# data[].attributes.headline
The Psychological Functions of Music in Adolescence

# data[].attributes.subject
The Psychological Functions of Music in Adolescence

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/08098130409478097?needAccess=true

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The article presents a theoretical model of the psychological functions of music in adolescence. The model is a categorization of the psychological goals that direct and give meaning to musical activities in everyday life. It is based on the developmental tasks of adolescence and finds support from a wide range of studies from several disciplines. It consists of four categories: interpersonal relationships, identity, agency, and emotional field, which represent different areas of psychological functions that can be supported by engaging in music. Through promoting the satisfaction of these psychological aims music contributes substantially to adolescent development and mental health.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Psychological Functions of Music in Adolescence

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The article presents a theoretical model of the psychological functions of music in adolescence. The model is a categorization of the psychological goals that direct and give meaning to musical activities in everyday life. It is based on the developmental tasks of adolescence and finds support from a wide range of studies from several disciplines.

# data[].attributes.headline
Australian Hip Hop: A Sociolinguistic Investigation

# data[].attributes.subject
Australian Hip Hop: A Sociolinguistic Investigation

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/07268600600885528?needAccess=true

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Australian Hip Hop: A Sociolinguistic Investigation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Youth music in Australia has long been said to involve an aping of American stylistic features including, significantly, accents. Australian Hip Hop, though, appears to be phonologically defying the conventions of lyrical performance which have been held, to a greater or lesser extent, since rock 'n' roll's emergence in Australia.

# data[].attributes.headline
This is America: Childish Gambino decoded

# data[].attributes.subject
This is America: Childish Gambino decoded

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Childish Gambino, a.k.a. Donald Glover, released a powerful new music video examining the gun violence epidemic in America. (Video: Nicki DeMarco/The Washington Post)

While hosting "Saturday Night Live," Donald Glover dropped a music video for the new single "This Is America" by his rapper alter ego Childish Gambino. Watch it once, and your eyes will naturally be drawn to his movements and facial expressions. Watch it again, but focus on the chaos reigning in the background. Watch it a third time, and the reason for this juxtaposition becomes increasingly clear.

Because this is Glover we're talking about, there's a surreal element to all that goes on. He and frequent collaborator Hiro Murai - who has directed a number of "Atlanta" episodes, including the haunting "Teddy Perkins" - pack every frame with visual references to racism and related violence in the United States, from Glover mimicking minstrel characters to cellphones recording it all. The video racked up more than 30 million views on YouTube in 48 hours, and sleuths among those viewers have taken to social media to share their interpretations.

Let's break it down.

"This Is America" begins with a man seated in a warehouse, playing a guitar. Many misidentified him as the father of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager killed in 2012. The man is actually Calvin the Second, a Los Angeles-based artist who shared on Instagram that he "got to be a part of history."

The camera soon finds Glover. He stands behind Calvin the Second, whose head has been covered with a bag, and shoots him with a gun pulled out of his back pocket. As several have pointed out on Twitter, his stance while holding the weapon mimics that of the minstrel character Jim Crow, the origin of the term used to describe pre-Civil rights-era segregation laws.

Glover's erratic dancing, choreographed by Sherrie Silver, distracts from everything happening in the background throughout the video - purposefully so, it would seem. Paired with exaggerated expressions like the one pictured above, his movements further the connection to minstrel shows, a form of entertainment popularized in the early 1800s that mocked black people in the United States. The stock characters were usually played by white people in blackface, though some all-black groups performed under white directors.

Glover's character, who appears to represent how white American culture oppresses black people, periodically kills innocent performers. As a choir joyfully sings the refrain - "Get your money, black man, get your money" - Glover slips out from behind a door and dances in front of the choir. He is handed an assault weapon, shoots all 10 singers and walks away. The imagery evokes the 2015 Charleston church massacre, in which attendees of a prayer service were murdered by self-described white supremacist Dylann Roof.

The Post and Courier spoke to Charleston locals about their mixed reactions to the depicted violence. One criticized Glover for contributing to the overuse of "traumatic violence against black people in order to convey an artistic message," but Rev. Sharon Risher, the daughter of shooting victim Ethel Lance, said the video speaks to how death is normalized.

"That was America represented through the lens of a black man," Risher said. "For the millions of people, especially young people, who will watch it, it makes you pause and think, 'how are you going to survive being black in America?'"

As Glover tells listeners to "watch me move," people in the background are chased by cops. A police car is parked in the viewers' line of sight, and orange glares suggest fires burning throughout the warehouse.

The camera quickly glides past young people with their phones out as Glover says, "This a celly, that's a tool." Cellphones have been used to record police officers shooting or choking black people in the past few years.

As Glover continues to dance amid the chaos - with another police car parked in view - a hooded figure rides past on a white horse. Some on Twitter have drawn connections to the Horsemen of the Apocalypse from the New Testament's Book of Revelation, in which death rides on a pale horse with hell following behind.

Calvin the Second plays his guitar with the bag on his head as Glover climbs atop a parked car. All the cars pictured - including the one SZA sits on, in a surprise cameo - arefrom the 1980s and 1990s,in contrast with the new, luxury vehicles often depicted in today's music videos. Some Twitter users theorized that the cars' age represents the " stalled socioeconomic and political mobility" of black Americans. Others pointed to images of vehicles during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, which began after a jury acquitted police officers of using excessive force while arresting (and beating) Rodney King.

The video ends with Glover chased down a dark hallway, and some point to the darkness behind him as a physical representation of the Sunken Place, a mental prison where the Armitage family matriarch sends black people in Jordan Peele's "Get Out." How fitting, then, that "Get Out" actor Daniel Kaluuya presented Glover's performance of the song on SNL.

Whether this reference was intended, the video makes clear how black people have been trapped and/or harmed by American culture. Glover's character keeps the darkness at bay by acting within white-imposed boundaries for most of the video - hence the rich depth of field, with his giddy dancing layered in front of violence - but it eventually catches up with him.

"This Is America" is a painful yet perfectly timed masterpiece, what Glover seems to do best.
Read more: SNL scolds everyone for caring about Kanye West's tweets in a spoof on 'A Quiet Place' SNL brings in Ben Stiller, Scarlett Johansson, Stormy Daniels and more for star-studded cold open Lakeith Stanfield's character becomes the oddball heart of 'Atlanta' in its second season

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Analysis | 'This Is America': Breaking down Childish Gambino's powerful new music video

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Placeholder while article actions load While hosting "Saturday Night Live," Donald Glover dropped a music video for the new single "This Is America" by his rapper alter ego Childish Gambino. Watch it once, and your eyes will naturally be drawn to his movements and facial expressions.

# data[].attributes.headline
(1) Keedron Bryant - I JUST WANNA LIVE (Official Lyrics Video) - YouTube

# data[].attributes.subject
(1) Keedron Bryant - I JUST WANNA LIVE (Official Lyrics Video) - YouTube

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Keedron Bryant - I JUST WANNA LIVE (Official Lyrics Video)

# data[].attributes.headline
(1) Why Hip Hop is World Culture | Ian Lawrence | TEDxMauerPark - YouTube

# data[].attributes.subject
(1) Why Hip Hop is World Culture | Ian Lawrence | TEDxMauerPark - YouTube

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why Hip Hop is World Culture | Ian Lawrence | TEDxMauerPark

# data[].attributes.headline
(1) Oddisee - Hip Hop Influence On The Youth Is Unparalleled (247HH Exclusive) - YouTube

# data[].attributes.subject
(1) Oddisee - Hip Hop Influence On The Youth Is Unparalleled (247HH Exclusive) - YouTube

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Oddisee - Hip Hop Influence On The Youth Is Unparalleled (247HH Exclusive)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
watch great performances from the Kennedy Center on YouTube without losing your place in line. Thank you for your patience.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.academyofmusic.ac.uk/what-is-hip-hop-and-why-does-it-matter/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
To provide some important context ahead of time and bringing to light racial inequalities, it feels vital. Call Now!

# data[].attributes.headline
Using hip-hop as an empowerment tool for young adults : an exploratory study : a project based upon independent investigation

# data[].attributes.subject
Using hip-hop as an empowerment tool for young adults : an exploratory study : a project based upon independent investigation

# data[].attributes.headline
Positive Impacts - impacts of rap music on youths

# data[].attributes.subject
Positive Impacts - impacts of rap music on youths

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Rap music has long had a reputation of being a form of music that represents violence, sexual exploitation as well as celebrating street warfare and gangs, consumption of drugs and alcohol, sex and negative attitudes towards women. Another notion prevalent in society associated with rap music is the frequent, strong profanity used in the lyrics. Despite all this, hip hop has generated a huge fan base around the world with a wide demographic of listeners, mostly among youths. This raises the question, whether the negativity commonly linked with rap music is not just one side of the coin. Some aspects of the mentioned themes are true and contribute to the negative stereotype but there is another, hidden side to rap music that needs to be exposed. Although it has been seen as largely negative, hip hop has had a myriad of positive influences on society.The genre has been criticized in the media, associated with some of the nation's social ills and seen by a good number of people as a bad influence on citizens in general. Although there are some aspects of rap music that can be construed as negative, blanketing the entire art form is unfair to the artists as well as the people who enjoy the music.

The reality is that rap music is greatly misunderstood. The media often portrays rap music as negative and focuses on rap music more when it is related to something undesirable. Many media stories identify rap music as a catalyst in problems such as teen pregnancy, crime or some other negative social issue that existed long before rap music became prevalent. The truth of the matter is that there is rap music that is positive and can serve the purpose of improving social consciousness by increasing awareness of some of the issues that many residents of our nation's inner cities face. Just because a rap artist speaks of less than desirable subjects in his or her music does not mean that they intend to corrupt the minds of the audience. Rap music is entertainment and should not be treated any differently than any other form of entertainment out there. The bottom line is that all rap music is not degenerate and consideration should be taken when analyzing the message that the music is presenting.

UNIFICATION AND EDUCATION
One of these positive effects is that it has been used as a great unifier of diverse populations around the world. It started as a subculture among African American communities in America but it is now a phenomenon of global culture. As a matter of fact, it isn't only restricted to African American communities, as non black communities comprise seventy five percent of the global hip hop audience. The fact that hip hop has crossed the cultural divide demonstrates its ability to unify millions of youth worldwide. This is reminiscent of a time when rock music was on everyone's lips globally. The growth of the hip hop culture is prominent in the urban street style of dressing copied from hip hop artistes. The characteristic features of this style are baggy pants, caps worn backwards as well as expensive sneakers, which gives teenagers a sense of identity.

Hip hop has been vital in promoting social and political awareness among the youth of today. Rap music educates people from several different perspectives and raises many social issues. Rap is channel for people to speak freely about their view on political or social issues and by doing so, it engages teenagers to become concerned and aware of these issues. This is important in making the youth aware of the world around them and the conditions they face in society, enabling individuals to discuss ways in which they can make a positive change within society. A few of the issues that hip hop has created awareness in are racial discrimination, individuality and the importance of education and believing in your dreams. Hip hop also is a reflection of the soul and mind, and is a solace for both the artists and listeners who may be struggling with the same issues. Music in general brings people together, but the youth of today can relate to the struggle and difficulties that most rappers talk about. Since the release of Grandmaster Flash's "The Message" in 1982, rap music has adopted a more political tone. Rap music, more than any other genre, has alerted both private and public citizens of the plight of the lower classes in urban areas among other issues. Some rappers are known for their controversial lyrics can often bring attention to greater issues.

HOPE
Many rappers rap about poverty and their struggles in inner-city America while growing up. Once they achieve success, they talk about overcoming obstacles and rising to the top. This message can give hope to many youths across America who live in similar circumstances. For example, when a rapper raps about his challenged childhood or about succeeding despite living with a drug-addicted parent, a teenager in a similar situation may believe that he, too, can get through his struggles.

SOCIAL AWARENESS
Through education and understanding, rap music has spurred social awareness in communities around the country. Rap music has served as a tool to speak out against negative aspects of life such as violence and guns. Many artists use their musical talents to promote peace and anti-violent acts. By communicating messages about violence and discrimination, and relating to youth people, it provides an opportunity for them to make positive changes in their own life. Rappers such as the late Tupac Shakur were often criticized for their lyrics, which painted a bleak picture of urban America. While such lyrics were perhaps partially intended to shock consumers, they also brought awareness to the country's social problems, particularly those in the inner city. Issues such as violence, drug addiction and poverty are all common themes in rap music. When someone listens to the genre, he may be doing so for entertainment, but he won't be able to avoid hearing about these issues and giving thought to them.

There is some rap music that is created with the intention of sending a positive message to its audience. There are songs that denounce violence and call for more peace and togetherness in the inner city in an attempt to improve the quality of life. One great example of a rap song that sends this message is entitled "Self Destruction" and performed by the East Coast All Stars. Now for you Hip-Hop historians, I know that this goes back quite some time, but it is one of the best examples of the positive influence of rap music. A group of independent rap artists got together to make this song because they were aware of the great power and influence that they have with their music and were attempting to use that influence to make a positive change. This project served two very important purposes because it did not only create awareness of the inner city's problems with violence, but it also showed that rappers could be socially conscious and make music that was positive.

PROVIDING SUPPORT
When dealing with social problems, one of the most important ways of finding a solution to the problem is to make others within our society aware of it. Rap music is a great tool for facilitating that process because due to its popularity, it has the ability to bring a message to the masses. The vast majority of rap artists are from the inner city where sub-par social conditions and inequality can be seen the most. Many times, when a rapper writes a song that speaks of violence, drug use or other criminal activity, it is because it is something that they have seen in their living environment and therefore are in a good position to give a detailed account of how life is there. Some rappers may admit to participating in some of the aforementioned activity but again, it does not always mean that they are glorifying it. A certain story may be told to give hope and let a listener know that just because they have made mistakes in the past, it does not mean that they cannot change their life and be involved in something positive. The rappers use their music to raise awareness of these issues so that some focus can be put into improving them.

