Listeners of different backgrounds will have different interpretations of music that ultimately enrich the discussions surrounding a genre. Lyrical music generally includes some form of message — ranging from discussions about mental health to the handling of commercial fame — that originates from the artist’s own experiences.
However, when stereotypes prevent people from listening to different types of music and bringing their own perspectives to the messages of the artists, the conversations surrounding the genre become diluted to include only the voices of those with similar views and experiences, morphing the genre into something exclusive.
For instance, country is generally considered to be a “white” genre. Although country music originated from the experiences of African American artists in the Southern United States, it was first branded as “hillbilly music” and sold to white Americans in the 1920s. Since then, the genre has been synonymous with rural experiences of white rural Americans from the Appalacian region. The result of this generalization led to an exclusion of African American artists and their music because they did not conform to the stereotype.
The problem is not that music genres have identities. Rather, it is the exclusivity of the stereotypes that goes against the purpose of music itself. Because of these stereotypes, certain artists and their music are defined by factors out of their control and are prevented from sharing their experiences.
Further, genre stereotypes reduce the ability of music to convey social and political messages. Music has a unique power for social commentary because it is easily accessed by everyone, with little barrier of language. Additionally, music effectively reveals personal experiences of artists by evoking emotions in listeners that cannot be replicated by words or numbers in written form.
Take rap as an example. There is a stereotype of violence, materialism and misogyny surrounding the genre, which turns a lot of the older generation and people who think that rap is little more than rhymes away from it. However, while certain songs fit these generalizations, there also exist artists like Kendrick Lamar, who delivers a profound story of Black struggle in capitalist America through his album “To Pimp a Butterfly,” and Kanye West, who exposes the dark side of celebrity fame in “My Dark Beautiful Twisted Fantasy.”