Exploration Four: Anthony Applegate

Exploration Four: Music and Culture

     When I think of negative music I normally think of the mainstream music that get produced and popularized.  The mainstream music industry seems to only care about profits and stardom instead of what the people are actually listening too. One example of someone who doesn’t care about what they say or who listens to their music is Lil Wayne. Lil Wayne is a hip-hop artist that sings about vulgar subjects and disrespects all women he sings about. Lil Wayne is not the only one doing this nor is hip-hop the only genre that disrespects women or promotes drug use among teens. The media does a good job of making sure that these artists stay in the spotlight and keep producing the same vulgar music. Lil Wayne defiantly does more harm than good when people listen to his music because of the promotion of drug use and his audience that he appeals to which is mostly teens and young adults. He is just one example of someone who stays in the spotlight for his negative messages and disgusting lyrics.

     What excites me when I listen to music is the message being portrayed in the song and how the artist delivers that message to his audience. My favorite band is O.A.R. who I have seen live twice now and it always get better and better to me. I like them the moat because of the content in their songs. They sing about family and friends and remind me how important they are to me. They sing a song called Road Outside Columbus, which might be one of their most popular here in Ohio. They attended The Ohio State University and will sometimes put on free shows for the students, which is awesome because they know how poor us college kids are. I particularly like that song because it always reminds me of my friends that I’ve known my whole life. I like the part in the song that says Columbus will always be their second home to them no matter where they go in life and I feel that way too if I were to ever move from this state. I recommend this band to anyone that likes some good instrumentals and catchy songs. 

O.A.R. live at Red Rocks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2tNgGyn5H0