are. These videos are also very similar because their humor is definitely strange, but it is not at all random. For example, in Shoes Liam Kyle Sullivan’s main character, Kelly, is a clear parody of the Paris HIlton type circa the early 2000s. And the Kazoo Kid - Trap Remix is not the first Kazoo Kid video of its kind, it’s a remix from the original video and the other memes that were created from that. So both of these videos took something, or someone, who is completely iconic in their own right and morphed and remixed and parodied it into something that was completely iconic on its own.
These are videos are definitely different though, especially in their length. Shoes is a four minute video while the Kazoo Kid - Trap Remix is only one minute long. This is definitely on the longer side for 2010 memes, but there are Kazoo Kid versions that are only six seconds. These videos are also different in their originality; which is not to say that the Kazoo Kid - Trap Remix is not an original idea, but it is the recreation of an already existing meme, whereas Shoes is the first of its kind. Which was sort of common throughout 2000s sketch comedy and musical memes themselves, whereas in the 2010s we do see much more of the remix genre.
So, overall there is one that really holds these two things together, you either understand the meme or you don’t. If someone asked me to explain why I think Shoes is funny I’d probably tell them to fuck off, because there is no explaining why I cried laughing over this video the first time I saw it. It’s just hilarious. And the same with the Kazoo Kid - Trap Remix, I cried laughing watching it the first time, and I think that that is common among millenials. Either way, those are the ways in which 2000s and 2010s musical memes are both similar drastically different and how they have evolved over the years. And I am excited to see how musical memes are going to keep evolving, especially as a meme connoisseur. So, for all my other meme connoisseurs out there this has been the Know Your Meme Podcast, thank you for listening.
Class compare & contrast music assignment Me-typical developing adult vs my son-Autism
This was way longer than I wanted. I’m not sure I’m cut out to be a Vloger. I seriously did not know what to say and ended up rambling, which is annoying because I had no time to edit it.
Script:
Hello, and welcome to Discussion Corner were I talk about topics that I have an opinion about. I am your host Elizabeth.
Today I will be talking about how music and compare how it affects us…
Genre- pop, classical, rap, techno, rock, blues, hip hop, country, folk, cultural, new age
How we feeling-
With an Activity-
Connection with an Experience-
TJ’s choice- in connection with…
Watching it in connection with:
a YouTube video,
a movie,
on my phone in the car
Transcript:
Hi everyone! My name’s Elizabeth and I am your host in today’s Discussion Corner, where I talk about things I actually have an opinion about. And today is a class assignment about compare and contrast of music. Today I’m going to talk about the differences in how music affects us. So, I’m going to compare between me and my son. So, I only have experience with me I don’t know about you, but only with me. And that experience, I’ll let you know what it’s like. So, the first thing I wanna to tell you is that….
I’m a single mom and I have an eleven-year-old son who has autism. So, music affects me differently and it affects him. And, usually I listen to music when I feel like it. Actually, I’m really auditory sensitive, so it’s hard for me to listen to music all the time. Some people always have earbuds in while they’re walking whether they’re listening to music or to news or whatever it is, but I have a really hard time listening to noise all the time. So, when I listen to music it’s pretty distinctfull, in what I want to listen to, so that’s one thing.
For my son, he will listen to music pretty much all the time if he has the chance, but he won’t wear earbuds. So, it doesn’t want to listen to anything that is really close to his ears. The other thing is, I listen to music when it’s connected to a certain feeling. So, if I’m feeling upbeat or like I’m having a really good day, I wanna get something done, I wanna be energetic I’ll listen to pop music cause it has a really up beat. And, if I want to focus on my assignment then I’ll listen to classical music. I really enjoy classical music which I listen to other times. When I’m cooking I actually like to listen to Jazz. Which, for me is kind of a happy medium. Umm…. Then I’ll listen to New Age when I want to relax because I’m wanting to unwind. I’ll listen to hip hop or sometimes pop music when I want to dance. So, depending on what I want to do, I will listen to that kind of music, how I’m feeling. Which might be the same thing for you.
So, I listen to music with purpose. Where as my son will listen to music for a different reason. He will listen to music for his experience. So, it’s a movie that’s he’s watched. Or, it’s a movie that’s he has um watched over and over and over again. Some examples are: today, he really wanted to listen to Cars music. The movie Cars. But I refuse to let him watch it as a YouTube video even though it is on YouTube. The reason is whenever he has too much visual stimulation then he tends to act crazy! And all over the place! …. And I just can’t take it. So, I put limits on what he’s able to watch. Whereas what he’s able to listen to, it’s okay, I can deal with that. But, I still have to have a lower level because it’s really hard on my ears to have to a high level and it’s hard block it out to be able to do my assignments.
