I stopped listening to Top 40 stuff or 'mainstream' music when I got into college, thanks largely to the soundtrack to the movie 'Garden State' (that got me started into a whole new world of musical experience for me... so thanks, Zach Braff). I am however, not completely ignorant of what is going on, just because you can never quite escape the really popular tracks being played outdoors at festivals or fairs, at the bar and at parties, and many a times, being played on TV or the cinema. Now, I could go on and on about how generic music sounds these few years thanks to mass commercialization of the music industry, but let's leave that for next time.
However, I was dismayed recently, when talking with a colleague about a particular piece of song that's been making the rounds recently. The song in question is 'Look at Me Now' by Chris Brown, Busta Rhymes and Lil Wayne. As I said, I stopped listening to mainstream stuff, but some of these music are brought to my attention in various forms as explained above. What really struck me about this song was why people like this song. (OK, I'll admit, I've always enjoyed Busta Rhymes rapping really fast.) For someone like Chris Brown, the man who has been popular for a while, who brought hits (literally) such as 'Forever', 'Kiss Kiss', 'Run It!' and others, this song would be appropriate if this was his breakout song and a shout out to those who doubted his talent or never really gave him props. But he's been around for a while now, so what is he trying to say? Does he really need to reiterate the fact that now he's famous, rich and can be obnoxious about it?
Being obnoxious in hip hop is nothing new, so I won't pin the blame on Chris Brown. I'm sure I'm not the only one who came to that conclusion, so my question is, why do we as listeners or consumers, buy into songs like this that only propels him to feel entitled to be obnoxious? It's almost as if one's paying him to talk down to you (I don't judge if that's your thing), but when I raised this question, I was met with a hesitant admission of the situation, but ultimately dismissing the question because at the end of the day, it's a good song and they liked it.
The question about whether the song is good or not can be debated. The bigger question is that people recognize that they can like something that they fundamentally disagree with or even acknowledge the poor taste. I'm sure many others have met those that seemingly acknowledge watching their 'guilty pleasure' in watching trashy reality TV shows or liking trash music. Shouldn't everyone be alarmed that we're consciously lowering standards to meet some sort of a requirement or need to fulfill needs? When did we stop demanding artists to break new creative boundaries, push the limit of artistic achievement, seek various art forms that will cater to our enjoyment?
I myself have been guilty of this, though it was almost 10 years ago. My excuse is that I did not know to judge a quality of music, TV or film in a critical manner back then, but the point is, I have since learnt to do so (and still continuing), so I was able to recognize on my own. It's part of the experience to go through that, recognize what you went through and learn from it. When you're young, you can be excused since you don't know any better. The difference is, everyone grows, so that's another phase everyone should get past. It seems many have not completely grown out of that phase where music, TV shows, movies and even books are just shoved down our throats to be enjoyed.
Once I figured out that every form of entertainment I was seeking was rudimentary at best and pandering to those who lacks proper understanding of these art forms to meaningfully appreciate, I took a completely different approach to everything. I started paying more attention to lyrics - are they just reading out meaningless drivel or expressing something? Are the TV shows showing any generic setting or cross examining a particular topic? Are the books I'm reading just entertaining or is it expressing some idea that will stick with me?
My somewhat vague rule since then has been the question of longevity. Will the piece of music I'm listening to express something that still can be appreciated 5-10 years from now? Will the movie I watch stick with me down the years, instead of becoming irrelevant over time, will the books I read give me new perspective I'll internalize instead of being named Bestseller and being forgotten few years down the line? If it's not going to give any benefits like that, is it worth my time to 'consume' these forms?
I'll admit, I never learnt to play any instruments (though if I could, I'd love to play the drums), I don't claim to write well, considering English is the 3rd language I picked up. (Though I'm pretty proud of the fact that I got from not being able to converse in English at all to reading a 300+ page novel in about 3 years or so), I may sound like a pro in all these things, but I'm just an amateur appreciator of sorts, so I'm not in a position to be able to judge critically, but there are very basic things anyone can notice in inherent lack of quality or point to many things we 'consume.'
Acknowledging that something is bad, but yet enjoying it should be alarming to everyone. There are folks that are becoming 'artists' because of this and seriously undermining the true artists and creatives. It really doesn't say much about movies like 'Transformers' and such doing so well and being positively received by those who can't objectively and critically analyze what a movie should be. (Note: I maintain that a movie can be enjoyable while not compromising artistic integrity) I've heard some ridiculous excuses as to why some don't appreciate foreign movies, one of the best ones being that they don't want to read when enjoying a movie. When did reading become such a chore to do? Is it really hard to pay attention to what is going on in the movie and glance at the words below?
There's nothing wrong with enjoying these art forms to satisfy a short term need. The question becomes if it's something of worthy quality instead of a low level form that caters to the instincts.
All these talk often are received as being elitist or too demanding for everyone and that may or may not be true. I've also often heard complaints such as how one can't approach every art forms critically and that entertainment is not supposed to be taken so seriously. I do agree with all that, but since when did being entertained mean completely letting go of any standards and allowing yourself to be receptive to anything, be it good or bad? Why is 'thinking' regarded in such a negative light? What is the source of such attitude towards anti intellectualism?
I've said enough for the night, perhaps answering those will be for future posts...
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