Capitalism mind prison working it's ass off on you. Ironic that in a future non capitalistic society such video would not be needed though . Really the question is, will I chose to give some of my security away for the sake of informing others of our ultimate demise in the hopes they will help me prevent it. Without knowing whether it will make any difference in the end.
The thing is, the most innovative art can also be the most polarizing. Ever remember liking something (piece of music or film or even food) you initially did not like or understand, but over time, YOU grew as a person to appreciated it. It feels like people are afraid to "waste" 1 minute on a new sound, visual, etc that they don't IMMEDIATELY love. I don't get it.
Came here from F D Signifier's shoutout. I really love the point abt how Adorno can come off as really snobbish.bc while I've always agreed w/ his points but have previously really bounced off of his rhetoric for that reason. Also, speaking as a pop music lover, I really struggle to even talk abt pop music (as in, Madonna & MARINA & Katy Perry & the like) differentiated from all the music created in the culture industry. I've seen the terms "pop (as in popular) music" & "radio music" used, but any definition of such is gonna include basically all art created w/i the culture industry, incl independent & pseudo-independent art. Like, how do you even discuss the genre that Madonna worked in w/o also including something like THE KNIFE. Even for someone w/ my eclectic taste has basically never meaningfully listened to any music outside of the culture industry. Even what indigenous music I've heard recorded has been something that a record studio in teh global north decided they could make money by packaging & selling. When everything is "pop music" (i.e. created w/i the culture industry), how do we talk abt pop music?
Lo-Fi and Elevator music is the modern standardization of Jazz. One artist that I consider that didn't make standardized music was Frank Zappa. Quite the absurdist/out there composer.
Yeah absolutely. The 60s and 70s gave rise to a lot of innovative music. True about Lo-fi too. When Adorno was writing about Jazz, he was not talking about the classic jazz albums we uphold today (Ie Miles Davis), it was more a critique of elevator music jazz that was popular in the 1920 and some of the 1950s jazz showcased in a lot of American white films
Adorno developed his theories in response to American jazz of the 30s. He argued that improvisation hid the standardization. He was a total snob in relation to classical European music, which he contrasted to the lower, street style of jazz. None of this invalidates his critique of the way industrial capitalism shapes and creates mass popular music, just to say that the value of art and aesthetics is highly subjective. There are countless examples of cultural production under capitalism that are considered high art because human beings are driven to make meaning. Sadly, socialist realist art doesn't really make a compelling case for alternative relations of production, and pre capitalist art is dominated by production motivated by religion (even in non Christian cultures). All of this is to say, the fall of capitalism likely ain't gonna be hastened by pointing out it makes bad art. Great video tho!
Thought hip-hop in its entirety was based on capitalism ("mo money", my girl wants money, i can have all the girls i want cos i got money), killing/guns, and racism. Long long before it went "commercial." Never cared for the genre with the exception of gangster paradise (for the melody and chords, not the lyrics-I've always heard "raining Monster slime" 😋).
An artist I love who makes non-standardized music: Lingua Ignota. Her music is haunting, surreal, raw and beautiful. She just released a new album called SINNER GET READY. Highly recommend!
"Hip Hop has never been the same since '88 Since it became a lucrative profession There's a misconception that a movement in any direction is progression Even though the potency of it lessens Big money industries writing checks to suppress the question" -poet laureate 2 canibus
Some hip hop artists i like not mentioned in the video: JPEGMAFIA, Injury Reserve, Freddie Gibbs, Anderson Paak, Apani B, Shing02, and clipping. Amazing video as always!
The music execs wanted to restrict the type of artist that got big. No more conscious rappers who had pictures of Malcolm X in their videos. They work with govt forces to keep a monopoly on the industry. When grassroots investors made their plans public to create their own label & distribution, they all were suspiciously arrested.
Everything you said I've felt about rap, other music genres and other mediums, so spot on. Friends think me crazy for always finishing any album, or book that I've started. If 'it's an acquired taste' can be a thing and eating wider improves your appreciation of food generally, then why wouldn't it be true for our media consumption? The Axis Of Awesome's, 'Four Chord Song' is good and their 'How To Write A Love Song.' 'Everything Is A Remix,' talks about copyright and how it now does the exact opposite of its stated intent. If I had any money, I'd throw some your way 💜
I've been recently listening to retrowave. They've got some good sounding music. Very full and atmospheric, but still rocking. The Midnight and FM-84 are really good. Quite sure they're only youtube and indie websites still. m.ruclips.net/video/DYq6cCqOTdA/видео.html m.ruclips.net/video/7wvLqpWtTUU/видео.html m.ruclips.net/video/SkG4cvn4_JM/видео.html m.ruclips.net/video/7fVkMK7r3tQ/видео.html
I appreciate your thesis on this subject and you made your point very well. Still, a very one dimensional view of hip hop history. And its importance to the culture and consumerism in general. Will watch this again.
Watch your channel blow up after this video . Slowly but surely people are starting to realize the cons/evils of capitalism .You should make more anti -capitalist content . Great video btw 💯
I have so much praise to say. Firstly, the bit where the rapper repeated the alphabet gave me a weird sort of horror that I rarely feel. I never thought I'd feel it. It's like a deep, powerful heat rising in my blood. Secondly, I liked the recap of Theodore Adorno. It really shows who he was. Other video-essayists, like Lindsay Ellis, described him similarly. Thirdly, the video editing is top-notch. Although I know the content matters more that the editing, the color palette for the scenes really looks nice. My music taste, tbh, is a mixed bag. I have a Spotify account that I want to share with people, but I don't want the password to be changed while others are away. It includes a lot of metal and industrial music.
As a metal fan, don't you feel a big problem with Spotify is also just the utter lack of music you enjoy on there? They may have some albums of some more popular artists (at least within my favorite subgenres), but my problem is that ultimately, I enjoy more music than what Spotify will ever allow to exist on it as a platform in part because my tastes are too broad, but also because I often find music through other media forms such as OSTs and they're rarely if ever uploaded on Spotify. People always give me a weird look when I say I don't use any music streaming service/Spotify, but I think ultimately it boils down to that downloading the music I enjoy means I have full control over my own listening experience rather than have that agency being taken away by streaming services.
An absolute truth bomb! I have 2 daughters who go crazy on mumble rap and often have trouble expressing exactly what hot garbage it is. This video clarifies exactly what has been rummaging in my brain. Learned about this channel from Second Thought. I am know a Patreon member. This content needs to be supported!
I'm glad you are doing this. I've always thought of hip hop of the Punk of America and it's political potential having a lot more substance because of its root in black and Latinax working class communities rather then just white working class. The 90s gangster rap in particular showing the violence necessary to survive being poor minority in capitalism is some of the most powerful political art of my time.
90s gangster rap is underrated. Rappers then discussed the harsh realities of growing up in poor gentrified communities and how many resort to selling drugs out of economic necessity. Now popular rap is about consuming drugs..
I don’t intentionally listen to music anymore, partly because it’s so samey-samey, but also because I inadvertently reprogrammed my brain (in a somewhat Pavlovian fashion) by using songs as story prompts when I wrote a short story a day for a year. Listening to music (the stuff I did tend to enjoy) shunts me to a hyper creative mode which is not always convenient.
I efinitely listen to a lot of standardized music as you put it, but I also listen to a bunch of stuff that is not standardized. At one point in time when I was first actively exploring less standardized music, I definitely had a "popular music bad" kind of mindset. But these days I just see different kinds of music as being important to appeal to different kinds of feelings and emotions. You don't always need to have complex emotional resposnes to music, so a lot of Pop is really great in that mood. Then there is music for darker, more complex thoughts and emotions. K-Pop, Harsh Noise and many things in between have spots in my top 100 albums of all time, and that list is representaive of every decade since the 1940's.
Eeey! Big up! Not often you see someone drop ”Ka”, especially as a favorite rapper. Ka really represents art outside of the capitalist mindset, he even said himself that he has to make this music as a form of demon exorcisism so he can continue living his life in a healthy way. And that is to me the pure raw function of a true artists, that making art is a form of ”scratching an itch.” I fucking love Ka, his latest album is again brilliant and the song ”I need all that” gave me goosebumps.. so talented! Anyway some of my favvs: - Run The Jewels - Company Flow - Wu-Tang Clan - MF DOOM - Despot (The GOAT with only 3 songs) - Redman - Ka - Danny Brown - Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire - Aesop Rock
I've watched this twice now. I never watch videos twice anymore... and this was better the second time! Wow, so many surprises. Amazing work. I can't believe how perfect this is. A real masterpiece. With that said, I do think mumble rap is "deeper" in a way than you give it credit. The underclass, of which I am a part, in this society, has been going through an opioid crisis that coincided with the war on terror after 9/11 and the invasion of Afghanistan, where most of the world's (and Big Pharma's) opioids have been coming from since. My friends, who listened to these artists, and these artists as well, are the embodiment of the crisis of capitalist realism and what Mark Fisher called "depressive hedonia." I did a little quote excerpt video on the concept, which is basically about how capitalist realism leads to depressive pleasure-seeking consumerism. Face-tattoo soundcloud nihilist rappers constantly auto-tune sing about "lean." Lean is codeine, the over the counter cough-medicine opioid that our first most extreme death drive personified billionaire celebrity, Howard Hugues, spent the last twenty years of his life drowning in. This stuff is highly addictive to those nursing some serious trauma. The underclass in America has been drowning out its misery in the midst of the most anti-intellectual and politically powerless moment in history, and the music resembles that. So while it might not (usually) be politicized, it is nonetheless political. Artists like Juice WRLD and Lil Peep are just being brutally honest and the genre reflects the spirit of our times.
Appreciate the high praise! Your comment is really insightful and I agree with it entirely. Its interesting that you brought up Mark Fisher's use of the term "Depressive hedonia." because that is a video idea I have had in the backburner for a while (I actually planned on quoting Mark FIsher's comments on the song "work hard play hard, keep partying like its your job"). While this culture industry video was more focused on standardization and popular entertainment as a whole (not just so-called mumble rap), much of the depressive hedonistic/consumerist hip hop we see today (ranging from the likes of Future, Lil Xan, all the way to Drake) is indeed very emblematic of the late capitalist culture where people find themselves stuck between their roles as both docile overworked employees and consumer subjects expected to always "enjoy" (something I reference in my Burnout Society video). We are encouraged to always "hustle" but at the same time, to indulge in consumerist enjoyment as much as possible (which is by its nature an endless pursuit and plays on our desires and drives in the Lacanian sense). Its a cyclical relationship between escapist consumerism and robotic hustle culture that works perfectly for neoliberal consumer capitalism. While I don't really talk much about the use of opioids in rap music today and its societal contexts in this video, it would make for a very interesting video essay in the future. In fact, if you are up for it, I love to have you on my podcast 1Dime Radio to discuss the subject and possibly other subjects that bridge theory and pop culture! Hmu on Twitter
@@1Dimee I'd love to talk sometime on your podcast. I'm less able to now than I have been before because of my living situation, but it can be arranged. I'll be going on some podcasts to plug my first book pretty soon here!
Your content is criminally underwatched. On one hand it's great that you dish out insightful videos, on the other hand I am left sad that channels with magnitudes of more viewers remain with their safe content.
Wow this was exceptionally well done. So many times in the video I found myself going yes yes yes exactly. You really worded this very well. This video needs a lot more views. Can't wait for you to blow up.
Be sure to Subscribe to Artin Salimi's channel! Support my work on Patreon: www.patreon.com/OneDime?fan_landing=true Without generous donations this channel wouldn't even exist. Enjoy the visuals in 1080p and Comment and like to appease the Algorithm Gods
A non-standardized rapper in Lil Simz. I don’t listen to a lot of her stuff but I love the stuff that I do listen to and in my opinion shes in her own lane
One of the most radical songs I have listened to was "kill the rich" by terror raid, I think I don't have to describe it the title is enough to give an idea about the song.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard; Microtones, either self-produced or produced by long-time friends of the band, nonstandard time signatures, concept albums galore, no strict genre adherence (folk, rap, jazz, thrash-metal, pop), incorporating collaboration from non-musical artists, lots of LONG jams, polyrhythms, no major focus on the "face" of the group over anyone else. VERY explicitly pro-environmentalist (fundraising, pro-vegan, uses sustainable low-impact packaging/shipping), less explicitly anticapitalist (releasing an album for free because it felt right, criticising lobby groups for selfish greed). Like this channel poses, an artist will paint the ache the people don't know they feel. They will sing of the dream people didn't know they had- and then the people will dance into the new age~
Found out about the channel from Twitter, and this is the first video I’ve watched! Whole video absolutely crushes in so many topics, top notch. One hip hop artist I think fits the bill is Jme, his latest album Grime MC is in its own league to me.
Thanks a lot for doing a video on this subject, i've been interested at the evolution of hiphop from a political point of view for a long time, especially as a avid listener. You just gained a new subscriber fam 💯
Definitely gonna subscribe, fantastic video! I’ll definitely check out the rap artists you recommended at the end that I’m unfamiliar with, do you have any more female rap artists to recommend?
I liken hip-hop's commercialization to that of rock-music, specifically punk-rock and early metal from the 70s. Both were big fire-brand genres that terrified suburban-parents the same way hip-hop did in the 90s. Both eventually became commercialized in the 80s in the form of new-wave and hair-metal. Both were emblematic of the decade when the airwaves weren't clogged by boring & sappy adult-contemporary. Things got a little better in the 90s when alt-rock and grunge effectively knee-capped hair-metal, but it didn't have the same firebrand their 70s predecessors did, nor the rise of 90s boom-bap and gangsta-rap. Grunge annoyed your parents. Hip-hop scared your parents. Things didn't get much better in the 2000s when pop-punk and nu-metal became the faces of rock-music, post-grunge effectively killing the entire genre. Since the 2010s, rock-music is about as relevant as landlines, if you're not a band that's over 30 years old.
when people only have 12k subs i respect the patreon, this fire content that is great for the mind, takes time and effort. thank you. this isnt hip hop, but Liquid Stranger makes non standardized music, he has made standardized music of course. but i would be surprised as he is all about experminental free form bass music now a days. he has made all sorts of electronic music, from dub, to dubstep, to instrumental bass downtempo, to now hard to define wierd music thats is amazing,
i think one of the factors in his production changing over time, is that he has grown a considerately sized, but extremely dedicated following who, I included, would follow him anywhere he goes and support his work always. which gives him the ability to just explore his artistic thoughts.
Not a huge hiphop fan, but if you want some absolutely nonconformist rock music, go listen to the older songs of The Mars Volta. I especially recommend the track "Tetragrammaton"
Our lists are pretty similar, though I would also include Czarface, Your Old Droog, Saba, Smino and Boldy James. Honorable mention for the Alchemist, Madlib and Conductor Williams. Really happy to have stumbled onto your content today, keep up the amazing work. Definitely subscribing to your Patreon (pending account issues) and spreading the word!
I really like Sampa The Great, but I really understand now why I sometimes can't finish songs that I like. Also when I listen to something like Benjamin Clementine (not rap) it is impossible not to pay attention to instruments. Great video, I will try to not turn music in something that I simply consume.
4:09 I'm only at this part but I hope the video highlights how copyright law played a huge role in the shift from samples to synthesized beats in hip-hop. Already love the video tho!
Love the quiet seething hatred coming from Adorno. Top stuff! Now i know why i have trouble making stuff these days and why I am more sure I am right haha
A lot of Adorno's criticisms are spot on, but regarding his musical preferences he comes off as a bit of an elitist fartbag putting the characteristics of the vast majority of modern music under one banner of commercialized standardization while completely ignoring that his beloved classical music has its very own set of standards for each era, and I'm not gonna stop listening to music I think is good and genuine just because it's 32 bars or has a hook.
I would recommend Marvalyss, Locksmith, Jonwayne, Zeroh, Wombaticus Rex, Apathy, and Rehab. Jak Tripper, Devilish Trio, Baker and Necro are also really good, though admittedly they're not for everyone.
Edan's Beauty and the Beat is perhaps one of the most underrated hip-hop records around. It is a rare fusion of hip-hop and psychadelic rock with heavy use of plunderphonics and very playful, sharp and witty bars.
I’ve been preaching this exact message for years and saying “fast food music” too so it was really validating to hear you say that. I also make art to make art, not to win capitalism. I’m trying to just make like 40-50k a year with music, I don’t need OR want millions.
I thought you were going to go into Guy Debord and Baudrillard at the end when you were discussing the spectacle. Either way, just a fantastic video. I came from Second Thought, but this way way more than I expected. Subbed.
The standardization of music is one of the reasons why I just can't stand current pop music and has avoided it like the plague for the past 20 years, which is to say, this has *always* been a thing I think, because imitation is the most sincere form of flattery after all, and the action of copying other great artists for a quick popularity fix will never go away. But a turning point for me was when autotuning became an increasingly acceptable and even necessary aspect of pop music as a musical element in and of itself, because I absolutely despise how it sounds as a whole, though I think there are tasteful uses of it, but the way it's done as a standardized form is absolutely horrible. The ironic thing about this is that I think the first introduction of autotuning as an actual sound element was Cher's "Believe", but I actually think that form of autotuning is rather tastefully done, but what came after it not so much, which only happened because they noticed that particular song became very popular. And I honestly don't think that song became popular because of the autotuning, but it certainly became a way to try to make it stand out. Other music scholars have also obviously written about how current pop music is less musically complex compared to what it used to be, and that's another reason why I avoid pop music like the plague, because I *love* analyzing music. I like to hear little sound elements pop out of nowhere and think about why it was placed there and what it does to the music "texture" and how it adds various layers to the listening experience. It's one reason why I'm always so impressed when I listen to Kamelot during their Karma-Epica-Black Halo era, because there are so many interesting things going on their songs and I can still find new things to discover within the music which was released 20 years ago. And I mean, to anyone that really listens to music as in, they actually sit down and consciously think about the music and focus their full attention to the listening experience, will easily tell how little is going on in a lot of current pop music. They often try to hide this via mixing by placing vocals so far up in the mix that other elements are barely audible, but that won't escape an attentive listener, obviously, though to someone who just keeps the music as background buzz probably won't. The funny thing about all of this is that it's very much possible to use a popular format but retain both complexity and depth. A lot of music I enjoy does usually follow a more conventional format of intro - verse - chorus - verse - chorus/breakdown/bridge - chorus - outro. This structure works because of how it's able to create an emotional narrative with a satisfactory climax. A great example is "Bury the Light" from the Devil May Cry 5 video game, which uses this basic structure while still managing to be highly experimental and fans love it because it's a genuinely well-written song while also drawing on a lot of current popular music trends. So it fits within a certain musical space while not completely reproducing its right to fit into that space. Another band I really enjoy is Poets of the Fall which in some ways is the very epitome of a fake band, because they rely on other music writers to help write their songs, but the benefit of this is that the writers they use are really good at writing music which again shows, because when you listen you can tell that there is usually a lot of thought put into some of their songs both thematically and structurally.
Top 10 Favorite artists of mine right now (no real order here): Chain Whip G.L.O.S.S. DOLLHOUSE Sweeping Promises Electric Chair Novelist Guy Víctor Campos Bullón Bambu Gas Rag Glue
I noticed no critisism of Carly Rae Jepsen in terms of cultural hegemony because her work defies all norms, only certified masterpieces. Adorno and Horkeimer would be proud and would likely be jamming out.
A few of my favorite musical acts include Parliament/Funkadelic, Led Zeppelin, Imogen Heap, The Coup and Mac Dre. I'm also a huge fan of Hieroglyphics, Biggie, NWA, etc., as well as a lot of classic rock, classical music, MoTown, and even some of today's pop music like Billie Eillish and Lady Gaga. Are all my music tastes formulaic or does some of this count as authentic artistry in your opinion?
17:29 this. all sorts of entertainment ruined by capitalism. the youngest form of this, gaming has become gambling, DLCs, play to win, game breaking bugs at launch, etc..
I feel like part of this ties into discussions of Capital vs Art in general, and what labor means in an artistic context. Its always the visible artist tht we put the charge of "Sell Out" to, and who we discuss in these kinds of debates over the culture industry. But why don't we do it for other fields? For example, we don't pay much attention to the standardization, or lack thereof, of Sound Engineers, unless they become really big. I don't mean it as an excuse or anything, but I just always get the vibe that we view the arts almost as if some space outside of Capitalism, and become shocked when it isn't, or focus on pop music specifically when its just the most naked example of music, and arts, equal enmeshment with Capitalism as other arenas.
"My lil' niece said she' a trap queen But she don’t know what that mean She don’t know no crack-fiend She' not in love with the coco, oh no She don’t know about that scene She just want' to sing along with the song that her whole class sing' Your lyrics are irresponsible, and whoever sponsors you' irresponsible too My lyrics they mirror what Pac'd do" - Demetrius Capone (of Horseshoe Gang), "Out of Touch" "Trap music dying is my dream fulfilled 'Cause those type of bricks won’t help our people build Like Comedy Central, they' promoting that Key & Peele (ki' and pill) Feeding children the message that it's no thing to kill Our own" - Kenny Siegel (of Horseshoe Gang), "Out of Touch"
Dälek has a song called 3:46 which I think would be their answer to the standardisation of music. For something a little easier to listen to check out t-electronique from their split EP with Faust or their album Absence. Anti-pop consortium are predictability unpredictable too. POS is good and occasionally experimental too. Over in the UK we have slowthai who would probably answer "yes" if you asked what genre he does. Ten years ago I'd be able to make a lot more recommendations for UK rap but it's a stale of late, although I just heard CASISDEAD's new song and I'm beginning to understand the hype.