ENTERTAINMENT
Rap music's general purpose is to entertain its audience. Just because a rapper paints themselves in a picture of being associated in criminal activity, spending millions of dollars on seemingly unnecessary items or having sex with multiple women doesn't mean that they actually do. On many occasions, the rap artist is creating a fictionalised account of certain events for the purpose of intriguing and entertaining people and sometimes uses characters to facilitate those accounts. Some of the more talented rappers are able to use their words to create these characters along with vivid story lines that often are related to urban subject matter. This is no different from other forms of entertainment, in particular, the movie industry. When we watch our favourite actor carrying and using their guns to kill people, consuming drugs, or being portrayed highly sexually in a movie, it is not seen as degenerate. Some of the characters being created in these movies are no different than some of the characters that are created in rap music. Just because a rapper says that they do certain things in their music, it does not mean that they always do.

While the images that are presented in some rap music can certainly be considered a bad influence, it does not mean that all rap music is degenerate. Is it degenerate when churches use Christian rap in their service to send a message? Is it degenerate when police officers, firefighters and teachers use it to spread their message and attempt to make a connection with the youth? Rap music is a great and powerful tool that can be used for good purposes. When critiquing rap music, one has to go beyond the surface of what they are hearing and attempt to ascertain the message that the music is attempting to send.

PROGRAMS
Rap and hip hop is being used within the social work field as a form of therapy. Hip-Hop Therapy uses hip hop culture and music to engage youth and address their issues in therapy. The goal is to get youth patients to reflect on their past experiences by connecting with hip hop lyrics.

Recently grassroots organizations have sprung up in the United States that aim to use hip hop and rap to decrease youth violence. In Tucson, Arizona, Usiel Barrios has created ELEMENTary Hip Hop Skool, which aims to use hip hop to get young people involved in community building. This program aims to empower young people with leadership skills, encourage positive self expression, and promote community involvement - through hip hop.

Another grassroots organization that has been created in recent years is, Project Spitfire. This organization was founded by Henry Mann and aims to pair young musicians with professional producers who help them record songs and videos. Spitfire also provides artists with a $100 signing bonus, photo shoots, and publicity. Spitfire aims to sign young artists who speak of change and alternatives. Their goal is to sign artists who can teach the youth that there are alternatives to gangs and violence. Mann wants to give young rappers an avenue to tell their stories and past lived experiences in hope that it will instill change in the youth culture.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Rap music has long had a reputation of being a form of music that represents violence, sexual exploitation as well as celebrating street warfare and gangs, consumption of drugs and alcohol, sex and...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Last year, New York's then police commissioner Willam Bratton was quick to blame rap music and the culture around it for a fatal backstage shooting at a concert by the rapper T.I. Ignoring wider issues of gun control, Bratton pointed at " the crazy world of the so-called rap artists" that "basically celebrates the violence".

Hip Hop culture and rap (a method of vocal delivery popularised through hip hop music) have for more than four decades been bundled with a range of negative connotations, leading many like Bratton to equate them only with profanity, misogyny, violence and crime. Prosecutors in the US have labelled rap lyrics a criminal threat, and numerous studies have been undertaken on the harmful influence of hip hop on kids.

There's no denying that the lyrical content of hip hop is confronting, and in many instances, it includes the glorification of violence, substance use, and gender discrimination. But while many people struggle to look past the profanity, materialism, and high-risk messages often celebrated within mainstream rap music, hip hop culture at its core, is built on values of social justice, peace, respect, self-worth, community, and having fun. And because of these values, it's increasingly being used as a therapeutic tool when working with young people.

School counsellors, psychologists, and social workers have helped to normalise the option of integrating hip hop within mental health strategies. Indeed it has become central to the work of one group of psychiatrists at Cambridge University, who under the banner of " hip hop pysch", use it as a tool in promoting mental health. Some have even called rap " the perfect form for music therapy."

Born in New York City, hip hop culture is now a worldwide phenomenon. You'd be hard-pressed to find any country that doesn't have some kind of hip hop scene. This new reality is driven by two factors. One is the commercialisation of the culture as a commodity, which has made it one of the most influential industries in the world with its own Forbes rich list.

The other is that hip hop remains accessible and grassroots. At its simplest, you can make a beat with your mouth - beatboxing - or on a school desk, and create or recite lyrics about anything without singing. The proliferation of cost-friendly, music-creating software and hardware puts more involved participation in reach, and allows flexibility in creativity and even pathways to entrepreneurship.

Marginalised communities the world over resonate with the ethos of resisting exclusion or discrimination and fighting for equity and justice. Others just love the beats and lyrical flow. Beyond beats and rhymes, there's also something for everyone: B-Girls and B-Boys dance, DJ's scratch and mix, and graffiti artists draw and write. Combined with emceeing, or rapping, these are the four basic elements of hip hop, with the fifth being Knowledge of Self: the drive for self-awarness and social-consciousness.

This accessibility and inclusivity makes hip hop such an effective therapeutic tool for working with young people. It's a style most feel comfortable with and it provides a way to build rapport between client and therapist. The lyrical content is a vehicle for building self reflection, learning, and growth. Whether analysing existing songs, or creating new content, the vast array of themes found in hip-hop songs enable therapists to access topics that may otherwise be hard to talk about.

The repetitive, predictable nature of hip hop beats is also said to provide a sense of safety, particularly during song writing, and lyrical and musical improvisation. Therapists suggest this provides a sense of dependability for those with little regularity or safety in their everyday lives; something supported by research linking music engagement and self-regulation.

In his US-based research, Dr Travis has shown that, despite negative associations, many who listen to hip hop find it a strong source of both self and community empowerment. More specifically, the benefits to individual mental health, in areas of coping, emotions, identity and personal growth, can help promote resilience in communities.

In Australian school settings, Dr Crooke has found hip hop to be a positive way for students of diverse backgrounds to engage with their wider community, learning tasks, and schools more generally. In a recent (yet to be published) study, he also explored the benefits of a short-term intensive hip hop and beat making program for young people labelled oppositional, seriously disengaged or at-risk of exclusion.

Results showed students were not only highly engaged in learning through the program, but exhibited positive self-expression, built significant rapport with facilitators, and strengthened social connection amongst each other.

Expressing yourself

Hip hop emerged as a reaction to the gang culture and violence of the South Bronx in the 1970s, and daily experiences of poverty, racism, exclusion, crime, violence, and neglect. It necessarily embodies and values resilience, understanding, community and social justice.

Yet, the hip hop project is not yet free from these difficult circumstances. Many communities around the world still battle the effects of discrimination, segregation, and injustice. Hip hop is often a potent voice to these lived experiences. One of its original, primary strengths was that it allowed young, creative Black and Latino youth to create art that reflected the reality of their lives, of the neighbourhoods around them, and of the wider social circumstances in which they found themselves. In the words of US artists N.W.A. they were making the most out their basic human right to "Express Yourself."

We may be several decades on, but there are plenty of young people that still need to do the same.

Hip hop is neither a panacea nor a cure all. It is not perfect, but its promise is undeniable. It is a culture with complicated social and historical roots. And it should not be appropriated without acknowledging, respecting and addressing these, because it is precisely these origins that make is so important. Its complicated history enables us to critically reflect on our society, and forces us to face issues of race, privilege, class, and cultural appropriation.

Given the urgency of our need for equity, justice, tolerance and critical civic engagement in today's society, we need to challenge our preconceptions about hip hop culture. It is perhaps one of the most important and generous movements in our world today.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Hip hop often gets a bad rap but for therapists and teachers it can be a transformative tool.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Hip hop is a global cultural communication style including the pillars of music, art and dance. Born in urban American environments, the arts of DJing, MCing, graffiti, breakdancing, slam poetry, beatbox and beatmaking have become worldwide ways young people and adults use to express their thoughts, feelings, ideas, values, knowledge and wisdom in urban, rural, suburban and other environments. Today, youth and hip hop are tied up together around the world as an avenue for social change that can build power, ability and inspiration. According to Save the Kids, a Buffalo New York youth hip hop activism program, youth who are engaged in hip hop activism take four tactics:

1. Reclaiming place through breakdancing

2. Expressing themselves through graffiti

3. Making noise and beats with DJing

4. Speaking out through Emceeing.

Activism, attackin' the system, the blacks and latins in prison Numbers of prison they victim lackin' in the vision... Sh- and all they got is rappin to listen to... ― Talib Kweli in Get By

Hip Hop Generation captures the collective hopes and nightmares, ambitions and failures of those who would otherwise be described as "post-this" or "post-that."
― Jeff Chain in Can't Stop Won't Stop A History of the Hip-Hop Generation

Ways Youth can Change the World Through Hip Hop

Youth as Artists - Creating and sharing hip hop culture focused on changing the world is a powerful way young people can make a difference. Organizing other youth through hip hop, using hip hop to share powerful messages and building the hip hop movement are all important actions for youth as artists.

Youth as Teachers - Young people can learn the skills needed to be effective teachers, facilitators and leaders who use hip hop to educate people, and to educate people about hip hop. Engaging youth as teachers can allow communities of learners to flourish. As a culture, hip hop can allow learners to become more engaged in more ways that mean more to them; as a topic, hip hop can be hyper-relevant and empowering to study.

Community Organizing - Hip hop youth activism is an empowering approach to advocacy, education and empowerment. Young people can use the elements of hip hop to advocate for the issues that matter most to them and their communities while bridging generations and cultures. This approach can energize and activate other people to become organizers, too.

Music Making - The act of creating conscious hip hop can be empowering, engaging and enlightening to children and youth as well as adults. Hip hop music can teach people about the politics that affect them, the cultures they are part of and the other elements of society they live in, and engaging young people in music making can be a powerful way to encourage that to happen.

Things Youth Need to Change the World through Hip Hop

Opportunities - One of the most powerful parts of hip hop is that young people can engage in its many elements without seeking permission from adults. However, when adults are allies with youth, they can foster hip hop throughout communities. More than simply playing a song, hip hop can be a spine for teaching, empowering, engaging and immersing children and youth in the realities of society. Nonprofits, schools, families and communities can all create avenues for that to happen.

Technology - Hip hop can be hold an organic, natural basis that centers on poetry, art, dance and emotion. It can also be moved along through tech-driven, synthetic ways that infuse electronic beats, voice modification and computerized instrumentals into all aspects of the culture. Providing access to technology can allow young people to choose whether they are organic or synthetic, or some mix of both. Tech can also allow children and youth to share hip hop culture globally, too.

Exposure- Hip hop is worldwide today. People speaking every language in almost every nation attach to some part of hip hop, creating, consuming and promoting social change at every turn. Exposure to diverse hip hop can engage young people in transnational, globalized culture without ever leaving their community, allowing them to infuse worldwide perspectives into places where people can't or don't ever leave.

Related Articles

Elsewhere Online

The Hip-Hop Generation Fights Back: Youth, Activism, and Post-Civil Rights Politics by Andreana Clay.

H2Ed Center - An education initiative that advocates for education alteration and supports educators using Hip-Hop culture to reach youth by combining a creative mix of standard educational formats and Hip-Hop pedagogy.

"Hip Hop: The voice of youth and social activism" by Ashahed M. Muhammed in Final Call.

LBS Speaks on the Importance of Youth Activism in Hip Hop, by DevRock for Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle

Words, Beats and Life - Using Hip Hop as a vehicle for individual and community transformation through Hip Hop conferences, teach-ins and their Urban Arts Academy program.

Youth Speaks - Uses a critical, youth-centered pedagogical approach to offering programs in the areas of poetry, spoken word, youth development and civic engagement, with a commitment to young people's self-empowerment and their intellectual and artistic development.

The Hip Hop Re:Education Project - A New York City-based community-based arts organization that uses Hip Hop culture to inspire and transform communities, engage marginalized and disaffected youth, and improve youth motivation and achievement.

SHARE!

Other tools are out there, too - share your thoughts in the comments below! For more information about how The Freechild Project can support youth engagement in Hip Hop in your community or organization, contact us.

I'm a speaker, writer, trainer, researcher and advocate who researches, writes and shares about education, youth, and history. View all posts by Adam F.C. Fletcher

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Hip hop is a global cultural communication style including the pillars of music, art and dance. Born in urban American environments, the arts of DJing, MCing, graffiti, breakdancing, slam poetry, beatbox and beatmaking have become worldwide ways young people and adults use to express their thoughts, feelings, ideas, values, knowledge and wisdom in urban, rural, suburban and other...

# data[].attributes.headline
Hip Hop: An influential youth culture | Mirage News

# data[].attributes.subject
Hip Hop: An influential youth culture | Mirage News

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Mirage News

Hip Hop has made strong grounds as an art and cultural movement in the north.
This urban community is creating music unheard of within the Northern Sound System (NSS) studios.

Hip Hop has made strong grounds as an art and cultural movement in the north.

Independent rapper, Barnabas Johnson as known as Barnaba$, is part of this urban community making waves in the local music scene.

"North side is the next wave. Hip Hop keeps evolving, it's never the same."

But despite its evolution, the traditional elements of this influential art form remains.

"My dream is for my music to impact and connect with people around the world," BaRnaba$ said. "That's where Hip Hop started, sending a message or standing for something, and that's what my music is about. "It's about being fun, but making an impact at the same time."

