12th August 2005, 3:13 AM
Rap or any other music at its highest potential is a generator for day dreaming, overly dramatic romanticism and simple entertainment. If the lyrics are deep and meaningful we'll want to repeat them to a loved one or play the song when we're with them. If they're harsh or violent we'll purposefully play them as loud as we can stand it after having a bad day or lost in a stressful thought. If they're funny or sophomoric we'll use them as comedic banter, use them as ice breakers or find common ground and comradery with friends.
There are murderers, rapists, cultists etc who confessed to listening to certain music while performing their crimes but the music literally ranged from 17 century baroque and chamber music to film scores, rock anthems and rap. The music had nothing to do with the crimes being performed or the person performing them other than the person who had reached a stage in his or her life where their brain was kaplooey decided that this piece of music gives them strength in some metaphysical bullshit way to empower them and justify their crimes.
Music is literally our backdrop. We use music, not the other way around. If you find yourself humming a song at any point during the day for any reason stop and ask yourself 'why this song?’ Odds are you're thinking of that song because of a context of your own life. When ever I'm pressed for time I sing the Mission Impossible theme, when I think things have gone wrong, like I forgot to buy cigarettes while I was at the store, I’ll here Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King playing in my head. It's why music exists, to add that palpable emotional backdrop that strengthens our own personal feelings so we dont feel alone in our own little worlds.
It's incredibly powerful. There's a theme song that Mayan's used when ripping out a man's heart so that they'll get enough rain this year. There are anthems that represent and embody entire countries, governments and ideals. The other day I heard a song on television that an African culture would sing in order to make the women more fertile... music that makes babies. A new pope is chosen! here's the theme song. We're celebrating the birth of Christ, here's a few bars of a hymn - now we're mourning his death.... got a song for that too. A soldier has died in combat fighting for his country.... and here's the song to prove it. Police officer killed? That's horrible, i'll get the bagpipes. We create music when there is no existing music that gives us a particular feeling or chain of feelings and when it is available we steal it in a heartbeat and make it our own. When it rains and i'm happy I sing Singin in the Rain. When it rains and i'm feeling somber i'll sing about how they keep falling on my head. When i'm feeling introspective or weird i'll sing the Doors just because I love the line "His brain is squirming like a toad" when I actually SEE toad, IN the rain. It's like some magical moment and it's all mine.
But lyrics and instrumentation can often times definitely be offensive, or just plain piss you off. And when that happens, you should write to congress and demand that the song be removed from all public and corporate broadcast stations and banned from the United States and perhaps (depending on the level of your anger) the entire world. Or just turn it off, your choice.
There are murderers, rapists, cultists etc who confessed to listening to certain music while performing their crimes but the music literally ranged from 17 century baroque and chamber music to film scores, rock anthems and rap. The music had nothing to do with the crimes being performed or the person performing them other than the person who had reached a stage in his or her life where their brain was kaplooey decided that this piece of music gives them strength in some metaphysical bullshit way to empower them and justify their crimes.
Music is literally our backdrop. We use music, not the other way around. If you find yourself humming a song at any point during the day for any reason stop and ask yourself 'why this song?’ Odds are you're thinking of that song because of a context of your own life. When ever I'm pressed for time I sing the Mission Impossible theme, when I think things have gone wrong, like I forgot to buy cigarettes while I was at the store, I’ll here Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King playing in my head. It's why music exists, to add that palpable emotional backdrop that strengthens our own personal feelings so we dont feel alone in our own little worlds.
It's incredibly powerful. There's a theme song that Mayan's used when ripping out a man's heart so that they'll get enough rain this year. There are anthems that represent and embody entire countries, governments and ideals. The other day I heard a song on television that an African culture would sing in order to make the women more fertile... music that makes babies. A new pope is chosen! here's the theme song. We're celebrating the birth of Christ, here's a few bars of a hymn - now we're mourning his death.... got a song for that too. A soldier has died in combat fighting for his country.... and here's the song to prove it. Police officer killed? That's horrible, i'll get the bagpipes. We create music when there is no existing music that gives us a particular feeling or chain of feelings and when it is available we steal it in a heartbeat and make it our own. When it rains and i'm happy I sing Singin in the Rain. When it rains and i'm feeling somber i'll sing about how they keep falling on my head. When i'm feeling introspective or weird i'll sing the Doors just because I love the line "His brain is squirming like a toad" when I actually SEE toad, IN the rain. It's like some magical moment and it's all mine.
But lyrics and instrumentation can often times definitely be offensive, or just plain piss you off. And when that happens, you should write to congress and demand that the song be removed from all public and corporate broadcast stations and banned from the United States and perhaps (depending on the level of your anger) the entire world. Or just turn it off, your choice.