Mr. Summers
Honors English 11
15 October 2015
Music. Culture. History. American ragtime, jazz, and blues, is affected by society; much like American pop and rap music today. The 1920’s American culture was a profound, racy, yet brilliant era. American culture was made up of change, racism, and iconic music. The ending of the World War I in 1918 made an immense impact on American culture. The portrayal of women was altering, new music was being discovered, and the economy was booming; America was considered a new world. The right for women’s voting was in motion, and women were seen from a brand new prospective. Most of the “new women” (History.com The Roaring Twenties) smoked, drank, exchanged some grotesque words, and were …show more content…
One of the most prominent aspects of American culture today is diversity. Even with all of the diversity, racism is still a key role in culture. Many degrading remarks toward people of color or women are used in the majority of American music today. Racism and sexism in movies and television have multiple effects on the music industry as well. In fact, “94% of American movies utilize white Americans or people of European descent…” (Wilkinson Huffingtonpost.com). “…movie studios simply want to make money and that ‘whiteness’ sells…” (Wilkinson Huffingtonpost.com). Men and women in the entertainment industry are more provocative and scurrilous; yet more confident and outgoing that the previous …show more content…
The artists in these genres vary in race, gender, sexuality, and style. The most notable pop artists presently include: Maroon 5, Ariana Grande, One Direction, and Taylor Swift (Billboard The Hot 100). Many Americans know of these artists by some of their more impressionable, repetitive songs consisting of: Sugar, Payphone (Maroon 5), What Makes You Beautiful, Story Of My Life (One Direction), Bad Blood, Shake It Off (Taylor Swift), and Problem (Ariana Grande). Rap artist are mainly affected by the culture of where they are raised. The current, notable rap artists include: Drake, Mac Miller, Fetty Wap, Macklemore, and Nicki Minaj (Billboard The Hot 100). The unique and sometimes degrading songs by these artists consist of: Started From The Bottom (Drake), J’s On My Feet (Mac Miller), Trap Queen (Fetty Wap), Thrift Shop, Can’t Hold Us (Macklemore), Anaconda, and Super Bass (Nicki Minaj). These songs generally portray the way American culture is in today’s society, showing that American is generic, lustful, and incredibly