Iggy Isn't The Musical Apocalypse
Iggy Azalea has become the undeniable personification of “what’s wrong with music today”; she’s boisterous, shallow and practically unintelligible in the eyes of many.
She’s far from the first flagship in a fleet of talentless stars, which is constantly said to be growing. People ask where the Led Zeppelins and the Frank Sinatras disappeared to, and when it all became so superficial.
Those people forgot about Poison. They forgot about everything by Twisted Sister but “We’re Not Gonna Take It” - who didn’t, really. Bands like that were huge, and not just in their hairstyles. Looking back with a more critical eye, most of their music was pretty horrific.
Even with the good bands, the introduction of rock and roll to America was met with a ton of resistance, and it was called the music of the devil by older generations not prepared to accept new trends. The rumors of devil-worshipping messages in “Stairway to Heaven” in reverse lasted for decades.
The bands and artists that we look back upon so fondly faced as much opposition and distaste as many of the current chart-toppers.
The point is that music has always been worse than the good ol’ days. Twenty years from now we’ll be asking what ever happened to Justin Timberlake, now we only hear trash from the next big artist on the radio.
Today’s radio hits, while played constantly, are actually some of the most musically impressive and unique in a long time. In an era where artists with golden voices like Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran rise to the top of the charts, how dare we say that all that plays on the radio are talentless sex symbols.
When Hozier and Macklemore write songs that will be remembered as anthems to gay pride and equality like Creedence to Vietnam, how dare we say it’s all so shallow.
The amount of variety, depth and talent on the top of the charts doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the musical promised land we’re living in.
The iceberg of great music is huge, stretching from indie to hip-hop.
Especially hip-hop, in light of all the huge critical successes by upcoming and already-established artists. Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp A Butterfly”, J. Cole’s “2014 Forest Hills Drive”, Logic’s “Under Pressure” and G-Eazy’s “These Things Happen” are four massively successful albums that barely represent of how great of a time it’s been for the genre. The motto of the last year may as well be “hip-hop isn’t dead.”
Music is ever-changing, and nostalgia will always worsen current artists in the eyes of the people. It’s important to remember that for every Iggy Azalea raking in millions with the occasional gibberish freestyle, ten other great artists are out there making music with soul.
