Guess
Feb 24th, 2006, 03:25 PM
Artists as different as Mariah Carey and Gretchen Wilson know words have never been more important to a song's success.
Musical trends come and go -- think disco in the 1970s and grunge in the '90s. Revolutions like jazz and swing, the Motown era and even the hard rock of Led Zeppelin have had lasting impressions. But as the people who watch the charts week in and week out, as we have for decades, we can tell you: Not since the dawn of rock 'n' roll has there been as huge a phenomenon in popular music as hip-hop.
Today, we see hip-hop and rap forging a new revolution, bringing the harsh realities of poverty and racism into cleverly spun verses. And by creating a genre dominated by words that now tops the charts, hip-hop lyricists have raised the bar for storytelling across all styles.
"Lyrics these days are more a reflection of what is really going on," says songwriter/producer Sean Garrett, who has worked with recent Billboard chart-toppers Mary J. Blige and Jamie Foxx. "The blend of hip-hop and pop has done that for mainstream music."
Hip-hop and rap also have made personal revelations standard radio fare. "In the last five years, lyrics have resembled diaries of those who write them," says songwriter/producer Jermaine Dupri, who has generated hit singles for such artists as Mariah Carey and Bow Wow. "I think the fans like the records that seem closer to life."
Carey's "We Belong Together" stayed at No. 1 for weeks with a gut-wrenching, stream-of-consciousness ramble about lost love: "I can't sleep at night/When you are on my mind/Bobby Womack's on the radio/Singing to me: 'If you think you're lonely now'/Wait a minute, this is too deep/I gotta change the station."
Who would have thought a style with such a silly-sounding name would come to be taken so seriously.
Source: USA Weekend (http://usaweekend.com/06_issues/060226/060226cover_lyrics.html)
Musical trends come and go -- think disco in the 1970s and grunge in the '90s. Revolutions like jazz and swing, the Motown era and even the hard rock of Led Zeppelin have had lasting impressions. But as the people who watch the charts week in and week out, as we have for decades, we can tell you: Not since the dawn of rock 'n' roll has there been as huge a phenomenon in popular music as hip-hop.
Today, we see hip-hop and rap forging a new revolution, bringing the harsh realities of poverty and racism into cleverly spun verses. And by creating a genre dominated by words that now tops the charts, hip-hop lyricists have raised the bar for storytelling across all styles.
"Lyrics these days are more a reflection of what is really going on," says songwriter/producer Sean Garrett, who has worked with recent Billboard chart-toppers Mary J. Blige and Jamie Foxx. "The blend of hip-hop and pop has done that for mainstream music."
Hip-hop and rap also have made personal revelations standard radio fare. "In the last five years, lyrics have resembled diaries of those who write them," says songwriter/producer Jermaine Dupri, who has generated hit singles for such artists as Mariah Carey and Bow Wow. "I think the fans like the records that seem closer to life."
Carey's "We Belong Together" stayed at No. 1 for weeks with a gut-wrenching, stream-of-consciousness ramble about lost love: "I can't sleep at night/When you are on my mind/Bobby Womack's on the radio/Singing to me: 'If you think you're lonely now'/Wait a minute, this is too deep/I gotta change the station."
Who would have thought a style with such a silly-sounding name would come to be taken so seriously.
Source: USA Weekend (http://usaweekend.com/06_issues/060226/060226cover_lyrics.html)