The Everyday Man’s Perspective on The Evolution of Music (Bordeaux Version - Circa 1973) ©

The creative principle is less about dogma and more about opening ourselves to the evolution of consciousness – Alex Grey

*taps mic*

Testing, testing…

Is this thing on?

Ok, cool.

Let’s get started.

Greetings, Ladies and Gentlemen!

The topic of today’s discussion is the Everyday Man’s (That would be me) perspective on the evolution of music.

Now…

Before I begin, I have to preface this entire dialogue with the following declaration…

I love music.

I love the omnipresent quality of music. For you see, music has the ability to transcend time and space. It has the ability to transcend social barriers. It has the ability to promote consciousness and soothe the soul. Music has healing power (scientifically proven).  Music has an uncanny way of transporting an individual from their current situation into a place where nothing and no one can disturb their peace. It also has the ability to tremendously improve an individual’s quality of life.

You probably didn’t know that music was that powerful, huh. I know… for some of us it has been a part of our life for so long that we tend to take its power for granted. Well, I for one never have. Simply because if it were not for music, I would not be the man that I am today. Yeah I know…that may seem a little dramatic. However to those of you who have an appreciation for the power of music as much as I do, my previous statement isn’t dramatic at all. Nevertheless for the uninitiated, I will elaborate a little to help you understand exactly what I mean.

I’m old enough to remember when a lot of today’s “classics” were new. I’m old enough to remember when music was more instrument driven. I’m old enough to remember the clear premium sound of phonograph music (I’ll take Vinyl sound over CD sound any day.)I’m old enough to remember when songs -the great songs - were like 11 minutes long (As I sit here listening to Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen). I am also old enough to remember when the new music got dropped at house parties, cookouts and neighborhood block parties. Ahhhh …now THOSE in this humble author’s opinion were the good old days. The days when music TRULY set the mood for anything that you were trying to do whether it was going half on a baby or trying promote social awareness with civil unrest. The days when music could truly be deemed “controversial” by the content of a song’s lyrics  not promoting the ideals deemed proper by the establishment. Songs born out of oppression and desperation of the fifties and sixties. The party anthems and love ballads that drove the seventies. The birth of True Hip Hop in eighties. The Neosoul Nineties. All which at some point or another molded a generation’s perspective on the affairs of life and love respectively…. Which unfortunately brings me to the mediocre new millennium sounds being emitted from my Speakerboxx.

Now before I begin talking about the state of today’s music, I want to preface this part by saying that there are some phenomenal and tremendously talented musicians and artist on today’s musical landscape. Some of whom get mad spins in my vehicle’s CD player and have found their way onto my Super Soul Soundtrack on Spotify. However….. The new millennium has not been kind to “Urban” music. Not in the least bit. The type of music being released and promoted by “artists” and labels to me is disrespectful to those talented and gifted musicians that have come before. I mean if you are fortunate enough to have a Radio Station in your town that plays more than 10 songs per day then you may have a different perspective on today’s musical landscape. I, however unfortunately lived in a market (Until recently) that fell into the 10 song per day category. Whatever was hot on the Billboard charts got heavy rotation. Forget hearing the classics and “feel good” music. Now granted there were “oldies” stations but true classics rarely EVER got any spins there either. Hence the fairly recent growth in popularity of Satellite Radio Stations and Streaming Services like I Heart Radio, Pandora and my favorite Spotify. I even find myself digging in the crates to get my good music fix. My dad left me a ridiculous amount of vinyl and I myself have a pretty extensive collection of music (ya boy even still got some cassettes on deck). I am an avid music lover and one of my missions in life is to experience creativity – in any form - at its finest by any means necessary.

All music is Soul Music as far as I am concerned.

But I digress…

True music lovers tend to know a good song when they hear it within the first sixteen bars. This is why unfortunately some of today’s music gets no rotation in my home, vehicle or anywhere within my vicinity. The thing I find comical is that I find myself sounding like my parents when I talk about some of today’s musicians and artist. I remember when my parents first heard me listening to the hot Hip Hop Artists of the eighties and nineties saying “what in the world are you listening to?” My mom more so than my Dad though…. He always thought he was “up on it”. Yeah Ma Dukes thought Hip Hop Music was a lot of noise and confusion. I think back on that now have to chuckle a little. LL cool J’s “Radio”, RUN DMC’s “My Adidas”, Eric B and Rakim’s “Paid in Full”,  Big Daddy Kane’s “Raw”, Doug E Fresh, Kurtis Blow, Whodini, KRS-One, Tribe Called Quest…man my hip hop playlist back in the day was a beast. Oh …but don’t get it twisted, my love for Hip Hop was not regional by any means. West Coast Hip Hop stayed in the rotation (Masta Ace, E-40, Ant Banks, NWA, Da Luniz, Too Short, Richie Rich), not to mention the Midwest rhyme spitters (Bone Thugz, Twista, Krucial Konflict), and last but CERTAINLY not least ….the bangas out of the A, the Dirty Dirty and from Nashville’s very own home grown rhyme technicians (Outkast, Luda, Goodie Mob, Youngbloodz, Witchdoctor, the Blow Pop Crew, Kool Daddy Fresh, Pistol, Nina Ross, Young Buck, All Star and One Town Representas Don Trip, Ball and G). Having grown up watching the evolution of Hip Hop and witnessing its ability to crossover into mainstream media, I now sadly find myself occasionally agreeing with God’s Son …. Hip Hop - True Hip Hop - is in serious need of pulmonary resuscitation.

Now while I absolutely and unequivocally love Hip Hop, I was no stranger to the R&B and Pop Music of the eighties and nineties either. As a matter of fact, my musical palate was rather diverse. With that being said I must make sure that it is made perfectly clear to everyone who reads this that great music has no label or classification. Good music is good music. Music genre does not determine music quality. Case in point, I listen to all types of music… Classical, Country, Pop, World, Rock, R&B, Hip Hop, etc. If it stirs my soul and makes me move then it’s in rotation. Just as the world we live in is extremely diverse with culture and creeds, so is music. Which is why I stated earlier in this entry that music transcends social barriers. We as human beings tend to dislike what we do not understand. However, it’s hard to vehemently dislike something once you have a clear understanding of it. I used to not care for Rock Music…until I started listening to it. Now as with all other types of music, there are certain Rock Musicians and Bands that I like and then there are those artist I would not lose a bit of sleep over if I didn’t catch their latest album release. The key in appreciating good music is having an open mind. Expand your musical horizons. Treat yourself to experiencing new tunes and new melodies. Step out of your musical comfort zone. Life is meant to be viewed as a kaleidoscope, not through a single monochromatic lens.

So take it from me (For what that’s worth), great music greatly enhances one life. Don’t believe me? Ok… that’s cool. Try this…. The very next time you have a horrible day or something extremely unpleasant happens to you, put on your favorite song (Hopefully …..the something unpleasant isn’t your significant other and your favorite song isn’t “Bust your Windows by Jazmine Sullivan).

Watch how quickly your mood improves for the better. Watch how quickly and easily that smile spread across your face. Feel yourself exhale that sigh of relief and a calm come over your soul.

Feel that?

Great!

You my friend have just experienced the Healing Power of Music.

You’re welcome.

*drops mic*

Now …

Where is my Brown Sugar CD?