What happened to our music?

The other night I happened to catch VH1's top 100 hip hop songs while running on the treadmill. I caught it from Top 15 to Top 1 and ended up running 20 minutes longer than usual. 

I'm a sucker for nostalgia. I love 80's and 90's pop culture and still think that stuff from that era beats out anything produced in the 2000s. My feelings about music is the same. The SO makes fun of me for listening to current pop but it's really just filler music for me. My favorites come from the 80's and 90's and VH1's list did not disappoint. 

15 Eminem - "Stan"

14 Tupac - "I Get Around"

13 Wu-Tang Clan - "C.R.E.A.M."

12 L.L. Cool J - "I Can't Live Without My Radio"

11 Jay-Z - "Hard Knock Life"

10 Kurtis Blow - "The Breaks"

09 Salt-N-Pepa - "Push It"

08 Snoop Doggy Dogg - "Gin and Juice"

07 Notorious B.I.G. - "Juicy"

06 N.W.A. - "Straight Outta Compton"

05 Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five - "The Message"

04 Run-DMC ft/ Aerosmith - "Walk This Way"

03 Dr. Dre - "Nuthin But A 'G' Thang"

02 Sugarhill Gang - "Rapper's Delight"

01 Public Enemy - "Fight the Power"

What struck me most while watching this was the number of songs that actually had really relevant messages. Jay-Z's Hard Knock Life may use a sample from Annie but it's really a story about the hard knock life of the 'hood. When you get into N.W.A and Public Enemy, these songs were all about the hard life of poverty stricken neighborhoods and the oppression faced by African Americans. 

I'm aware that there are current songs that have messages and all but what's important to note is that these rap songs were mainstream popular, Billboard 100 singles. 

The SO went to LA Rising to see Muse and Rage Against the Machine so I went to Youtube to watch some RATM songs. I absolutely love RATM. I saw them in 1999 right before they broke up and I still consider them my favorite rap/rock band. RATM is all about left wing activism and sticking it to the man. 

Killing in the name of ends with the chant "F*!k you I won't do what you tell me" An angry outburst that signifies our refusal to follow the norms of society and promotes individual expressionism.   

You know what's popular right now? #1 on the Billboard 100 is Party Rock Anthem. The inspiring and deep lyrics of the song are such. 

Party rock is in the house tonight

Everybody just have a good timeAnd we gonna make you lose your mind

We just wanna see ya shake that 

In the club party rock, lookin' for your girl? She on my jock

Nonstop when we in the spot, booty movin' weight like she on the block

Where the drank? I gots to know, tight jeans, tattoo 'cause I'm rock 'n' roll

Half black, half white, domino, game the money, op-a-doe

I feel like this ties in with the continual discussion of the age of entitlement that has set in. To summarize, researchers and academics have characterized a growing sentiment by the millenials (those born between the 1980's and 1990's) that they deserve everything and don't need to work hard for it. Self-fulfillment is more important than anything else. This coincides very well with the onslaught of rap and pop songs that laud the glamorous party life artists lead. Pop champagne bitches! Hell, this even coincides with the glut of reality TV in the mid 2000's that catered towards showcasing the wealth and riches of celebrities. MTV Cribs. Real Housewives etc. 

Our generation has lost the ability to look into the problems that people face. Before, we used music and art to bring to light the ills and injustices of society. Nowadays the focus is on making it rich and getting the F out of the 'hood. But really, what am I to say. I'm a guy that was raised in a nice suburban community where people had pools and tennis courts in their backyard. I can only lament that as a generation we've lost the ability to translate the important messages in our society into meaningful prose that could move millions.