Name That Tune

This past Sunday evening, I was watching the Colts/Bears game. When I realized it wasn't going to be much of a game (don't know what Colts team that was lol), I decided to flip it over to the VMA's. As I'm watching it, it hit me that I'm turning into my mother lol. What I mean by that is remembering when my brothers and I would have our music blasting, she would say to turn that "mess" down and ask how could we listen to it. I felt the same way as I was watching the performances on the VMa's. Don't get me wrong, I listen to all types of music, just check out my playlist on my MySpace Page. There wasn't one song that made me want to rush out and buy it. I've heard someone say, "Music is what feelings sounds like". Watching the VMA's, I felt nothing.

I remember watching some classic VMA performances in the past like Whitney Houston and Eminem . I know the VMA's don't represent all of today's music that's available. It's really bad when I only listen to the radio in the morning, which I used to detest because I didn't think they played enough music. There are definitely some quality artists out there like Lyfe Jennings, Raheem DeVaughn and Leona Lewis, among others. But when I listen to the majority of the music that's out now, it doesn't seem like there was much "feeling" put into making it. Like Lauryn Hill said in her song "Superstar,” "Music is supposed to inspire, so how come we ain't getting no higher?”

What I am thankful for is that the people of my mother's era (Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Jackie Wilson, Gladys Knight and my favorite singer on the planet Stevie Wonder), have contributed plenty of quality music out there that we can still enjoy. But to me, being an (cough, cough lol) 80's child, that was the best time in music (you can throw in some early 90's), for all genres. I loved me some Duran Duran, Prince, Michael Jackson, Wham, Culture Club, Bon Jovi, Guns N Roses, New Edition, etc, etc. That was also a time when Hip-Hop really started making its mark. Who didn't get on the dance floor when a Eric B & Rakim or LL Cool J song came on? If I started my list of favorite, as people like to call them, "back in the day" hip-hop artists, it would take hours.

I was reading a good friend of mine Kangol's blog, (yes Kangol from UTFO), he pointed out some hip-hop firsts that his group achieved, but yet no one really knows about it. I believe everyone has an acquired taste when it comes to music—just like with food. It could be that I'm getting older so I don't enjoy or can't identify with the music my nieces and nephews love. Like my Mom use to tell me about Big Mama Thornton, "One day I'm going to be sitting in my rocking chair telling my grandkids about "Hammer Time" lol. So let me ask everyone out there, what defines good music to you?

"Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." ~Charlie Parker