After Martin Luther King Jr., after Harvey Milk, after John Fitzgerald Kennedy there was Kurt Cobain, Bradley Nowell, Notorious B.I.G and Tupac. These were a new breed of musicians and entertainers that inspired us to make music with great messages behind the lyrics. Their struggles have been immortalized in their music, which has the shelf-life of a twinky and endless entertainment value. Although individuals such as John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln were truly exceptional as far as civil rights leaders go, their predecessors (today's heroes) touch hearts, change minds and inspire souls through lyrics and music. Their music was often relatable and sometimes even helpful at times of great crisis. Most important of all, they showed us how to have fun and enjoy the good things in life as well as share in our discontent with the things that suck.
I have replaced the idea of God with the image of those who have earned my respect and admiration for years. Let there be no confusion, though I don't worship these men, they have still been a continuing source of inspiration for me. When I praise their talent with my thoughts, I think about the things they have said that have affected me the most. A tough day calls for Kurt Cobain to come to my rescue. Biggie Smalls gets the job done right, when I'm in the mood for inspiring lyrics. Brad Nowell from Sublime is the best selection for a fun time! The biggest misconception of all, is that these brilliant lyricists only appeal to the young and the rebellious, but in truth, the music only appeals to those with an opened mind. I know of a few people from "the older generations" who can appreciate Tupac and Bradley Nowell as well. This, to me, is a clear sign that music is a genre of its own that brings people of different age groups and cultures together.
I may not have the most extensive Sublime collection, I may not have a Nirvana poster and I most certainly do not possess every Tupac CD, but the posters, the autographed drumsticks and even the CD's themselves don't have as much importance as the appreciation for talent does (this may seem like a hypocritical comment to make, but living in the 21st century means having access to free music like Grooveshark.com for example). It is rare and quite exceptional for a certain band, artist, singer or rapper to maintain a reputation long after the performer is dead and gone (and Frank Sinatra would be a good example of this too), but some artists have survived the test of time, sometimes even a few decades after their music would have otherwise been rendered irrelevant to the times. Yet, this is not unusual for music that is credited as being not only "good", but also profound on some level. Although I cannot say for sure wether or not these idolized lyricists will survive the test of time for another few decades, I can say that I am faithful that the ones I've mentioned in this blog will be one of the few relevant artists in the future. Hopefully, their legacy will survive another ten or twenty years at least, but as I like to say, no one is remembered forever. The only thing we can be sure of is that two-hundred years from now, no one will remember the name Kurt Cobain or Biggie Smalls. On a final note, it is very tempting to say that some of the bigger names in the music industry will never be rivaled and that they are a special few in history, but truthfully, I believe others will show the same inspiration in their craft of music making and slowly make their way to the top just as the God-like figures in today's music. I have yet to find anything up to date and relevant that has earned my respect, but my heart and ears are always opened for the ones who know what they are doing.
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