Tupac Shakur was born Tupac Amaru Shakur (Tupac means "shining serpent" in Inca) in New York City in 1971. He went on to have very successful careers as an actor & rapper. Look around the web for his career information, you know that’s not our gig. That said….…
Becoming the band of the decade or the trendsetter of the music industry was a goal that was not always reached in the lifespan of an artist or songwriter, however MTV (Music Television) created a whole new generation that would change American culture forever in just a day. The debut of the first ever music video, ironically titled “Video Killed the Radio Star”, only vaguely foreshadowed the volume of impact that this TV show would have on the world. “It turns out, video now makes the radio star.” With 24 hours of straight music aired worldwide every day, MTV became a medium to revive old stars and make overnight sensations.…
Over Fall Break, on October 15th, I watched a video called “Poverty, Incorporated”. The video demonstrated different challenges from current perceptions of charities and how one promotes free enterprise as an alternative to world poverty in an effective way. While watching the documentary of the film provided viewers with some insight on how one can help or hurt poverty through charities or companies without giving much meaning behind the scene. Throughout the film it discusses several ideas of how poverty can be used essentially for money. This means that one is trying to give viewers a view of what actually happens to when people donate to charities or NGO’s (non-governmental organizations) or knowing where the money is spent in places where…
Michael Jackson was born August 29, 1958. Born the eighth of 10 children, Michael grew up in a working class family in a small three bedroom home in Gary, Indiana. As a child, Michael struggled with his fame. He never lived a normal childhood and throughout his adulthood he tried to recapture his lost youth. Although labeled as an outstanding entertainer and humanitarian in the world, Michael became dependent on pain medications. Scandals of child molestation and Michael’s obsession with his appearance further fueled his addiction. Overdosing on pain medication ultimately would take the life of Michael Jackson on June 25, 2009.…
He has reached fields far beyond anyone thought possible and has touched the hearts and souls of many people we see today. A few examples of artists that wouldn’t be the same without Prince include; D’Angelo, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Lenny Kravitz, Rihanna, Alicia Keys, and Bruno Mars. These are examples of empowered, multi-talented, and nearly as influential artists that got their start from the same man. D’Angelo was five years old when Prince’s ‘I Wanna Be Your Lover’ came out. He told Okayplayer, “When that album came out, it was just huge. He really, literally, was the talk of the town. Everybody was wondering, ‘Who is this guy? Is he a guy? Is it a girl?’ No one really knew who it was. I remember we had the album, and my brothers were just enamored by this guy. They told me, ‘He plays everything, he writes everything, he’s singing everything,’ so I was hooked from then on. I learned how to play every song on that album, note for note, at five years old.” (D’Angelo) Hits such as “Uptown Funk”, “Hey Ya”, “Untitled (How Does It Feel)”, “1 plus 1”, “Blow”, “Like You’ll Never See Me Again”, and so many others might not have existed if it weren’t for Prince’s musical sound inventions. Artist Bruno Mars claims that Prince has been one of his largest influences throughout his lifetime especially in regards to his hits “Locked Out of Heaven” and “Moonshine”. Mars claims that “Moonshine” couldn’t have…
Michael jackson born in indianaa on august 29t 1958, was an iconic figure in the musical industry, selling over 750 million copies of his songs worldwide.…
Did you know that MTV's original slogan used in 1981 was, “ You’ll never look at music the same way again”? People were so astonished that music videos could be played on TV 24 hours, 7 days a week. MTV’s purpose was to help promote musicians’ albums. Musicians were being made celebrities over night after their videos being aired on MTV. MTV forever changed the way music and musicians reached their audiences.…
“Don’t You Want Me,” was written by Human league’s lead vocalist Philip Oakey, background singer Adrian Wright as well as keyboardist Jo Callis. This song was unusual in that one of the female backing singers took a lead role, as the song was structured as a duet.The Human League thought of themselves as very cutting-edge, their music was based on electronic sounds and considered guitars "archaic and antique." Lead singer Phil Oakey has been quoted as saying this song is not a love story but more,”a nasty song about sexual power politics.” Oakley originally didn't want "Don't You Want Me" released as a single because they felt it to be to mainstream, he could have never imagined the international success the song has gained.…
Prince was born in 1958 in Massachusetts into a family of musicians. “Prince Rogers Trio”, the band his Father was in, which is also where he got the name Prince from. His parents wanted him to become a musician when he got older and made efforts to raise his talents musically. He ran away and was…
