CREATING THE CULTURE

In my lifetime I have witnessed great change. Are the peeps who were BORN during the 1960’s – 1980’s, are we the last generation that played in the street without fear?

We are the FIRST to play video games and the LAST to record songs off the radio onto a cassette tape. We walked over a mile without worry of being taken, we had to be home when the street lights came on.

We walked round the streets not impacted by post codes and played football in the park. We reverenced and feared our elders, living the tradition that the village raised the child. We changed the way we greeted each other, fist pump, spoke to each other.

We watched cartoons on Saturday mornings… programmed the VCR …played Atari & Spectrum…went to arcades to play Space Invaders and Defender… and went to house parties where we danced all night to local sounds! We followed sound systems .. crossed post codes without conflict. We witnessed the birth of hip hop and watched as it transformed youth culture.

We traveled in cars without seat belts or airbags & lived without cell phones. We met face to face at the agreed time. We did not grow up with flat screens, surround sound, iPads, Facebook, Twitter, Tik Tok, Snap Chat, computers or the Internet…But we had a GREAT time and we had style!!!

From the street corner to the world stage, hip hop grew into one of the world’s most prominent musical genres and cultural influences. Hip hop is more than music; it’s a cultural movement that incorporates different elements of art. It’s important to remember that hip-hop is not just about music. It’s a unique era of culture where fashion, art, music and language became deeply pitted with metaphors that became consistent and found everywhere on the planet. Hip- hop was unplanned- but a reflection of shared truths in communities ranging from the Favelas of Rio de Janeiro to the council estates of England, ghettos of New York, slums of Ghana and the towers of Shanghai. This is a mode of expression, a rebellion, communicated through the hijacking and transformation of elements of cultures- creating something new, owned by the generation from who it was manifested.

We created a culture now we must support the culture!

Today Music impacts all of us, in all spheres of life offering a means of catharsis. During these times of uncertainty, the authors of musical culture have been abandoned by those offering economic relief. The pandemic is in full force, and musicians, artists and those associated to the industry have been hit hard as tours and shows are off the menu for the foreseeable future. Some have even had the audacity to suggest that artists should think about alternative careers. Totally ignoring how music impacts well-being in a positive way. I could name songs that brought me joy and the ones that give light during my darkest times.

What is the future of music without the many artists that work non-stop to deliver the sounds we love?

With such major revenue streams drying up, finding ways to continue supporting artists in the coming months is now an urgent priority for anyone who loves there music and the creators of these songs. We need to raise awareness of how the pandemic has impacted musicians, we need to rally our support towards the individuals behind the music we love. The artists that fill local venues, that provide entertainment up and down the country. No matter whether an artist is established, mainstream or underground, one fact stands: sales alone don’t reflect what’s popular. It’s clear the music industry has changed.

Artist first, industry second!

As major record labels scramble to keep up, artists have learnt to put out tracks on their own and new opportunities are arising from it. It’s become possible, more than ever before, for individuals to take control of their careers.

“Artists no longer have to get past certain gatekeepers of the industry in order to reach whatever heights they’re hoping for. Control is in the hands of the individual, to make the music, to produce the music, to release it. This is thanks to the changes in technology, where social media can help you find collaborators and audiences, other platforms allow audiences to pay artists for their work directly. We are in an era where any artist can be discovered, find their audience and build revenue streams.

There are multiple ways to engage with music. We need to familiarise ourselves with the technology, the changing audiences, the changing musicians and how we can keep adapting. With less reliance on big labels artists are finding more freedom to collaborate outside of fixed genres, with audiences more willing to listen. Let’s support them in there endeavours.

We need to keep reimagining as we keep on creating the culture! I salute you