So, today I also wanted to listen to several different types of music. Uhh Cars has a very upbeat umm I guess you could say an almost country style to it. But then he’ll listen to like How to Train Your Dragon. And that’s more of a more classical type of feel to it. Do do do do do. Umm big trumpets. He likes to actually watch the orchestra playing. So, whenever he’s watching videos umm… He tends to act out all of that with the music. He’s remembering what it is that he was…. What was going on in the movie, while he’s listening to the music. So, he listens to music according to experience. Umm If he wants to remember an experience or go through that he’ll ask for that kind of music. It’s the same thing in when we’re driving and I have umm any kind of music, I don’t let him watch the video. He doesn’t watch any YouTube. Because of the sensory overload it cause him to act crazy. Whereas for me, he helps me either to focus or if it starts, I feel irritated or agitated I will turn it off and I won’t continue to watch it.
The other thing is, whenever I want to exercise, depending on the type of exercise I want to do, is what kind of music I want to listen to. So, if I’m doing high intense type of exercise then I’ll listen to high intense type of music. So, really strong. Ninja go, ninja…
So, that’s a really fun one to do martial arts to. Um Which, my son likes it but it’s an upbeat kind of thing. So, what he listens to has kind of integrated into my brain and it becomes kind of fun. It’s something we can share. So, if I learn how to enjoy what he likes, then it’s something that we can connect with. Even though it’s really not something that I care to listen to… umm….
The other thing is, when I want to focus a lot, as in Tai Chi, I will listen to something that would be calming, and closer to the way movement is. So, more focus, slower, calmer.
So!
To sum it up. Ah… I listen to music according to my mood, according to how I feel, according to how to what I want to do. Whereas my son, will listen to music to relive those experiences. He’s reacting and acting out what was in the movie, what he experienced before whether he, whether it was a character that was scared or it was a dragon who was blowing fire. BLAW… He acts those out. He relives those experiences. He re.. he lives through what those characters did. That’s why he listens to music. I think he enjoys music, but his decision on the type of music he wants to listen to has nothing to do with genre. It has everything to do with whether it’s dragons or cars or something that he wants to experience again. So, that’s the difference between me being a typical developing adult and my son who has Autism and our choices of music and why we listen to music that we do.
Compare and Contrast Vlog: Emo/Punk Music VS Disney Tunes SCRIPT So here’s the thing: I like some emo music and some Disney show tunes, and I’m just wondering, how are they both making me feel some kinda way, IN THE SAME WAY? They both vveither get me hyped or crying or empowered… but HOW? I’m going to explore this strange Emo-Disney correlation because, you know, I’m curious (and, I have to get to those 700 words, ya feel?) Fun fact about me, I went through that band-shirt wearing, “I liked them before they were famous” phase, like any other angsty, pubescent, middle school girl. Except for me it didn’t happen in middle school, it happened in high school… Like, senior year of high school! I know, how tragic. But don’t worry, it was mild (on the outside) so I wasn’t socially shunned or anything. But the music -- that sweet, sweet punk rock magic -- I could not leave behind. Disney, on the other hand, I’ve been into forever, and forever will be into. It’s just too good not to. Disney isn’t a phase, it’s a lifestyle… Punk is probably a phase that you let resurface when you’re on a solo road trip across the country… or to Publix, I’m not judging. Punk rock gets the people going… And then it makes you dance… And then it makes you cry. It’s amazing. Some of them you just have to belt out, like Secondhand Serenade’s “Fall For You” and others you just melt into, like Bright Eye’s “Lua.” And then there’s the ones that you have to belt but also cry to, like Mayday Parade’s “Terrible Things.” Oh man, that one gets me every time. And the reason people (or at least I) keep coming back to them is because they make you feel strong emotions. And then they become familiar, because you’re playing them all the time, so they become old friends. Sooner or later, you start listening closer to the lyrics, and discover even more about the song, which makes it even better, so you have to listen to it MORE and the cycle repeats! Disney tunes are the same way! You saw them in the movie – which was most likely amazing because, c’mon, it’s Disney, so you end up listening to the soundtrack so you can relive the movie without dedicating an hour and a half to it, and it becomes familiar, and soon, an old friend. Then, in those clever, fast Disney songs, you notice new things in the lyrics and it becomes even better! THE SAME CYCLE. If you listen to them side by side, though, Disney songs are nothing like punk songs. For one thing, Disney is censored! Also, it is known to be all whimsical and “prancy” (is that a word? Welp, now it is.) Punk is known to be all hardcore and angry at the world. But they can both be super empowering, like Moana’s “How Far I’ll Go” and Linkin Park’s “In The End.” They’re both telling you to go your own way and screw everything else! Plus, you know both these genera’s can get you crying; don’t lie. So, moral of the story: Disney and Emo Punk Rock are both amazing in different (and similar?) ways. They’re both on my same Spotify playlist; I feel like that speaks for itself!
