The King of Rock and Roll revolutionized music, and opened up America to how amazing music really was. Riding in the car with my grandma one time, her cd was playing through the speakers, and sure enough an Elvis song came on. "Elvis really was the greatest ever. He was the first musician I ever really enjoyed to listen to" she told me before singing along. Presley was able to jump start the music revolution, and it never slowed down.
the 70's followed in Presley's footsteps, but took rock and roll to a new level. Bands like Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen took rock a step further by introducing the more upbeat and exciting music. A big change never really happened until Michael Jackson took over the 80's. Hip Hop was never popular, but Michael Jackson and his crew, the Jackson 5 had everyone in love with them and their music. To add on, he started creating dances making the music even more exciting.
If kids ask their parents what time frame possesses their favorite music, most will say the 90's were the best. Nirvana, Sound Garden, Pearl Jam, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers brought rock back to it's rightful spot on the throne over ruling the pop movement run by Jackson. These bands were known notoriously, and traveled the world singing their songs to people everywhere. Every time my dad has a chance, Pearl Jam or Sound garden will blare from a speaker. Nothing beats hearing Chris Cornell's famous yet rare voice singing. Growing up in this era, my dad was obsessed with music, which also lead to him playing guitar. To this day, he is in a band, and plays all the songs he grew up with. Being in the car with him all the time allows me to see how great the 90's music era was, and how many bands were able to rise to stardom and be remembered together.
The 2000's was shared between grunge and hip hop. The first part of the decade was again controlled by bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers. But the change over to rap happened quickly once rappers like Eminem, Kanye West and Beyonce started gaining fame. Dropping albums yearly, they took over the music world, officially ending rock and roll's run. As those names became bigger, Lil Wayne, Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Jay-Z and Future continued the legacy. All these artists didn't exactly portray the same ideas the 90's rappers did, but the fast pace and fast beats were appealing , especially younger people. The transition into 2010 included mostly the same artists, but seemed to split two ways.
Pop and hip hop were similar, but pop was a more settled version, including less cursing and more kid friendly lyrics. Groups and artists like Maroon 5, Taylor Swift, and Arianna Grande dominated alongside Drake and Kendrick Lamar, who ran hip hop. The music world we live in now revolves around rap and electronic dance music (EDM). With an abundance of artists and new faces constantly, the industry is growing along with diversity. Some artists still rap about hood life, others sing about their feelings or love, and some simply are just rapping to show how fast they can really sing.
People never usually think about this, but what will our kids listen to? Will it be the same genre we admired in high school, or will there be something new we never would've expected? Music experienced many changes throughout multiple decades, but that's what makes it appealing and fun to listen to. from folk and rock to hip hop and R&B, the music industry changed big time, and will always be changing as time progresses.
It will be interesting to see where music goes in the next few decades!
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