Somewhere in the Melody...

My friend (we'll call her Smiley), and I were having a conversation not to long ago about the direction of modern music, specifically rap. Now, neither of us are the I HATE RAP MUSIC, IT'S JUST NOISE crowd, but we did have very different views about standards of music. Smiley contends that there should be no standard for rap or popular music because it would limit the variety of music. her general reasoning was that different people like different things and a standard would exclude some.

I disagree wholeheartedly. I would argue that there is a standard whether or not we want it to be and that standard is currently too low. I believe that the quality of music, both sound and lyrical creativity suffer from mediocrity. If the high point of standard is mediocre, then the bottom of the curve results in pure foolishness running the industry. the creative element in fact diminishes because the artistry itself is devalued.

I used Lil Wayne as my example. I'm not saying he is garbage, I think he's a decent rapper, but if he is the best in the game, then there is no wonder that Soulja Boy Tell'em, who doesn't even rap (or use coherent words), and Plies, who falls below the redeeming quality meter, make it in the industry. I personally think all three are formulatic artists- talk about sex, drugs, sex, hoes, sex, shine, and sex and you can make it... with the right promotion. This decreases rather than sustains creativity. Now, do I like to listen to BS sometimes? Yes, but the difference between modern music trends and my traditionalist view is that traditionally the industry and consumers were willing to call BS just that. The musicianship and lyrical content were more valued than mass "appeal" (which if you look research, this appeal only considers what you will listen to before you get disgusted and turn the radio station, not whether you the consumer actually like what you are listening to). The challenge to create quality and appeal spawned creativity and motivated variety.

I don't write this to put down others taste, but damn can there be a little more out there that A & T rhymes? Can I turn on my radio and not hear the same 5 BS songs every hour because others are not willing to go beyond what can sell to think about what can make a difference? Yes, everyone I've mentioned probably has more money than me. So? When they die, they will be someone no one remembers because the next guy is using the same formula with a new face and is making a killing. I get it, the rap hustle is about the green. For most of these cats, it's not about the music, it's about the money, but I AM NOT YOUR HUSTLE. Don't sell me rat poison and call it rosemary.

I'm passionate about this topic for a reason: a rap song saved my life. There was a time when I was willing to die in order to end the pain I was feeling. I thought about suicide on several occasions during this time. Playa Fly, a local Memphis artist, had a song out at the time called "Write Sum Bump." This song was a saving grace. I remember the lyrics out the top of my head:

Fly write some bump to take the pain out
if I wasn't high I'd probably try to blow my brains out
It's hopeless, this shit was in us as a baby ...

I desperately needed to hear that someone else was going through that kind of pain. I needed to know that I wasn't alone. I needed to know HOW to cope.

The game was put off in me,(be)'fore I was put in the game
and Fly was going through struggles, before I'm knowing my name
with me and muff in a bug, two towns above I was drug
left Bill with no knowledge of this can't be motherly love
Miskican Heights where she fled, but later ran into feds
she move that boy and that girl, right where we rested our heads
as they arrived on the scene, I'm reaching two years in age
left by a pole in and pamper and shedding tears full of rage
I told her 'I wanna go,' and that's what started to hurt her
she cried I'm going downtown and you can't go it's to dirty
and now my that my muff abducted, I'm left alone and corrupt
but to my rescue he flew, with no if ands or buts
off in a 72 impala with Jack and Poo,
they came and got playa, playa just like not nothing was new
and to this day he been resting and SPV catching blessings
I thank Allah for my father and for the son he requested
and Playa

He told me his story in his rap, and it gave me hope because he survived. Yeah, it sucked and it was hard and the scars are real. He may not have a diamond ring to show for it, but he lived to tell his story, not some cliche thug narrative (that are way too often fabricated to fit a persona). This was not some track on the album after you heard about how many women he gets on the radio, but rather a testament played on the airwaves, and it saved my life! His single represented his album which represented all facets of him.

I began writing while listening to his music. I began writing to release my generational pain. I began writing because he said his ability to write stood between him and death. Far to few mainstream rappers today have said anything remotely worth remembering, let alone changing someone's life. I respect a hustle, but to me, with music, so much more than money is at stake. The power of the pen is more that selling CDs and the occasional concerts and platinum. Why are you wasting thirty-two bars saying the same thing you said in your last single? Why are you wasting a tight beat spitting illogical cliches as a chorus line? Why are you disrespecting the art?