Music from the 1960’s and 1970’s is much different than music of today. Classic rock was started in the 1960’s as a cause of the British invasion, which included the discovery of bands such as the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd. The British invasion influenced garage rock which many high school aged boys would participate in. Some examples of garage rock inspired bands are: the Yarbirds, the Animals, the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, and the Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Also at this time, folk rock and psychedelic rock developed from garage rock. Most psychedelic songs consisted of similar features such as a slow tempo or long guitar solos with strange riffs. Folk rock developed in the 1960’s from garage rock and psychedelic rock as “a mix of the ideologies and sounds of folk revival” (Morrison). Classic rock of the 1970’s caused America to undergo a cultural shift which included politics, drugs, and lifestyle.…
In 1981 MTV "Music Television" was introduced on cable television and revolutionized rock marketing. Just as FM radio had superseded the hit-oriented AM format, music videos, produced as mini-movie advertisements for songs, became essential to a performer's popularity. Early in the decade, the British group the Police was one of the first to combine a progressive sound with polished videos. The expense of producing videos and MTV's virtual monopoly made it difficult for experimental music to compete with the dance-pop sung by American artists like Michael Jackson, Prince, Whitney Houston, and Madonna, and the British groups Duran Duran and Depeche Mode. Nevertheless, performers such as the Irish group U2 and the American group R.E.M. emerged from their underground roots to enjoy enormous success. Now a few of the new genres of the 80's.…
Rap and hip-hop first started to come together in the 1970 's, but didn 't really materialize and become popular until the 1990 's. With a huge surge in popularity and growth in the 1990 's, it seemed that rap and hip-hop had started a cultural phenomenon that still has noticeable effects easily seen today in music and also in pop culture. A cultural phenomenon is an idea, trend, or movement that shapes and defines that time period. During the 1990 's, rap and hip-hop spread like wild fire across the nation, from the inner cities to the suburbs to anywhere where you can find a radio. Rap and hip-hop brought a different kind of lyrical rhythms and upbeat, energetic music that most people weren’t too familiar with. This cultural phenomenon didn’t only bring changes to music; it also brought along chances in fashion as well as a whole new culture and mindset.…
One of the most influential genres, or sub genres, is about a 50/50 flip between folk rock and jazz rock. Both incorporate amazing rock beats and tones, (and awesome guitar riffs), as well as a bridge between two other completely separate genres. I also find it hard to categorize a band into one specific genre. So many bands have so many songs that could be put into a different category. So while Johnny Cash could be a country artists or rockabilly, and even in some of his more recent covers, I would see him as a rock musician.…
Prince released in 1979 his debut album "For You" which moved the music industry with its characteristic sound: funky ballads with synthesizers, provocative and sensual lyrics, and falsetto. The hybrid between R&B, jazz, rock, pop and funk made it possible for the artist to sell 100 million albums and become one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Prince…
The MTV brand started out with a focus on the music where it helped to launch the visual impact of bands through music videos. MTV is a youth oriented brand, that started as a purely music video station, and has now involved into a pop-culture station with a mix of long-form programming, and videos. They created stars and termed new expressions like VJs and quickly differentiated their product from the competition. As a result of having a first-mover advantage they were the TV channel to go to in order to endorse your music. They managed to build up their brand and be a key channel for promotion where artists where demanding to have their own videos played on MTV. MTV remains a strong brand within the youth segment but needs to constantly evolve in order to maintain their position with new trends and changes emerging. The brand associations are strong since they are attached to a certain target-group (youths) that is very desirable to reach for many advertisers. The adolescence and early adulthood that MTV reaches are important for establishing enduring preferences for a specific type of brand that might follow a person throughout his life. Viewed as very “hip and now” many teens look to the channel to see what is popular and what the up and coming trends of today are. MTV has very strong brand attributes, with its viewers and even with people that do not view the channel as one they would frequently watch, therefore giving the brand strong brand associations. MTV has core values of staying on top of music and cultural trends, as a result ensuring their continued growth of their audience; MTV needs to stay relevant to stay on top.…