It's come to my attention that there's a niche group of people who just assume that every last song that has ever been release was created with the intention of impressing them. Now, before I continue, let me just say that this blog post doesn't come from a place of anger; it's more of a public service announcement.
Okay, so let me teach you about a wonderful little thing called 'Uses & Gratification' theory. UGT is 'an approach to understanding why and how people actively seek out specific media to satisfy specific needs'. In other words; what do we personal get/feel in reaction to media releases. The approach is great for conversation as we all read media in different ways.
Now, let's apply this theory directly to the music industry by looking at clear examples of where UGT has been mistreated.
FORMATION
The backlash this song received was so unnecessary and over exaggerated. After performing the pro-black anthem at the 50th Superbowl this past February, Beyoncé was accused of being part of the 'racist' Black Panther group because of visual references included the performance. I had personally heard comments that the group are 'anti-white' and in one case were labelled as a 'terrorist group'. Considering the group were advocating for equal rights for women, and were protesting directly against the government - it's confusing to see where white people saw this as a threat.
The song was also seen as 'anti-police' - again, being read inaccurately. The short film raises important issues regarding the #BlackLivesMatter programme, the New Orleans floods from 2005 and police brutality - but never goes against police lives as a whole. No violent imagery was used in the music video, other than a black child dancing in front of a (wait for it) line of police officers... standing in formation.
"Okay ladies, now let's get in formation" - they are standing up to the brutality, much like the police are standing in position. It's empowering, but clearly not trying to mock/equal the role of a police officer.
It can be said that Beyoncé's reputation has been tarnished since the release, but hey... when you've still got the team to get you a number 1 album round the world, and have an equally as successful FILM to accompany your album, not much else can or should be said. There is a reason Beyoncé is so big; it's because she is an intelligent and smart black artist with a message.
Possibilities of UGT here:
- Beyoncé as a powerful black female lead
- Feminist advocate
- Human rights advocate
- Humanitarian
- Black Rights advocate
- Equal rights advocate
- It's a fucking bop of a song, let's just listen and enjoy the fucking self empowering song. CAUSE I SLAY
BITCH BETTER HAVE MY MONEY
It's very easy sometimes to forget that musical artists are still classes as 'artists' - whether you agree with the term for mainstream artists (such as Rihanna) or not is redundant to the quality of this post. In July of 2015, Rihanna blessed us with one of the songs that ultimately didn't make the cut for her 8th studio album, Anti. BBHMM was released and Rihanna has put under the spotlight for supposedly endorsing gun crime, violence, and the act of kidnapping. For those who have not watched, or have little interest in watching the video; Rihanna is seen at an ATM with significantly low funds after striking a deal with largely successful male (we can assume). As a form of revenge, Rihanna and her clique abduct his attractive young wife and torture her in multiple ways while also avoiding the consequences of the law. In the modern world, we can nearly all come to the unanimous decision that kidnapping is wrong - yes? Correct. But is it fair to say that Rihanna is the first to demonstrate acts of violence in media texts? No.
With games such as Grand Theft Auto - the most fastest selling media type of all time (so far), where the objective of them game is to grind and hustle yourself through the American law system. Within the game, you are given the opportunity to pay prostitutes for sexual favours, then given the change to 'reclaim' your money by beating her or killing her. This is also not me condoning this kind of behaviour, but violence really is all around us. 'The Human Centipede' is also pretty violent if you ask me!
So why did Rihanna cause so much stir? Well, as a successful female artist, there are supposed 'roles' you have to adhere to in order for your career to grow. The main is to be a role model for a considerably younger audience - which isn't very normal for a 28-year-old woman (at the time of writing) to be doing. Having a career that has already lasted 11 years; Rihanna's going to have something to say! She's got stories, she's experienced love, she's experienced abuse. It's time for her to creative discussion - so what better way, than to challenge traditional representations of women in the media?
Possibilites of UGT here:
- Rihanna as a strong, black woman in the lead role
- Rebelling against societal norms
- Representations of various female body types within the video
- Displays alternative fashion choices within the video
- Used as a form of 'escapism' - much like GTA
- We can relate to the anger of financial problems
- The song is a fucking BOP. It was played on my 18th birthday in a club - so drunk, staring into a laser with hundreds of people around me?! Hell fucking yes.
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So enough of these specific examples; we still haven't reached a true definition of why 'not all music is for you'. So let's look at genre specific stuff...
Many listen to 'pop' music because of the recognisable beats and comfortable dance bpm (around 128-130 bpm is average). Most popular songs is the charts are recognisable for simple lyricism and similar chord progressions. Although it's not a specific genre, it's perfectly fine for you to like this type of music! This kind of music is made with a mass audience in mind; of course you're going to find these songs your 'guilty pleasures' or the songs you can't help but sing-a-long to - that's exactly what it's for!
Dance music/EDM/Dubstep/Trap music also have similar qualities. Many songs that fall into these genres have similar drum patterns and mix well in DJ sets - they are designed to be progressive and take you on trip of emotions. Many start with a simple repetitive drum pattern and introduce new instruments on every 8/16 count beat. All of this instrumental build progresses before the 'drop' - the music has been constructed to create anticipation within you. Will it be an impressive, high energy drop? Will it be a dirty, grimy, underground base? That's why people love the genre universally.
Rock/Alternative music is centred round raw-emotion. Plenty of people will seek out rock/alternative types for a narrative and reliability factor within the lyrics. Heavy rock/Metal evokes anger and frustration - which can be used as a release for those who are fans of the sub-genre. Much like GTA is used for escapism from the 'struggles of the real world', the same gratification can be achieved with metal. Alternative music can be centred around anything from love, to mental health, to broken homes - anything. It's all about the narrative in which the artist was in when writing - and that's something really special. The gratification here is the intimacy between artist and consumer.
So hopefully now, someone will be able to see that not all music was tailored specifically for you. There is a difference between receiving gratification for the media you consume and your personal taste. My personal taste is a blend of pop music and RnB, but I definitely have my fair share of rock music and cheesy classic in my iTunes for those days where I need to evoke certain emotions. Generally speaking, I'm not a very angry person; so I don't receive much gratification, nor can I use heavy metal in my life. We've come to the conclusion that the sub-genre 'Metal' was not made for me. So what do I do? I don't listen to it. I ignore the genre. I move on with my life. There are plenty of options for me to choose - and I know that there will never be a shortage of great music in the world.
Edit:
I've decided to go for a smaller font because I thought my posts were quite over-bearing and didn't really work with my theme. Is this working nicely or am I just discriminating against those with limited sight? We'll soon find out I suppose.
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