Growth of Genres
Music as an art is usually branded in categories known as GENRES. However, there are no definitive answers to “What genre of music is this?” Definitions of genres are pretty loose, and no one song rests in one genre. All songs are mixed genres and borrow a certain rhythm from each other.
People usually say one genre is different from another based on a few factors, including, but not limited to: lyrical content, instruments used in recording the music, recording techniques, song structures, tempos, and singing techniques. Let’s take a closer look at the popular genres today;
- Hip-Hop
Hip hop or Rap is the style that evolved from story-telling and involves the rhyming and rhythmic speech style that we call rap. Hip-hop grew faster with the advent of technology, including DJing and scratching, beatboxing, and easy-to-use looping software. Today you will find so many sub-genres with affiliation to Hip-hop like; Trap, Drill, G-Funk, New and old school Hip-hop, and so many others)
Newer music genres like Hip-hop have impacted the widespread freedom of expression.
- Pop
Pop comes from the word “Popular.” It is the trend that most of the common folks are following. The music aims to appeal to a general audience rather than to a particular sub-culture or ideology. It might be hard to differentiate between a pop artist and an R&B artist. However, in Pop music, the artistic and technical aspects are given lesser attention than the “poppy” feel. Some of its sub-genres might include; Disco-Pop, Country-Pop, Space Age, and many more.
Without describing all the genres in the music industry today, we have to say; much of the sound played in the media today originated from our forefathers. In Africa, much of the music was played with drums and dynamic body movement. Today, so much of the sound from Africa is categorized as; Afro-fusion, Afro-pop, Afro-beat, Bongo-Flava (In central Africa), and so many other ways. However, coming to Europe and many parts of North & South America, the most common music genres are; R&B, Dancehall, Reggae, Reggaeton, Country, Blues, Rock, Ragga, Soul, Jazz, and so many others.
Back in the 80s, Genres like Jazz, Blues, Rock dominated the scene. From the behavior of the artists to the dressing and lifestyle, many people enjoyed these genres like their behaviors were never headed for a change. Right after introducing modern equipment in production and new creative ways of making music, music genres shifted from the latter to; Pop, Hip-hop, Alternative rock, R&B, Dance & Electronic music. These are the genres that are influencing the music industry at the moment. So many of the successful artists today are associated with either one or more of these genres.
Some of the reasons that influenced change in music genres over time include;
- The change in audience expectations.
- The change in the target audience.
- The change in cultures, Ideologies, values, & representations.
- Introduction of new technologies in music production.
- Influence from particular stars.
Impact of new music genres on the mainstream industry.
New music genres have set a worldwide triumphal march since the real change started. The actual influence goes far beyond music and shows to the clothes, the dance styles, the language, the culture, and the attitude to life of fans. From fashion trends to movies and from stars to athletes: Music is practically omnipresent.
Newer music genres like Hip-hop have impacted the widespread freedom of expression. Some of the earlier pioneers of the rap genre were the Band 2 Live Crew party rappers, who probably involuntarily rose to advocates of freedom of speech. Their album “As Nasty As They Wanna Be,” released in 1989, was banned by a hair by the US government – which of course drove up sales figures even more and encouraged other artists to raise their voices as well. Their legacy portrays in today’s music industry.
Industries like the Fashion industry are striving mainly on the impact created by new music genres. When Run-D.M.C. climbed the charts in Adidas shoes in the early 1980s, countless music fans also got sneakers from this brand. Back then, music genres existed, but such an impact was minimal. Currently, the fashion industry pays so many artists to feature their brands in their mainstream videos.
One other significant impact of new music genres we hear today is the language. If you consider the language used by many of the youth today, not excluding many of the old lads too, you will notice that the impact from the new school music lyrics has drastically changed the meaning of some words. Today, music is considered to be a language of its own self, with so many of its words not listed in the English dictionary but are being used by many people around the world. Such behavioral changes have branded the mainstream industry as lucrative, and all this is affiliated to new music genres like; Hip-hop, Pop, R&B, Dancehall, Afro-beat, and so many others.
Independent artists and the new genres of music
What actually drives musicians who rely on individual sounds away from easy-to-market music for years to come? How do these independent artists live and survive, who are so important for authentic expression, identification, new topics, trends, and diversity? The answers are very different because the situation for alternative musicians is quite difficult at the moment. But the variety in music genres gives these artists a chance to stand out.
First and foremost independent musicians are known to tick differently. Many of these artists are usually willing to express themselves or sometimes process very personal experiences. And stylistically the way they want it to be. With the presence of a vast range of new music genres, independent artists are faced with an opportunity to try out more than one genre till they find their style. Different from artists signed with record labels, independent artists always have the advantage of flying solo at any time.
Independent artists reveal and live out on creating a sound according to their own ideas or even daring something new. With the new music genres today, this is has made their journey smooth. This is precisely what marks the appeal – and with existing talent, the fascination of many idiosyncratic projects.
The opportunities that arose in the music industry after the introduction of new music genres led to self-realization, enthusiasm for and a high priority of music for the independent artists. The connection of these many genres to the mainstream as well as the individual expression of the artists drives many artists in the wide independent field.
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