Understanding the music of the new generation - Special Issue - The New Generation of the '90s

Ebony, August, 1990 by Charles Whitaker

Understanding The Music Of The New Generation

Today's artists mix rhythm & blues with a booming beat to create a powerful sound that's all their own

If art is truly a window to the soul, then the music of the new generation offers a glimpse of the myriad pains and plagues, influences and inspirations that have shaped the ethos of modern youth. For nowhere are the views of the young displayed more prominently than in the songs they compose and perform.

To the unappreciative ears of critics over age 30, the amplified, synthesizer-driven blare of contemporary music is as melodious as a train wreck. But those who take the time to listen more closely will hear the messages of protest and passion, concern and caring that pour out of the compositions of many of today's most gifted and popular artists.

"I think our generation is very aware of the problems we face," says April Silver, 21, president of the Howard University Student Association. "Those of us who are from inner-city environments know the damage that crack and gang wars and unemployment have done to our communities. We're committed to working toward finding solutions to those problems."

That youthful commitment is reflected in the generation's music choices. While there is hardly a generation in America that has not used its art as a form of social commentary, what distinguishes the new generation from its predecessors is the many forms that its musical expressions of protest take.

From the pulsating dance rhythms of Janet Jackson, whose latest album is a long-playing plea for racial harmony, to the plaintive strains of folk singer Tracy Chapman, whose lyrics touch themes as varied as homelessness and environmental protection, modern music of all stripes is grappling with issues and striking a responsive chord in its new generation fans.

On one end of the spectrum is rap, the aggressive, vehement, decidedly urban street poetry that has taken the country by storm. Rap is everywhere--on radio, in commercials, in movies. White suburban kids who would never dream of venturing into the inner-city world where rap's hip-hop culture was born, have taken to the music and propelled rappers like Tone-Loc and Young M.C. to Top 40 prominence.

Yet, for all of rap music's universal appeal, its edge has not been dulled. No art form epitomizes the anger, disappointment and frustrations of contemporary youth like the fiery rhymes of rap. "It speaks to a reality out there," says Walter Allen, professor of sociology at UCLA. "It's this generation's way of commenting on what's going on around them, and the fact that they don't necessarily like what they see."

But rap has an image problem. Some of its most popular stars flaunt street-tough attitudes and speak in a tongue that would be completely unintelligible were it not for the heavy doses of four-letter words mixed in for effect. Groups like NWA (Niggas With Attitude) and Public Enemy repel some older observers with their provocative and sometimes violently revolutionary lyrics. And parents and feminist groups have sought to censor or ban the recordings of groups like 2 Live Crew claiming that the lyrics are too sexually explicit or misogynistic.

Rappers say there is no need for alarm, that the more controversial performers of their lot are merely publicly airing the sentiments of their peers. "If you look past the [offensive] words, you see that what a lot of rappers are saying is we need to do something about what's happening out here in our communities," says Tone-Loc, 24, currently one of rap's biggest, and less controversial, stars. "It's just that a lot of groups are saying things in a way that people in the streets can understand, and maybe that's what some people are reacting negatively to."

On the opposite end of the contemporary music continuum is Tracy Chapman, different in tone and temperament than the rappers, but no less political. At 26, Chapman is a throw-back to another era, a time before electronic gadgetry and studio wizards took over the music business. Her austere folk songs, plucked out on acoustic guitar with sparse accompaniment, are reminiscent of the poignantly defiant protest songs sung by the artists/activitists of the '60s.

Her lyrics, delivered in an unadorned, tremulous alto, plumb such weighty topics as urban poverty and violence--the same thematic territory staked out in a far more antagonistic manner by many rap artists.

It is a testament to the catholic nature of the new generation's musical tastes that it has elevated a serious and proudly unglamorous artist like Chapman, who won three Grammy Awards in 1988, to stardom while simultaneously embracing the macho preening and studied coolness of rap. In between those two artistic poles is an expanse that covers a wide range of music, all enjoyed and supported by contemporary youth.

Take, for example, Janet Jackson, whose growing popularity is nearing the height of her older brother Michael's. The 24-year-old "baby" of the Jackson clan is perhaps the quintessential new generation performer--influenced by the legacy she inherited from traditional rhythm and blues artists, she and her young producers, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, have infused R&B with a variety of kinetic, electronic sounds and created '90s-style dance music that has the whole world bopping to the beat.