 |
| Jay-Z and Eminem Perform |
 |
| Jay- Z Performs |
Music is referred to as food for the
soul. It has the ability to speak to one’s inner self and give them a peace of
mind, lift them up and also be that companion always there in times when you
need them the most. People listen to music, artists make music and some people
live and breathe music. Music forms a greater part of our lives and relates to
us in different ways. The music that gratifies my needs cannot be the same
music for the next person. Trends in the music industry with the changing times
are also changing. It is my observation that music has evolved from the music
that used to tell a compelling story into just being about fun, money, girls,
sex, fame and all the glamour that comes with being an artist.
Growing up listening to the likes of 2Pac Shakur, Eminem, Jay-Z who are part of the hip hop artists of the times,
through their lyrics you could relate about how their lives were. 2Pac’s song
dear mama is still my all-time favorite song together with Eminem’s Mocking
Bird. I relate with 2Pac’s song because it tells the story of a mother who made
sacrifices for her kids. His song Life Goes On depicts the struggles he had to
go through as he was growing up in the hood filled with gangsterism. Mocking
Bird by Eminem on the other hand also had that element of a kid expressing love
for a mother but centred mostly on the dad who wasn’t there when the kid Eminem
needed him the most. Jigga a.k.a Jay-z through his song Hard Knock Life was one
classic talking about hustling and trying to get to prosper in life as a young
man in the music industry.
The reason most reference is put in rap
songs and Hip hop is because this is the music that was and is still aligned to
the culture of hip hop and this allowed artists to expressing themselves in a
better way and it started mostly among black Americans. Well, the articulation
of their struggles and putting their expressions existed back in the days but
what we listen to in today’s rappers is what others refer to as junk hip hop.
This is mainly because of the talk of fame, money, sex and girls especially for
American rappers who initiated the culture of rap and Hip Hop. The culture of
hip hop has infiltrated and penetrated continents and borders, it has become a
booming culture for young Swazis trying to break into the music industry.
Well, I am one of those artists trying
to break into the music industry as well. Since 2009 the music industry has
shown tremendous growth although some people say there is no music industry in
Swaziland. Illa-PenBoy a local artist from the group The Last Page in an
interview done last year put it clear that in Swaziland we do not yet have a
music industry but we have artists yet trying to crack and make a mark in the
local music scene. However, the talent is coming up so good in the country and
there is hope for a Music industry in Swaziland.
Our choices of the music we decide to do
or listen to is an individual choice and personally, I listen to good music.
Good music is what I define as music that talks to me. Deep House music does
the trick for me although I do Hip Hop music, sounds strange.
So what music basically gratifies your
needs and what are your thoughts about Swazi Music?
I like hip hop but unfortunately most of the lyrics are not of good nature. Most of the artists you mentioned above use insults willy-nilly. I think music in Swaziland still has a long way to go.
ReplyDeleteIn Swaziland we do not necessarily support our local talent. This is because we have the spirit of undermining our potential. This is as a result of globalisation which has led to the infiltration of the Western values and traditions. The music we listen to is all Western. Personally, I donot listen to music produced locally.
ReplyDeleteMusa, yes you are definitely correct in your analysis Mr Simelane, however we need to take into consideration that as much as western musicians have those insults in their lyrics, this has no much influence on our artists because they know that for their music to be played on national radio, it should be clean music.
ReplyDeleteKhetsiwe, thank you. You are advancing a valid point, if we believe and appreciate our artists without comparing them with international artists, our artists can conquer the global boundaries.