For BaRnaba$ it's not only about respecting the art of Hip Hop, but representing his own cultural identity.

"In my culture there are these people called griots which are storytellers," he said. "They told their stories through music and poetry. "I want to be like that, I want to take on that tradition."

BaRnaba$ has been telling his story through music since the young age of 14 and recently released a new single, Holding On.

The single is a mix between his style of soulful and trap Hip Hop, giving listeners an insight into his life.

"There is freedom, you do what you want in music," BaRnaba$ said. "There are no boundaries."

It is with this limitless energy that means these artists are creating music unheard of within the Northern Sound System (NSS) studios.

Nick O'Connor from NSS mentors young artists to support them through their creative process.

"The future of music in the north is in good hands," Nick said. "We are constantly amazed by new artists creating music that defies any music genre."

/Public Release. This material from the originating organization/author(s) may be of a point-in-time nature, edited for clarity, style and length. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s).View in full here.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Mirage News Hip Hop has made strong grounds as an art and cultural movement in the north.This urban community is creating music unheard of within the Northern Sound System (NSS) studios. Hip Hop has made strong grounds as an art and cultural movement in the north.

# data[].attributes.headline
Hop Scotch versus Hip Hop: Questions of Youth Culture, and Identity in a Postmodern world. 

# data[].attributes.subject
Hop Scotch versus Hip Hop: Questions of Youth Culture, and Identity in a Postmodern world. 

# data[].attributes.headline
ERIC - EJ700801 - Hip-Hop and Youth Culture: Contemplations of an Emerging Cultural Phenomenon, Reclaiming Children and Youth: The Journal of Strength-based Interventions, 2004-Jan-1

# data[].attributes.subject
ERIC - EJ700801 - Hip-Hop and Youth Culture: Contemplations of an Emerging Cultural Phenomenon, Reclaiming Children and Youth: The Journal of Strength-based Interventions, 2004-Jan-1

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Throughout the last 25 years, a new form of expression has continually evolved despite the efforts of many in the so-called "establishment to minimize its influence on young people." This form of expression that was once limited to urban music and dance has become a widespread form of communication and expression by young people throughout the world. Hip-Hop is no longer limited to rap music and break dancing; today it represents a multi-billion dollar industry that influences everything from automotive design and fashion to prime time television programming, collegiate and professional sports, mass media marketing, and Madison Avenue advertising. Today Hip-Hop is for many a way of life, a culture that is intricately woven into every aspect of their daily lives. In this article, the authors examine the role of Hip-Hop in influencing values of contemporary youth.

Crisis Prevention Institute. Circulation Department, 3315 North 124th Street Suite H, Brookfield, WI 53005. Tel: 800-285-7910; Fax: 262-783-2360; e-mail: rcy@crisisprevention.com; Web site: http://www.crisisprevention.com/store/reference/rcy.html.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
ERIC - EJ700801 - Hip-Hop and Youth Culture: Contemplations of an Emerging Cultural Phenomenon, Reclaiming Children and Youth: The Journal of Strength-based Interventions, 2004-Jan-1

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Throughout the last 25 years, a new form of expression has continually evolved despite the efforts of many in the so-called "establishment to minimize its influence on young people." This form of expression that was once limited to urban music and dance has become a widespread form of communication and expression by young people throughout the world.

# data[].attributes.headline
G:\packets backup\fact & Info sheets and guidance notes\Fact & Info Sheets\Youth culture series\HipHopSubculture.wpd

# data[].attributes.subject
G:\packets backup\fact & Info sheets and guidance notes\Fact & Info Sheets\Youth culture series\HipHopSubculture.wpd

# data[].attributes.headline
'Hip-Hop Is the Most Important Youth Culture on the Planet' - TIME

# data[].attributes.subject
'Hip-Hop Is the Most Important Youth Culture on the Planet' - TIME

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
TIME: A major museum exploration of hip-hop acknowledges its rightful place in the annals of American popular culture. But doesn't putting something in a museum also imply that it's dead?

Kevin Powell: No, putting something in a museum does not imply that it is dead. It implies that it is important, crucial, an important part of the human journey. The art of Basquiat is not dead, although he has been dead for 13 years. The art of Bearden, Lawrence and others is full of life because art is about life, not death. And hip-hop is urban folk art, period. And that urban folk art is about the lives of a very unique group of people, of how they made something out of nothing, and how that nothing has come to define an entire era in many ways, be it our language, our fashion, our attitudes, our art, the way we make music, and the way we do and do not communicate across race, gender, geography, and cultures.

I think the fact that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (the originators of this exhibition) and now the Brooklyn Museum of Art have taken on "Hip-Hop Nation" is a mainstream institutional recognition that hip-hop is the most important youth culture on the planet, bar none. And that has been the case for some time.

Hip-hop's influence over the wider American youth culture is quite without precedent. How did it achieve this tremendous crossover appeal?

Viewed in the context of Black music in America over the past century, there's nothing surprising about hip-hop "crossing over." Blues and jazz crossed over in the 1920s, when whites rushed to Harlem to hear the music. In the 1930s, jazz became — for whites — "swing." When Black musicians created something called bebop (a clear antecedent for hip-hop) in the 1940s, that too crossed over as whites gravitated toward the language, fashion, attitude and music of hip cats like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. And I think most people today are clear that it was artists like Louis Jordan and Big Mama Thornton, not Elvis Presley, who created rock and roll and laid the musical foundation that crossed it over to young white people.

You can't talk about American music without talking about Black people and Black musical forms. And you cannot discuss Black music without taking it account its edginess (think of bluesman Robert Johnson, bebop innovator Charlie Parker, rocker Little Richard, soulman Otis Redding, et al.), its rebelliousness (anyone from Big Mama Thornton to Jimi Hendrix) and the fact that edginess and rebelliousness ultimately appeals to white young people as much as it does to Black young people. That and "white music" suffering slumps from time to time made the white embrace of hip-hop inevitable — has there really been anything interesting happening in rock music since the heyday of Nirvana? Not really.

Of course, this crossover success and hip-hop's current dominance of youth culture has not come without a price. What was the effect on hip-hop of its success?

Same thing that has happened to everything else black folks have done creatively: white folks control it and own it and we remain, for the most part, economic slaves. Pretty basic. And we become slaves to what the "market" tells us we should be buying. And the question I always ask young people when I speak at colleges, community centers, prisons, or wherever: What other people on the planet are allowed (and encouraged from what I have seen through my many years in and around the music industry) to call themselves the equivalent of "niggas" and "bitches" on CD and that is distributed for mass consumption?

Is hip-hop the same thing now as 25 years ago, or has it transmuted into something quite different? How have the constitution and the borders of the "hip-hop nation" changed?

Nothing stays the same. Remember, hip-hop was born on the heels of the Civil Rights Movement, a serious fiscal crisis in New York City and other urban areas, gang activity, etc. Since then we have been through the horrific Reagan era, the invasion of crack, guns, AIDS and an alleged economic boom in the 1990s — "alleged" because not too many Black people I know, even the ones with college degrees, are anything more than a paycheck away from poverty. Hip-hop has documented all of this, and more. As Amiri Baraka (n LeRoi Jones) stated in "Blues People" (perhaps the most important book on Black music ever written), you can always tell where a people are at by the music they make. That means if you listen to Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On?" or Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" or Fela Kuti's "B.B.C.: Big Blind Country" you can gather what is going on with Black people at various times and in various parts of the world. Hip-hop is no different. It has evolved with the times. Now whether or not that evolution has been progressive or regressive is another discussion entirely.

Your exhibition defines the mid-'80s to 1990 as hip-hop's "Golden Years." What happened after 1990?

"The Golden Years," to me, simply means that was a period when hip-hop or, specifically, rap music, was incredibly exciting, fresh, def and diverse. There was no such thing as positive rap or negative rap, or so-called gangsta rap. Rap was rap: rhythmic American poetry, period. There has not been a time since when an N.W.A was as popular as a Public Enemy, or where the storytelling of a Slick Rick could fall alongside the pimp strolls of a Too Short, or Roxanne Shante was just as necessary as a Salt 'N Pepa or Queen Latifah. A lot of us cats who have lived through most or all of the history of hip-hop are the ones who proclaim that period the golden era. Why, because we can. And because we know what we are talking about. It has nothing to do with nostalgia. It has everything to do with consistently good music. Back then I use to get excited whenever a new release was coming. This year I can only count on one hand the number of hip-hop albums I have been eager to hear (Nelly, Eminem and Outkast). The corporate takeover of hip-hop has taken away much of the creativity and genius, except for the underground stuff, and that rare album where an artist is allowed to grow and shine rather than being forced to follow a formula.

Public Enemy proclaimed hip-hop the "Black CNN," and even original gangsta rappers NWA said "it's not about a salary it's all about reality..." Does this still hold true? What's happened to the "bearing witness" side of hip-hop? And how do the more mainstream artists view those like Mos Def, Common, the Roots, KRS One, Black Eyed Peas etc. — the acts that arise in every generation who rededicate themselves to the core values of the socially conscious rappers of the early years — are they the conscience of the hip-hop nation?

One thing George Orwell said that I very much agree with is that everything is political, which means, to me, that Nelly or Master P is as political as a Chuck D or Common. What is missing from a Nelly or Master P is a political consciousness that would force them to question WHY they have chosen a certain path and why materialism and hedonism is more important than the conditions of their communities.

That said, hip-hop has always been Black America's CNN. That has never changed. CNN shows all kinds of news, not just "positive" stuff, and that is the same for hip-hop. And hip-hop has never stopped bearing witness. Listen, for example, to Nelly's album very closely. I have been to St. Louis several times, but his album gives the close listener, via the lyrics and the accents and the attitudes, an inside look at Black working-class St. Louis. If that is not bearing witness, I don't know what bearing witness is. A lot of people, unfortunately, expect hip-hop to be overtly political. Well, we live in apolitical times and the art created in America, by and large, reflect the times. Again, how could anyone say something "positive" if there is no consciousness (or consciousness movement, for that matter) there to provide another way to look at and absorb the world.

Also, hip-hop, in spite of being a billion-dollar business, is still the blues of the working poor. And I can say this because this is the world I come from; the working poor are just basically trying to survive from day to day. I find it very classist for people to raise the issue about positive versus negative hip-hop because the same people who raise that issue don't usually discuss the death-baiting conditions which most hip-hoppers come out of. And most cats who raise that issue don't really have much to do with the hip-hop heads they are criticizing. For example, not only am I curating this exhibit, lecturing around the country, writing books, articles, etc., I now manage a young hip-hop DJ and four young hip-hop producers because I felt it important to engage people directly rather than be an armchair critic who ain't even trying to turn this apolitical madness around. It is SAFE, to me, to cling to Common (my homeboy), Mos Def (another one of my homeboys) and the other so-called socially conscious rappers. That is what the bohemians here in my Fort Greene neighborhood LOVE to do. But I RARELY see these same hip-hop bohemians in downtown Brooklyn shopping on Fulton Street on a Saturday, and I definitely don't see them walking past the Fort Greene projects on Myrtle Avenue. Which says to me there is a fear and a hatred of the working poor and their expressions. The irony of that is that cats like Common and Mos Def embrace the working poor but a lot of their fans do NOT.

My basic point: It is real easy to divide hip-hop into camps. The real challenge is to understand WHY hip-hop has deteriorated from the golden era into what we have now, and how corporate interests have played a role in that and how even the socially conscious among us are guilty of perpetuating ignorance rather than education and self-love, especially among those who need it most: Black and Latino young people.

The exhibition traces hip-hop's roots to Bronx in the '70s. But what about the Jamaican "sound system" tradition which predated those Bronx block parties, and were clearly a major influence?

Hip-hop's roots are not Jamaican, nor Puerto Rican, nor African American, but African. It's part of the continuum of African art forms — in some traditional African societies, for example, we find the "griot," who is the storyteller or oral historian. How is that much different from an MC telling a story (think of Slick Rick, Ice Cube, or Snoop Dogg) or rhyming about the past.

Hip-hop is a collision between African American, West Indian and Puerto Rican cultures, with the understanding that we are all African people. My point is that no matter where we were enslaved in the Western Hemisphere, be it Jamaica, Brazil or South Carolina, we as Black people held on to modes of speech, dance movements, and attitudes (what some call "cool") that formed the foundation for hip-hop's emergence in an African-American context.

So the point of the exhibition is to give people an overview of hip-hop culture and history and, really, to encourage people to do their own homework. It is not going to please everyone but that is the beauty of dialogue, is it not?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
TIME: A major museum exploration of hip-hop acknowledges its rightful place in the annals of American popular culture. But doesn't putting something in a museum also imply that it's dead? Kevin Powell: No, putting something in a museum does not imply that it is dead.