The video that got my [spam] YouTube Channel Almost Banned **not clickbait**
(Comparing 1970′s College Music Scenes- Disco and Rock)
But yeah, stealing an entire theme song (and turning a project in late trying to preserve the least relevant part of the video ahaha) is fun. In my opinion, it was worth it. This is in no way implying that it’s good, though, so watch at the risk of your own valued time.
-AC
Transcript Below:
[Intro music]
Voiceover:
Ah, college.
Just like Hollywood romanticized high school with Grease and Dazed and Confused, I feel like college was a little bit romanticized today. In movies, all you saw were people drinking and partying and listening to really cool music but it turns out today, college costs an arm, a leg, and a kidney to go to. And there’s a lot more stress…to put it lightly.
So, what would it be like to just chill out and listen to music in the 70’s?
Upon doing some research, I found out that 1970’s colleges were dominated by two different music scenes: rock and disco.
And in this vlog, I’ll try my best to describe each one and I’ll even include a couple of anecdotes from my 1970’s parents…if they cooperate, but stay tuned to find out if they do!
Disco:
Happy Thursday, everyone.
So, I didn’t get the memo that my professor canceled class today and I’m here so there’s nothing left to do besides take over his room and teach you guys about 70’s music. So, let’s get started.
So, first I’d like to start off with the properties of disco. So, these were played at clubs and it was really played at any type of party. There was an occasion to listen to Disco.
And, it was really influenced by genres that came before it so you kind of got the Funk elements that played into Disco as well as Jazz.
And many of the songs had dance moves. Also, I believe it was illegal for people of the same gender to dance together but that got outlawed with the Stone Wall Riots, I believe, I haven’t taken history in a while.
But, you had lots of sexual revolution—everything was very “do you”.
Most of the songs were wild and upbeat. Electronic elements were quintessential to the funkiness or grooviness [groove, whoops] of Disco music.
It kind of threw away the pre-conceived notions of what “good” music is. You’re not appraising Disco. It’s more of what’s there? And does it fit the setting? And that’s kind of where the occasion comes in again.
Rock:
So, let's start off with Rock.
Keep in mind that Rock certainly isn’t anything new. It was very popular in the 60’s. Like, the 70’s wasn’t the “decade” of Rock. There’s almost a subgenre of Rock that became really popular called Acid Rock and also Psychedelic Rock. And there are tons more that fall into this category, but I’m just generally going to refer to it as Rock.
As opposed to Disco that took elements of different genres to make a new genre, it was more so the continuation of a genre that was already thriving.
Also different from Disco, the way you heard Rock was mainly through the radio. So, in a way, it was reaching the same amount of people, just through a different medium.
Unlike disco, there’s not an occasion to listen to Rock unless you’re going to a concert or something.
70’s music really pushed people to think. It wouldn’t explicitly call out the social message. It was more to promote creativity and individualism within the listeners.
Also, you had tons of different instruments used. Plus, elements of music that made it seem like they were edited.
Even the softer side of rock had the same elements as heavier rock that came to fruition in the 70’s. It had this explosion. It was unpredictable and it was really creative.
I will get into that more. It’ll make more sense, so I look forward to that. In the meantime, I am going to get into the similarities.
Rock & Disco:
They all have undertones of inclusion. You can be your own person and not only will I accept it but it’s something I want to celebrate.
So, in that way, it was all very fluid. It was fluid musically bringing in electronic elements.
The 70’s did have people who were distrustful of the government just because of all the drama that went on in the 60’s, Watergate, and whatnot. You had the government and “The man” no longer relevant in music. It was its own degree of rejection.
Also, I can’t go without mentioning this—drugs! Those drugs prospectively being alcohol and cocaine for Disco and as we all can guess, Rock definitely did have a stronghold in stoner culture and acid trips, that’s something they took from the 60’s.
So, public consumption of alcohol and cocaine is still looked down upon. This was still very underground and it was not societally accepted but it did play into the music because the music is so fast and energetic and, you know, when have you seen that in other decades?
And you’re with people and you have the free love thing going on and you can do whatever you want. It encourages your own choices and these are some of the choices.
Last thing we have here is young people, which is why I did this topic. Who makes stuff cool? College kids.
I will bring in examples of my parents. Disclaimer, they aren’t cool anymore but back in the day my parents definitely vibed with these things.
Mom & Dad Profiles:
So, contrary to what my retro baby pictures and my superb teaching on this topic may lead you to believe, I was not nor have I ever been alive in the 70s.
