Some of the aesthetic elements expressed in our music include lyricism, harmony, hypnotism, emotiveness, temporal dynamics, volume dynamics, resonance, playfulness, color, subtlety, elatedness, depth, and mood. Aesthetics in music are highly sensitive to their context: what sounds good in a modern context may sound terrible in the context of earlier times.
Music should be given a special focus, since it is so deeply rooted in our everyday living. Hip Hop, Rap and Spoken Word are out there and our youth are listening and being either educated, enlightened, or brainwashed through the driving beats that carry the lyrics in today's music...
The ideological form and content of music that we create, and play should be guided by an understanding that these play an intrinsically important role in our growth and development as people and the evolution of our culture. Musicians, rappers, and singers have a special mission and responsibility to: Present beautiful music that both sustains the soul, motivates people and provides visions of what we should aspire to.
With the emergence of technologies like Auto-Tune, virtually anyone can make their voice sound somewhat melodic, when in fact they can't carry a tune at all - and record companies/labels embrace only those who basically say much about nothing when it comes to lyrics.
The beautiful music and lyrics that historically have emanated from our greatest recording artists (music that has changed the world we live in) is gradually fading, being replaced by nothing, and worse - carried by driving beats and artificial digital tracks. Picture if you can, a world where an entire generation (or two) of our youth have been influenced and brain-damaged by the (Zero Value) lyrics like those produced by artists like Lil Wayne (sorry Bro - Not hating, I just expect more from you).
Should we hold musicians and artists accountable in some way to our urgent needs and interests? Will we allow our priceless legacy of beautiful music to be degraded & eroded by those who talk a good one, but have actually sold out to the media who has no vested interest in the ongoing value of our beautiful young minds and our priceless culture? Those who say much about nothing seem to make more money than those who publish lyrics that inspire, or beckon us towards Maximum Cultural Development (MCD).
The beautiful story of lyrical expression created by people of African descent is unparalleled. What will be said about us another 20+ years from now and why did I write this? Because I want our people to think about what we create and what we're "bouncing" to and make sure it's not a mixture of Subwoofers and Poison...