# data[].attributes.headline
Top 60 Kpop Blogs and Websites To Follow in 2021

# data[].attributes.subject
Top 60 Kpop Blogs and Websites To Follow in 2021

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
US The first and the only K-pop community. The longest-running K-Pop site, since 1998, covering K-Pop news, music, fashion, videos, photos and Kdramas. Anything and everything K-Pop. Frequency 23 posts / day Also in Pop Music Blogs soompi.com
Facebook 8.6M ⋅ Twitter 2.5M

Korea Find breaking k-pop news, korean viral videos and exclusive content from the biggest k-pop idols. Creators of KCON and biggest k-pop site in the world. Frequency 14 posts / day koreaboo.com
Facebook 7.3M ⋅ Twitter 1.6M

South Korea The next leaders of K-Pop creatives. Sharing the K-Pop love all around the globe right from its hometown, Seoul! Frequency 30 posts / week kpopmap.com
Facebook 1.2M ⋅ Twitter 5K

Officially Kmusic provides the latest Kpop news on celebrities, fashion, music, dramas, movies, competitions, concerts and much more! We have everything under the one roof. Frequency 4 posts / week officiallykmusic.com
Facebook 1.1M ⋅ Twitter 20K

We are K-Pop lovers who want to share with you all we have. k-pop, kpop, download, music, love k-pop, listen kpop, download kpop. Frequency 9 posts / day Since Apr 2009 k2nblog.com
Facebook 236.2K

Malaysia Your one-stop exclusive Korean Entertainment News in Malaysia & Singapore. Frequency 3 posts / week gokpop.co
Facebook 230.8K ⋅ Twitter 34.8K

This website, 'K-POP, K-FANS', will focus on how K-fans (Korean fans) live in the K-pop world. Frequency 6 posts / year kpopkfans.blogspot.com
Twitter 66.1K

Korea Netizen Buzz was started out of a desire to bridge the gap between what happens in K-Entertainment and why it had to happen. Unlike any other entertainment industry in the world, netizens (internet citizens) play a pivotal role in the decision making process of Korean entertainment companies, and their power and influence simply just cannot be ignored. Frequency 3 posts / day netizenbuzz.blogspot.com
Facebook 2.5K ⋅ Twitter 136.3K

KLyrics is a lyrics blog, We provide you with the latest K-Pop and C-Pop lyrics with translation. Frequency 30 posts / quarter klyrics.net
Facebook 3.6K ⋅ Twitter 210

Dairy of famous seven-member South Korean boy band formed by Big Hit Entertainment. Wanna Know more about them check out this blog! Frequency 2 posts / quarter btsdiary.com
Twitter 763.6K

US Founded in 2014, KCRUSH America Magazine is working toward bringing you information on your favorite Asian pop culture stars, beauty products, culture and etc. Whether you're interested in K-Pop, Asian cuisine, or wondering about life in Asia, we got you covered! Frequency 7 posts / week kcrush.com
Facebook 10.4K ⋅ Twitter 4.4K ⋅ Instagram 724

Korea hellokpop.com has transformed itself into a Korean news phenomenon that is home to more than 250,000 readers monthly. hellokpop has worked with some of the biggest names in the Korean entertainment industry, including: Arirang Korea, Aus2one, Aziatix, Block B, The Borneo Post, CN Blue, David Choi, Jay Park, JK Entertainment, The Korean Tourism Organisation and many more. Frequency 4 posts / day hellokpop.com
Facebook 198.1K ⋅ Twitter 20.9K ⋅ Instagram 2.1K

A Website with K-POP, JPOP And CPOP Songs. As well as you can downlaod! Frequency 5 posts / day 4sashi.com

Asian Junkie serves as a place for a collection of individuals to mock, analyze, and satirize the comings and goings of the Asian entertainment world. Needless to say, there's a lot of content worthy of it. Remember to have fun while you're here, because entertainment is meant to be. Frequency 4 posts / week asianjunkie.com/category/k-e..
Twitter 22.1K

New York, US Seoulbeats is an ongoing project of discussion and dissection. It is also a collection of many authors with many different opinions, united by a love of writing and taking apart and facilitating discussion on a deeper level of everything associated with K-pop. Frequency 2 posts / day seoulbeats.com
Facebook 5.7K ⋅ Twitter 11.7K ⋅ Instagram 139

Hello! Hallyu Central is a Kpop blog. Here you will find the latest Kpop articles, news, updates, and more. Frequency 4 posts / day Since Mar 2021 hallyucentral.com
Facebook 19 ⋅ Twitter 42

The Home Of K Pop Lovers! Frequency 5 posts / year dkpopnews.net
Facebook 16 ⋅ Twitter 174.4K ⋅ Instagram 1.7K

Bellingham, Washington, US K-Pop reviews and discussion with just a hint of bias. Each week, Nick will be taking a listen to the newest kpop releases and giving his thoughts. Frequency 2 posts / day thebiaslist.com
Facebook 1.1K ⋅ Twitter 1.8K

Korea Daily Naver is a blog that is dedicated to translating Korean articles about KPOP, Korean drama, variety shows, and other relevant things in the Korean entertainment industry posted on Naver. I'll mostly translate articles posted on Naver because they're known for being the most trafficked and more civil. I'll also occasionally translate posts from community sites like Nate because they're the next most trafficked news portal in Korea after Naver. Frequency 11 posts / week dailynaver.blogspot.com

US KPopSource is a Dedicated & Fun Community Of International Korean Pop Enthusiasts & Fans. Frequency 30 posts / day Also in Kpop Forums kpopsource.com
Facebook 5 ⋅ Twitter 350

New York, US MoonROK is the world's premier English source of Kpop news and entertainment - get all your breaking news, original content and tour info here! Frequency 3 posts / day moonrok.com/all-articles
Facebook 2.9K ⋅ Twitter 12.8K

Malaysia Malaysia's number one k-pop website. We blog about all things Korean. And we are passionate about Korean pop culture. We started off as a little blog, with great aspirations. We are a bunch of Malaysians who love Korean pop culture! Frequency 1 post / week k-popped.com
Facebook 45.4K ⋅ Twitter 17.2K ⋅ Instagram 13.3K

The best of Kpop 24/7, Online radio, the latest news, interesting notes and much more! Only in Kpop Replay. Frequency 4 posts / week kpopreplay.com
Facebook 59.6K ⋅ Twitter 909

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia A blog created by me so I can write about k-pop related stuff. Some content is related to the k-pop radio show that I host, some of it is draft content for the blogsite Asian Junkie, but most of it is just random shit that I felt like writing. Frequency 1 post / day kpopalypse.com
Twitter 2.8K

Korea We update every New Kpop music videos, Kpop English translation lyrics and Pronunciation. Frequency 6 posts / year kpoply.com
Facebook 2.4K ⋅ Twitter 856

New and personal reviews of KPOP releases, ranging from the song, music video and performances. Frequency 1 post / day kpopreviewed.com
Twitter 62

Big B Radio is an internet radio station dedicated on playing a wide variety of Asian Pop music ranging from Kpop, Jpop and Cpop. bigbradio.net
Facebook 5.4K ⋅ Twitter 3.4K ⋅ Instagram 153

Germany KPop Universe Space provides all things Kpop, from music to drama you will find everything about Kpop. Frequency 6 posts / year kpopuniversespace.blogspot.com

Seoul, Korea KPOP Channel is a TV channel airing worldwide through digital cable, satellite, and mobile which is specialized in South Korean music and entertainment. Frequency 3 posts / week kpopchannel.tv
Facebook 87K ⋅ Twitter 8.6K

Your Source For Breaking KDrama and K-Pop News, Videos and More Frequency 3 posts / month asianchingu.com
Facebook 501

News, Reviews, and Gossip around K-POP Frequency 2 posts / week thekpopgossip.tumblr.com

Zurich, Switzerland Ulzza is a k-pop blogger community to bring you the latest breaking news and videos straight from the K-Pop industry. We want to support the k-pop music! Frequency 1 post / month ulzza.com
Facebook 354.2K ⋅ Twitter 729

Get the latest news about the best girl group from South Korea! Frequency 2 posts / day wgsnsdfx.com
Twitter 6.9K

Indonesia You can Streaming or Download for Free K-POP Music & Video Low Size & High Quality. Frequency 30 posts / year nekosia.com
Facebook 16.7K ⋅ Twitter 2.6K ⋅ Instagram 63

Indonesia Get all the latest Kpop Songs, Drama and more all at one place. Frequency 25 posts / year igeokpop.com
Facebook 708

I am Alain W. and I am an avid fan of kdrama and thoroughly enjoy the music soundtracks. This site will primarily focus on kdrama original soundtracks, but I will also post various kpop music. Frequency 9 posts / year Since Aug 2001 koreanmusicblog1.wordpress.com
Facebook 1.6K ⋅ Twitter 304

Houston, Texas, US Get all the latest tea on your favorite kpop celebrities. Frequency 4 posts / month tokkistar.com
Facebook 10.1K ⋅ Twitter 56

A Latest source for k-pop news, photos and videos. kpopfans.net
Facebook 717 ⋅ Twitter 189

Los Angeles, California, US Im a Kpop Musician and content creator. I created Allysse TV to give Kpop fans an insight on the K-pop world and what I think and know about South Korea. Frequency 1 post / month allyssetv.com
Facebook 479 ⋅ Twitter 687 ⋅ Instagram 1.3K

Welcome to mykpopconfession. Here you can confess your kpop related confessions! Frequency 30 posts / year mykpopconfession.tumblr.com
Twitter 1

Canada Nerissa is a Toronto-based blogger, researcher, social media copywriter, and content creator who writes about life in Canada and Korean entertainment (music and drama). Frequency 1 post / month blogsbynerissa.com
Twitter 272 ⋅ Instagram 6.6K

Obsessed & Assessed is a Korean music review website, with a focus on K-pop. obsessedandassessed.com/mv-r..
Twitter 11

Where you meet K-Pop. We heard you! You want to know what In-ssa means? Want to know why Suga shot his Daechita in a palace? We got you covered. Watheydo is here to not only provide you your daily K-pop news, but also to give you insider tips on Korean culture, trendy phrases, and more so that you can appreciate your Choi-ae (favorite member) more! Frequency 30 posts / year watheydo.com
Twitter 2

This network was designed to unite all k-pop fandoms! For everyone to come together and interact with one another! If you're new to the k-pop world, this is a great place to start making friends, interact with people with the same interests as you, and learn more about different groups! Frequency 30 posts / month thekpopnet.tumblr.com

Reliable kpop news source curated by experienced fans. Our objective is to give international coverage to Kpop artists. Frequency 2 posts / month Since Jun 2012 kpopwise.com
Facebook 149 ⋅ Twitter 977

Georgia, US Ash Talks Kpop is a collection of Ashliegh's opinions on music video fashion, Seoul Fashion Week, and everything else that happens in the world of Kpop and sometimes other Asian artists, actors, and models she feels like talking about. Frequency 2 posts / month Since Sep 2018 ashtalkskpop.net
Twitter 36

This blog reviews about Korean pop songs, Korean pop albums, Korean shows and at times Chinese pop songs. atrocitycl.wordpress.com

Video clips of female dancers from Korean popular music. K-pop has been embraced by the South Korean government as a tool for projecting South Korea's soft power abroad, particularly towards overseas youth. Frequency 3 posts / month fancamvideoarchive.blogspot.com
Twitter 8.4K

We are on a mission to spread K-Pop pride. We create products that tell a story and inspires us. Follow to get updates on new products, company news, Korea pictures, and K-Pop articles. omojjang.com/blogs/news
Facebook 4.4K ⋅ Instagram 2.6K

Latest news about your favorite k-pop idols! Follow to get updates from K-POP VESTI. kpop-vesti.blogspot.com
Twitter 66.1K ⋅ Instagram 1.8K

Your #1 Source For The Latest KPOP & KDRAMA News. Bookmark us to never miss a beat. kpopfire.com
Twitter 5

Korea Learn Korean through K-Pop lyrics with words and grammar explanations. Also in Language Learning Blogs, Korean Language Blogs koreanthroughkpop.blogspot.com
Facebook 11.1K ⋅ Instagram 186

I found kpop in 2010, and after falling in love with the music and the music videos that were so (visually) appealing, i came across subbed videos from other subbers at the time. And then i thought it would be fun to sub videos myself so i started messing around video editors and figured out how to do it. lovekpopsubs.blogspot.com
Facebook 5K ⋅ Twitter 2.6K

Aegyoo is a new entertainment website providing you with interesting Korean content on the go. A fresh new start to Korean content! A new underdog site for you to stay tuned into k-dramas, k-pop, and more! Frequency 12 posts / quarter Since Jan 2021 aegyoo.com
Facebook 871 ⋅ Twitter 3

A blog specifically about the magnificent girl groups and female solo artists of K-pop. Frequency 1 post / week Since Jan 2020 one-in-a-million-kpop.blogsp..

US Website dedicated to Korean Entertainment News, K-Pop memes, K-drama, videos, pictures, rumors, scandals and viral content from across Asia. Mission is K-Pop To The World! Frequency 9 posts / year Since Jan 2017 kimchislap.com
Facebook 42.8K ⋅ Twitter 427

This blog is a Kpop Fan Blog. The author post about all the Kpop related things. kpop.blogberth.com

Seoul, Korea I'm UK Jung. You can call me either UK or Jung. 🙂 I've been working as a entertainment journalist in Korea since 2010. I want to share all the stories behind Kpop stars. Ask me anything you are curious about Kpop stars! kpopbehind.com
Facebook 42.4K ⋅ Twitter 3.6K

I have fallen in love with korean music and am on a quest to share my favorites and any new discoveries as they may come. Since Dec 2016 kpop-khop.music.blog
Twitter 53

Seoul, Korea Welcome to my Blog, I make an Easy Lyrics For Korean Song (KPOP). Because the original lyrics kind of complicated to read. koreanmyuzic.blogspot.com
Facebook 1.7K ⋅ Twitter 10

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Top 60 Kpop Blogs and Websites To Follow in 2021

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
US The first and the only K-pop community. The longest-running K-Pop site, since 1998, covering K-Pop news, music, fashion, videos, photos and Kdramas. Anything and everything K-Pop. Frequency 23 posts / day Also in Pop Music Blogs soompi.com Facebook 8.6M ⋅ Twitter 2.5M Korea Find breaking k-pop news, korean viral videos and exclusive content from the biggest k-pop idols.

