Throughout history, music has always been a presence in people’s everyday lives because it acts as an outlet for them in a variety of ways. People listen to music for emotional expression, mood enhancement, cultural appreciation and connection and so much more. This idea remains true throughout all of history. For example, Mozart’s music was so famous in the 1700s that he played for kings, ancient Vikings sang songs as they rode into conquest and even cavemen sang “songs” around the campfire. Nowadays artists are still revered as musicians, but they also influence trends and world views. The last four decades hold amazing music, and many influential artists have come to surface.
Michael Jackson, also known as the “King of Pop,” demonstrated the significance of music by the way he challenged racial boundaries with his platform and revolutionized the music industry. In his most famous release, “Thriller,” from 1982, he broke racial barriers by appearing on MTV and continued to pioneer for Black culture in the music industry as he grew in popularity. This new song and video was very expensive and used many resources, especially for a Black artist at the time. In addition, African American music was typically targeted towards an all-Black audience, but Michael Jackson challenged this societal norm when this famous song was streamed all throughout the world. As a result of Michael Jackson’s influence, more African Americans were featured in music productions and on MTV such as Prince and Whitney Houston. Michael Jackson forever changed the world through his music as his lyrics challenged how African American men should be perceived, such as in his songs “Black and White” and “Ebony and Ivory.” By rising as one of the biggest pop stars of his decade, Jackson embodied the empowerment of black communities, uniting all groups of people through the love of his music.
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles, more popularly known as simply Beyoncé, thrived during the nineties as she created groundbreaking music and influenced black women everywhere. Beyoncé started off her music career as a part of Destiny’s Child group and then continued on to make a career as a solo artist. She has won thirty-two grammys, 32 BET (Black Entertainment Television) awards, 29 MTV Video Music Awards and many more. Beyoncé influences women everywhere as she is an advocate for women, specifically black women. Grammy news has done a section on her. “Beyonce wanted to uplift, encourage and celebrate all of the
beautiful Black queens and kings that continue to inspire Beyonce and inspire the whole world.” Beyonce helped black women everywhere feel more comfortable in their own skin through her uplifting music and inspirational speeches at music award ceremonies.
The 2000s was a very transformative era of music due to the sky rocketing popularity of music during this time. The internet was on the rise, music competitions such as American Idol were being televised, and iconic music videos such as Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” or Outkasts’s “Hey Ya” were produced. The combination of all these things formed unique cultures and fanbases behind specific artists. More specifically, Kanye West and Britney Spears. West is best known for his hit album “Graduation” which shook up the music industry with his lyrics that prove to be innovative through the emotion that rappers rarely convey in their sound. He creatively incorporated soul music with rap to create music that fans everywhere fell in love with. West was one of the first hip hop artists that made great strides by showing emotion in his songs.
On the other hand, Spears is the definition of a true popstar. She is one of the best teenage pop stars of all time and is still a game changer in the pop music scene. Spears made several hit singles such as “Gimme More” (2007) and “Toxic” (2003) that drew in people with the catchy lyrics.
Spears also greatly influenced the fashion scene and created trends such as low rise jeans and crop tops, which were promptly copied by teenage girls all over America. Kanye West and Brittney Spears both left a huge impact on the culture of America and the music industry itself.
Undoubtedly one of the most influential and polarizing artists of the 2010s, Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, known professionally as Cardi B, didn’t just create a new type of music, she created a new type of artist. Cardi B is known for her unapologetically graphic raps and violent and controversial background, and has turned into one of the biggest artists and personalities of the 2010s. Before Cardi B emerged, female rap talked on similar topics as male rap. But when Cardi B released her critically acclaimed album “Gangsta B*tch Music Vol 1,” it shifted the dynamic and content of female rap. The popular topics of female rap became incredibly sexual, and many new groups and artists popped up following that style including popular rap group City Girls. Her influence has been increasingly prominent in 2023, with two of the biggest new artists of 2023, Sexyy Red and Ice Spice being greatly inspired by Cardi B.
While many old school rap fans have hated this shift, it has drawn in many new rap listeners and is overall good for the genre of rap because it has created a unique style, and has drawn in fans who otherwise would not be listening to the genre.
Overall, music’s impact on society is unquestionable. From breaking down racial stereotypes to boosting economies when on tour, the world would not be the same without music.
