Ever since I was little music has been a huge impact in my life. However, after only 20 years of life, I would prefer to listen to old school music any day. Often times, I have been told that because of this I have an old spirit. Old school music has been a part of me for a very long time. It’s the type of music that can rejuvenate your soul no matter the circumstances. It’s the type of music that gives you a fuzzy feeling as you study for an important test. It's the type of music that understands how you feel. It’s the same type of music that my mother and uncle played in the band at school. Old school music is everything to me and there are four reasons why I personally enjoy listening to it.
1. Past artists dealt with a lot of discrimination.
Artists of the past such as The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, The Jackson 5 and many others had to endure a lot of bigotry in a time where our great country was more divided than equal. Many of their classic songs were not seen as important as other artists of a different race. For example one of my favorite music films, "The Heartbeats," depicted how artists could work so hard and it still would not be enough for their music to be published with their picture or title on the front of their album. I believe that’s why they worked diligently to make music with so much soul. If it wasn’t for artists of the past we would not have the music we have today. Sad to say but sometimes, we as people forget about those who are the pioneers of great music.
2. Storytelling.
Growing up with cousins who were about six years older than me, introduced to me the sounds of Hip Hop and Rap. They would all come together whether just to play baseball, and all seemed to talk about trending music of the '90s. Artists such as Biz Markie, The Notorious B.I.G., Tupac, Common, Queen Latifah and Nas are some of my favorite storytelling artists that I came across. One of my favorite Common songs would have to be “I Used to Love H.E.R.” This song, in particular, is unique because of the way Common describe his love for Hip Hop and how from a child he has watched it evolve into something he isn’t used to. Common poetically described how he felt about Hip Hop’s evolution as, “caused we related physically, and mentally and she was fun then, I’d be geeked when she’d come around…original, pure, untampered, a down sister, boy I tell ya, I miss her.”
3. Cookout music: music that unifies the family at an outside social gathering involving food.
At the crack of summer, many families come together to enjoy a feast of hamburgers, steaks, ribs and so much more. Cookouts are nothing without a favor of old school songs. Whether it’s songs from Frankie Beverly, The O’Jays, Earth, Wind, and Fire and so many others are always good to have a “cookout music playlist “to get the family up and moving. The older the music is the fondest memories told. My uncles, Stephen and Eric, are always reminded of the times they were a part of the band with some of their friends. I remember my grandmother would talk about how they would faithfully come together and play for those in our community. Without upbeat songs, I don’t believe cookouts would be as entertaining as they are today. Especially, when you see the older people start dancing.
4. Marching band directors always input songs of their time in a performance.
Because of my love for music, I participated in the marching band for five years. Within those five years, I had the pleasure of being directed from some of the most talented musicians you could ever come across. Mr. Sanders, Mr. Parnell and Mr. Edwards all had a special ear of understanding what our community needed. Every performance the band ever did reminded our community of the evolution of music. They made sure that we would never forget the way music made them feel in the past. Under the direction of Mr. Parnell, I remember how we used to play Frankie Beverly & Maze’s “Before I Let Go” and how he conducted the song with so much enthusiasm. When we used to go to competitions, it was extremely interesting to watch how other bands would do an old school tribute, it would be the highlight of the entire show. It was an amazing feeling to watch how the crowd, both young and old, would react to us playing some of their favorite classics.
No matter what the genre is, music back then seems to always serve a purpose to me.
