A close friend of mine and I were recently talking about music. The conversation stemmed from how much people hate country music to country music legends to rap legends to the commonality of the phrase, "I listen to all music but country."

Now before I lose some of you, I want to state that you are allowed to like and dislike whatever you choose. The point I am trying to get across is that you should not discredit an entire genre of music based on very minimal interaction with it. I am not an avid country music listener myself, but I can appreciate anything people put their effort and dedicate their time to create.

I also want to establish that when I say country, I am not talking about the "Bro-Country" that is dominating mainstream radio. I am talking about deep, genuine, banjo, and mandolin type of country. Where the chorus doesn't take up 75% of the song, and the women aren't only half-naked background dancers in music videos.

Whatever your view on music may be, there is no way to disregard the fact that music is an art of storytelling. Musicians of whatever genre take their experiences, their values, and where they come from, and pour that into their storytelling.

So with that in mind, let's talk about rap music. A while ago, rap music used to be something people didn't really listened to or appreciate. Today, rap music has become the most popular genre of our day and age. But a lot of the things rappers rap about, not all of us can relate to. So, why is it so appreciated?

Ice Cube, from the legendary group N.W.A, in an interview for Billboard, was asked how the music the group was influencing the way people viewed Compton and the environment that they grew up in. He responded, "It's a world that unless you're from, you're not privy to. Our records were a way you could visit Compton from a safe distance. The way we were presenting it allowed people to digest it, to understand it, and to sympathize with what we were going through."

In N.W.A's case, music allowed listeners a way to get close to a lifestyle that they could never really learn about firsthand unless they were from there. It's a way for suburban kids to learn about the experiences that some kids their age go through, or for people from the East Coast to take a look at what is happening on the other side of the country.

That is exactly the point of music! It is a way for the artist to share their experiences, their ideas in a way that people can understand and sympathize with. Music is meant to depict something a person could never really see if it wasn't for the music.

The same can be said for country music. I'm not saying that the experiences are the same, but the artistic aspect is. Country music tells the story of a different lifestyle, one that not everyone can relate to unless they are from there. The lyrics are the story and whether they are rapped with a nice beat in the background, or sung with a banjo front and center, the intention is the same: to share a story.

Instead of bashing a lifestyle, we should take the time to understand where the artists performing are coming from.

In the past, I had trouble deciding what "good music" really was. My friend helped me realize that good music is music where you can tell that the artist put in the effort. When you hear the feeling that is being poured into the notes, the chorus and the way they are singing it. Of course, differentiating between good and bad music is still largely subjective, but there are some undeniably good artists that have existed and still exist. They are usually considered good because of the thoughtfulness of the work they create.

I am not trying to convert you into a country fan (although if this article did it for you, then I'm glad). I think as a society, we have become so close-minded about certain things, and music is one of them. We have become more narrow-minded when it comes to the things we like and consider good and are appreciative of. Our music choices should be as progressive as our social thinking, don't you think? So open your mind up to more genres of music.

I'm not telling you to go and follow every single country artist on Spotify or Apple Music and listen to every album until you've memorized the words.

Just be more open-minded.

Not all country music is bad. Not all rap music is good. You're not going to like all music. But just be open-minded. Not just about this, but about people and art and anything else that people tell you isn't good.

Find out for yourself instead of hopping on a bandwagon.