# data[].attributes.headline
Critical Interpretation of Hybrid K-Pop: The Global-Local Paradigm of English Mixing in Lyrics: Popular Music and Society: Vol 37, No 2

# data[].attributes.subject
Critical Interpretation of Hybrid K-Pop: The Global-Local Paradigm of English Mixing in Lyrics: Popular Music and Society: Vol 37, No 2

# data[].attributes.headline
K-Pop Genres: A Cross-Cultural Exploration

# data[].attributes.subject
K-Pop Genres: A Cross-Cultural Exploration

# data[].attributes.headline
The growing international influence of K-Pop | by The Spectator | The Spectator

# data[].attributes.subject
The growing international influence of K-Pop | by The Spectator | The Spectator

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
There seems no escaping Korean culture these days. Western beauty stores like Sephora and Ulta now house a specific section for Korean skincare and makeup products, and Netflix and Hulu frequently feature multiple K-Dramas and movies. However, the Korean import that gains the most attention is probably K-pop, South Korea's pop music industry.

Take the K-pop girl group Blackpink. They made a huge splash in 2016 with their catchy EPs Square One and Square Two, establishing a dedicated fanbase that later increased internationally after the release of their 2018 four-to-five-song mini album, Square Up. Their popularity led to a collab with Dua Lipa and made them successful enough to start their first world tour. Just a few days ago, Blackpink released their latest mini-album, Kill This Love, and a single which shares the same name. What's more, the single's music video briefly took the YouTube record for most views in twenty-four hours (56.7 million views). As if that wasn't impressive enough, Blackpink also performed at Coachella this past weekend, making history as the first female K-pop group to do so.

Similarly, fellow girl group LOONA gained intense international popularity with their latest EP X X. Despite its release just a month ago, the music video for their EP's single, "Butterfly," sits at 22 million views on YouTube. Though they aren't one of the more mainstream K-pop groups, continued support from LOONA's fans has provided the group the chance to work with Grimes, as well as earning them nominations in international award shows like the MTV Europe Music Awards.

Of course, one can't describe K-pop today without mentioning the well-known boy group BTS. BTS recently made their latest comeback (comebacks in the K-pop industry, unlike those in the Western world, are when artists release any new material; there is also a shorter time period between releases) with their new album Map of the Soul: Persona. It's worth noting that their YouTube music video for their album's single, "Boy with Luv," currently stands at 121 million views and counting, nabbing the record for most views in twenty-four hours from Blackpink.

Such impressive achievements raise many questions. Why is there recent a surge in K-Pop popularity when the genre has existed since the 1990s? What elements of K-pop make it so loved around the world? Most of all, what exactly is K-pop?

By definition, K-pop is pop music made in Korea. However, K-pop slightly differs from the Western pop scene because of its powerful entertainment agencies. Unlike Western agencies, these agencies are more heavily involved in creating the music and the artists of K-pop.

K-pop artists, or "idols," are some of many reasons that K-pop is beloved by people around the world. At first glance, a K-pop idol may not seem different from Western pop stars. Like Western artists, K-pop idols are musical artists with dedicated fan bases - the difference lies with the fact that an idol is ultimately a product of a K-pop entertainment agency. These agencies make their idols undergo a variety of processes to maximize their appeal to the public, constantly attempting to ensure perfection from these performers by pushing them to master complicated choreographies, embody appealing personalities, and cultivate impressive vocals. Though this dedication to perfection may sound like overkill, it has undoubtedly successful results; the apparent flawlessness of K-pop idols, thanks to K-pop agencies, makes many people around the world love and "idolize" them, contributing to their commercial success.

Another aspect of K-pop's popularity is how it infuses many international styles and genres. By incorporating international styles, K-pop gains the favor of people who live in areas that have influenced their work. That K-pop idols release these musically diverse styles every three-to-six months - the typical rest period between K-pop comebacks - also adds to the genre's popularity. With a variety of musical styles incorporated in K-pop songs, fans receive an almost unlimited amount of diverse music.

Take Super Junior, for example, one of the oldest and most respected K-pop groups. Their last album, Repackage, is full of acoustics and displays the influences of Latin pop, especially with the single "Lo Siento," featuring Dominican-American singer Leslie Grace. This album represents a huge step away from the electronic tone of their last album, released only six months prior. Despite the huge musical shift over such a short period of time, fans embraced Super Junior's new concept immediately and the group gained immense popularity in Latin America for featuring Latin pop elements in their music.

However, the biggest contributor to K-pop's recent popularity is the world's increasing interconnectivity within the digital world. Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter have all significantly contributed to K-pop's international popularity, as these platforms instantly share K-pop to millions of people across the globe.

Additionally, seemingly-flawless K-pop idols frequently receive online attention, which celebrated their image of perfection. For example, NCT 127's recent single "Wakey Wakey" features NCT 127 practicing perfectly synchronized choreography, displaying stunning visuals, and performing to sharp electro beats. All of these elements create a perception that NCT 127 is perfect, just like any typical K-pop idol group. This standard gains the approval of digital audiences, who then share it to others in order for them to appreciate as well. This starts a digital chain reaction; from tweeting to streaming the song on Spotify, the fans share their love of the song and artist everywhere, creating an immense wave of popularity for NCT 127 (and K-pop groups like them) that can easily have an international effect.

These factors have all contributed towards the world's huge fixation on K-pop, grabbing much of Western media's attention. In order to capitalize on this and make profit, Western industries have now begun to feature K-pop idols on their mainstream platforms. Featured performances at Coachella and on Saturday Night Live are probably only the start to a massive inclusion of K-pop in Western pop culture.

Expect to see K-pop idols in movies, TV shows, and maybe even at the Grammys soon. K-pop's trajectory is on the rise and, as long it continues to maintain its popularity, Western media is likely to include more of it in its own pop culture.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The growing international influence of K-Pop

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
There seems no escaping Korean culture these days. Western beauty stores like Sephora and Ulta now house a specific section for Korean skincare and makeup products, and Netflix and Hulu frequently feature multiple K-Dramas and movies. However, the Korean import that gains the most attention is probably K-pop, South Korea's pop music industry.

# data[].attributes.headline
Korean: Pop, Originality, Power - Harvard Political Review

# data[].attributes.subject
Korean: Pop, Originality, Power - Harvard Political Review

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
There is a new hit called " ," and it's not by Taio Cruz. Breaking records in the last month, BTS ( Bangtan Sonyeondan) , also known as Bangtan Boys, the first K-pop group from South Korea to reach the No.1 spot in the Billboard Top 100. Their hit "Dynamite," a fun ' 70s disco-pop song that the Youtube premiere record with 101.1 million views in 24 hours, is one of many popular songs this boy band has produced.

However, it isn't just BTS that's been taking over the global music community by storm, many other famous K-pop groups are pushing to make their American debut, and likewise, audiences are consuming their songs at a rapid pace. What started with the 2012 hit "Gangnam Style" by PSY has now a 564.2 million dollar industry for South Korea. Along with BTS, popular Korean groups, like Blackpink, EXO, GOT7, Monsta X, Twice, are carving out a place in the U.S. music scene with millions of streams and video views. But it isn't just the art form that attracts foreign fans; Korean music brings dimension to the fan-artist experience through personalized lyrics and pioneers Asian representation for the American music industry.

Many K-pop songs are about very pressing social issues in our society. Popular songs like " " by EXO talk about the negative of technology on society and our relationships. Meanwhile, dancing elegantly to an electronic beat, missA breaks down the reality of slut-shaming and judging others on their outward appearance in " Bad Girl, Good Girl ." On the other hand, with impressive choreography and fiery energy, BTS expresses the pressures that young people face, such as criticism from older generations for being privileged to eat from a " Silver Spoon (Baepsae) ."

In the U.S., this type of social issue messaging through music tends to be to BIPOC artists. Songs about mental health awareness, bullying, and gender discrimination in the American music industry are often hard to find. In contrast, Korean artists are usually a lot more engaged with their fandoms, appealing to American fans who rely on K-pop as an emotional support system .

The relatability of K-pop lyrics carries over to the artists' treatment of their audience as well. Artists are known for being open and emotionally vulnerable about their personal lives when connecting with fans . For example, BTS the popular hit "Dynamite" with the intention of bringing joy to fans that may be going through challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The artists' personalities and openness to fans are often what strengthens fan loyalty and engagement. Even the Korean music industry's concept of calling these pop stars "idols" is a means for K-pop stars to keep a clean and responsible image. This type of role model behavior is harder to find in the American music industry. Those American artists and celebrities who are open with fans - Justin Bieber , for instance - tend not to demonstrate the most responsible behavior. On the other hand, K-pop " " are expected to navigate the thin line of being both inspirational in their modeling of exemplary manners and approachable in televised or streamed content.

This approachability is a constant for international fans who, despite cultural and language differences, can find similarities through personality, humor, music, or food. The language barrier becomes of little concern to fans with Google Translate and automatic translation features on Youtube, VLive, and other social media platforms. Likewise, these K-pop artists often resonate strongly with many Black, Latinx, LGBTQ, and especially Asian American fans.

Looking into the American music industry, the lack of diversity is evident, especially for Asian Americans . Asian musicians, singers, and other related workers less than 4% in the American music industry, compared to the largest group being White at 73% and the second largest, Black, with 13%. The few Asian American artists that do exist in these spaces face many obstacles and much discrimination. Artists like , born in Washington, often end up relocating to countries like South Korea, where they are more likely to make a career.

For many, K-pop's growing popularity has become a sign of Asian acceptance or representation in the American entertainment industry. As such, Asian American artists like renowned DJ and electronic music group Far East Movement openly artists from Asia, such as BTS. The acceptance of their "foreign music" lessens the underlying stereotypes surrounding these artists and groups - promoting that these musicians are not just passable and "cool for an Asian," but accepted and cherished for tremendous talent and hard work.

Additionally, many of these artists are socially active in breaking social and gender stereotypes. For many Americans, Korean male idols fit very unique and feminine beauty for their culture . Male artists can often be found showing their skincare routines, putting on makeup, or being affectionate towards male friends. Although toxic masculinity exists worldwide, many of these artists attempt to it through performance and music. These are all reflections of the belief that " gender presentation does not map onto in any way," found in Korean culture. This is another unique aspect of these groups encouraging their fan base of all ages and gender identities to be confident in both their identities and appearances.

Beyond providing memorable songs and challenging choreographies to their fanbase, many Korean artists are also very active in giving back through service. Many K-pop groups are active members and partners with prominent charitable organizations. Famous groups like EXO and BTS are known for their partnerships and donations to the United Nations. The most well-known and powerful demonstration of the K-pop fandom's political influence in the U.S. was during the Black Lives Matter protests. Americans feel appreciated and loved by their favorite Korean artists for the consistent support shown toward social issues that directly impact much of the fanbase.

Shortly following #BlackoutTuesday, the hashtags #WhiteoutWednesday and #Blacklivesdontmatter attempted to gain support. However, many K-pop fans blocked out this type of racism and harassment by these hashtags with pictures, gifs, videos, and fancams of their favorite Korean artists. Due to their action, the negative comments from these posts were drowned out by Wendy from Red Velvet's dancing video, Lucas from NCT's cheeky wink gif, or pictures of Stray Kid's Felix posing.

However, it wasn't just fans that were actively involved in raising social awareness. Many K-pop artists directly donated money to help the BLM movement, show their support to the non-violent protestors being arrested, and support their Black fans. But the move that received the most coverage was BTS 1 million dollars to the Black Lives Matter foundation, which was then quickly matched by the BTS fanbase "Army," creating a donation total of 2 million dollars . This type of influence and positive impact towards community and social justice is not only extremely impressive and rare but also shocking, especially from non-American artists.

Their heightened awareness of social issues falls in line with Korean idol groups and artists' commitment to changing the American music scene with their emotional vulnerability and challenge of social stereotypes. For their fans, this commitment is clear: Kpop artists have shattered records, changed lives, and helped communities to the point of being recognized in headlines as an . Still, the public needs to realize that it's unfair to categorize K-pop as "just this Asian thing," when its impacts extend far beyond music and into reshaping our expectations for the social awareness of celebrities.
Image Credit: Image by TenAsia is licensed under CC BY 3.0

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Korean: Pop, Originality, Power - Harvard Political Review

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
There is a new hit called " ," and it's not by Taio Cruz. Breaking records in the last month, BTS ( Bangtan Sonyeondan) , also known as Bangtan Boys, the first K-pop group from South Korea to reach the No.1 spot in the Billboard Top 100.

# data[].attributes.headline
The K-pop revolution and what it means for American politics - The Washington Post

# data[].attributes.subject
The K-pop revolution and what it means for American politics - The Washington Post

# data[].attributes.headline
A Look At K-pop's Black American Influence And Activism During Black Lives Matter | Here & Now

# data[].attributes.subject
A Look At K-pop's Black American Influence And Activism During Black Lives Matter | Here & Now

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Earlier this summer, American K-pop fans mobilized support for Black Lives Matter using their massive and collective power on social media.

Big Hit Entertainment, the record label behind BTS - one of the first K-pop groups to gain popularity in the U.S. - responded to the outpouring of solidarity by donating $1 million to BLM in early June.

But the move was an outlier within K-pop - other industry groups and solo artists weren't so eager to speak up. Fans wanted more support from their favorite artists, known in K-pop culture as idols.

