While scanning through the radio, one might hear samples of songs by Florida Georgia Line, Eminem, Bob Marley, and Led Zeppelin in quick succession. Not surprisingly, we are able to easily identify what type of radio station we are listening to after only a few seconds (just enough time for a few lyrics and chords to be played). To help provide deeper insight as to why this is possible, Jennifer C. Lena extensively studied the idea of musical genres as a way to help organize and understand the relationship between different pieces of music. In her book entitled Banding Together, she defines a genre as a “system of orientations, expectations, and conventions that bind together industry, performers, critics, and fans in making what they identify as a distinctive sort of music” (6). Each type of genre has certain well-defined features that allow us to come to the consensus that a particular type of music is being performed. To illustrate this, I will write about the characteristics of two distinct musical genres, country and hip-hop, and give an example from each category. Lastly, I will try to pick out elements in each piece that might evoke other genres.
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Country music has been an integral part of American culture for many decades, having its roots in folk music (Errey). It has developed into a well-defined genre community whose participants “believe themselves to be involved in a collective project” (Lena 6). Although there are many streams within the country music style, common themes and key features associated with country music unite these variants. Country music has clear and understandable lyrics, a simple chord progression, a powerful and emotional chorus, and touches on themes of loneliness, family, the hard life of the common man, patriotism, rural life, good times, love, drinking (especially beer), vehicles (especially trucks), and women. Typically, the songs are written in the form of a story, and the singers voice has a prominent Southern accent and twang that matches the strong ringing sound that many of the instruments make. The instruments most commonly used are the acoustic guitar, banjo, bass, fiddle, mandolin, and steel guitar (Jensen). A good example of a song that exemplifies the qualities typically found in this genre is “This Is How We Roll” by Florida Georgia Line. This song opens with a simple yet strong guitar riff that introduces the song and immediately gets the listeners attention. When lead singer Tyler Hubbard is heard first time, his unmistakable accent, slow drawl, and refusal to pronounce the “g” in any word that ends in “ing” is a clear indication of this band’s country roots. Lines like “truck’s jacked up, flat bed’s flipped back, yeah you can find us where the party’s at” touch on some of the aforementioned themes often used in this genre. Further, Hubbard makes sure to mention that his baby looks great next to him in his truck, crossing off a few more of those necessary themes like love, women, and the simple pleasures in life. When the chorus arrives, the band sings loudly and from the heart, with a simple melody and lyrics that can be sung along with after just one listen (“this is how we roll” is stated in four out of the chorus’ seven lines). Although many of the details in this song scream country, Florida Georgia Line incorporates a few techniques commonly associated with hip-hop. For instance, some of the songs lyrics are spoken instead of sung, a technique that has not been employed in country music of the past. The lyrics touch on partying, a theme that is associated across many different genres of music. This is not by accident, as Florida Georgia Line’s new stream of “bro country” is an intentional hybrid of musical styles (Wolgamott). Hubbard even directly points out the group’s varied musical style in the very first line of his song: “the mixtape’s got a little Hank, little Drake” alluding to country music legend Hank Williams and the hip-hop superstar of today, Drake. However, there is more to hip-hop than what Florida Georgia Line brings to the table. Whereas country music has been around since the 1920’s, hip-hop has emerged much more recently, tracing its origins back to New York City in the 1970’s.
Country music has been an integral part of American culture for many decades, having its roots in folk music (Errey). It has developed into a well-defined genre community whose participants “believe themselves to be involved in a collective project” (Lena 6). Although there are many streams within the country music style, common themes and key features associated with country music unite these variants. Country music has clear and understandable lyrics, a simple chord progression, a powerful and emotional chorus, and touches on themes of loneliness, family, the hard life of the common man, patriotism, rural life, good times, love, drinking (especially beer), vehicles (especially trucks), and women. Typically, the songs are written in the form of a story, and the singers voice has a prominent Southern accent and twang that matches the strong ringing sound that many of the instruments make. The instruments most commonly used are the acoustic guitar, banjo, bass, fiddle, mandolin, and steel guitar (Jensen). A good example of a song that exemplifies the qualities typically found in this genre is “This Is How We Roll” by Florida Georgia Line. This song opens with a simple yet strong guitar riff that introduces the song and immediately gets the listeners attention. When lead singer Tyler Hubbard is heard first time, his unmistakable accent, slow drawl, and refusal to pronounce the “g” in any word that ends in “ing” is a clear indication of this band’s country roots. Lines like “truck’s jacked up, flat bed’s flipped back, yeah you can find us where the party’s at” touch on some of the aforementioned themes often used in this genre. Further, Hubbard makes sure to mention that his baby looks great next to him in his truck, crossing off a few more of those necessary themes like love, women, and the simple pleasures in life. When the chorus arrives, the band sings loudly and from the heart, with a simple melody and lyrics that can be sung along with after just one listen (“this is how we roll” is stated in four out of the chorus’ seven lines). Although many of the details in this song scream country, Florida Georgia Line incorporates a few techniques commonly associated with hip-hop. For instance, some of the songs lyrics are spoken instead of sung, a technique that has not been employed in country music of the past. The lyrics touch on partying, a theme that is associated across many different genres of music. This is not by accident, as Florida Georgia Line’s new stream of “bro country” is an intentional hybrid of musical styles (Wolgamott). Hubbard even directly points out the group’s varied musical style in the very first line of his song: “the mixtape’s got a little Hank, little Drake” alluding to country music legend Hank Williams and the hip-hop superstar of today, Drake. However, there is more to hip-hop than what Florida Georgia Line brings to the table. Whereas country music has been around since the 1920’s, hip-hop has emerged much more recently, tracing its origins back to New York City in the 1970’s.