Our Expressions

For all of time, humans have expressed themselves through music. Music is everywhere!! There is no group that doesn’t listen to some type of music. Not only is music a nice way to express yourself, but it is the way we relate to others around the world, as well as within our own community.

The reason that there are so many genres of music is because there are many different types of people. We all express ourselves with different words, different beats, and with different stories. Many people, because of ignorance, only feel that their type of music is worth listening to because other types don’t relate directly to them.

Recently, there have been some major challenges to a particular genre of music: the Rap industry. Many advocates feel that this genre has a negative effect on society as a whole. Within “rap” there are many slang terms used, and the videos are at least PG-13 rated. Due to this recent disapproval of rap, a show has aired on BET called “Hip Hop v. America”. This is a great title, because it really is this genre being challenged by the world. Although, many will agree that the music is not intended for children, this type of music stands as an expression of one’s self just as every other type does. It is not fair to these artists to have restrictions on their expressions.

It seems to me, that my generation, now more than ever needs to use our music as a reflection of our experiences. This stands for everything that has impacted our lives. There are negative experiences, as well as positive ones. While rap is not very clean, and often seems to portray the artist and others in the industry, as negative people, it is still an expression of one’s life and the way they view their surroundings.

The hip- hop community is one of the younger ones within the different types of music, and is somewhat, on the other end of the spectrum from country and rock, but it should still be treated with the same standards and respect as any other type of music. How can anyone say that one type of music doesn’t deserve to be on TV or on the radio? If that is the way that the artist expresses themselves, and they have fans who relate to what they are saying, then haven’t they already achieved what they set out to do?

Throughout my education and life, I have heard many of my peers say that they feel we aren’t a very important generation; that we haven’t been able to contribute to the world as our parents and grandparents once did. For example, many other generations before have been through World Wars and other major political movements. We as a young demographic feel disrespected because we haven’t had a chance to really stand up and show the world what we are capable of doing.

Ages 18-25 have the lowest voting rate of any other demographic. This is because we feel that we have no voice in our country. Many people within this age feel that even if we do speak up on topics, that no one gives us the respect to listen. Music is the way that we share what we are feeling in our lives. It is the way that we show the world how we feel about everything. Music artist are getting younger with each year that goes by. We have thirteen year old girls emerging in music because they have something to give to the industry and the world.

Music is an art. Just like a painting, some viewers may like it, while others don’t, some may understand it, and others don’t, but who has the right to tell the artist what classifies as art and what doesn’t. Every things that is an expression of someone, deserves to be listened to, or looked at. And, although we cannot always relate to everyone, we do not stand alone in what we feel. We as a generation and as a world should view everyone’s opinion as equal and allow each other to express themselves freely.