Am I The 'Crap'?

I'm a big fan of popular music, both local and American. I find local music a bit hard to follow, but with so many American channels available, keeping abreast of their music is pretty easy.

I'm a pretty big fan of hip-hop music. I remember up to when I was half way through high school I thought hip-hop was such crap, and I couldn't understand why my sister was so obsessed with BET. Somehow, overtime, BET grew on me... I don't think it's that I respected the lyrics so much as it was me appreciating the beats, and the artistry. Let's face it- not many of us can be rappers- so they must be doing something right.

It's difficult for me to define 'crap' as it relates to music. Some would say hip-hop is universally crap. I wouldn't go that far... But I know some of the music I enjoy is crap, but it's crap I tolerate for one reason or the other. The problem I'm now having is, this 'crap' is being eaten up by a growing majority. Crap is slowly becoming the dominant music form.

I've followed the Billboard charts for several years now, and I've seen a number of crappy songs hit #1, from Gwen's 'Hollaback Girl' to that silly 'Chicken Noodle Soup' song. But without a doubt, the current #1 song, 'Crank That' by young Soulja Boy is the crappiest song I've ever seen hit the top of a major chart. Please have a listen.

For a year or 2 now my interest in BET has faded immensely, mainly because they're full of crap (no pun intended). But it took those 2 years and a Soulja Boy song to make me realise that the problem isn't the general population, or the crap... The problem is ME. My father scorns most things I listen to as crap. Why? Because overtime, the music he loved, the music that was popular in his time evolved and he quickly outgrew it. Patty LaBelle became Beyonce, James Brown became Chris Brown, and Hip-Hop was born and grew faster than Shaquille on growth hormones. My father may not love the changes, but the people that matter, those who buy the records and go to the concerts, aren't complaining. So Soulja Boy is fine... I'm the one who's no longer 'jiggy' with it (they don't even say that anymore!).

Slowly, yet right before my eyes, I'm getting old, being pushed out of the 'current' generation. And maybe that's good, because I don't want to ever consider 50 Cent as 'the classics'. But like it or not, someone will.