Music is getting worse
- Thread starter Fade
- Start date
I dunno. Restrictions and limitstions cause you to be more creative.
But having all this access should lead to untold levels of creative opportunity,
However, it seems to not.
Not even to diss trap, but the approach to it, from kids or these half-assed wannabes. Trap is 808, snare, hihat roll, detuned sample, random words in autotune, done. Plenty of space to be creative with it, but no one really is. And if they are, there's so much generic trap that it makes the trap elements wear on you.
I think accessibility is all good, but there simply needs to be quality control.
Couple th3 above with the whole "algorithm make content every day" nonsense, it's ruined things. It's about spamming quantity, spamming shit, to keep people engaged on platforms, so the platform makes money.
Very different to radio. There needs to be curation.
Working full time on spamming shit type beats to create content for those platforms, its not much different to being a slave in some chain grocery store stacking shelves.
The same can be said about every creative industry. Everything is either a watered down version of itself or a representation of what someone else thinks people want to hear or see. Focus groups are equally as big a problem as the people behind them and, unfortunately, everything is trending towards quick clicks and low attention spans. Platforms are created to push low effort brain rot garbage algorithmically because that shit is fucking addictive. The fast low dollar amount adds up to way more than the long run hard work. Somewhere along the lines someone figured out that your average consumer isn't looking for dope lyrics and a talented producer behind it anymore. What they're looking for is a specific type of beat and an image. Its no different in the gaming industry with micro transaction riddled games, streaming platforms with their low effort remake/reboot series, and I'd even go as far as to say product development with all the 3d printed garbage out there.
They don't give a shit about the consumer, because the consumer has no choice when its basically their only option. It's the entire reason the NPC meme exists. The average person only consumes the media they are fed. They have no thoughts outside the status quo. It really doesn't have anything to do with accessibility. Accessibility can only lead to great things that wouldn't otherwise happen without a thumb on the scale. Nobody is gate keeping through competition anymore and it shows.
They don't give a shit about the consumer, because the consumer has no choice when its basically their only option. It's the entire reason the NPC meme exists. The average person only consumes the media they are fed. They have no thoughts outside the status quo. It really doesn't have anything to do with accessibility. Accessibility can only lead to great things that wouldn't otherwise happen without a thumb on the scale. Nobody is gate keeping through competition anymore and it shows.
Kane the MOD
Grey haired Boom Bap Rap Dad
Battle Points: 6
I am glad that music production is more accessible and that we got rid of the gatekeepers along the way.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not talking about stopping people from doing it. Like I said, accessibility is a good thing. What I'm talking about is industry level artists that are putting out stuff that isn't up to the standard that their pocketbook would suggest. The average person just isn't interested in who's better than who in hip hop anymore. It's the same thing as the rest of the creative industries. It's harder to vote with your wallet now than its ever been in pretty much any market that you're interested in.
Kane the MOD
Grey haired Boom Bap Rap Dad
Battle Points: 6
Yeah, but for me: If music is not good I just don't listen to it. Period. I don't care what's hot. on the radio or tiktok.
Kane the MOD
Grey haired Boom Bap Rap Dad
Battle Points: 6
But to paraphrase Dr. Dre: if you complain about young people's music you just sound like your grandfather.
Thats voting with your wallet. Im not talking about people like us who are invested in it. Thats not where the money is. My point isnt even necessarily a criticism of the talent or effort more than its a reasoning as to why it exists. Very few people would pass up the opportunity to be that successful. The way I see it the only thing that can change is changing the opinions of what hip hop should be, and I just don't see that happening because of the reasons I mentioned in my first post.
