Posted by
Michael on Friday, November 10, 2006 11:58:23 AM
When I was on the swim team in high school, I was singing to myself
during the post-meet showers. The song was a freestyle by Eminem. My
friend Al turned to me and said, "Michael, that kind of music is a
really bad influence on you." I wrote him off as being uncool or
listening to bad music. While I was at his house a couple weeks later,
I was watching BET on his TV and he asked, "What are you watching this
crap for?"
Three years later, I'm realizing he was right. Rap
music is a bad influence. It made me more edgy, more reactionary and
more violent. While hip-hop as an art form has had huge influence on
our culture, it's hard to deny that its modern incarnation is extremely
negative. And the "positive" hip-hop that I hear so much of is mostly
bland and uninspiring.
Another "friend," this being someone who
I had an ugly falling out with for reasons that have nothing to do with
me, hooked me up with an internship at a local hip-hop magazine. I'm
really grateful to him for the opportunity, even if he holds an
irrational grudge against me today.
This internship wasn't the
best writing experience I'd had, however. I found myself drawn to
politics, right wing politics in particular. My life has been negative
enough through the years, why on earth must I continue on with the
negativity of hip-hop and liberalism? Modern Republicans have some
issues politically, but conservative ideology is much more beneficial
to the well being of a person.
So my iPod is much different than
it was years ago. No more Eminem, 50, Nas or any of that. I've been
drawn to country greats like Townes Van Zandt, Johnny Cash and Willie
Nelson. Classical, jazz and some rock is on there too.