I've been saying this for ages.
Here's a few things:
- Yes, times change and music changes as well.
- It's good for music to change because otherwise we'd all be bored with it.
- I know there's some dope underground stuff, but underground used to also sometimes be mainstream as well.
- Yes, I'm older so my views and tastes are different from the younger generation.
With that being said, the music today is just straight hot garbage. I'm always on the lookout for new music and I try to keep up to date but it's just so bad now.
Why? Let's see:
Mixing.
I always listen to how the music sounds, and it's just terrible. I understand that the way music is mixed today is much different than years ago, but it doesn't mean it's right. Nowadays the engineers put too much of everything on each track, compress the hell out of it and slam it really hot so when you look at a song's waveform it's just a constant blur.
What people always have to remember is people will be listening to your music, and you don't want to tire out their ears. So making the entire mix super hot to me is a big NO.
Quality.
Rappers today aren't saying anything. It's all garbage. We literally have a style of rapping called "mumble rap". WTF? Gone are the days of quality lyrics and quality delivery.
As for the music, the same can be said for beat makers. Everyone is trying to do the same style of music and what ends up happening is everyone sounds the same. Thus, the music is nothing special and no one stands out.
Everyone thinks or wants to be a star.
This is probably the biggest out of all my points. There's a much greater population on this planet so there's a greater percentage of people that want to be famous. Some want to be Rap stars, and some want to be super rich like Dr. Dre. Most likely none of that is going to happen to any of you.
But it doesn't stop people from trying. I admire the hustle, but this brings me back to my previous point in that you need to stand out from the rest.
The music industry sucks.
Rap music has largely been based on samples. This is why there have been so many dope songs over the years, and it's also another reason why the music today is hurting. Let's face it - if you're not a musician it's much harder for you to compose an entire song. You may know a few chords here and there, but it takes much more than that to come up with something really dope. Rap music without samples just doesn't sound the same. There are some really nice beats out there without samples but the ones with samples (if done properly), sound way better.
Other genres.
As for other genres like Pop, Rock, Dance, etc., it's pretty much the same thing - lots of people doing the same thing. Then when you add in the whole internet streaming aspect, you're left with a really dried up music industry with everyone trying "to make it".
It's all about money.
This means anyone involved in the music industry will do whatever it takes for profits. If that means sounding like someone else or dressing up in a stupid outfit for a music video, that's what they'll do.
Here's something good:
