Spread love
It's Valentine's Day today and this week, social media has been crazy with memes and gifs. Ladies hinting at what presents they would love to get and men trying to escape these responsibilities with the men conference jokes.
A real man never shows emotion. A real man grinds his teeth and keeps it moving. This is what we are told growing up. This is how it has been and that is how it will always be; why change the status quo? This societal brainwash becomes even more intense when hip-hop, which is the most listened to genre of music in the world, enters the picture. Because so many young people listen to hip-hop, they emulate behavioural patterns by the rappers they listen to.
As a hip-hop head, you are either a gangster or you can start an R&B boy band and sing mushy lyrics about how you miss the girl who left you.
I disagree with this notion. Why is it a crime when a hip-hop artist uses their chosen art to express their love or even heartbreak? Does subject matter suddenly dictate how talented someone is?
I find these requirements stifling for an art form that is said to be non-conformist, unapologetic and sincere in expression. An art form that is meant to be a mouthpiece for the voiceless. To a certain extent, these patterns also exist in other genres like kwaito but my point is this soft versus hard thing is downright pre-school and has been going on far too long. I applaud artists like LMPC who embrace all that is human. I mean, we live in an era where manicure and pedicure spas are likely to spark as many side relationships as social networks because more men are sharing those spaces with ladies. More and more guys are becoming liberal with what's out there.
If music is supposed to mirror society, why do we cry foul when it gives us a reflection of who and what we've become? February is the month of love, so we expect more love songs from our musicians across all music genres and these songs should be celebrated the same way dance music, for example, is celebrated.
We touched base with Maria Nepembe and learnt more about her love for video production. We also sat down with Berthold Mbinda who recently announced that he is quitting music. This and more in this edition. Enjoy!
[email protected]; @MichaelMKAY on twitter
A real man never shows emotion. A real man grinds his teeth and keeps it moving. This is what we are told growing up. This is how it has been and that is how it will always be; why change the status quo? This societal brainwash becomes even more intense when hip-hop, which is the most listened to genre of music in the world, enters the picture. Because so many young people listen to hip-hop, they emulate behavioural patterns by the rappers they listen to.
As a hip-hop head, you are either a gangster or you can start an R&B boy band and sing mushy lyrics about how you miss the girl who left you.
I disagree with this notion. Why is it a crime when a hip-hop artist uses their chosen art to express their love or even heartbreak? Does subject matter suddenly dictate how talented someone is?
I find these requirements stifling for an art form that is said to be non-conformist, unapologetic and sincere in expression. An art form that is meant to be a mouthpiece for the voiceless. To a certain extent, these patterns also exist in other genres like kwaito but my point is this soft versus hard thing is downright pre-school and has been going on far too long. I applaud artists like LMPC who embrace all that is human. I mean, we live in an era where manicure and pedicure spas are likely to spark as many side relationships as social networks because more men are sharing those spaces with ladies. More and more guys are becoming liberal with what's out there.
If music is supposed to mirror society, why do we cry foul when it gives us a reflection of who and what we've become? February is the month of love, so we expect more love songs from our musicians across all music genres and these songs should be celebrated the same way dance music, for example, is celebrated.
We touched base with Maria Nepembe and learnt more about her love for video production. We also sat down with Berthold Mbinda who recently announced that he is quitting music. This and more in this edition. Enjoy!
[email protected]; @MichaelMKAY on twitter
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