It's sad to me that artists will put out 2 hour albums just to get the streams. Music has always been about money for a lot of people, but it's just so blatant and craven now. Forget about a digestible or coherent piece of work (not every album has to be a concept album or whatever, but still), lets just throw everything at the wall and see what sticks, then release it.
There is still a lot of creativity in rap, you just don't hear it on the radio. In the same way you don't hear any metal on the radio unless its basically butt rock lol
Great stuff as usual. A bit sad that Kendrick didn't make your faves list, cause he's the GOAT as far as I'm concerned. Even his lines on that last Baby Keem album are just pure fucking fire, and every time anyone raps alongside him he just dwarfs them with 0 effort. All his albums aside from the debut are amazing in their own right, and while DAMN does have some catchy singles, IDK, I feel that TPAB definitely does not lack catchiness either. King Kunta, Alright, i, even For Free? are catchy af IMO. And writing catchy while also not being shit is one hell of a skill that a lot of music nerds tend to dismiss outright, as if good music that sticks in your head is automatically easy to make and inherently bad. Definitely planning on supporting this channel, hella underrated, and fantastic editing work.
Hello and welcome to 2023. This is how art moves away from being a human blessing, talent, and endeavor to simple AI generated output. Also, there's a larger conversation in popular (rap) music surrounding age and the battle between the generations over what's good and what isn't. What has the right to be considered music and what doesn't.
Great doc. Kota The Friend is an artist whose lyrical content is far from what is mainstream and standard. Also, his series of mixtapes Lyrics to Go also deviates from standard composition.
The Goats 1st album Tricks of the Shade is an absolute masterpiece. As well as Paul's boutique by the Beastie boys (once freed from label control) Public Enemy's first 3 albums are legendary too. Lately it's all about Lowkey though.
Very good video once again! If I had to mention one hip hop or rap artist than I think I would say Immortal Technique but I'm also more of a metal head
what constitutes the standardisation in standardised music? I think the label could quite often be too reductive to be of any use. Almost all the music I listen to at its most reductive sounds the same as everyone else. At one end you have Chris Martin of Coldplay whose lyrics are so generalisable as to be meaningless, and at the other you have the hyper-specific storytelling of Mars Volta, or Underworld (the latter doing their Burroughs impression), but all these artists sound like others. This is starting to veer into a discussion around originality, and I'm also aware that a lot of it does not involve the artist's intentions, either, robbing them of their agency. It would be silly to believe the vast majority of these artists didn't at some point in their naive youth think 'urgh, all this stuff sounds them same, I want to really disrupt the status quo', and who were then completely understandably bedazzled by wealth, fame, and power (to varying degrees). A few groups I can think of that were trying something quite different in the early 90s were still building on the foundations laid down by earlier artists, like Disco Inferno building on Wire and Joy Division, or Moonshake (particularly their second album) which sounds like some mutant version of Can, or PiL. I think the artists need to be forgiven for 'selling out', when they have indeed done so, in much the same way that we do not condemn the capitalists for being evil, because the greed and mechanism of the reproduction of capitalism demands they behave that way in order to perpetuate it (no matter if we do wish to eat them for being rich). I understand this video is about the industry, about the mechanisms put in place by capitalist practice to maximise profits - it's worth understanding how mixing singles for radio play results in the sameness of sound we hear through the radio - but I guess I just wanted to say the artists themselves, no matter how vacuous or pretentious they may be now, very likely wanted to do good when starting out, even if it was just hunting for a dollar - something we all have to do and shouldn't condemn people for. I definitely recommend watching Intelexual Media's videos on Wealth Porn, and Black Celebrity culture, which provide invaluable perspective.
I feel bad even watching such high quality content for free. I'll definetly become a Patreon.Keep up the good work 1Dime. You a beast.
Worth being a Patreon alone just to support quality content like this.
Capitalism mind prison working it's ass off on you. Ironic that in a future non capitalistic society such video would not be needed though . Really the question is, will I chose to give some of my security away for the sake of informing others of our ultimate demise in the hopes they will help me prevent it. Without knowing whether it will make any difference in the end.
Capitalism breeds imitation, not innovation
also breeds planned obsolescence but not so sure that applies to Music hahaha
@@OpqHMgjust wait until that next album drop it’s gonna be SICK!
The thing is, the most innovative art can also be the most polarizing. Ever remember liking something (piece of music or film or even food) you initially did not like or understand, but over time, YOU grew as a person to appreciated it. It feels like people are afraid to "waste" 1 minute on a new sound, visual, etc that they don't IMMEDIATELY love. I don't get it.
That’s the dumbest blanket statement I’ve ever heard!
@@skeemininnem innovation driven solely by profit-seeking can only breed imitation. And that is the late-stage capitalism that we find ourselves in.
Hiphop in the past: This system is shlt and is oppressing us.
Hiphop today: Make line go up!! 📈📈📈
I did not expect a filthyfrank clip in a critique of capitalism. This has elevated this video to a whole other level
plus it was used to critiq as well.
I died when I saw that XD
This is the only RUclips channel where I rewatch the videos and come out with something new each time
Quality videos like these gain so little traction sometimes! Thanks for stopping in, Gokanaru!!
Dude start uploading again...
I like your name.
Came here from F D Signifier's shoutout. I really love the point abt how Adorno can come off as really snobbish.bc while I've always agreed w/ his points but have previously really bounced off of his rhetoric for that reason.
Also, speaking as a pop music lover, I really struggle to even talk abt pop music (as in, Madonna & MARINA & Katy Perry & the like) differentiated from all the music created in the culture industry. I've seen the terms "pop (as in popular) music" & "radio music" used, but any definition of such is gonna include basically all art created w/i the culture industry, incl independent & pseudo-independent art. Like, how do you even discuss the genre that Madonna worked in w/o also including something like THE KNIFE. Even for someone w/ my eclectic taste has basically never meaningfully listened to any music outside of the culture industry. Even what indigenous music I've heard recorded has been something that a record studio in teh global north decided they could make money by packaging & selling. When everything is "pop music" (i.e. created w/i the culture industry), how do we talk abt pop music?
Lo-Fi and Elevator music is the modern standardization of Jazz.
One artist that I consider that didn't make standardized music was Frank Zappa. Quite the absurdist/out there composer.
Yeah absolutely. The 60s and 70s gave rise to a lot of innovative music. True about Lo-fi too. When Adorno was writing about Jazz, he was not talking about the classic jazz albums we uphold today (Ie Miles Davis), it was more a critique of elevator music jazz that was popular in the 1920 and some of the 1950s jazz showcased in a lot of American white films
Adorno developed his theories in response to American jazz of the 30s. He argued that improvisation hid the standardization. He was a total snob in relation to classical European music, which he contrasted to the lower, street style of jazz. None of this invalidates his critique of the way industrial capitalism shapes and creates mass popular music, just to say that the value of art and aesthetics is highly subjective. There are countless examples of cultural production under capitalism that are considered high art because human beings are driven to make meaning. Sadly, socialist realist art doesn't really make a compelling case for alternative relations of production, and pre capitalist art is dominated by production motivated by religion (even in non Christian cultures). All of this is to say, the fall of capitalism likely ain't gonna be hastened by pointing out it makes bad art. Great video tho!
