New Voices 'Let Us Out'

X&I MUSIC
Inspiration took place this morning as I browsed the YouTube world. My ears were awakened by a certain post of a soulful eclectic voice singing familiar lyrics by Gnarls Barkley, 'Crazy'. Hearing her fresh sound powerfully hit my ears.

In the meantime my mind wondered, thinking about how lame the music industry is becoming as a whole. From contracted deals to the radio station channels, it is all a conglomerated mess. The people are yearning for "real artist" to reveal "real music".

Everyday on the dreadful hour and a half commute I must suffer through; I travel from the Accokeek Maryland boonies to the gritty streets of Baltimore. If I don’t pull out my oldie but goody cd's I am restricted to listen to approximately 6 radio stations all in which lack originality!

WKYS 93.9, WPGC 95.5, WHUR 96.3,WIHT - Hot 99.5, Magic 102.3, and I only have one station in which can inspire me in positive speaking which is WXGG 104.1. Now, 3 out of 6 of these stations, WKYS, WPGC and Hot 99 basically play the same music and always have, but because they have minimized the need for Dj's by creating playlist to take their places they now continuously play the same songs but at the same time undermining the whole purpose of the DJ. The other 2 out of 6 are more sophisticated stations, but they play the same throwback tunes as well.

What is wrong with experiencing voices like Ari Lennox, and new sounds from upcoming phenom rap groups like Godsilla! Our community is going through rough times and music is our outlet, it which should be positively moving in it's own way.

Take us back to the days of Marvin Gay when music felt good and had meaningful lyrics. Now-a-days we just get a bunch of hoopla delivery that force artist to promote sex, drugs, violence, or unpleasant lyricism to even sale an album. Do they think we like filling our aura with that non sense all the time!?

A fine example of the industry killing music is the protest that had taken place for over a year. Lupe Fiasco's fans started a movement and protest at Atlantic Records headquarters due to the 2 setbacks of his album release. It is called the 'Lasers', which promotes self motivation and liberation from suppression.

His fans feel that he uplifts through his lyrics and speaks truth, and Atlantic Records should not be able to take that away from the consumer in which keeps their business abroad. So they protested, and his album is scheduled to release March 2011. This is today.

Would that not be a similar relation to the radio stations? If everyone chose to stop listening to the radio, how would it shake the industry?


The approach the corporate have taken with radio stations it does not seem they truly care what the people; the consumer; the community; the listener wants or needs. They have forced everyone from children to adult music lovers to sit and listen to non-sense.

According to Webster conglomeration is to bring together into a cohering mass. With that being said the industry has and will conglomerate everyone's likings through lack of option if nothing is done. Conglomeration limits the voices that can speak to a mass amount of people publicly, and creates a mainstream line in which excludes originality.

Have you ever been in class and created an assigned project and was scolded by your teacher because the result was too creative? Well that is the suppression many great artist go through, and one of the main reason most fall. Do you like the direction the Music industry is headed? If not speak out!