So instead, I brought you the more credible Tammy and Craig who were alive in the 70s.
Although they were merely teenagers at the time, I think they can still give you the spark notes
of the spark notes of how the music of the liberated college student trickled down to them.
Mom Interview:
A: So, this is my mother, Tammy
T: Are you still there?
A: Oh my God, we’re off to a great start
Q: How do you remember the rise of Disco?
T: Yeah, it was really popular when the movie Saturday Night Fever came out
A: Is that what made the term Saturday Night Fever?
T: Yeah. Well, I don’t know. I didn’t write that movie.
A:…Okay.
T: I didn’t like it, though. I didn’t like Disco music. Although, I did like that Bee Gees album.
A: What Bee Gees album? Well, actually—no. I don’t care. Um—
Q: What turned you off from Disco?
T: [cackles in English] I like more laid back songs where you can sing to the words and understanding the song more than getting up and dancing and more than, you know, being happy and peppy.
A: And you do not consider yourself a peppy person?
T: No
Q: When would you listen to Rock music?
A: Out with friends, hangin’ out in the neighborhood.
Q: Were other people this polarized on what genres they liked?
T: No, I don’t think that they were necessarily at odds with each other but, I mean, they did kind of stay on separate sides, you know.
Q: Did your school band ever use Rock or Disco in their routines?
T: Um, the band would play like Rock n Roll Music
A: And that’s the school bands?
T: Yeah and we would dance to it or twirl to it
A: Okay, but not Disco?
T: No, not so much Disco.
Q: What’s your fondest memory of 70’s music?
T: I just remember sitting in my room a lot and just listening to album after album. I had like eighty albums.
Q: So rock was personal and interpersonal?
A: So with Rock it was more about like intimate connections with your friends and-
T: Yeah, and how the music related to your life. A lot of the music you could relate to your own life. And concerts were big too. As a teenager, I remember lots of concerts. That was the big thing.
A: Any other insights you have?
T: Nope
A: Would you like to be dismissed now?
T: Yeah [cackles]
Dad Interview:
Q: How did you hear different kinds of 70’s music?
C: That's what you listen to it on my college radio stations or nightclubs, it was when you had stadium concerts, which had like pyrotechnics. Um, kinda like Led Zeppelin.
Q: What made people like these genres?
C: So you had kinda the vanilla you can think of it as almost like squares music on the Top 40 and then he had kind of people that were looking for something different. Even the disco was people looking for something different. Disco was kind of like the nightclub music but it was all associated with beauty and glamour and, you know, high fashion
Q: So there was some narcissism among Disco listeners?
C: Well, there were definitely in the ideas the Disco and even in Glam Rock there was narcissism but I think there are some of the opposite—you had the disenfranchised, the people that didn't feel like they didn’t belong like every generation had. I think it's always driven by youth; they're looking for a new sound or they're, you know, what they're playing on the radio doesn't express their thoughts and stuff but I think there are some people that get left behind and that just widens the chasm between the haves and the have-nots.
Q: Is this how the peaceful attitudes of the 60’s dissolved?
C :I think maybe you still had some of the innocence after the psychedelic 60s and and the British Invasion. Remember, back in the day, the 70s Beatles was broken up. You know, that kind of disillusioned people with-you kind of got this groovy, you know, a sense of getting along Well, yeah there's that but you know that not everyone identified with that groovy, happy, you now—loving feeling.
Q: Was it like this for Rock and Disco?
C: Because it became splintered, the majority of mass American people, you know, would listen. But those into Disco would never want to be around anything with Punk music, you know, that was dirty, that was raw trash to them, you know.
Q: What cool things arose from 70’s Rock?
C: And you also had the idea the develop of concept albums, you know, that it wasn't a bunch of singles on an album.
A: Like Pink Floyd?
C: Pink Floyd! Exactly! Like, Led Zeppelin, you know, I remember it being a big thing with Stairway to Heaven because it was like 17 minutes long and it was finally played on the radio. You also had this blissful lack of technical skills or development in the Punk movement. You know, they couldn’t play any instrument and just wailed away in and yelled and made noise and, you know, that it became a music genre.
Q: How was Rock made popular?
C: You couldn’t just say “Let's do it!”—no! You know, you had to go out to a bar or a concert to listen to music and then you would get to know it. You'd buy it, you know, an album and you go to a house party or something slam-dancing at the house party and play the music until your speakers blew. And it’s the same way with Progressive Rock into New Wave. Now that was really ushered in by the technological development of the synthesizer. You know, they started having a band without a guitar, which was unheard of back then.
Q: How was Disco different and how was it similar?
C: There was a lot of sentiment about it, about Disco. Before then, you know, you couldn't you could hear but it really was pretty mindless music. It was just dance music.