@@specialtramp Theodor "Comic Book Guy" Adorno
Thought hip-hop in its entirety was based on capitalism ("mo money", my girl wants money, i can have all the girls i want cos i got money), killing/guns, and racism. Long long before it went "commercial." Never cared for the genre with the exception of gangster paradise (for the melody and chords, not the lyrics-I've always heard "raining Monster slime" 😋).
@@specialtramp adorno was indeed quite pessimistic in a sense, but its related to his biography and the circumstances
An artist I love who makes non-standardized music: Lingua Ignota. Her music is haunting, surreal, raw and beautiful. She just released a new album called SINNER GET READY. Highly recommend!
@Tristan
Thx! I’ll check it out
@Tristan Faetooth as well
I will give her a listen, I'm very open to Quality Music. Thank you for the heads up. You are the second person that mentioned Ms Ignota.
bro this was too good. writing, visuals, all of it. 10/10
Appreciate the praise! Thanks a lot dude
mustache man
No, not you, Noah. Don't tell me you agree with this shit.
"Hip Hop has never been the same since '88
Since it became a lucrative profession
There's a misconception that a movement in any direction is progression
Even though the potency of it lessens
Big money industries writing checks to suppress the question"
-poet laureate 2 canibus
*Canibus mentioned*
What both of you said! I love this song, Canibus, and especially this specific portion! They all never cease to amaze me.
Some hip hop artists i like not mentioned in the video: JPEGMAFIA, Injury Reserve, Freddie Gibbs, Anderson Paak, Apani B, Shing02, and clipping.
Amazing video as always!
Where are all the videos of people mentioning artists I like??
Freddie Gibbs is so dope
Gibbs is literally nothing without Madlib.
@@Shadeprint Alfredo, Fetti, Freddie, and You Only Die 2wice are all great and arent exclusively madlib produced.
The music execs wanted to restrict the type of artist that got big. No more conscious rappers who had pictures of Malcolm X in their videos.
They work with govt forces to keep a monopoly on the industry. When grassroots investors made their plans public to create their own label & distribution, they all were suspiciously arrested.
Everything you said I've felt about rap, other music genres and other mediums, so spot on.
Friends think me crazy for always finishing any album, or book that I've started.
If 'it's an acquired taste' can be a thing and eating wider improves your appreciation of food generally, then why wouldn't it be true for our media consumption?
The Axis Of Awesome's, 'Four Chord Song' is good and their 'How To Write A Love Song.'
'Everything Is A Remix,' talks about copyright and how it now does the exact opposite of its stated intent.
If I had any money, I'd throw some your way 💜
The best music was produced when I was young and emotionally vulnerable to cliches.
I've been recently listening to retrowave. They've got some good sounding music. Very full and atmospheric, but still rocking. The Midnight and FM-84 are really good. Quite sure they're only youtube and indie websites still.
m.ruclips.net/video/DYq6cCqOTdA/видео.html
m.ruclips.net/video/7wvLqpWtTUU/видео.html
m.ruclips.net/video/SkG4cvn4_JM/видео.html
m.ruclips.net/video/7fVkMK7r3tQ/видео.html
I appreciate your thesis on this subject and you made your point very well. Still, a very one dimensional view of hip hop history. And its importance to the culture and consumerism in general. Will watch this again.
The guy literally using "ABCDEFG" as a basis for his songs is both hilariois and sad.
Watch your channel blow up after this video . Slowly but surely people are starting to realize the cons/evils of capitalism .You should make more anti -capitalist content . Great video btw 💯
I have so much praise to say.
Firstly, the bit where the rapper repeated the alphabet gave me a weird sort of horror that I rarely feel. I never thought I'd feel it. It's like a deep, powerful heat rising in my blood.
Secondly, I liked the recap of Theodore Adorno. It really shows who he was. Other video-essayists, like Lindsay Ellis, described him similarly.
Thirdly, the video editing is top-notch. Although I know the content matters more that the editing, the color palette for the scenes really looks nice.
My music taste, tbh, is a mixed bag. I have a Spotify account that I want to share with people, but I don't want the password to be changed while others are away. It includes a lot of metal and industrial music.
Glad you liked the editing. Its part of what makes 1Dime videos unique in my opinion
As a metal fan, don't you feel a big problem with Spotify is also just the utter lack of music you enjoy on there? They may have some albums of some more popular artists (at least within my favorite subgenres), but my problem is that ultimately, I enjoy more music than what Spotify will ever allow to exist on it as a platform in part because my tastes are too broad, but also because I often find music through other media forms such as OSTs and they're rarely if ever uploaded on Spotify.
People always give me a weird look when I say I don't use any music streaming service/Spotify, but I think ultimately it boils down to that downloading the music I enjoy means I have full control over my own listening experience rather than have that agency being taken away by streaming services.
An absolute truth bomb! I have 2 daughters who go crazy on mumble rap and often have trouble expressing exactly what hot garbage it is. This video clarifies exactly what has been rummaging in my brain. Learned about this channel from Second Thought. I am know a Patreon member. This content needs to be supported!
This was damned interesting. Excellent breakdown of what capitalist realism has done to hip hop. Ty for this
that intro do be a banger tho
I'm glad you are doing this. I've always thought of hip hop of the Punk of America and it's political potential having a lot more substance because of its root in black and Latinax working class communities rather then just white working class.
The 90s gangster rap in particular showing the violence necessary to survive being poor minority in capitalism is some of the most powerful political art of my time.
90s gangster rap is underrated. Rappers then discussed the harsh realities of growing up in poor gentrified communities and how many resort to selling drugs out of economic necessity. Now popular rap is about consuming drugs..
Punk is the punk of America
Thanks for making me self conscious about the music I listen to, something I thought I got over with when I stopped being a teenager.
Earl Sweatshirt my personal favorite
"Called cryin when I told you these were end times"
Epic.
I don’t intentionally listen to music anymore, partly because it’s so samey-samey, but also because I inadvertently reprogrammed my brain (in a somewhat Pavlovian fashion) by using songs as story prompts when I wrote a short story a day for a year. Listening to music (the stuff I did tend to enjoy) shunts me to a hyper creative mode which is not always convenient.
Uh, so edgy.
17:28 Wow
Yo the intro was actually fire.
I efinitely listen to a lot of standardized music as you put it, but I also listen to a bunch of stuff that is not standardized.
At one point in time when I was first actively exploring less standardized music, I definitely had a "popular music bad" kind of mindset. But these days I just see different kinds of music as being important to appeal to different kinds of feelings and emotions. You don't always need to have complex emotional resposnes to music, so a lot of Pop is really great in that mood.
Then there is music for darker, more complex thoughts and emotions. K-Pop, Harsh Noise and many things in between have spots in my top 100 albums of all time, and that list is representaive of every decade since the 1940's.
