Tag: hip hop

The Other Forms of Dance

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Have you ever noticed that when you talk to certain people about the type of dance you do (or whatever your thing is), that if it’s not what they think is the best type, they sort of tune you out and ignore what you said?

There have been quite a few people who can’t seem to see past what they think is the most important style of dance.

I’ve had people literally ignore my dance resume because it’s not the style of dance they believe in. I’ve heard people in my style of dance claim another form is easier than what they do and that it’s no big deal to learn. I’ve heard of people who don’t even want to watch something else because it’s not “real dance”.

It’s kind of insulting actually. Why is it that we can’t appreciate other forms of art? Why is it that we have to put down anything that is unfamiliar to us? Couldn’t it be possible that maybe it’s just as good and it takes just as much talent to do one form of dance as it does to do another?

And why is it that people feel the need to put something else down? Why can’t something we don’t know just be that? Is it insecurity? Is it the fear that if something else is as good or even better that we aren’t good anymore?

If we have enough talent and you are able to share that with others, then whatever you know is good enough. I’m hoping more people can stop being competitive and just support others in our field.

Sometimes, it says more about you that you are able to accept something is good rather than try to prove that it isn’t good at all.

Today’s Music: Is It Actually Music?

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So my post today has nothing to do with culture or any serious life defining moments. It’s really just a rant about music.

I have an issue with today’s music. It could be that I’m old or that the music I used to listen to growing up had so strong an influence on me that I just am biased against the current stuff out on the radio today.

So here’s the thing. If I had know this would be the time of autotune, I would have tried harder to be a singer growing up. Let’s be honest. I can’t sing. I can’t carry a note past my basic voice level. There’s no way that in the era of Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Monica that I would have even survived. But today might have been a different story.

I’m sad for the generation that didn’t grow up with listening to great bands like Metallica or defining rappers like Tupac Shakur. They didn’t get to actually be able to hear people play music or create beats that have never been done before. The only people I can stand from this new era is Adele. Every other person that I like (Jay-Z, Dr.Dre, etc) is from the time I grew up.

I don’t know how many of you remember the time when underground rap was such a huge influence as well. It might still be going on and I might completely just be out of the loop but I remember the great stuff coming through the 80s and just disappearing by the end of the first decade of the 2000s.

Is it me or do all the radio stations play the same type of music now? I could swear that Power 106 used to be hip hop, 92.3 the Beat used to be R&B, Kiis 102.7 used to be r&b plus top 40, and KROQ used to be rock. I’m not sure anymore. I think that a lot of music has blended so much today that I’m not ever quite sure which station I’m listening to (when I’m actually listening to the radio). So much for variety.

I can’t stand listening to the radio anymore. I stick to my classics (I can’t believe that I’m old enough to call Whitney Houston a classic) and my Hindi music (which the number of good songs are also starting to slide). Again, I know I might be completely biased and maybe there is a ton of great music out there that’s just not in the mainstream and therefore, not reaching me. I’m just saying that I rarely hear something that makes me play it on repeat anymore. Please don’t tell me that Drake is going to change the face of music.

This post is dedicated to the children of the 80s who grew up listening to some of the greats in the music industry.