The gift of knowledge is the highest gift in the world. -Swame Vivekananda
I got irritated when I found out that most “music” podcasts are just playlists or mixes. I can listen to that on Spotify, YouTube or the club. Where are the conversations? I want to know what the inspiration for songs came from, how collaborations came about, why the title of the track was chosen.
I want to connect.
A flyer on Instagram isn’t going to cut it. I don’t want to click a link to watch a 30-second TikTok video or IG story. A limited caption followed by “Link in Bio” isn’t going to cut it. I need depth.
VH1 use to air “Behind the Music” from 1997-2014, a documentary-styled show that featured artists from different genres and highlighted their struggles, hardships, successes, and failures. There was a different connection to music before the digital revolution.
We are living in a creator economy. Everyone is creating. All of us are consuming. Who is learning?
You would be surprised who knows what about the history of the very music that they create. It doesn’t matter their age or genre they’re in, so many artists lack music history.
I cringe when people tell me house music “is for white people.” Reading is fundamental.
How about the history of gangster rap music and how it was promoted by music executives to increase incarceration and profits for the private prison systems? It’s said to be a conspiracy, but where is the lie?
Did you know Elvis was “inspired” by the Black musicians of his time?
Music history is comprised of so much — from the pioneers of music across different genres, political and social movements birthed from or influenced by music, culture shifts, racial disparities and socioeconomics, legalities, business economics and so much more.
As creators, all we want to do is create. Write. Make music. Create art. Dance. Sing. But in the midst of operating happily in your passion, don’t forget to learn where it all came from.