Eeey! Big up! Not often you see someone drop ”Ka”, especially as a favorite rapper. Ka really represents art outside of the capitalist mindset, he even said himself that he has to make this music as a form of demon exorcisism so he can continue living his life in a healthy way.
And that is to me the pure raw function of a true artists, that making art is a form of ”scratching an itch.”
I fucking love Ka, his latest album is again brilliant and the song ”I need all that” gave me goosebumps.. so talented!
Anyway some of my favvs:
- Run The Jewels
- Company Flow
- Wu-Tang Clan
- MF DOOM
- Despot (The GOAT with only 3 songs)
- Redman
- Ka
- Danny Brown
- Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire
- Aesop Rock
All great picks. True Hip Hop head right here!
I love Ka, too.
your videos are insanely well made! you definetely need more subscribers
I've watched this twice now. I never watch videos twice anymore... and this was better the second time! Wow, so many surprises. Amazing work. I can't believe how perfect this is. A real masterpiece. With that said, I do think mumble rap is "deeper" in a way than you give it credit. The underclass, of which I am a part, in this society, has been going through an opioid crisis that coincided with the war on terror after 9/11 and the invasion of Afghanistan, where most of the world's (and Big Pharma's) opioids have been coming from since. My friends, who listened to these artists, and these artists as well, are the embodiment of the crisis of capitalist realism and what Mark Fisher called "depressive hedonia." I did a little quote excerpt video on the concept, which is basically about how capitalist realism leads to depressive pleasure-seeking consumerism. Face-tattoo soundcloud nihilist rappers constantly auto-tune sing about "lean." Lean is codeine, the over the counter cough-medicine opioid that our first most extreme death drive personified billionaire celebrity, Howard Hugues, spent the last twenty years of his life drowning in. This stuff is highly addictive to those nursing some serious trauma. The underclass in America has been drowning out its misery in the midst of the most anti-intellectual and politically powerless moment in history, and the music resembles that. So while it might not (usually) be politicized, it is nonetheless political. Artists like Juice WRLD and Lil Peep are just being brutally honest and the genre reflects the spirit of our times.
Appreciate the high praise! Your comment is really insightful and I agree with it entirely. Its interesting that you brought up Mark Fisher's use of the term "Depressive hedonia." because that is a video idea I have had in the backburner for a while (I actually planned on quoting Mark FIsher's comments on the song "work hard play hard, keep partying like its your job"). While this culture industry video was more focused on standardization and popular entertainment as a whole (not just so-called mumble rap), much of the depressive hedonistic/consumerist hip hop we see today (ranging from the likes of Future, Lil Xan, all the way to Drake) is indeed very emblematic of the late capitalist culture where people find themselves stuck between their roles as both docile overworked employees and consumer subjects expected to always "enjoy" (something I reference in my Burnout Society video). We are encouraged to always "hustle" but at the same time, to indulge in consumerist enjoyment as much as possible (which is by its nature an endless pursuit and plays on our desires and drives in the Lacanian sense). Its a cyclical relationship between escapist consumerism and robotic hustle culture that works perfectly for neoliberal consumer capitalism. While I don't really talk much about the use of opioids in rap music today and its societal contexts in this video, it would make for a very interesting video essay in the future. In fact, if you are up for it, I love to have you on my podcast 1Dime Radio to discuss the subject and possibly other subjects that bridge theory and pop culture! Hmu on Twitter
@@1Dimee I'd love to talk sometime on your podcast. I'm less able to now than I have been before because of my living situation, but it can be arranged. I'll be going on some podcasts to plug my first book pretty soon here!
This was legit an amazingly well done video, great job
Your content is criminally underwatched.
On one hand it's great that you dish out insightful videos, on the other hand I am left sad that channels with magnitudes of more viewers remain with their safe content.
Wow this was exceptionally well done. So many times in the video I found myself going yes yes yes exactly. You really worded this very well. This video needs a lot more views. Can't wait for you to blow up.
Fantastic video. Thank you for your hard work.
Great work I’ve been looking for a video about this for a while
Favorite artist of the past 30 yrs: D’Angelo. Musically top notch, without being pretentious.
Be sure to Subscribe to Artin Salimi's channel!
Support my work on Patreon: www.patreon.com/OneDime?fan_landing=true
Without generous donations this channel wouldn't even exist.
Enjoy the visuals in 1080p and Comment and like to appease the Algorithm Gods
Thanks so much for having me on the episode! Was an absolute pleasure 🙏🏼
@@ArtinSalimi Big up man! I hope your work blows up! Absolutely deserve it
Tom Waits, Death Grips, eels, and Gorillaz
One of my favorite artists is Tyler the Creator. To me, he is one of the few artists who doesn’t make standardized music.
I LOVE Tyler the creator. Earl Sweatshirt and Frank Ocean are also great non-standardized acts
A non-standardized rapper in Lil Simz. I don’t listen to a lot of her stuff but I love the stuff that I do listen to and in my opinion shes in her own lane
One of the most radical songs I have listened to was "kill the rich" by terror raid, I think I don't have to describe it the title is enough to give an idea about the song.
slapping intro. immediate banger.
This is a very well edited video
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard; Microtones, either self-produced or produced by long-time friends of the band, nonstandard time signatures, concept albums galore, no strict genre adherence (folk, rap, jazz, thrash-metal, pop), incorporating collaboration from non-musical artists, lots of LONG jams, polyrhythms, no major focus on the "face" of the group over anyone else. VERY explicitly pro-environmentalist (fundraising, pro-vegan, uses sustainable low-impact packaging/shipping), less explicitly anticapitalist (releasing an album for free because it felt right, criticising lobby groups for selfish greed).
Like this channel poses, an artist will paint the ache the people don't know they feel. They will sing of the dream people didn't know they had- and then the people will dance into the new age~
Found out about the channel from Twitter, and this is the first video I’ve watched! Whole video absolutely crushes in so many topics, top notch.
One hip hop artist I think fits the bill is Jme, his latest album Grime MC is in its own league to me.
Thanks a lot for doing a video on this subject, i've been interested at the evolution of hiphop from a political point of view for a long time, especially as a avid listener. You just gained a new subscriber fam 💯
Thank you! Be sure to check out some of my other videos. Got a lot that im proud of
@@1Dimee I will
Absolute banger of a video 1Dime.
this is spot on. as someone who use to love hip hop its very sad to watch it go from immortal technique to lil pump advertising.
My favourite artist of all time is Boards of Canada. Were anyone to call them standardised, there must be something seriously wrong with them.
Definitely gonna subscribe, fantastic video!
I’ll definitely check out the rap artists you recommended at the end that I’m unfamiliar with, do you have any more female rap artists to recommend?
Noname, Jean Grae, Lauren Hill, and Rapsody forsure
U literally broke my brain brother haha Fantastic video !!!
Such an amazing video essay! I hope you can upload the transcript so it can be more easily used as research material.
I liken hip-hop's commercialization to that of rock-music, specifically punk-rock and early metal from the 70s. Both were big fire-brand genres that terrified suburban-parents the same way hip-hop did in the 90s. Both eventually became commercialized in the 80s in the form of new-wave and hair-metal. Both were emblematic of the decade when the airwaves weren't clogged by boring & sappy adult-contemporary.