Q: Was disco popular for non-club goers?
You also had, you know, people that weren't old enough to go out to clubs and stuff. They would start to listen to their older brothers or sisters’ albums, you know.
Q: How did the drug of choice for the listeners of each genre come to be?
C: So I think that's more symptomatic of the age and the partying and stuff, which drug in particular they did and how they did it or stuff like that, yeah. That might have been more based on the type of music it like ecstasy and rings go kind of go together. It wasn’t like they started doing raves because they were doing ecstasy was but it went along with the music and being out partying, you know, drugs and drinking are, you know, right or wrong, are gonna be a part of going to college or high school, you know.
Q: Why did the 70’s become known for these genres specifically?
C: Rock and Disco where desired have fun, the desire to party, the desire to share something with friends or, you know, significant other or trying to find a significant other…
Not sure if you all can tell - I struggled greatly with the last video upload. This one should be the full video. Best.
Transcript:
Hi, my name is Jamie and this is my vlog for Advanced Exposition with Emily Brooks.
For as long as I have remembered, I have never been as connected to music as many people are. I attribute a large part of that to my own lack of musical ability, but I also have never been really into any genre of music. I have of course, been to concerts, but I have to say, I do not relate to music on the level that I know many people do. This is because I am a lyrical listener.
Today, I will compare and contrast the two types of listening, Lyrical and instrumental. Of course, when you listen to any song, you will hear both the lyrics and the music. But, part of the reason people hear the same songs so differently and develop different musical taste is due to our preference on what we can relate to in a song.
Lyrical listening has a lot to do with enjoying the vocals of a song, including both the voice of the vocalist as well as the content of the lyrics themselves.
Musical listening is more about finding pleasure in the sound of a song through the rhythm and tone of the vibrations.
Most people are some kind of combination of the two, and it is possible to form an emotional attachment to music through both types. However, I like to believe the benefit of the music is derived from your distinct purpose for listening. For example, when I go to the gym, I prefer music with strong and thought-provoking lyrics to distract me from the pain of working out. When I am studying, I prefer musical or instrumental music because it sets the tone of my workspace.
Yet both types of listening provide their own unique benefits.
Instrumental Listening
Musical listening, or instrumentals, are traditionally thought of as classical or artful pieces due to the instruments doing the compositional work of a song. It is easy for a singer to take over the song with their vocals alone, which is why there are so many vocalists out there who perform music without playing any instruments. In short, musical listeners appreciate the complexity of the instruments doing the work, and are often more knowledgeable and appreciative of the work of the musicians playing these instruments.
Growing up in a family of guitarists, I learned this right away. My dad and brothers would spend every car ride listening to rock music with excruciatingly long intros and guitar solos. I never understood how they liked it until I realized something quite simple: They understood the sounds on a level that I did not.For this reason, I do believe “musical” or instrumental listening requires some level of understanding and relationship with the composition of music and how difficult it can be to produce these specific sounds.
Lyrical Listening
Growing up, I was always a lyrical listener. I didn’t play an instrument and didn’t understand how they worked, so I preferred to listen to my Miley Cyrus CD knowing that the only thing the song is about is how Hannah Montana gets the best of both worlds. Lyrical listening allows you to connect with the speaker of the message, or the singer. If a song is relatable, it makes it somewhat easier to enjoy and stimulates your brain in a conversational way that music alone simply cannot do. Take for example, Taylor Swift. Taylor swift is primarily a lyrical artist. Many musicians often criticize her songs for her repetitive use of chords in her early career. Yet, Taylor still has a cult following because her songs are so relatable. Her fans, mostly teenage girls, can easily relate to her songs about love and break ups. One great example of lyrical listening as a genre is rap. In its original state, rap is so much like poetry because it depends on strong lyrics to deliver a meaningful message. This has developed some, but can definitely stand alone as a lyrical genre.
I challenge you to decide whether you are a lyrical or instrumental listener, or both. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that many of you who are musicians have both a strong passion and connection to music that relies on instrumental composition.
Me and my roommate discuss our music taste throughout our lives, tinder bio judgement, how amazing Spotify is, and how neither of us know what Juice World is.
-ML
L: Like as far as opening Spotify and hmm I don’t know what to listen to today and like genres and moods I 100% gravitate like towards indie music, alternative, certain pop songs-
M: alright listen I’m going to be completely honest with you, like Nathan just came in and totally threw me off so I like completely stopped listening to you so-
L: (laughter)
M: -we're not going to stop this recording and we are not going to restart. We’re just gonna like restart from here and we're already recording were already talking… I feel like, let's pretend that was a false start. You’re great and doing amazing and I love you, but that just happened. So, alright Lauren… let’s talk about-
L and M in unison: (stupid laughter)
M: Alright Lauren, let’s talk about music
*intro jingle*
M: So, we are roommates and we probably have the most similar music tastes between the four of us that live in this apartment and we may or may not judge our other two roommates a little bit. I don’t know if you do, but I do. They’re not going to be listening to this.