Crystal Anderson, affiliate Korean studies faculty member at George Mason University and author of the new book "Soul in Seoul: African American Popular Music and K-Pop," says it's because Korea has always pushed for its outward-facing artists, especially the pop stars, to maintain a positive image for global fans.

Anderson has been researching how Black American culture has a significant influence on K-pop music at large. When K-pop first began, groups drew on hip-hop and R&B artists of the 1990s, she says, and that trend has continued through today.

For example, she draws comparisons between K-Ci & JoJo's "All My Life" to 2PM's "Wanna Love You Again," a K-pop group tune.

When she was digging through 2PM's discography, "I kept coming across these R&B ballads and they were R&B ballads with no qualifications. And I thought that that would be a really great comparison to K-Ci & JoJo" she says. "And so you can hear very clearly those similarities."

Brown Eyed Soul, a Korean R&B group, has experienced lineup changes. But their founder, a musician at his core, has remained throughout, she says. Brown Eyed Soul's music, Anderson says, "shows that K-pop doesn't just draw from the contemporary music of its time. It also reaches back to older genres of Black popular music."

She compares their hit "Can't Stop Loving You" up against Sly and the Family Stone's "Dance to the Music."

And for hip-hop, she likens Korean artist Primary's "2 Weeks" to The Roots' "The Next Movement," where live instrumentation can be heard on both.

Primary "does very little sampling, just like you have that live instrumentation in 'The Next Movement.' You have the rhythms of R&B and you have rap all over that as well," she says.

The influence of Black American artists on K-pop is just that. Anderson makes the distinction that K-pop musicians tap into hybridity as opposed to what many white artists have done in the past by taking ownership of music by Black Americans.

"One thing that we can see in those instances is that often those songs that were initially written and performed by African American artists were covered by white performers to achieve popularity," she says.

But those covers were often "watered-down versions of the original" to suit the white mainstream's taste, she explains. Black originators of the songs were often not given any credit, she says.

K-pop is different, she says, because they utilize the concept of citation and don't hide the connections.

"Much like you cite your sources for a news story or for a research paper, K-pop artists are citing the R&B music tradition, and they're doing so through authentic performances, she says. "And [author and culture critic] Brittney Cooper has used this term to describe this idea in relation to popular music, that the idea is to point the listener back to the original."

K-pop creators often work with Black artists and producers to create their music, she says.

There are a few hurdles for K-pop when it comes to sustaining a fan base in the U.S. and becoming part of the musical landscape on a deeper level. One of the obstacles includes language barriers, she says.

"The other challenge, though, is related to the history of the United States - and its history with immigration, with Korea as a country, with the racial history in the United States itself - that colors the way that people perceive the cultural production of other countries," she says.

Yet she argues that other kinds of cultural products in the U.S. do become popular in subgroups. While they may live within non-mainstream subgroups, she says these products are still significant.

"I think that you always have a subculture that's interested in K-pop, just like you have a subculture that's interested in Bollywood, in anime and Chinese martial arts films," she says. "But the degree to which they infiltrate the mainstream, I think we just still have to see whether that's going to be sustained."
Ashley Locke produced and edited this interview for broadcast with Peter O'Dowd. Serena McMahon adapted it for the web. By Crystal Anderson

Rhythm and blues as practiced by Motown represented cultural work because it effected a cultural change by shifting pop music itself. It was initially positioned opposite pop music. Going back to the 1950s, pop music initially included songs by Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, whose style Martha Bayles (1994) describes as "smooth, polished vocal music set to an orchestrated background" (108). On the other hand, rhythm and blues represented "black oriented" music that mixed elements of swing and the blues with vocals derived from gospel (Bayles 1994, 111). This new form of music threatened pop music, as an article in Variety from 1955 shows: "The established pop vocalists are finding the current rhythm and blues phase of the music biz to be tough sledding. . . . The major diskers are not finding it easy to crack the r&b [sic] formula. . . . The kids not only are going for the tunes and the beat, but they seem to be going for the original interpretations as well" (Brackett 2005, 77). Rhythm and blues not only represented a different mode of music, it also provided the foundation for rock and roll and changed the pop music scene by introducing soulful vocals and rhythm-driven tracks that promoted dance and choreography in ways that continue today. Fitzgerald (1995) identifies Motown's role as an innovator in the development of pop music itself and points to how the musical team of Holland-Dozier-Holland "elevated rhythm to new structural status," creating "a new style of mainstream popular song . . . where the hidden architecture supporting the melodic/lyric hook is now primarily rhythmic" (8). After this point, it is almost impossible to talk about pop music without recognizing its R&B foundations, an influence that went beyond the black people who initially created it or its initial black American audiences. Rhythm and blues influenced pop music so much that "in late 1963 Billboard discontinued its rhythm & blues chart for over one year, apparently because it was similar enough to the more general Hot 100 music chart as to be redundant" (Ripani 2006, 81). Pop may go by a plethora of names, but much of it still retains the elements of R&B within a pop context. Ward (1998) suggests that Motown "forged a flexible house style which appealed across regional, racial and even generational boundaries" (262). That influence in pop music not only represented a measure of mainstream success, but also a recognition of the craft behind the musical production that made African Americans the envy of all.

Similarly, Korean music producers, who have great influence on the sound of K-pop, are known for high-quality music production and, when coupled with images, undertake cultural work. G.-S. Park (2013) observes that the Korean mode of music making relies on a particular kind of production that is local: "Thus far, however, only Spanish and Korean singers have been able to generate such wide success without relying on the global 'track guys' [melody composers who create popular music] indicating that these countries have been able to localize their music in a way that other countries cannot easily emulate" (29). Foreign producers who attend music camps in Korea sponsored by Korean entertainment agencies also recognize the quality of this distinct form of Korean pop music. Rodnae "Chikk" Bell describes the difference between American music production and Korean music production: "The average American song is four melodies, maybe five. The average K-pop song is eight to 10. They are also very heavy in the harmonies" (Leight 2018). Kevin Randolph adds: "The one-loop beat doesn't work over there. . . . You definitely get to stretch. No other style of music has that many parts in their songs" (Leight 2018). This high music quality is inextricably linked to the image of Korean pop artists, who engage in the kind of cultural work we also see in Motown. The casting and training system makes it possible for Korean artists to use quality music as a springboard for parlaying their image. For example, government agencies and non-profits call on such artists to promote causes that produce a positive image of Korea. In 2015 the "idol" group MONSTA X was selected as ambassadors for Girl Scouts Korea because of its image: "We chose MONSTA X as ambassadors due to their diverse talents and charms. Their active and healthy persona fits Girl Scouts' image" (K. Do, 2015). Beyond Korea, the "idol" group BTS delivered a speech at the United Nations as part of UNICEF's Generations Unlimited initiative. The focus on image and music quality makes this possible.

Moreover, like Gordy, Korean agency CEOs promote an image of their own making rather than one thrust upon them by others. Given the experience of events like Japanese colonialism, this was sorely needed: "The experience in the Japanese schools engendered ambivalent feelings towards their own language, history and culture" (Eckart et al. 1990, 263). Rob Wilson (1991) details a number of instances of "a grandly orientalist rhetoric of Korean misrepresentation/ underrepresentation": "If Asia is a territory of vast misrepresentation subject to recurrent tropes of Western orientalism, Korea remains more simply an enclave of sublime forgetting. . . . North/South 'Korea' still comprises for postmodern Americans a forbidding and forgotten landscape of belligerency" (239). In other words, Koreans face a global context where the image of their country remained distorted by others. Image has thus become a mechanism where Koreans create their own version of themselves. As Seabrook notes, "Hallyu has erased South Korea's regional reputation as a brutish emerging industrial nation where everything smelled of garlic and kimchee, and replaced it with images of prosperous, cosmopolitan life" (Seabrook 2012). While this is often described as soft power, it also represents a specific, ethnically informed strategy of cultural work. Korean agencies mirror Gordy's strategy to rehabilitate the image of Koreans globally. Korean CEOs like Lee Soo-man want to represent Korea well: "What I set forth was the idea of 'culture first, economy next.' I believe if the culture of a country becomes known to foreign people first then the economy of that country would thrive through those people. The same dream that shared with the artists, fellow employees and staff members is no longer just a dream. Now our dream has finally become reality" ("Korean Entertainment Agency Takes Its Acts Globally" 2011).

Korean CEOs, and black music producers like Gordy who preceded them, used the casting and training system and the quality of musical production to achieve crossover. Crossover includes the impact of image, combatting reductive ones and replacing them with ones based on work ethic, virtuosity, and quality of performance and music. Korean pop music uses the image of talented and hard-working performers who make and perform high-quality music to dispel the view of the country as weak, unstable, and lacking leadership. Korean entertainment agency CEOs seek to use Korea's culture to project a self-determined image onto the global stage. It ties its creative and commercial cultural production to its national image through cultural work that worked for Motown decades earlier. By making music that simultaneously emulates and enhances the R&B tradition, CEOs and their pop artists become a global branch of R&B.
Excerpt from Crystal S. Anderson, "Soul in Seoul: African American Popular Music and K-pop," Jackson: University of Mississippi Press, 2020, pp. 85-88.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A Look At K-pop's Black American Influence And Activism During Black Lives Matter

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Earlier this summer, American K-pop fans mobilized support for Black Lives Matter using their massive and collective power on social media. Big Hit Entertainment, the record label behind BTS - one of the first K-pop groups to gain popularity in the U.S. - responded to the outpouring of solidarity by donating $1 million to BLM in early June.

# data[].attributes.headline
K-Pop Is Only Half the Story of Korean Pop Music - Rolling Stone

# data[].attributes.subject
K-Pop Is Only Half the Story of Korean Pop Music - Rolling Stone

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Back in 2009, eager to share my love of K-pop with pretty much anyone who would listen, I showed a grad school classmate the music video for "Lollipop" by BIGBANG and 2NE1. He laughed and told me the video looked as if it was made on another planet, with its bubblegum colors and over-the-top costumes. In 2013, I showed friends the music videos for TaeTiSeo's "Twinkle" and Teen Top's "Miss Right" - and they quirked their eyebrows and smirked in mild amusement. By then, K-pop was dominating the music scene across Asia and had significant followings in Latin America, Europe and the Middle East, but Americans seemed largely indifferent.

Fast forward to 2020, and K-pop is finally a singular force in mainstream American media, with groups like BTS and Blackpink winning US music awards and appearing on major talk shows all in the span of a few months.

But what many American fans may not realize is that they are hearing a specific and ultra-new generation of K-pop. Many of the K-pop artists who saw their heyday in the 2000's and early 2010's have long since moved on to different genres entirely - and so have many Korean fans, who've grown tired of the countless K-pop idol groups that have formed in the past two decades.

In South Korea right now, listeners are turning their attention to the oldest form of Korean popular music: "trot," which derives its name from "foxtrot" and borrows from a wide range of genres, including blues, easy listening, swing, rock and roll and others. Overshadowed by K-pop since the 1990's and once thought to be on the verge of dying out, Korean trot is currently experiencing a revival thanks to singing competitions like Mister Trot and I Like Trot. Even current and former K-pop stars are joining in on the trot boom by serving on the judging panels of some of these audition shows - for example, Shin Ji of Koyote and Kim Junsu of TVXQ appeared as judges on the wildly popular Mister Trot - or by competing, themselves.

Pop culture critic Hee-jung Gong explains the trot craze this way (translated from Korean): "Young people are interested in new and unique content. For them, the excitement of listening to a genre that they were not frequently exposed to in the past appealed to them. On the other hand, middle-aged Koreans like trot because to them, it's retro music that brings back memories." In addition, the so-called "Newtro" (new + retro) trend, led by millennials and Gen Z, has swept the nation for two years now, impacting the design of everything from sneakers to watches to household appliances.

Millions are also tuning into Korean indie music (here's a playlist I made, if you're unfamiliar). The term originally referred to the alternative, folk and punk-rock sounds that grew popular in South Korea in the 1990's, but "Korean indie" has recently become a catch-all term for almost any modern Korean song that can't be classified as K-pop, trot, or rap. It's an eclectic genre whose influences span from Western-style rock to lounge to electronica. Like trot, K-indie has also been eclipsed in the global music scene by K-pop, but it has nevertheless maintained a strong following in South Korea, especially among college students and young professionals.

Case in point: One of the top five songs in South Korea right now according to the Gaon Digital Chart, Korea's authoritative record chart, is "잠이 오질 않네요 (I Can't Sleep)" by Jang Beom-june, the vocalist of K-indie rock band Busker Busker, whose other song "흔들리는 꽃들 속에서 네 샴푸향이 느껴진거야 (Your Shampoo Scent in the Flowers)" was the third most popular song in Korea for the first half of 2020. Busker Busker's "Cherry Blossom Ending" was also recently revealed to be Melon's Number One song of the past decade in South Korea. Another K-indie band, Standing Egg, saw their 2012 track "오래된 노래 (Old Song)" become the sixth highest-ranking single for October 2020.

But as K-pop continues to worm into the world's ears, it is also ricocheting back to influence the culture inside South Korea - and Koreans, whether fans of the genre or not, have to reckon with its impact.

An interesting pattern I've observed with Korean pop culture is that what's popular in South Korea is often not popular abroad, and vice versa. (This was generally true for Korean films too until Parasite.) When PSY's "Gangnam Style" blew up globally in 2012, Koreans were shocked and puzzled. While PSY was well-known in South Korea, he was nowhere near the most popular artist, much less someone likely to break into the American market. But when "Gangnam Style" became the most viewed video on YouTube, the Korean media and even the Korean government suddenly couldn't get enough of him, hailing him as a national hero for catapulting his country to global stardom. His face was plastered everywhere, from Korean cosmetics to instant noodle ads to postage stamps. A statue commemorating his viral hit was erected in Seoul.

