I don't know why it is a surprise to people when I tell them I don't listen to trap music. My reasoning goes far beyond just not liking it. It has to do with the music industry and artists as well. What trap artists talk about in their music has nothing to do with my life what so ever. I understand when people say it gets me amped or hyped, but you're promoting it every time you listen or dance to it. The music industry is much like Hollywood in terms of producing what is popular. A perfect example is Drake. Drake used to be an original artist - he came into the music game doing his own thing with singing and rapping. Now, it seems like all he produces is trap music. We have allowed this to happen by popularizing trap music. Now that trap is popular, the new money maker, it seems like a lot of rappers are creating this music to make money. If we never popularized trap music then we wouldn't see every artist, in hip hop, trying to creating it.

I also don't listen to trap music because I believe that what ever you do in life is a reflection on yourself. Even the type of music you listen to. In a way, I would feel fake if I listened to it because trap music is not me as a person. With hip-hop, I always listen to lyrics to determine whether this is a song I would enjoy. What type of message is this song promoting and does it match up with the qualities of Christopher Sonnie. The beat helps, but is not really important to me for determining a song. My favorite artist is Childish Gambino. Why? Because he is original. When I first listened to his songs, his raps were filled with double entendres. What he rapped about resonated with me because we had similar upbringings. Childish Gambino made it cool for me to be me, and I think growing up seeing someone like him make it in the world gave me hope for myself and my aspirations.

I am not criticizing anyone that does listens to trap music. My little brother listens to it on a daily basis and I will always love him but sometimes we have to take a look in the mirror and reflect. Does this match up with my qualities? My personality? I tend to over analyze everything and sometimes its a curse and a blessing. You may be reading this and thinking I'm crazy for saying the type of music you listen to is a reflection on you as a person. But if your actions reflect on who you are as a person and you choose to listen to a certain type of music then in a way it does reflect on you. If someone gave me a vaild reason beyond just I like it then maybe I would see trap music differently but since no one has yet, I'm not going to change my views on it.