I have
gone through three significant phases of having a favorite music. The first
phase, and the phase that allowed me to seek knowledge of other genres of
music, was Classic Rock. As a young African American girl attending a small
inner city Catholic high school in predominantly Black Newark, NJ, that was
pretty odd. I had a handful of friends who were into Rock in high school, so
they were my primary influence into getting into Rock music. My friends told me
that listening to Classic Rock REALLY helps them get their history homework
done, so that’s what I started doing. I ended up liking a few songs and buying
them for myself. Classic Rock came to me in kind of a strange way. Besides
having a handful of friends who were into that and Alternative Rock, I still
barely paid it any attention, besides the fact that I loved the band Paramore.
One day in my religion class during sophomore year, my super cool teacher Mr.
Gambone had us write down a list of 25 of our favorite songs for some reason I
don’t remember. I got excited and listed down my favorites. It was a list of
vastly different genres, and I took pride in that. After I read my list aloud,
my teacher, Mr. Gambone, freaked out. His jaw hit the floor once he heard me
read Led Zeppelin’s “Fool in the Rain”, a few Jimi Hendrix songs, and about two
or three prominent Rock musicians’ songs. He told me I should go tell our
principal about me liking Led Zep and Jimi, because he has a collection of
their discography that he is sure he would love to give me. I was like “….
okay” and Mr. Gambone actually ended taking me to Mr. Cuddihy, our principal,
himself. He excitedly told Mr. Cuddihy about my list, and Mr. Cuddihy got
excited too. He told me to come back after school so he can give me copies of
four Led Zeppelin albums, and a Jimi Hendrix compilation CD. I told my parents
about my awesome day, and my father laughed and made sure to thank my principal
and teacher the next day when he took me to school.
My
second phase was and still is the music I listen to the most now. I discovered
Hip Hop right when I was about to give up on it. I have always hated mainstream
Hip Hop, because of my dad. He used to DJ and produce House music, and he was
the first person in my life to leave a musical influence on me. Whenever he
would turn on the radio, he would quickly get irritated because the music that
would be on the radio usually sounded the same and had little to no lyrical
quality and was either vulgar or senseless. I began to understand what he meant
as I got older. I did try to get into mainstream Pop and Hip Hop music when I
got into high school, but I gave up quickly because the music did not allow me
to connect to it and I the only emotion I had while listening to it was anger.
It was just boring to me. As time went on, I started to discover older Hip Hop
acts. I also discovered a few underground and Alternative Hip Hop. I did not
know Hip Hop had a past that was so rich with history and knowledge! Once I
started learning about Hip Hop’s past, I fell in love. I gravitated to the
older recordings, specifically to Hip Hop of the 1990’s. The was the music was
created through sampling, the way emcees/rappers would speak on their records,
and all of the knowledge some of the emcees would give to the listeners hit my
heart. There was an exact day that I fell in love with Hip Hop music, too. It
was December 26, 2011, the day after Christmas. This was during my senior year
of high school, and I was 17 years old. I got a couple of iTunes gift
cards for Christmas and was itching to buy some new music. I decided to try and
get some good Hip Hop songs or albums and add to my growing interest of “real”
Hip Hop music. (I was introduced to “real” Hip Hop the year prior; Aesop Rock’s
song “None Shall Pass” changed my life and encouraged me to look for more lyricists.)
I Googled
things such as “alternative hip hop” and “best hip hop songs of all time” to
see what gems I could dig up. I went on a bunch of random sites and saw a
common thing: Common Sense (who now just goes by Common)’s song “I Used to Love
H.E.R.” It was listed on many different sites as one of the greatest Hip Hop
songs ever. I HAD to check it out. I proceeded to look at the Wikipedia article
for the song. I read yet again about its prominence in the genre. Then, I
glanced at something that said the song held a double meaning. He raps as if he
is speaking about a lost love, but really, he is talking about Hip Hop. I
shouldn’t have read on!! I have a tendency to ruin things for myself. I went on
ruining things by reading the lyrics before I thought of listening to the song.
I read, and felt “meh” about it. Love song with an interesting twist… but THE
LAST LINES OF THE SONG! What?? He’s talking about Hip Hop? (I finally
understood that Wiki article, sort of).
I quickly decided to actually listen to the song. I went
on YouTube and searched “Common I Used to Love Her”. First thought: “Sheesh
this vid is so old and grainy and low quality!” But I enjoyed it very much. I
loved the visuals and loved how it was an actual video, not some la di la in a
big room with a green screen and other “music video” clichés. Then I started
really listening. I truly enjoyed the music! The piano was soothing, the guitar
was smooth, the drums were TIGHT, and the bass. THE BASS. Now, I’m a sucker for
bass lines. I think I started bobbing my head. His flow, the way he rode the “I
Used to Love H.E.R.” beat, was all too cool. His words dove into the track with
pure grace. I loved how connected his voice was to the music. During the while,
I tried to pay close attention to the lyrics; I was drawn in. Hearing him
actually say the words was more impactful than reading them. During my listen,
I was impressed. It was a typical love song, but at the same time, it wasn’t.
The way he spoke and the words he rapped were different than anything else I’ve
heard. Listening to the lyrics was also sad, because his first love, from whom
he know from age 10, basically became someone who changed herself for
popularity. Then… we get to the end of the song. That last line.
“But I’ma take it back
y’all and let this _ stop/ ‘cause who I’m talkin’ ‘bout, y’all, is HIP HOP”
I was
mesmerized. I just knew I had to play it again. I was in trouble now. I found
an actual song that made all the sense in the world. I was “grounded”, and my
punishment was to find even more music like this. December 26, 2011. The day my
life changed. I now had a favorite song of all time. I now have a song that
expressed all of my feelings towards a genre that I thought I knew, but didn’t.