A similar story has occurred with BTS, who became popular abroad before they became popular in South Korea. Once overlooked as a boy band in their home country, BTS is now topping the charts in South Korea due to their international fame, with hit "Dynamite" holding the top spot on the Gaon and Melon music charts from September through most of November. Their newly released album BE, currently ranked Number Two on the Gaon Album Chart, has sparked a steady stream of positive press in the Korean media, albeit much of the coverage focuses on the album's success overseas in places like the US, the UK and other countries.

So, popularity abroad shapes public opinion back home in Korea - even if many K-pop artists are crafting work primarily for Western audiences, as in BTS's work with Halsey, Steve Aoki, Ed Sheeran and Jason Derulo, Blackpink's collabs with Dua Lipa, Lady Gaga and Selena Gomez, and AB6IX's remix of Lizzo's "Truth Hurts."

This cultural feedback loop is literally changing Seoul's landscape. When I traveled to Seoul in 2014 to see relatives and friends, many cafés and restaurants in the popular Myeong-dong district played lounge and Korean indie music (if you're a K-drama fan, think soundtrack of Coffee Prince or Reply 1988). But when I went back in 2018, the streets of Myeong-dong were blasting K-pop and lined with K-idol-emulating vendors hawking the latest K-beauty products, many of which also featured images of K-pop idols. Up-and-coming idol groups and idol wannabes were holding live performances on the street.

And to my surprise, I saw more tourists than locals, which I found out the hard way when no passerby I approached on the street spoke Korean. In one jarring episode, I walked into a cosmetics store in Myeong-dong and a store associate immediately spoke to me in Thai. When I stared at her blankly, she switched to Chinese. After overcoming my initial shock, I responded to her in Korean - and she apologized and told me, smiling, how relieved she was to finally be able to speak again in Korean.

All this to say that, while I'm pleased K-pop's global success has done so much for the country, a part of me is also concerned that many people around the world equate contemporary K-pop with Korean music - when that is far from the case. And I'm honestly not sure how I feel when I see parts of Seoul transformed into K-pop-inspired shopping paradises for tourists. When I spoke to relatives and friends in Korea about this, they remarked that they too felt Seoul had lost some of its charm. (That said, this year the pandemic has shuttered countless stores throughout Myeong-dong and reduced visitors to the district by 90%. No one knows what a post-pandemic Myeong-dong will look like, though its image as a tourist trap is ingrained in the minds of many locals.)

But perhaps we'll see a new blend of culture in Seoul in the future - one in which various types of Korean music get to flourish for domestic and global audiences alike. The Korean entertainment industry has been actively working to make that happen, particularly with trot, ever since the cable show Miss Trot saw middle-aged and elderly Koreans turn the show's winner Song Ga-in into a household name. The show also revealed the influence and buying power of Korea's "OPAL (Old People with Active Lives)" generation - those in their 50s and 60s - who were largely responsible for Miss Trot's popularity, triggering a trot boom that made Korean entertainment execs launch a flurry of other programs like K-Trot in Town, I'm a Trot Singer, Mister Trot, and Romantic Call Centre.

TV producers and music industry veterans are also hoping to replicate K-pop's widespread success by applying the K-pop idol concept to trot. For example, well-known trot singer Jang Yoon-jung recently formed a new trot boy band, SUPERFIVE, in an effort to attract younger fans to the genre. In addition, the top seven winners of this year's Mister Trot, the audition program that became the highest rated cable broadcast in South Korean history, have frequently performed together as a quasi-idol group for trot, with each member having a domestic fanbase that rivals that of K-pop stars.

Many Korean artists, from BTS to these seven members of Mister Trot, already perform music across genres, reminding listeners of the scope of talent and history in Korean culture. We can see glimmers of a more diverse display of Korean music in the way trot is evolving: The genre is fusing with others, as with Kim Yeon-ja's hit single "Amor Fati," which mixes elements of EDM and has been performed to enthusiastic audiences in other countries like Vietnam, or with hip-hop duo Baechigi releasing an album with trot songstress Kim Na-hee, or rapper Mommy Son collaborating with comedian-cum-trot singer Kim Shin-young (as her alter ego Kim Da-bi) on the song "Spoon March."

If K-pop was able to crack the code of global success, it's hopefully only a matter of time before we see trot, K-indie, and K-rap following suit - or maybe a mix of all three, together.

Regina Kim is a communications director for a global media agency and a freelance writer based in Queens, New York. She previously worked for the Culture and Arts Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, and for Asian video-streaming company DramaFever, where she helped edit and localize Korean TV shows. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, NBC News Asian America, The Korea Times, and on her website reginakim.com.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
K-Pop Is Only Half the Story of Korean Pop Music

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Back in 2009, eager to share my love of K-pop with pretty much anyone who would listen, I showed a grad school classmate the music video for "Lollipop" by BIGBANG and 2NE1. He laughed and told me the video looked as if it was made on another planet, with its bubblegum colors and over-the-top costumes.

# data[].attributes.headline
The global influence of K-pop | The Journal

# data[].attributes.subject
The global influence of K-pop | The Journal

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In the age of YouTube and Spotify, K-pop (Korean pop music) has become a global phenomenon that plays a remarkable role in the country's growing economy.

K-pop artists experiment with a wide range of musical genres, including electronic, hip hop, pop, rock, and R&B. Besides having catchy tunes, K-pop music videos are known for their visual effects and elaborate storylines. The artists' live performances involve colourful costumes and perfectly synchronized choreography.

But K-pop fame and glory doesn't come easily: artists are commonly recruited by South Korean entertainment companies at a young age, enrolling in schools that specialize in vocals, dance, and language classes. They often undergo several years of rigorous training before they're sorted into groups and are able to make their debut.

On top of the intense search for talent and demand for hard work, the K-pop industry makes an effort to export their music by drawing inspiration from the Western world.

Group names and song titles usually consist of English words or unique abbreviations which can be easily understood and referred to by an international audience. To keep up with contemporary trends, English phrases are frequently interspersed amidst Korean lyrics in K-pop songs. For example, K-pop duo Bolbbalgan4's popular song, "Travel," features the refrain, "Take me to London, Paris, New York City."

There are also many instances where K-pop artists cover English songs or collaborate with Western artists to expand their reach. K-pop group BTS is the biggest boy band in the world according to TIME, Ellen DeGeneres, and their 18 million Twitter followers. Since then, BTS' members have covered singles such as Adele's "Someone Like You" and Adam Levine's "Lost Stars." A few months ago, popular K-pop girl group BLACKPINK produced a bilingual crossover song, "Kiss and Make Up," with British singer Dua Lipa.

From La La Land to Pulp Fiction, K-pop girl group TWICE references multiple Hollywood films recognizable to American audiences in their hit music video for "What is Love?" released last April.

For the last two years, BTS received the award for Top Social Artist at the Billboard Music Awards, breaking Justin Bieber's streak for winning every year since the award's introduction in 2011. Last May, they made history as the first K-pop group to top the U.S. Billboard 200 chart with the debut of their new album, Love Yourself: Tear.

The massive, international success of BTS highlights how K-pop has reached millions of North American fans from overseas.

BTS have used their global reach to promote philanthropic causes in recent months. In September, the group delivered a speech encouraging young people to find their voices at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. In 2017, the chart-topping band also partnered with UNICEF to promote the LOVE MYSELF campaign in hopes of ending violence against youth, which has so far raised over $2 million.

Ever since the genre's introduction to North American audiences in early 2010, the number of foreign students at university campuses across South Korea have soared significantly. Even language, which once seemed like a barrier to entering Korean culture, is now viewed internationally as an exciting learning opportunity. Many K-pop fans have become interested in learning Korean to explore the rest of Korean pop culture and society has to offer.

Even though the burgeoning genre's popularity may seem like a fad, the rise of K-pop has greater cultural resonance than meets the eye. Through its reach, records, and aesthetics, the skyrocketing K-pop movement manages to connect people through a shared love of music and cultural diversity.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In the age of YouTube and Spotify, K-pop (Korean pop music) has become a global phenomenon that plays a remarkable role in the country's growing economy. K-pop artists experiment with a wide range of musical genres, including electronic, hip hop, pop, rock, and R&B.

# data[].attributes.headline
All About K-Pop: Inside K-Pop’s History and Signature Sound - 2021 - MasterClass

# data[].attributes.subject
All About K-Pop: Inside K-Pop’s History and Signature Sound - 2021 - MasterClass

# data[].attributes.headline
How did K-Pop conquer the world? - BBC Culture

# data[].attributes.subject
How did K-Pop conquer the world? - BBC Culture

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It is 1992, and three young men in a boy band are performing in a live television talent contest. The sound is new: Korean lyrics, Euro pop, African American hip-hop and rap. They dance in sync. The studio audience goes wild. The judges in their prim suits are less impressed. They reveal their scorecards. The band gets the lowest mark of the night, and is voted off the show

The judges couldn't have got it more wrong.

In the next few days the song I Know climbs to the top of the charts, and stays there for a record-smashing 17 weeks. That night the group, Seo Taeji and Boys, ignites a revolution. Korean pop or K-pop was born.

K-pop is now a multi-billion-dollar industry. Bands like BTS and Blackpink are selling out in the US, UK and international stadiums within minutes. BTS is second only to Drake in international music sales. How did K-pop conquer the world? It's a story with several parts.

The revolution will be televised
At the time, Bernie Cho was working at MTV. He says young Koreans were mostly listening to western music, and Korean music was aimed at their parents' generation. But that all started to change in 1992.

"It wasn't really an evolutionary process, it was very much a revolutionary process," says Cho. Sao Taeji and Boys blew everyone away with that one performance on the TV talent show, broadcast live into millions of South Korean homes. The band opened the door to generations of younger Korean artists who were inspired to create music using influences from other parts of the world.

In the late 1990s, major artists like Clone also made it in China and Taiwan. The prize at that time was the Japanese music market, and breakthrough happened in 2002 when Korea and Japan both hosted the soccer World Cup.

"Something happened that really caught us off guard," says Cho. The so-called "Queen of K-pop" BoA topped the charts in Japan many times over. "It was such a rare occurrence and an inspirational achievement," says Cho. "She really helped open the eyes and ears and ambitions for a lot of people in the music industry to say, 'Hey, if she can do it, maybe we can do it, too'."

From 2008, bigger forces meant that K-pop's reach extended well beyond an Asian fan base. Unlike in China and Japan, where they use home grown social media, Korean companies embraced international ones - Facebook, Twitter and YouTube - and K-pop began to become available on international music platforms.

"Fans overseas, if they saw it, heard it, liked it, wanted it, could immediately cross-over to another site, and either download that music, purchase that music or stream that music," says Cho. "There was a perfect storm of international marketing and promotions connecting with international sales and streaming."

That perfect storm culminated in, well we have to mention it, Psy and Gangnam Style in 2012. "[Psy] completely shattered the mould and the myth in terms of what it takes to get to number one, not only in the US market but worldwide. Psy was not a Korean version of a big pop star. Psy was Korea's version of Psy, and it turns out that's what the world wanted."

It showed that you could be big and not sing entirely in English or be in vogue. The power of the music video transcended language. Just one of the official videos of Gangnam Style on YouTube had well over three billion views, the largest number of hits of any video at that time.
Recruitment regime
Today, Korean music producers are experts at manufacturing incredibly successful products. "K-pop is a product not just made for Korea or made in Korea, but made by Korea," says Cho.

If K-pop is like a popular selling product, then how is it put together? Hannah Waite was at college in America looking for a subject to research. In the early hours of that morning, she stumbled across it.

"I came across a K-pop video that someone else posted and was blown away by the production value of it, the colours, the sounds. Everything was just so overwhelming," says Waite. "I remember when I first started researching this whole phenomenon, people were like, 'This is a flash in the pan. It's going to be like the Macarena', you know where it's like a one hit and then it's done, and it just sort of goes away and remains regional."

This was nothing like the Macarena. When Waite started looking, she couldn't find anything in English online. So, she started her own website called Moon-ROK, giving information on K-pop news and entertainment. The first day the site went live in 2014, it crashed.

"We weren't prepared for 15,000 people to come to the site overnight," says Waite. "We didn't even have the server capacity to actually host that many people."

Waite started delving deep into the origins of the bands. As in the West, the pop groups were manufactured. But in South Korea, it was taken to extremes. It was far more targeted. Children were spotted and recruited. "They start these kids out at a very young age," she says. "You could be anywhere from age 10 to 14 and you could get recruited simply because a rep from the agency saw you at the mall and thought that you look gorgeous."

There is, says Waite, a specific formula and a set of conditions for creating a K-pop star. There are three main agencies with up to 200 trainees each. There are other smaller ones out there too. All K-pop bands come through this system. The recruits either stay at home or live in dorms. They live by a tight regime.

"You wake up, probably 5am. You train for a bit, whether that's choreography classes, vocal lessons. You sort of have a personalised schedule based on what your role in the group is," says Waite. "Then they go to school until about 3pm, head back to the entertainment company where they do more lessons until about 11pm. In Seoul, the trains shut down at midnight, so they get on that last train, they go home, sleep for five hours and do it again."

Bear in mind, these budding stars haven't even debuted yet. And when they do, they can have even earlier starts. Waits says sometimes the trainees are existing on up to two hours' sleep a night. Once you drop that first single and have your first performance, the clock is then ticking down again, she says, to when you become irrelevant. "Right behind you, there is a group of hungrier, more ambitious, younger kids that's looking to dethrone you as the next big thing," says Waite. "So, you run yourself ragged to make sure that you're getting every penny out of it."