L: Lovingly. Lovingly judge.
M: Exactly. With love and with care….. but…. Still a little judgement.
L: I say this because I care about you. Your music is bad. (not yours but our roommates)
M: Woah there I feel like you don’t completely agree with some of the music I listen to. Of course not in a “you’re horrible this is a reflection of who you are as a person and that person is a trash person”
L: yeah I like to- let’s borrow from a colloquial term that our generation is very familiar with; some of your music taste is just a little bit too emo for me.
M: Okay. And I can completely agree with that and respect your opinion. So how about we unpack what we don’t like about someone’s music taste? Also do you think that someone's music taste does say something about a person?
L: Something about them as a person? YES.
M: So like would you judge someone if they only listen to a certain genre that you didn't like? Or would it be..
L: I'm going to I'm going to admit something to you Melissa I have swiped what it what is it left? left on boys whose music taste was something that I did not like
M: Okay. And I can understand that and agree with that completely. Also it’s weird if you're broadcasting like I don't know why all I can think of right now is Coachella but like if you're broadcasting I love and only live for this one type of music and you don't like that one type of music it's definitely hard to find a way around that with some people
L: Yeah
M: Like i remember I had a friend from middle school who professed that if you liked Justin Bieber she would hate you and I remember not understand that completely. She was really really hard core like “I will hate you if you listen to Justin Bieber” and some people are very passionate about it
L: There is always like you don't want to be like close-minded about it like I'm just saying like you know I can be pretentious and that is one instance pretentious where it's like you do you and that’s okay
M: And is it sometimes like the specific what they're listening to or is it the fact that they only listen to that
L: well I mean off of a tinder bio there’s no way for me to tell that’s the only thing they listen to. But you see their picture, you see their bio, then you see Spotify artists and usually take like 5 and you just like this isn't going to work goodbye
M: So our of the top 5 artists that someone likes you can kind of get a range of like what their personality is like?
L: Well like yeah cause, name the top five artists that you love to listen to
M: I’ve been listening a lot to… You know like those Lo-Fi Hip Hop's? that's all I do- I do I just go on YouTube-
L: also your boy Keaton Henson!
M: Keaton Henson is my fave. I like have phases of my life that are so directly linked to different music tastes
L: Yeah because for me it’s like Alt-J,l Jay James Vincent McMorrow, Bon Iver, I'm literally just going for my Spotify artists.
M: definitely James.
L: And Dry The River, my favorite artist.
M: Dry the River changed my life as we know it. I also went through a stage in my life where I only listened to Third Eye Blind.
L: yes I know about that stage in your life
M: It was back in those times where you only had a CD player and you had like two albums from the same artist in your like how I love them and like they're amazing and wonderful and so is one of those times where that's just that was it that was my life it consumed my every day and it's also weird to think that there's some people who don't get that people who like
L: You like to go a day without like no listening without listening to music. (No double negatives) they blow my mind or like if you get in the car and you don't put on music
M: At the same time when was the last time you turned on your car and then went to the radio for music instead of your phone?
L: never I have literally probably since I got my car, what I was 17? I don't listen to my radio
M: And I really don't either and like it's kind of weird for me cause whenever I am in someone else's car and they turn on the radio I have no idea what song is even on
L: I feel like I forget the radio exist
M: And I don't like- it’s to the point where I don't really remember if it's AM or FM until I actually
L: STOP
M: I had a moment where I was like it’s AM right? That’s the one all the channels are on right?
L: At work my boss was like Hey I'm going to need your opinion on like what's popular to listen to nowadays and I was like good luck cuz I don't listen to the radio. Like I don't listen to top 40 so I have no idea. But that's the thing. That's how people know that I'm Different is because like a really popular top 40 song will come on and I'll be like I don't know this song and they're like how have you not heard the song? the only time I've heard the song is like maybe like while I'm walking through Target because they play like the radio
M: I love that like that like that’s how people know that you're different
L: because it's like It stands out when you don't like honestly like I can go like I'm on Spotify right now I can go to like brows and like top 40 songs I guarantee you I won't know them
M: yeah I mean I can definitely relate to that and I remember there was like that like time in Middle School where like I kind of had to listen to the radio because that's all my mom would put on so yeah
L: Yeah no totally there was like a switch
M: Yeah like did your parents listening to anything in the influence like you and your tastes now?
