"UNPLUGGED"

A technique that I admire and yearn for in the music industry is the art of stripping down a song into an unplugged, acoustic version.  Taking a song and turning it into a simplistic work of art that displays an artist’s instrumental talent, provides a pure, raw emotion that the original version of the song sometimes does not offer.  Many artists will record a song with technological elements in order to make it “radio friendly” or more marketable.  But, a lot of times these elements take away from the emotion of the song.  Therefore, many artists will re-record or perform at live venues using this broken-down, “unplugged” aesthetic of their song to share what they were feeling when they wrote or recorded the song.

I coined the “unplugged” aesthetic term from the MTV Unplugged television series.  These televised, intimate concert shows proved to me that any genre can perform a song acoustically.  The alternative genre is very powerful with the “unplugged” aesthetic.  “The Outsiders” by Needtobreathe (2009), is originally done with an abundance of sounds. However, on their deluxe version of the album, also entitled “The Outsiders,” Needtobreathe released an acoustic version of the song.  This version was stripped down to where you could hear each specific element and instrument of the song.  There is an emphasis on the voice and the hand clapping, whereas in the original the hand clapping is very distant in the background of the song.  This is the perfect example of being “unplugged” because you could hear clearly the rhythm of the hand clapping instead of the instruments overpowering it, as they do in the original.  It kind of stood as a metaphor with the song, as an “outsider.”  The handclapping was hard to hear in the original version, but it clearly stood out in the acoustic.  Maybe this is what Needtobreathe was going for in relation to trying to emotionally enhance the song.  What I find interesting, but mostly enlightening, is that their acoustic version of the song has received more success than their original version.  I believe it is because the “unplugged” aesthetic allows for simplistic instrumentation that invokes emotion and admiration for the artist and what they are singing about.

As mentioned before, the MTV Unplugged series showed me that any genre can apply the “unplugged” aesthetic.  Even hip-hop artists can strip down their heavily produced beats so that the emphasis of emotion is felt on their lyrics.  After all, hip-hop is all about expressing yourself through words or rhymes; therefore, an artist would want people to understand what they are trying to say.  Jay-Z is one artist that has taking on the emotional task of “unplugging” some of his greatest hits.  In 2001, Jay-Z performed a set on the MTV Unplugged series and followed up with a live album version, “MTV Unplugged: Jay-Z,” to release to his fans.  He took some of his songs such as “Song Cry,” “I Just Wanna Love You (Give It To Me),” and “Can I Get A…” and stripped them down using real instruments rather than computerized productions.  This way the beat did not over power his flow or take away from the focus of the lyrics.  Instead, he gave an “unplugged” performance providing emphasis and emotion on his words, his stories, rather than trying to get people to dance to a certain beat.  Listening to these versions of Jay-Z’s songs provides a whole new affect and authenticity to his appeal and music.  The flow of the rapper is what is felt, the emotion put behind each word; it feels so much more real to the audience, so much more intimate and personal.

The “unplugged” aesthetic provides this intimate and personal atmosphere.  It is an art form so pure and full of raw emotion that does need complicated themes or technological elements to be appreciated as talent.  Acoustic versions, whether recorded or performed live, give listeners an avenue to connect with the core of the song and experience the power and emotion that went into the creation of that song.

Needtobreathe "The Outsiders (Acoustic)" --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6xvpQYA94Y

Jay-Z "Song Cry (MTV Unplugged)" --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDGbyJah-4U&playnext=1&list=PL60B390B5DC8BE11C

I said a HIP-HOP, you don't stop!

In today’s society, most people underestimate the power of hip-hop music.  The genre is not considered to be mature and good-natured.  Instead, people generally think of hip-hop as demeaning and childish. These opinions are based on the lyrics that make degrading references towards women, promote violence, and brag about the lifestyles of the rich and famous (sex, drugs, and alcohol).  And while I will agree that these things are present in the world of hip-hop, I want to argue that there is an underlying meaning behind specific lyrics and there is artistry present in the songs.  People need to realize that, while there are many people who have no artistic talent in this genre, there are also plenty more hip-hop artists that can create lyrical masterpieces which are truly inspired and deserve to be given credit.

Artists like Jay-Z, Eminem, and Kanye West are specific examples of why I love hip-hop and why I believe more people should give the genre a chance.  Instead of focusing on how stupid the lyrics to Soulja Boy’s songs are or how derogatory Snoop Dogg’s lyrics are towards women, these three artists actually put meaning into their songs.  Their songs tell a story.  Take Jay-Z for example, his full album series, The Blueprint I, The Blueprint II, and The Blueprint III, was a testimony to his life growing up in a rough neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York.  Each song on these albums referenced the struggles he had to overcome to get away from the hood and away from selling drugs.  Eminem also had to deal with tough times before he reached fame.  However, his hardships were met by trying to raise a family.  In many of Eminem’s songs, he references his life as father, his struggles with his ex-wife, and the strength his daughters give him.  Kanye West is also empowered by family.  Being raised by a single mother, Kanye dedicated one specific to his mother, “Hey Mama,” as well as making references to his mother in several of his other songs.

I am sure that by looking at artists, such as Jay-Z, Eminem, and Kanye West, the general public labels them as thuggish, just like they do with the entire genre.  Even though these three artists may look a certain way that does not mean that they are incapable of artistic talent.  These men are songwriters, first and foremost.  They pen songs that are inspired; sometimes it is by their own life, sometimes it is by what is going in the world around them.  Secondly, each of these artists is a producer.  They make their own music, which goes to show that their creativity does not end with just lyrics.  All different kind of sounds and equipment and rhythms are used in order to generate a specific beat to go along with the original song that you penned.  What people fail to see is that each of these hip-hop artists, Jay-Z, Eminem, and Kanye West, all have a specific flow; a specific way of rhyming to the beat.  And, with that being said it takes talent to continuously write, to produce unique sounds, and to have the ability to carry out your own style of rapping.  Not of these three men sound the same, nor do their songs.  This goes to show that are working to create an original sound, something that only they can do.

The only reason that today’s society disapproves of the hip-hop genre is because of the bad light it is presented in.  Not every hip-hop artist takes the genre as serious as Jay-Z, Eminem, and Kanye West.  Some people are just in it for the money and the fame, which is why hip-hop’s rep is distorted.  Sex, drugs, money, and violence are not what hip-hop is about.  These concepts might be mentioned in the lyrics, and sometimes they might not have any meaning behind them.  However, sometimes these concepts might have an underlying meaning that is not demeaning.  Hip-hop is a genre that is use to express yourself.  Some artists actually believe in this and choose to share their feelings with the world in their lyrics and through their artistic abilities.  More people should be willing to give the ones who deserve to be heard a chance, instead of just judging a book by its cover.