This was the only time in my life I truly vividly remember a moment in my
musical memory. This was significant because this was the very song that
introduced me to a genre that I had initially turned my back on.
The Hip
Hop band The Roots also helped me fall in love with Hip Hop music. They are an
actual band of musicians from Philadelphia that was created in 1987 and
released their first album in 1993. I also discovered The Roots via a Google
search for “alternative hip hop”. What
made them stand out to me was the fact that they were a band that played Hip
Hop music! I had no idea that the two can be combined. The Roots showed me that
you should never let anything restrict you from doing what you love. Once I
heard a few songs of theirs when I was about 15, I became hooked. I ended up
collecting their whole discography over time. They became my first favorite
musicians, group, and band (because there are major differences between the
three in Hip Hop music). I loved how innovative they were, and how they
challenged themselves on every album and in every show. They are known for
their amazing live shows, and have been said to be one of the greatest live
acts of all time in music. The founders of The Roots, Black Thought the emcee
and Questlove, the drummer, are one of the greatest in the genre. Black Thought
is usually put into the list of “All Time Greatest” for emcees/rappers and
Questlove is known for being a tastemaker and continuously impressing fans and
peers with his talent. The Roots are now on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy
Fallon, which was a great move for them and for Hip Hop. This allowed people to
see that The Roots are absolutely a household name and that Hip Hop is more
than just hits. The Roots do not make music for attaining hits, they create
albums for an experience. They have critical acclaim rather than star status.
Questlove
became my all time favorite musician because of the way he is able to craft
albums and shows with ease. Questlove is also responsible helping me fall into
my third phase of my favorite music: Neo Soul. Not many Neo Soul musicians
actually like that term, but many fans love to use that term to differentiate
them from regular R&B acts. Neo Soul is a genre that has musicians who
truly appreciate the Soul and Jazz music of the past. They create music that
encompasses those two genres as well as include Hip Hop grooves, as well as
include lyrics that are more personal and more in tune to social issues.
Questlove, a long with a few more of my favorite musicians, created a Neo Soul
and Hip Hop group called the Soulquarians. The Soulquarians are responsible for
a few albums that were recorded in Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland studio
between 1996-2003. Some of the albums were The Roots’ Things Fall Apart, D’angleo’s Voodoo,
Erykah Badu’s Mama’s Gun, Bilal’s First Born Second, Mos Def’s Black on Both Sides, Common’s Like Water for Chocolate and a handful
of others. The Soulquarians helped establish Neo Soul and were a collective of
like-minded musicians, singers, and rappers that had a knack for their craft
and a passion for true music from the soul. They loved offbeat rhythms and
irregular chords, and Motown. Although the Soulquarians did not put out an
official Soulquarians and are not exactly working on music together as the
official collective, they still live on and helped spin off a well loved genre.
The
Soulquarians and The Roots, as well as a few Jazz musicians, also helped me
find my favorite musical instrument, which is the Fender Rhodes. They
incorporate the Rhodes in almost every song and album they have ever made. The
moment I found out that it was the Rhodes that was creating that beautiful
melody that sounded like it was coming from a weird piano, I told myself I
don’t want to learn how to play the piano until I get my hands on a Rhodes. The
sound of the Rhodes smacks me in the face and encompasses my head in such a way
I cannot explain.
The
one song I would program for an “end of the world” ceremony has to be The
Roots’ “Make My” from their 2011 album Undun.
Undun is a concept story told in
reverse chronological order. It is based on the unfortunate tale of a fictional
young Black male, Redford Stevens, who subsequently walked down the wrong path.
The beginning of the album represents his death and the very end represents his
struggles living as a Black man trying to survive. On “Make My”, the third
track, Stevens is in the throes of death. The end of the song includes an
instrumental coda, signifying the death of Stevens. The listener is brought
into a sonic whirlwind with the complexity of a rolling synth bass and “oooh’s”
of the piano synth. The coda signifies Redford Steven’s “departure from the
world” (this phrase is a part of the hook of the song). The music and the
lyrics capture the pain and agony that Stevens is enduring while he is dying.
It is a dark, somber piece, and it captures the essence of what happens when
one is at the end of the road and on the brink of death. I find that it would
be the perfect song for the end of the world!
I
feel that I have finally come to understand who I am and what I like and love.
I am at a place where I do not have to explain to people why I do and don’t
like certain types of music. I don’t have to explain to people that “I just
don’t like Pop music” or “I just can’t get into Country” and “I don’t care for
EDM”. Just because I don’t like these genres doesn’t mean I am a bad person.
I’m just a person who simply doesn’t want to hear those genres. I’m my own
little person and I deserve to have my own opinions. I have never told a person
that they were weird or strange for liking a certain kind of music, because
I’ve been there. I’ve been criticized for liking what I like, and it truly does
hurt being virtually the only person who listens to certain genres or artists.
You feel that you are alone in your tastes and you will never have anyone to
talk about your passions with. This is why I always encourage people to love
what they love, even if I don’t love it. Yes, I wouldn’t want to hear it, but I
will never criticize someone for their tastes. I believe this says that I am a
person who continues to understand that humans are completely complex
creatures. My musical identity is strictly unique to me and only me. There will
never be another Mesha who is obsessed with The Roots the way I am. My musical
identity is made up of random bits and pieces that come together and say “she
loves left of center music that speaks on social issues and is built from the
inspiration of past musicians and the future of self expression”.
No comments:
Post a Comment