Things got a little better in the 90s when alt-rock and grunge effectively knee-capped hair-metal, but it didn't have the same firebrand their 70s predecessors did, nor the rise of 90s boom-bap and gangsta-rap. Grunge annoyed your parents. Hip-hop scared your parents. Things didn't get much better in the 2000s when pop-punk and nu-metal became the faces of rock-music, post-grunge effectively killing the entire genre.
Since the 2010s, rock-music is about as relevant as landlines, if you're not a band that's over 30 years old.
Indeed.
I never realized the first 30 seconds is what counts as a stream! 🤯😱 Everything in the last 10 years makes sense now lol
Came here from F.D. Signifier's channel
when people only have 12k subs i respect the patreon, this fire content that is great for the mind, takes time and effort. thank you.
this isnt hip hop, but Liquid Stranger makes non standardized music, he has made standardized music of course. but i would be surprised as he is all about experminental free form bass music now a days. he has made all sorts of electronic music, from dub, to dubstep, to instrumental bass downtempo, to now hard to define wierd music thats is amazing,
i think one of the factors in his production changing over time, is that he has grown a considerately sized, but extremely dedicated following who, I included, would follow him anywhere he goes and support his work always. which gives him the ability to just explore his artistic thoughts.
I'm so glad I stopped listening to the radio awhile and I'm glad because I now want to make my own music and trying to get discovered.
Holy shit that intro is 🔥🔥🔥
Not a huge hiphop fan, but if you want some absolutely nonconformist rock music, go listen to the older songs of The Mars Volta. I especially recommend the track "Tetragrammaton"
Our lists are pretty similar, though I would also include Czarface, Your Old Droog, Saba, Smino and Boldy James. Honorable mention for the Alchemist, Madlib and Conductor Williams.
Really happy to have stumbled onto your content today, keep up the amazing work. Definitely subscribing to your Patreon (pending account issues) and spreading the word!
bless you bro.....I'm broke but when i get a bag your patreon is gonna be first, your content is too dope.
I really like Sampa The Great, but I really understand now why I sometimes can't finish songs that I like. Also when I listen to something like Benjamin Clementine (not rap) it is impossible not to pay attention to instruments. Great video, I will try to not turn music in something that I simply consume.
Damn, Sampa The Great sounds amazing :)
4:09 I'm only at this part but I hope the video highlights how copyright law played a huge role in the shift from samples to synthesized beats in hip-hop. Already love the video tho!
Yeah thats part of how record labels destroyed hip hip, especially groups like De La Soul
Kinda insane how much I was enjoying this video, then I got to the end and you started reeling off the names of my favourite rappers.
Absolutely incredible work btw
Love the quiet seething hatred coming from Adorno. Top stuff! Now i know why i have trouble making stuff these days and why I am more sure I am right haha
1dime!!! this is so fun i love it RIP music!!!
A lot of Adorno's criticisms are spot on, but regarding his musical preferences he comes off as a bit of an elitist fartbag putting the characteristics of the vast majority of modern music under one banner of commercialized standardization while completely ignoring that his beloved classical music has its very own set of standards for each era, and I'm not gonna stop listening to music I think is good and genuine just because it's 32 bars or has a hook.
I agree mostly
Shout out to Run the Jewels for keeping the spirit of HipHop alive!
I would recommend Marvalyss, Locksmith, Jonwayne, Zeroh, Wombaticus Rex, Apathy, and Rehab. Jak Tripper, Devilish Trio, Baker and Necro are also really good, though admittedly they're not for everyone.
Necro is fire
Great vid! A few too many visual effects for my taste but still very good!
MF DOOM needs no introduction; just needs a hint of his existence, that's an icon for ya.
You already know the vibes: ruclips.net/video/cQuI0bLGFgM/видео.html
Amazing work. Thank you.
Edan's Beauty and the Beat is perhaps one of the most underrated hip-hop records around. It is a rare fusion of hip-hop and psychadelic rock with heavy use of plunderphonics and very playful, sharp and witty bars.
Thumbs up to every human who can read one page of Adorno and actually understand it
This is will be a banger, judging from the intro alone.
I’ve been preaching this exact message for years and saying “fast food music” too so it was really validating to hear you say that.
I also make art to make art, not to win capitalism. I’m trying to just make like 40-50k a year with music, I don’t need OR want millions.
I thought you were going to go into Guy Debord and Baudrillard at the end when you were discussing the spectacle. Either way, just a fantastic video. I came from Second Thought, but this way way more than I expected. Subbed.
The standardization of music is one of the reasons why I just can't stand current pop music and has avoided it like the plague for the past 20 years, which is to say, this has *always* been a thing I think, because imitation is the most sincere form of flattery after all, and the action of copying other great artists for a quick popularity fix will never go away. But a turning point for me was when autotuning became an increasingly acceptable and even necessary aspect of pop music as a musical element in and of itself, because I absolutely despise how it sounds as a whole, though I think there are tasteful uses of it, but the way it's done as a standardized form is absolutely horrible.
The ironic thing about this is that I think the first introduction of autotuning as an actual sound element was Cher's "Believe", but I actually think that form of autotuning is rather tastefully done, but what came after it not so much, which only happened because they noticed that particular song became very popular. And I honestly don't think that song became popular because of the autotuning, but it certainly became a way to try to make it stand out.
Other music scholars have also obviously written about how current pop music is less musically complex compared to what it used to be, and that's another reason why I avoid pop music like the plague, because I *love* analyzing music. I like to hear little sound elements pop out of nowhere and think about why it was placed there and what it does to the music "texture" and how it adds various layers to the listening experience. It's one reason why I'm always so impressed when I listen to Kamelot during their Karma-Epica-Black Halo era, because there are so many interesting things going on their songs and I can still find new things to discover within the music which was released 20 years ago.
And I mean, to anyone that really listens to music as in, they actually sit down and consciously think about the music and focus their full attention to the listening experience, will easily tell how little is going on in a lot of current pop music. They often try to hide this via mixing by placing vocals so far up in the mix that other elements are barely audible, but that won't escape an attentive listener, obviously, though to someone who just keeps the music as background buzz probably won't.
The funny thing about all of this is that it's very much possible to use a popular format but retain both complexity and depth. A lot of music I enjoy does usually follow a more conventional format of intro - verse - chorus - verse - chorus/breakdown/bridge - chorus - outro. This structure works because of how it's able to create an emotional narrative with a satisfactory climax. A great example is "Bury the Light" from the Devil May Cry 5 video game, which uses this basic structure while still managing to be highly experimental and fans love it because it's a genuinely well-written song while also drawing on a lot of current popular music trends. So it fits within a certain musical space while not completely reproducing its right to fit into that space.
Another band I really enjoy is Poets of the Fall which in some ways is the very epitome of a fake band, because they rely on other music writers to help write their songs, but the benefit of this is that the writers they use are really good at writing music which again shows, because when you listen you can tell that there is usually a lot of thought put into some of their songs both thematically and structurally.
Top 10 Favorite artists of mine right now (no real order here):
Chain Whip
G.L.O.S.S.