L: yeah yeah because my dad I mean my dad loves like old music still my mom does but she doesn't actively listen to it so like she's not as like nostalgic about it I don't feel like as my dad is where he's like I love the Beatles I love the Rolling Stones I Love Led Zeppelin. like I Love Led Zeppelin because it's like my dad. But yeah I'm literally I'm on United States top 50 right now I don't know a single song
M: And I just went to my like my daily mix and all of these are like James Young James Bay Bastille Bright Eyes Arcade Fire Avery James
L: I listen to every James that makes music.
M: Yeah if your name is James and you make noise I'm here for you
L: like the number one songs by an artist called juice world.
M: I don't know what that means.
L: What is Juice World?
M: All I know is that Chance the rapper has a song named juice and like I feel like I have like all like one artist from a weird specific genre and then like none of the other ones.
L: Okay so my daily mixes.. and I'm not even going to say the artist I’m going to say the genres they’re trying to box my music type into right, so the first one is Like Instrumental music Like Instrumental as in like acousticy piano stuff right then it's like Lo-Fi hip hop then it's Indie alternative stuff then it's Christian music um but like indie Christian music not like popular Christian music, then it’s videogame soundtracks.
M: You listening to video game soundtracks has totally bled into me listening to video game soundtracks.
L: For me to like sum everything up it's like there's always going to be like a certain song, album, genre, that you can go to to sum up how you're feeling. And it varies a lot for me whether it's classical music, video game soundtracks, or musicals there's always going to beTo and listen to and like fall in love with and express how I feel and that's like the best thing for me about having a music taste that varies.
M: And it can be weird like figuring out what you do and don't like but it just kind of lets you enjoy more of everything
L: And like, I don't actually like begrudge people for what they're intol you don't like it's what they're into and like everyone find something different he's like super cool
M: Yeah no totally. Well it's been great talking to you about music, friend.
Hello everyone, my name’s Randi and I’m making this podcast for my Advanced Exposition class at the University of Florida. I am demonstrating my ability to compare and contrast lyrical music and instrumental music. In just a little bit, I’ll be interviewing my friend, Arthell.
So, some people only listen to lyrical music, others only listen to instrumental music, and the rest of us listen to both kinds of music.
Instrumental music does not contain any words. Lyrical music contains instrumental music and words and is probably the more popular of the two.
Most people commonly think of instrumental music only as classical kind of music composed by people such as Beethoven and Bach, however it does have many different forms. Instrumental music can be made with electronics. My class recently did a project where we used Arduinos or circuits and a circuit board connected to a computer to make electronic sounds. The Arduinos can be programmed to make music using various codes on a programming software. Instrumentals were commonly heard in rock-and-roll and rhythm-and-blues in the late 1950s. Jazz is a common form of instrumental music along with movie soundtracks today. My favorite instrumental musical group is the Blue Man group. I’ve seen them in concert while I lived in Chicago and it was AMAZING!!
Lyrical music, as we all know, has many, many forms. There is country, hip hop, rap, pop, rock, and many other genres of lyrical music. Lyrical music doesn’t just involve singing. Acapella uses the vocal skills of people to make music with their mouths and generally have a lead singer or a number of singers. The movie Pitch Perfect is a great example, along with the group Pentatonix.
Instrumental music is listened to for various reasons or in various situations. For some people, instrumentals are listened to relax. I listen to instrumental music for sleeping better, studying, and concentrating better. The brain responds to various frequencies. By using Binaural beats and isochronic tones, which are a combination of alpha, beta, delta, and theta waves along with other sounds, you can help shape brain activity for studying, concentrating, and so much more!
Now we’ll get Arthell’s perspective.
Which kind of music do you prefer to listen to?
Arthell: Instrumental.
Why do you prefer instrumental music?
Arthell: I feels like today’s music has let me down. I grew up in a time listening to rap and jazz with artists such as Kenny G. and 2Pac, Busta Rhymes. Today there are people called mumble rappers, as a genre, where you can only understand them if you’re drunk or using their drug of choice. So, if you’re sober and listening to the radio and hear that song, you can’t understand it. You have to ask a younger person of today’s generation what they said, and even then, they may not know until they watch a youtube video with subtitles to get the lyrics.
Do you listen to lyrical music at all?
Arthell:Yes.
What kind of lyrical music you listen to?
Arthell: Of lyrical music, growing up, I used to listen to a little bit of underground hip hop such as battle rapping.
What is battle rapping?
Arthell:It’s when one rapper has a disagreement with another rapper, similar to the movie “8 Mile.”
What about today’s lyrical music?
Arthell: Today, I prefer to listen to K-Pop or Korean pop because if I’m going to listen to something I don’t understand, I might as well listen to a foreign kind of music.
Where did your interest in K-Pop come from?
