Even Dr. Dre is disappointed in modern music. (1 Viewer)

[sonicboom]

Still the simplest and best explanation of this phenomenon

I'm thinking this is a better explanation. Modern Computing/software killed the rock band. Do you like your music with auto-tune, or without?

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

oh…. Let’s put this here

 

[Boy_of_wonder75]

Hip hop does seem less angry and political than it used to. Outside of RtJ, I can't think of an artist in that genre who is blatantly so.

 

[sfidc3]

“All this machinery, making modern music, can still be open hearted…It’s not so fully charted it’s really just a question of your honesty, yeah, your honesty.”

Lyrics from Rush “Spirit of the Radio” from several decades ago…

Peart was really clever, he knew music videos were about to completely change the industry.....

Didn't Rick Beato scientifically break down why recent music objectively sucks?

He had a chart of diminishing complexity to where the last few years is essentially cavemen banging rocks and hooting.

Yup, I think it was pretty spot on.....it's not that there aren't still some great musicians out there (Derek Trucks, Billy Strings, Kingfish Ingram, Samantha Fox, Gary Clark Jr, etc) it's just great musicianship is mostly not in the mainstream and hasn't been in a long, long time.....

I admit to not appreciating someone making millions creating "music" not playing an instrument or singing with tons of effects and a truly great musician struggling to make ends meet (and there are lots of them)....

 

[DCSaints_Fan]

It’s also pretty common knowledge that the music you listen to when you’re a teen/early 20s tends to be the music you like later in life.

I would argue that those of us fogeys that have a soft spot for Kendrick, Tyler, even Childish Gambino’s stuff from a few years ago but aren’t huge fans of others rapping now like it because those guys put out hip hop that is much more like the stuff we grew up with.

Not me ... I think certain earlier eras, such as say 67-71 and 79-83 were way better than the 90s even taken as a whole, which was my coming-of-age decade, unless you were super into hip-hop (which I wasn't, though did listen to a fair amount of the hits). There were alot of copycats which I really didn't care much for.

 

[brandon8283]

Not me ... I think certain earlier eras, such as say 67-71 and 79-83 were way better than the 90s even taken as a whole, which was my coming-of-age decade, unless you were super into hip-hop (which I wasn't, though did listen to a fair amount of the hits). There were alot of copycats which I really didn't care much for.

It’s not “what was popular when you were a teenager.” It’s “what did you listen to as a teenager?”

If you listed to 60s-70s era music as a teen, that would be consistent with what is typical.

 

[jasonsw]

But how long is the list of "et al"? I don't doubt that Dre likes those artists too. He's praised Kendrick Lamar in the past. But seriously, after a few names, how good is the quality of rap right now as a whole?

Lebron and Steph Curry are two of the best basketball players of all-time. Each is arguably the best player to ever play their respective positions. And barring injury, Victor Wembanyama will be one of the most spectacular players ever for the next 15 years. I can acknowledge that while also noting that the NBA as a whole is just not as good as it once was. Outside of some really phenomenal players doing some game changing stuff (like Kendrick or Tyler the Creator or Doechii), the rest is just not exciting to watch. And not to go on a tangent, it extends to college basketball where women's basketball is a much better product than the men's game right now (with better star power to boot).

I get the eye rolling over older generations saying things were better "back in my day", I don't think that's what he's doing. He's still DEEP in the rap game producing. He hears what's coming out as he's still an active participant, not some retired guy who doesn't know the name of the players he criticizing.

There was a time in hip-hop where there was truly diverse, innovative sounds emerging on the popular scene from all over from Arrested Development to Wu Tang Clan (I'm sure there's a Z that I'm overlooking for that analogy, ah well). I just don't hear that today. And I have tried. I have more music at my finger tips than I ever did and even with a teenager keeping my in the loop. The hip-hop scene is rough. I mean, I'm not commenting from the sideline. I'm going see Tyler in March and probably Kendrick too. I'm listening to new stuff, trying to anyway.

That's true the NBA isn't as great star wise as the 8os and 90s NBA.

The difference is the lower tier players are better