Through the Musical Looking Glass

From a basic, technical standpoint, music is nothing more than a series of notes, words, and instruments arranged together with the sole intent of telling a story and eliciting a specific emotional response. However, in reality, music is so much more. Music is a way of sharing common culture and values. It is a way of relating to each other in a very personal way. As a catharsis, it allows us to release feelings of extreme happiness, joy, and sadness. As such, music represents the emotional history of a group of people, civilization, or generation. Or, at least, this is what music used to be. However, in recent years, what is being referred to as "music" is, in fact, the antithesis of true music. Specifically, one genre in particular has taken the predominant position of what, at least in appearances, represents the current collective ethos of our culture. That being said, further analysis of this so-called musical genre needs to take place in order to understand what is truly going on.

The first thing that one needs to accept is that this type of "music" contains no actual music. It contains no instruments being played or no singing being performed. Rather it consists only of electronically produced bass and what is usually nothing more than street thugs spewing a steady stream of vulgarities in a rhyming manner. Of course, instead of the innocent rhyming of poetry and nursery rhymes, this genre represents nothing more than a profanity filled diatribe of, and disrespect toward, authority, glorification of drugs, violence and gangs, and the complete degradation of women.

While an older generation's denouncement of newer music genres is nothing new, the current situation is far removed from anything else which has come before. This type of denouncement usually occurs because newer forms of music tend to challenge the adult generational viewpoint of morality. The younger generation has always needed a way to separate themselves from the generation that came before. This includes reexamining the value systems of previous generations in order to arrive at one that may be more relevant to their lives. Consequently, these values and morals become reflected in the new culture and music. This is where the current situation deviates from the norm.

Originating from urban drug and gang culture, the values represented in the current "voice of the new generation", actually only represents a very small, fringe element of our society. The values as such, are nothing more than anger and hatred focused from a very violent oriented lifestyle. These are certainly not the values held by the average, middle or upper class American. Nor are these values representative of any specific race or culture even though racism and sexism are at the very core of this genre. This lack of connection between the music and value system creates a very interesting yet disturbing dichotomy.

The terms fringe, subculture and counterculture are used to denote cultures that deviate from the norm. Such cultures have always existed. By pure definition, such deviant beliefs and expressions of beliefs, are not part of the accepted norms of society. This is the opposite of the situation currently at hand, which is that the fringe culture has taken the place of mainstream culture, i.e. the counterculture has seemingly become the mainstream culture. It is though we are through the looking glass were up is down and right is wrong. We are now living in a world were suburban housewives routinely use street and drug slang without any regard or knowledge to it's etymology and white, middle/upper class teenagers proudly flash urban gang signs whenever a camera is pointed in their direction. The exposure to and influence from this genre is now inescapable. Pull up to a stoplight or into a gas station, and the vulgarities are blasting from the car beside you. Every movie and TV show seems to have a requisite of at least one scene encompassing said genre. We are living in a world now where a group of thugs talking about how difficult it is to be a pimp is actually considered an Oscar winning song. So, are we to truly believe that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences members actually enjoyed this song and felt it to be of Oscar material? I think not.

If this genre does not represent the actual moral climate and true musical tastes of our society, then the obvious question is, how has it been allowed to take such a hold onto our culture. First and foremost, it comes down to appearances, fear, and over-sensitivity. Since the origins of and predominant participants in this genre are of a specific racial background, any denouncement thereof is considered or feared to be considered, racism by some. Our society as a whole, teaches us that being racist is one of the worst things that one can be. This has lead to an over-sensitivity to even a threat of being labeled a racist. As such, this fear has essentially subjugated the mainstream public to "accepting" anything that appears to be derived or belonging within a certain racial heritage. Going one step further, some actually begin to embrace certain elements in a sort of musical Stockholm Syndrome effect in order to prove to everyone, including themselves, just how un-racist that they are. This type of embracing-in-order-to-fit-in mentality is especially prominent with highly impressionable teenagers.

The primary flaw in this type of thinking is that what is being addressed here, has nothing to do with race. Rather, it is an issue of morality, decency, and respect toward our fellow human beings. The values represented in this genre are clearly reprehensible to any decent person, regardless of race. A thug is a thug regardless what ethnic background they may come from. Accepting something simply based on race is just as evil as denouncing something based solely on race. Furthermore, as previously stated, this genre is derived from urban drug and gang culture. It is not a representative of any ethnic heritage per se. The only representation that it presents is that of the gangster. Condoning such a representation not only continues to foster the propagation of drug use, hatred and violence; it also creates an idolization of common street criminals and their culture.

Like an old movie where the entire town keeps quite due to being afraid of retribution from the local gang, an unprecedented silence has arisen around this genre. No one is allowed to speak negatively regarding any aspect therein lest the racist moniker will be brought out. Politicians and religious leaders understand that being the first to admonish such a thing would represent political suicide, so no one speaks up. Therefore, the pink elephant continues to sit in the living room while everyone quietly drinks the Koolaid. However, the time has come for someone to step up and make a stand. It is time for church and community leaders to speak up and speak out. It is time for balance between right and wrong. Between moral and amoral, respect and depravity. Simply put, it is time for a return to decency.