This would be a valid point if it was a naturally produced playing field, but it isnt. Ive said it a few times, but hip hop was always 2 things above everything else. Counter culture and a competition. Now adays its really neither of those things at the highest level. The closest thing we have to that right now is the kendrick and drake beef. I'm not even gonna speak on drake because I'm right out the gate biased against him. He's never put out a track that I've liked, and probably never will. Whether or not either are talented isn't my point. What is the focal point in the entire beef now? I can think of one line in the entire thing thats in absolutely everything on the internet right now. That stupid A-Minor bar. It's not something clever he came up with. That is a punch line older than all of us. Everything about that line screams corny, including the way he delivered it. Dude delivered it like fuckin steve urkel. He knew it was corny. That's not a slight against kendrick either, more than its a representation of where the average consumer of hip hop music's head is at in relation to what hip hop listeners used to be. Fact is, hip hop became pop. It became corporatized, and with corporatization comes watering down, breaking it down to the smallest common denominator and pumping out as much of the same damn thing over and over again until the next trend comes along. It makes just as much money, if not more, and because everyone is so demoralized by this type of thing happening in every facet of society they still eat it up like hot cakes. Unless the majority of people change their opinion on what is good and what isn't nothing will ever change.
I'm not one of those hip hop is dead types though. There are way more insanely talented artists than there are (subjectively) terrible ones. This comes back to the accessibility thing. If not for access to the tools to create like we have now adays, and the methods to show it to the world that forgoes the corporate side of things, none of these people would see any of the success they have. I think the real issue is that the pipeline to learn about these people is getting longer and harder to navigate than it has ever been in the past. I learned about it through a big network of collaboration between artists. I stumbled onto features that lead me to more features, that lead me to more features. What we have now is effectively two separate genres of music that don't walk in the same circles at all.
Kane the MOD
Grey haired Boom Bap Rap Dad
Battle Points: 6
I would argue that there are more like 10'000 types of hip hop. Support the hip hop you like and ignore the rest. That's all.
Kane the MOD
Grey haired Boom Bap Rap Dad
Battle Points: 6
Kendrick dropped 5 diss tracks with f*cking incredible lines. Not sure why you riding on the A Minor line...
For the exact reason I said. That line specifically is all over the place. I'm not riding on it more than using it as an example of what I mean.
This is the argument however its no longer one that works.
As people just listen to whatever is there and assume its good.
Out of tune 808s and ironically out of tune autotune. Over some ripped.youtube beat which is just a rip of 50 other beats
People will say they listen to what is good, then go load up Baby Lil Mumble Nitty
Personally I don't really think there's anything that can be done. It's not like you can stop people from listening to stuff. All I'm pointing out is what i view as where this all comes from. We live in a society that celebrates mediocrity. It's something much larger than just the music industry.
Also I've never really had a problem with the small time artists being bad. Everyone's gotta start somewhere. I mean shit, I'd be an awfully big hypocrite if that were the case. I'm still stumbling my way through making music myself. Unfortunately now adays kids are looking up to some really big turds in the industry and usually when people start they're emulating what they like before they figure out their own thing.
Also I've never really had a problem with the small time artists being bad. Everyone's gotta start somewhere. I mean shit, I'd be an awfully big hypocrite if that were the case. I'm still stumbling my way through making music myself. Unfortunately now adays kids are looking up to some really big turds in the industry and usually when people start they're emulating what they like before they figure out their own thing.
OGBama
Big Clit Energy
I @iDeaLoGiK see it as every professional artist we celebrate(d) through various eras has stashes of music of varied quality levels but are remembered for what they eventually released via a record deal.
I dont think we did get rid of the gatekeepers, the whole Diddy saga showed that.
Plus the radio stations that are all owned by the same people play what they want to play and have done since the early 2000's.
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I agree. The way we entertain ourselves has changed a hell of a lot from the 90's. I remember when satellite and cable tv became a revolution, we had 4 channels before that, or a walkman/record player, or we could read a book. There are just so many ways to waste free time now, that our attention spans are forever damaged.
I also think a lot of beat makers get lost in trying to sound like somebody else and never take the time to find and express themselves.
Im all for paying homage to those that paved the way, but you have to put a fresh new and unique spin on things to make it your own.
OGBama
Big Clit Energy
This is the main reason I miss the 90’s and wish this era would slow the fuck down like DJ Screw chopped and slowed down (lol)!