Arthell: A friend introduced me to K-Pop and even though I didn’t understand the lyrics, it had an awesome beat. I like judge music 70 percent on the quality of the beats and the rest on the lyrics. Take Lil Wayne, “I don’t care for his words or lyrics much, but I cannot deny his beats.” “Even if your lyrics are garbage, I can still cope with it if the beats are there”
You dance to hip hop and Zumba for exercise. How would you say they make you feel?
Arthell:Before I hear a song, it clicks in my mind is this going to be a fun song, difficult song, happy, easy, or energetic song.
What about during the song?
Arthell:During the song, in order to give 100 percent to dancing I’m focused on controlling my breathing because that is what I learned through MMA fighting and not getting gassed out for an hour.
How do you feel afterwards?
Arthell:Afterwards, accomplished and very happy.
Why do you say that?
Arthell:Because I’ve made it through another hour of Zumba and I know I burned a lot of calories and there’s a great sense of feeling that you had fun… It’s just like going to the club.
Listen to Old School Hip Hip vs. Modern Hip Hop vs. R & B by M'Isha Hughes #np on #SoundCloud
-MH
Genres, Genres, Genres. There's so many different genres of music. What's your favorite genre? Today I will be talking about; You guessed it hip hop and R & B. More specifically I will be discussing the differences between old school rap and modern rap, and the differences between hip hop and R & B. just for your information, rap and hip hop is not the same thing. Rap is a form of hip hop and hip hop is actually a culture that comes from the black community.
Hip hop first originated as a "fad" and no one really thought it would last nor did anyone take it seriously. Hip hop presented a new voice for artists. Artists would speak about African American empowerment, unity, and peace. However, a group brought a voice to the hip hop world that was unfiltered and more "aggressive", and that group was known as N.W.A. The lyrics of N.W.A would express how they felt about things like oppression. For example, the song "F**k da Police" from the 1980's caused many problems and uproar not just from police but from parents who though it was negatively affecting their children. Lyrics of old school hip hop also had many positive messages. For example, in Tupac's song "Keep Ya' Head Up" (Tupac Shakur), he raps about the adversities of life in African American communities and encouraging them to stay strong. He talks about how he would "be there" for single mothers who are raising their kids in poverty, even "if no else cared". Old school hip hop was a platform for artists to express their feelings about oppression and uplift others with hope. There was also a more natural and authentic sound for voices in old school hip hop. However, for the instrumental, many artists used "sampling". This was a method that utilized older R & B songs to create new instrumentals.
Modern hip hop varies from old school in many ways. The topics of modern rap often centers around money, drugs, and sex. There is rarely any uplifting lyrics in modern rap. As far as sound, hooks on modern rap songs are often simple and repetitive and many artists use auto tone (a device that auto corrects out of tune vocals) to enhance the sound and quality of their voices. However, artists today are able to create original beats for instrumentals on their songs because of the technology that currently exists. Now back to the lyrics. As mentioned before, artists often rap about drugs, money, or sex. For example, the rap group MIGOS has a song called "Designer Drugs" where they rap about being an addict for things like percocets, molly, and xanaz.
Now I'm going to compare Hip Hop to R & B, also known as rhythm and blues. It is a style that is defined and originates from the 1980's disco and combines funk music, soul music, and pop. The instrumentals are often softer, slower, and more sensual. The lyrics are often explicit and talks about making love, being in love, or sex. Yes, there is a difference between songs about making love and songs about sex and I will briefly explain those differences. Songs that talk about making love are usually more passionate and romantic whereas songs about sex is more explicit and raunchy. This genre is also inspired by and utilizes hip hop beats. Artists will also usually sing instead of rapping their lyrics in this genre. Lyrics are sometimes used to express thoughts about love, being in love, or even being broken hearted. For example, Mary J Blige has a song called "I'm Not Gon' Cry" (Mary J. Blige) which is about getting over a broken heart and being strong as a woman. She says "I'm not gon' shed no tears cuz you're not worth my tears". Moreover, Trey Songs is an artist who is known for sexual lyrics. He has a song called "Invented Sex". I'm not going to get into details because the tile is pretty self-explanatory.
Overall, rap music is usually more upbeat with a faster tempo. The lyrics can be pretty aggressive and explicit. I usually listen to this type of music when I’m working out or cleaning. On the other hand, R & B is often slow and smooth. It can be considered more relaxing and therapeutic. I listen to this type of music when I'm studying, showering, or pathetically trying to get over a broken heart.
Works cited:
Barnes, Paul K. "Hip Hop: Then vs. Now". Odyssey. 18 April 2016. Web. Accessed June 17, 2018.
"Rhythm and Blues". New World Encyclopedia. Web. Accessed June 17, 2018.
