I Fear For Our Children and the Future of Music...

Where is music headed? What kind of path are our children being led down?

I ask this because over the last three years I have heard some very disturbing things from 19-21 year olds. During the Grammy's last year a group of students I lived with didnt know who the Four Tops were. This wouldn't have been so bad - but the Four Tops where on stage singing their hits and none of them recognized them. These same students then got all frenzied when Taylor Swift hit the stage. I was confused.

Then at a meeting I got blank stares from young students who didnt know who Peter Gabriel was. Then I started playing "Sledgehammer", "Solsbury Hill" and "In Your Eyes." They still had no fucking idea who he was!

Flash forward a month. I am driving a student and the opening notes to Roxanne by the Police comes on. When Stings voice comes in she said, "Oh I thought it was a different song." She though it was a song by Cam'ron. Then I said "oh yea he sampled it. But you know this song though right?" She just looked at me and said "no." I almost crashed my car. How could you have NEVER heard Roxanne??? You are 22 years old!!! Did she even know who the Police were? I decided not to ask less my head explode.

And it has continued. This past week I caught Dream On by Aerosmith on the radio. My R.A. in the back got disappointed when he found out it wasn't Eminem. I asked him if he ever heard the original. Again, another negative response. Worst of all the kid was a flatbiller (dont even get me started on that again...)

Here is what confuses me: If I were 18,19, 20 and hear a song with a sample and I liked it wouldn't I be interested enough to fucking try to track down the original?

Another thing. Are kids not even curious about music made before they were born? I remember growing up and listening to oldies and classic rock. You know who I should blame - PARENTS!!! You are responsible for shaping the musical taste of your kids but too many parents are trying to be hipsters and cool. My father was an awful parent but atleast he introduced me to great music like Bob Marley, Sade, The Doors, Pink Floyd, Santana and a whole bunch of other crap. We weren't listening to awful cookie cutter pop. We were listening to everything. Oldies, Motown, Classic Rock... We were listening to actual f'ing musicians.

Speaking of which how in the hell did Autotune become so popular? It sounds like the computer voice on my Mac is singing or rapping at me. Thank God Jay-Z atleast spoke out against it. Maybe all the sheep/rappers will stop using it now that there hero has called them out.

Which brings me to my next complaint: When did hip hop officially die?

I find it super hard to find a hip hop song to get excited about. Why? Because all of them are now so damn superficial and cookie cutter: Here, I am going to write a hip-hop song:

I am a bad ass

I am going to the club in my fly car

I am popping champagne bottles in the VIP and making it rain.

I see girl who is checking me out

She is going to come home with me and I am going to fuck her.

DONE!

Seriously is that not the general outline of a hip-hop song nowadays? Oh I forgot, to mention that I am number one, rule the game and I will fuck up anybody who tries to compete with me - now I am done writing a rap song. Here is the thing, hip hop artist can write that song but when its the ONLY song they write its fucking played out! Tupac had I Get Around and All Eyes On Me but he also had songs like Brenda's Got a Baby and Keep Your Head Up.

Anyway, Maybe I am just getting older and cranky (which I am totally find with) but I stand firm in my belief that todays music is (largely) GARBAGE.