Writing Assignment Six: My Music
Savan DeSouza
12/2/14
I have never had a concrete definition of what “my music” is since my musical
tastes, cultural identity and performance desire are very mixed. I suppose I was
originally introduced to a musical identity by my mother (when I was around eight
years old) since she, after studying vocal performance at the New England
Conservatory, taught vocal lessons at home, focusing on the music based in my
father’s culture and her education: Brazilian Jazz. Because of this, I once thought for
a short while that Bossa Nova and Samba were the types of music that I was
supposed to identify with; however, I didn’t listen to, enjoy or appreciate these
styles until much later after I had experienced several small “phases” of musical
interest. When an Armenian folk ensemble came to our town, I once again thought
from the experience (since I was so impressed, about fourteen at this point) that this
was my musical identity; I was childishly equating my ethnic background with
musical taste.
When I was at the very end of middle school, I truly discovered music on my
own and for my own enjoyment. I was obsessed with classic and “hard” rock, very
much enjoying the grungy guitar parts and harsh vocals, an extreme contrast
(possibly subconscious rebellion) against the jazz and classical music with which my
mother filled our home. I’m glad that I didn’t stick to the concept that your cultural
music has to be your music, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to branch out and
enjoy other styles. I turned outward and started to appreciate world music of all
kinds, which has been my most long standing definition of “my’ music, which is
almost contradictory since I clearly can’t identify with all worldly styles. Part of this
appreciation of world music, I believe, is the reason why my favorite genre of music
at this present day is Hip Hop. Hip Hop encompasses a wide variety of musical
innovation and foreign styles (and most importantly, instruments) primarily
through sampling – the only case of so-called cultural appropriation that I approve
of. I don’t believe the sampling that I enjoy to hear in so many Hip Hop songs
constitutes cultural appropriation because the samples are tastefully and often
subtly integrated into the beats and rhythms that keep me hooked to Hip Hop as a
corporeal experience. I always bob my head when I blast Hip Hop, and I often find
myself trying to piece together the words under my breath – it simply captivates me
to hear such tasteful mixing of genres.
Although I am a fan of several of genres: funk, blues, rap, jazz, swing,
flamenco, etc. – Hip Hop manages to dip its fingers to each one like different cans of
bright colored paint and often craft a well-balanced blending of these “colors” of
music. Furthermore, Hip Hop is arguably the music of our generation (amongst
other candidates such as rap, trap and auto-tuned pop); I more often hear people
playing Hip Hop in their rooms, in their cars and referring great songs to friends
than any other genre. Hip Hop is also strongly associated with the rebellious
element of youth as well as a means of addressing controversial topics, especially
class, race and political disparities alongside poetic stories of marginal members of
American society, especially gangsters, prostitutes and drug users. Our generation
seems to identify more strongly with marginal members of society and stories of
urban life told through spoken word. For these past examples, I would also consider
Hip Hop as belonging to a group that I do not belong to, not to mention the myriad
ethnic groups featured in samples (which I also don’t belong to); however, Hip Hop
seems to more or less be everyone’s music in my eyes. It becomes my music when I
listen to it and really resonate with it: I am nodding my head, moving my body in
rhythm or full blown dancing – and even further when if I love it so much that I
literally make it mine by downloading it.