DOLLHOUSE
Sweeping Promises
Electric Chair
Novelist Guy
Víctor Campos Bullón
Bambu
Gas Rag
Glue
@Tristan thank you kind friend
didn't g.l.o.s.s harass someone over something
Half way now, but this video is fucking amazing! I'm learning so much. Thank you!
I am surprised Gang Starr wasn't on the list
I love Gang Starr! Lot of great acts I didn't mention
I noticed no critisism of Carly Rae Jepsen in terms of cultural hegemony because her work defies all norms, only certified masterpieces. Adorno and Horkeimer would be proud and would likely be jamming out.
Carly is so underrated
Here’s my number . . . . call me maybe?
Adorno talking about artists as if they aren't just iterations of the masses
A few of my favorite musical acts include Parliament/Funkadelic, Led Zeppelin, Imogen Heap, The Coup and Mac Dre. I'm also a huge fan of Hieroglyphics, Biggie, NWA, etc., as well as a lot of classic rock, classical music, MoTown, and even some of today's pop music like Billie Eillish and Lady Gaga. Are all my music tastes formulaic or does some of this count as authentic artistry in your opinion?
17:29 this. all sorts of entertainment ruined by capitalism. the youngest form of this, gaming has become gambling, DLCs, play to win, game breaking bugs at launch, etc..
I feel like part of this ties into discussions of Capital vs Art in general, and what labor means in an artistic context.
Its always the visible artist tht we put the charge of "Sell Out" to, and who we discuss in these kinds of debates over the culture industry. But why don't we do it for other fields?
For example, we don't pay much attention to the standardization, or lack thereof, of Sound Engineers, unless they become really big.
I don't mean it as an excuse or anything, but I just always get the vibe that we view the arts almost as if some space outside of Capitalism, and become shocked when it isn't, or focus on pop music specifically when its just the most naked example of music, and arts, equal enmeshment with Capitalism as other arenas.
"My lil' niece said she' a trap queen
But she don’t know what that mean
She don’t know no crack-fiend
She' not in love with the coco, oh no
She don’t know about that scene
She just want' to sing along with the song that her whole class sing'
Your lyrics are irresponsible, and whoever sponsors you' irresponsible too
My lyrics they mirror what Pac'd do"
- Demetrius Capone (of Horseshoe Gang), "Out of Touch"
"Trap music dying is my dream fulfilled
'Cause those type of bricks won’t help our people build
Like Comedy Central, they' promoting that Key & Peele (ki' and pill)
Feeding children the message that it's no thing to kill
Our own"
- Kenny Siegel (of Horseshoe Gang), "Out of Touch"
Dälek has a song called 3:46 which I think would be their answer to the standardisation of music. For something a little easier to listen to check out t-electronique from their split EP with Faust or their album Absence. Anti-pop consortium are predictability unpredictable too. POS is good and occasionally experimental too. Over in the UK we have slowthai who would probably answer "yes" if you asked what genre he does. Ten years ago I'd be able to make a lot more recommendations for UK rap but it's a stale of late, although I just heard CASISDEAD's new song and I'm beginning to understand the hype.
Dalek? Is his song called "EXTERMINATE!"
😋🛢
Excellent stuff, as usual
It's sad to me that artists will put out 2 hour albums just to get the streams. Music has always been about money for a lot of people, but it's just so blatant and craven now. Forget about a digestible or coherent piece of work (not every album has to be a concept album or whatever, but still), lets just throw everything at the wall and see what sticks, then release it.
This is why I'm grateful that I like metal. There's so much creativity and originality in this art form still.
There is still a lot of creativity in rap, you just don't hear it on the radio. In the same way you don't hear any metal on the radio unless its basically butt rock lol
Great stuff as usual. A bit sad that Kendrick didn't make your faves list, cause he's the GOAT as far as I'm concerned. Even his lines on that last Baby Keem album are just pure fucking fire, and every time anyone raps alongside him he just dwarfs them with 0 effort. All his albums aside from the debut are amazing in their own right, and while DAMN does have some catchy singles, IDK, I feel that TPAB definitely does not lack catchiness either. King Kunta, Alright, i, even For Free? are catchy af IMO. And writing catchy while also not being shit is one hell of a skill that a lot of music nerds tend to dismiss outright, as if good music that sticks in your head is automatically easy to make and inherently bad.
Definitely planning on supporting this channel, hella underrated, and fantastic editing work.
Kendrick is on my favorites list but I didn't mention him because he is already so famous and critically acclaimed (deservingly).
Hello and welcome to 2023.
This is how art moves away from being a human blessing, talent, and endeavor to simple AI generated output.
Also, there's a larger conversation in popular (rap) music surrounding age and the battle between the generations over what's good and what isn't.
What has the right to be considered music and what doesn't.
if AI can produce nonsense literature, then it can certainly produce low complexity rap.
Great doc.
Kota The Friend is an artist whose lyrical content is far from what is mainstream and standard. Also, his series of mixtapes Lyrics to Go also deviates from standard composition.
lesss gooo, gj king
The Goats 1st album Tricks of the Shade is an absolute masterpiece. As well as Paul's boutique by the Beastie boys (once freed from label control) Public Enemy's first 3 albums are legendary too. Lately it's all about Lowkey though.
The enlightenment radiates disaster triumphant. (Adorno was wrong about jazz.... although Im pretty sure he confused Big Band for jazz)
Very good video once again! If I had to mention one hip hop or rap artist than I think I would say Immortal Technique but I'm also more of a metal head
what constitutes the standardisation in standardised music? I think the label could quite often be too reductive to be of any use. Almost all the music I listen to at its most reductive sounds the same as everyone else. At one end you have Chris Martin of Coldplay whose lyrics are so generalisable as to be meaningless, and at the other you have the hyper-specific storytelling of Mars Volta, or Underworld (the latter doing their Burroughs impression), but all these artists sound like others. This is starting to veer into a discussion around originality, and I'm also aware that a lot of it does not involve the artist's intentions, either, robbing them of their agency. It would be silly to believe the vast majority of these artists didn't at some point in their naive youth think 'urgh, all this stuff sounds them same, I want to really disrupt the status quo', and who were then completely understandably bedazzled by wealth, fame, and power (to varying degrees). A few groups I can think of that were trying something quite different in the early 90s were still building on the foundations laid down by earlier artists, like Disco Inferno building on Wire and Joy Division, or Moonshake (particularly their second album) which sounds like some mutant version of Can, or PiL. I think the artists need to be forgiven for 'selling out', when they have indeed done so, in much the same way that we do not condemn the capitalists for being evil, because the greed and mechanism of the reproduction of capitalism demands they behave that way in order to perpetuate it (no matter if we do wish to eat them for being rich). I understand this video is about the industry, about the mechanisms put in place by capitalist practice to maximise profits - it's worth understanding how mixing singles for radio play results in the sameness of sound we hear through the radio - but I guess I just wanted to say the artists themselves, no matter how vacuous or pretentious they may be now, very likely wanted to do good when starting out, even if it was just hunting for a dollar - something we all have to do and shouldn't condemn people for.
I definitely recommend watching Intelexual Media's videos on Wealth Porn, and Black Celebrity culture, which provide invaluable perspective.