But let the colorless and colorful culture vultures, white and non-Black hypebeasts, and their naive Black friends tell it, "WE ArE EvoLVinG the GeNRe AnD PuSHiNG iT FoRwArD." Yeah, the music of Kodak Black, Lil Nas X, 6ix9ine, Jack Harlow, Cardi B and nem are pushing the culture forward.
Dammit, this is going to verge into the typical "music is dying" rant...
But really...
What the hell happened to music? (RHETORICAL QUESTION)
I thought music was getting worse in the 2010s, but now I notice that most of the music is just monotonous, vulgar, nonsensical, shallow, generic, forgettable and unremarkable even when I'm out here Shazaming a lot of it when I hear it as I'm naturally curious. Like I'll Shazam it, see the artist and the song pop up, go "Oh that's who made it. Oh, that's who sings it", and then I mostly go about my day and don't revisit the song or seek the artist out. Like the kid who doesn't feel the need to chase after the ice cream truck after seeing it.
Even when the beats and flows sound nice or somewhat interesting, the songs are still forgettable, low vibrational, and needlessly vulgar without anything else to offer. I can't even give you the names of the songs or artists of most of the songs I shazamed off the top of my head. How many times do I gotta hear, "Aye, aye I just fucked your bitch yeah" on a song with very shallow, mindnumbing lyrics and a repetitive somewhat catchy beat? That's not what I want to hear every time I hop in the car or go somewhere outside my house. Even a lot of today's best Black artists are guilty of that "I don't mess with you bishes no more" mentality and it shows in some of their music.
A lot of these artists can actually make decent music if they wanted to (maybe not as good as Good Kid Maad City, but still), but they choose not to and dumb it down. And when an artist does make nice music and get promotion, I notice that a lot of them are either LGBT or their work gets laced with LGBT stuff anymore (Jay-Z's 4:44, Kendrick Lamar's new Mr. Morale album, Tyler The Creator, Frank Ocean, Steve Lacy, KAYTRANADA, The Internet, etc.). Or if they make some decent and fun music, then they gotta sell sex (Megan The Stallion and CupcakKe), dislike their own Blackness (Doja Cat and countless, countless others), and promote the "fight against fatphobia" agenda in an embarrassing way like Lizzo does. Hmmm....
A lot of the decent
popular music gets made by the whites and non-Blacks that study and/or leech off our styles (Sam Smith, Bruno Mars, Adele, Ed Sheeran, etc). Not necessarily because they are more talented, but because they are allowed to do so, they have better teams and better budgets, they study the best of our music and know how to imitate it, and they know what to market and how to market it to the general public.
Meanwhile, these labels and the dominant society only want to promote Black people and certain Black-LOOKING people who make ignorant, stupid, violent, ratchet ass music. So many Black people dickride Bruno Mars just because he looks Black and knows how to make fun karaoke versions of Black music all while shitting on other Black people as they ask, "wHY cAn't yALL mAKe mUsIC LiKe ThIS AnYMoRE?" How is Chris Brown still making the same songs he was making in 2012-2014?
Also, notice how Cardi B, her "Bodak Yellow" single, and her debut studio album "Invasion of Privacy" had so much money, thought, artist development, and promotion behind it just to spite and push Nicki Minaj out the way? When was the last time you saw a massive corporate push for a rap artist like this to the point where they are made to basically blow up overnight? I remember when she only had like 300 views on her videos in 2 days on YouTube and now... And I hate to say it, but some of the music on her album sounded better than a lot of the other rap / hip hop songs that came out at the time (2018). That was deliberate and by design. And then they found and got her a harem of fellow glorified stripper playmates (Megan The Stallion, City Girls, Lizzo, etc) to keep her company. They can all pop their WAPs onstage in unison while shouting "YAS. BAD BITCH MODE. Girl Power."
When was the last time you heard 5 new creative beats and 10 new well-put together songs in the mainstream at the same time? Where is the 2020s equivalent of Dr. Dre beats, The Neptune beats, and Timbaland beats? Is Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Childish Gambino, and J Cole the best that the 2010s had to offer? While they ain't fucking with the Wu Tang Clan and the Native Tongues, at least the 2010s had TDE / Black Hippy, Pro Era, Odd Future, ASAP Mob and nem and near the turn of the decade moist ass Brockhampton. Where are the decent rap clans of the 2020s? And I hate to say it, but how does Meek Mill's 2012 radio single "Amen" (which annoyed me) sound better than most of the songs out on the radio now?
When was the last classic hip hop album released?
I think a lot of complaints are how there are plenty of Black artists making good relaxing music (Her, SiR, Lucky Daye, Daniel Caesar, Ari Lennox, etc.), but how many Black artists are also making good music (not ignorant ass music) that makes people want to dance and have fun? Chris Brown really screwed himself over, is tired, and is past his prime. Beyonce and Mariah Carey quietly retired and they both have children and are getting older. Finding Ne-Yo is in production. Janelle Monae is doing.....something else. Our legends (Michael Jackson, Prince, Whitney, etc.) have passed on. Everyone else is too old. The corrupt industry sabotaged Janet Jackson. Mary J. Blige can't afford to risk busting her hip to make another "Family Affair" and "Just Fine." Bruno Mars is non-Black and his karaoke 🎤 music while interesting, is also tired. I still wanna whoop his ass for that rendition he recently did of Con Funk Shun's Loves Train.
Where is the current Black equivalent of a Bruno Mars not named Crackhead Chris Brown? The Weeknd went pop and is doing some interesting experimentation with pop artists, but he is not known for making positive, upbeat music without negative, dark undertones. Lizzo's music can be fun and upbeat, but her antics are just....no.
People nowadays think of Bruno Mars, Drake, Migos, Future, Mac Miller pre-2013, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty, the newer female rappers, drill rappers and nem when they think of "upbeat" music that makes you dance and enjoy your life, but I'm looking for another "Summertime", "1999", "Remember the Time", "Billie Jean", "My Prerogative", "Poison", "Pleasure Principle", "That's The Way Love Goes", "Real Love", "Family Affair" (both the 2001 and 1971 versions), "Doin It", "Hot In Herre", "Danger", "Ignition Part 2" (I don't like Rape Kelly as a person at all, but still), "Milkshake", "Doo Wop (That Thing)", "Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder), "As (Always)", "Never Too Much", "It Wasn't Me", Missy Elliott songs, older Busta Rhymes songs (no, not "Twerk It") and the like.
Also, the last and only good recent love ballads I heard were "Fire We Make" and "Best Part." Both of them came out in the 2010s. Where are the damn good ass ballads?
XXXtentacion and nem helped mess up the already messed up vibes with Bad Vibes Forever. Where are Good Vibes Forever? Do we need to get Diddy's old ass to shimmy dance all over the music videos again to get our groove back or?
We hear you.
We see you.
We feel your pain.
We stand with you.
We will cry with you.
We are as upset about this as you are.
We are in fight this together. #TogetherWeStand
#AllLivesDoMatter 