Over the past few years, there's been an increase in K-pop stars admitting to having mental health issues. There was a high-profile suicide in 2017: Jonghyun, lead singer of one of the biggest groups SHINee, took his own life at the age of 27, and a note believed to have been sent by him to a friend spoke of his struggles with depression and fame. Another well-known star T.O.P. overdosed on anxiety medications.

K-pop stars used to be bound by 13-year contracts. This term has been legally reduced to seven years. "That was actually the result of a couple of K-pop stars stepping out and saying these contracts are ridiculous: 'I sleep two hours a night. I don't want to go to these shows. But if I don't show up, I get fined and I'm trapped until I'm essentially 30-years old, because these contracts are so long'," says Waite. "They coined the term 'slave contract'."
Korean wave
But, the more K-pop has become more successful, the more the establishment has become interested.

"South Korean business leaders and political leaders were figuring out that they needed to expand into other areas," says Yung Lee, Professor of Sociology at University of California, Berkeley, who has written about K-pop. "The only thing young people especially were talking about was either South Korean drama or South Korean popular music."

The government started to back the music industry, giving it tax breaks. They gave money to academics to enhance the popularity of the genre, and foreign embassies were promoting the groups. It worked and brought in big business. But, as Lee points out, that wasn't all.

"The impact, of course, it not in terms of money, but in terms of its popularity and expanding the South Korean influence or soft power abroad."

There's even a word to describe this wave of Korean culture: Hallyu. And K-pop became central to lots of other profitable industries like the beauty business.

"For example, cosmetics and plastic surgery and other elements of the beauty industry really rely on K-pop, especially to promote this image that if you use these South Korean products and service that you will become attractive, cool, great looking just like these K-pop stars," says Lee. "The vast majority, I think, of young South Koreans get some form of intervention either in your face or your body. So, it's something that's really changing South Korea, and not always for better, I'm afraid."

It's resulted, he believes, in a cultural amnesia to traditional Korean society. "It's really accelerated in the last couple of decades, and K-pop is part of the process of the massive change in South Korean society," says Lee.

With that change and the emergence of some serious scandals, the worry is that it could tarnish brand Korea. And that could post a dilemma for the government.

"What can they do? They began to ride this horse, and so they're almost stuck with it now, and they invested so much prestige about South Korean in K-pop," says Lee. "So, they had no choice at this point but to keep on investing, to keep on trying to flog this horse that they've ridden on."

So, how did K-pop conquer the world? Clever design and brilliant marketing. But there's more to a K-pop band. It's an expression of Korean culture, and the government has been more than happy to capitalise on its success.

However, the constituent parts to the K-pop product are people, some as young as 10. They may have to endure so-called 'slave contracts' and arduous daily regimes. At its darkest, K-pop culture stands accused of scandals. Not a side of South Korea the government wants to advertise. All this may not be affecting music sales. But it's a heavy price of conquering the world.
This originally appeared on BBC World Service's The Inquiry. For more episodes of The Inquiry, please visit the progamme's site.
If you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter, called The Essential List. A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Music, Culture, Capital, Future and Travel, delivered to your inbox every Friday.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It is 1992, and three young men in a boy band are performing in a live television talent contest. The sound is new: Korean lyrics, Euro pop, African American hip-hop and rap. They dance in sync. The studio audience goes wild. The judges in their prim suits are less impressed.

# data[].attributes.headline
(2) Why K-Pop Is More Complex Than You Think - YouTube

# data[].attributes.subject
(2) Why K-Pop Is More Complex Than You Think - YouTube

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why K-Pop Is More Complex Than You Think

# data[].attributes.body
Insights into the art and techniques inside Hip hop music

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Rapping, deconstructed: The best rhymers of all time

# data[].attributes.headline
Analysis of Popularity of Hip-Hop Culture Among Chinese Young People

# data[].attributes.subject
Analysis of Popularity of Hip-Hop Culture Among Chinese Young People

# data[].attributes.headline
前進樂團 Dui Bu Qi 對不起我的中文不好

# data[].attributes.subject
前進樂團 Dui Bu Qi 對不起我的中文不好

# data[].attributes.headline
Hip hop engages Indigenous teenagers in social change - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

# data[].attributes.subject
Hip hop engages Indigenous teenagers in social change - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Posted February 01, 2017 15:07:32

Indigenous teenagers from across Australia are using hip hop and social media to bring attention to social issues affecting their communities.

The B-Town Warriors, from Bourke High School in north-western New South Wales, have had their song People of the Red Sunset added to the Triple J playlist and reached hundreds of thousands of viewers on YouTube.

Teacher Shirlee Rowland said People of the Red Sunset premiered in Bourke's Central Park to a live audience of 500.

"I cried when I saw it, and I still do cry sometimes, it was just amazing," she said.

"We also played it throughout the school on the intercom and we had kids running out of classes screaming and yelling and cheering, very excited."

People of the Red Sunset was written about substance abuse and crime in Bourke, and was produced with the assistance of Desert Pea Media.

Desert Pea Media, based in the northern New South Wales town of Byron Bay, is a registered charity that has been visiting remote Indigenous communities for 15 years to help locals tell their stories through performance.

Founder Toby Finlayson said the organisation's focus in recent years had been on producing hip hop music videos with Indigenous teenagers.

"The funny thing about remote Indigenous communities is the stories and media they ingest is predominately mainstream media," he said.

"So they don't get all the awesome alternative music, bands and Triple J and all the youth-focused conscious media.

"They get top 40 and very sort of displaced stories all from America, so they're really into urban music, Tupac and Biggie and gangster rap.

"Indigenous teens really relate to the oppressions of skin colour that you hear a lot in urban music and in hip hop.

"Hip hop was created as a form that gave voice to the oppressed and was a way for young people to communicate their oppressions, and so I think young Indigenous people really respond to that vehicle."

Mr Finlayson said one of the biggest challenges Desert Pea Media faced was bringing Indigenous teenagers out of their shells.

"There's a massive shame thing for young Indigenous people all over the country, and it comes from a couple of generations of shameful political and social history, and being taught that your culture and your identity is worthless and that being passed down from your parents and grandparents," he said.

"That confidence to be seen and be proud and to tell your stories is not supported enough in Australia.

"The whole purpose of the project is to set young people up to succeed in a society where young Indigenous people are set up to fail in all aspects of society; school, health, employment.

"These projects are built so that people who have no experience really shine and feel really amazing afterwards."

Desert Pea Media spends five days with teenagers to write and film a hip hop video.

Before the writing begins, the group identifies issues affecting the community, and ideal solutions.

"The work we do is focused around a specific social issue, so it might be smoking during pregnancy, bullying, suicide, mental health," Mr Finlayson said.

"We facilitate a process where they talk about that issue, where it comes from, why it exists, why it continues and how it would look in a perfect world and what we can do as individuals, communities and as a nation to solve the problem.

"So it's about turning that conversation into really, really wonderful stories that can engage the whole country."

Desert Pea Media has worked with communities in Arnhem Land, the central Australia desert, western New South Wales, southern and northern Queensland, outback Western Australia and the Torres Strait Islands.

"It's an absolute honour to create cultural artefacts and to know these films stay online forever and become a part of the community's popular culture," Mr Finlayson said.

"I get to go to places that not many white Australians get to go and to meet so many incredible people and hear so many beautiful stories.

"I'll never do anything else."

Topics: music, hip-hop, indigenous-music, indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, indigenous-culture, byron-bay-2481, bourke-2840, walgett-2832, collarenebri-2833, thursday-island-4875

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Hip hop engages Indigenous teens in social change

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Posted February 01, 2017 15:07:32 Indigenous teenagers from across Australia are using hip hop and social media to bring attention to social issues affecting their communities. The B-Town Warriors, from Bourke High School in north-western New South Wales, have had their song People of the Red Sunset added to the Triple J playlist and reached hundreds of thousands of viewers on YouTube.

# data[].attributes.headline
Ethnic and Cultural Identity in Music  and Song Lyrics 

# data[].attributes.subject
Ethnic and Cultural Identity in Music  and Song Lyrics 

# data[].attributes.headline
Participatory Music Involvement | Being musical. Being human.

# data[].attributes.subject
Participatory Music Involvement | Being musical. Being human.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The term vernacular music refers to the musical styles and music making practices that are most widely used among people. I tend to use the terms vernacular music and popular music interchangeably. For decades now, leaders within music education have promoted the use of popular music in schools only to see little substantive change occur. I think, however, that the curricular landscape might be starting to change. Hopefully more schools are broadening the music learning opportunities they offer to become more inclusive of multiple types of musicianship.

A critical ingredient for carrying on this kind of curricular reform is equipping teachers with the knowledge and skills necessary to use popular music in authentic and educationally meaningful ways. I've had the opportunity to do this with the music education majors at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. For these students, I offer a course called "Popular Musicianship" with my colleague Dale Bazan. Most of these teachers-to-be have developed their musicianship exclusively through the formal settings of large ensembles in schools and private one-on-one lessons. In this course, they form small "rock bands" and learn how to play the instruments authentic to them. Almost entirely outside of class meetings, they collaborate to cover popular songs and create original works. They also do some songwriting individually.

Here's a short video from last fall's class in which I explain it some more:

When talking about the educational benefits of using popular music, one that is usually mentioned first is the motivation boost it can offer. I've certainly seen this played out with my students. They have such personal, emotional, and social connections to popular music that they seem willing to invest a lot of their free time-what little music education majors have!-on improving their vernacular musicianship. And their intrinsic motivation is surely enhanced by their being able to choose the music they work on, even composing some of it individually and collaboratively.

Using popular music, however, is much more than a "hook" to get kids into school music programs, only then to focus on other musical things they may not like as much. I seriously doubt that a bait-and-switch approach even works in the long run. The real power of popular music comes from the fact that it's the native musical style of young people. It only makes sense to use a familiar musical context to most effectively engage students in creative activities like composing and improvising. As numerous music pedagogues have pointed out, people ideally learn music in the same sequence as they learn their native language. Much listening necessarily precedes imitation and personal expression. Here's where popular music can offer an educational opportunity that other less familiar styles cannot.

As I said above, most of the music education students come into the Popular Musicianship course having logged much time listening to popular music, but having very little experience performing it or being creative with it. They seem to get a lot out of exploring the social music making and personal expressivity. They gain more confidence in ear playing and improvisation, and grow the artistic interpersonal skills involved in making creative group decisions. Through songwriting and performance of original music, many discover a new outlet to express intense feelings and stories from their personal lives. When they have these musical experiences, they quickly understand the merits of providing them to others, including their future students. In this short video, some of our students explain these things in their own words:

In addition to the experiences with the Popular Musicianship class, I've been following the growing body of research that supports the value of vernacular music experiences in the education of young people. Here are a few articles I've written in which I review some of this research:

Woody, R. H. (in press). Vernacular musicianship: Moving beyond teenage popular music. In E. Costa-Giomi & S. J. Morrison (Eds.), Research perspectives on the national standards. National Association for Music Education. [excerpt]

Woody, R. H. (2012). Playing by ear: Foundation or frill? Music Educators Journal, 99(2), 82-88. [abstract] [excerpt]

Woody, R. H. (2011). Willing and able: Equipping music educators to teach with popular music. The Orff Echo, 43(4), 14-17.

Woody, R. H. (2007). Popular music in school: Remixing the issues. Music Educators Journa l, 93(4), 32-37. [excerpt]

And here are some of my favorite research studies addressing aspects of vernacular musicianship:

Allsup, R. E. (2003). Mutual learning and democratic action in instrumental music education. Journal of Research in Music Education, 51, 24-37. [abstract]

Campbell, P. S. (1995). Of garage bands and song-getting: The musical development of young rock musicians. Research Studies in Music Education, 4, 12-20. [abstract]

Campbell, P. S., Connell, C., & Beegle, A. (2007). Adolescents' expressed meanings of music in and out of school. Journal of Research in Music Education, 55, 220-236. [abstract]

Davis, S. G. (2005). "That Thing You Do!" Compositional processes of a rock band. International Journal of Education & the Arts(6)16. Retrieved from http://www.ijea.org/v6n16/.

Davis, S. G., Blair, D. V. (2011). Popular music in American teacher education: A glimpse into a secondary methods course. International Journal of Music Education, 29(2), 124-140. [abstract]

Green, L. (2002). How popular musicians learn: A way ahead for music education. Aldershot, UK: Ashgate. [publisher]

Jaffurs, S. E. (2004). The impact of informal music learning practices in the classroom, or how I learned to teach from a garage band. International Journal of Music Education, 22(3), 189-200. [abstract]

McGillen, C., & McMillan, R. (2005). Engaging with adolescent musicians: Lessons in song writing, cooperation and the power of original music. Research Studies in Music Education, 25, 36-54. [abstract]

Woody, R. H., & Lehmann, A. C. (2010). Student musicians' ear playing ability as a function of vernacular music experiences. Journal of Research in Music Education, 58(2), 101-115. [abstract] [excerpt]

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Posts about Participatory Music Involvement on Being musical. Being human.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The term vernacular music refers to the musical styles and music making practices that are most widely used among people. I tend to use the terms vernacular music and popular music interchangeably. For decades now, leaders within music education have promoted the use of popular music in schools only to see little substantive change occur.

# data[].attributes.headline
SFU Ed Review - Informal and Participatory Cultures in Music Education

# data[].attributes.subject
SFU Ed Review - Informal and Participatory Cultures in Music Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Deanna C. C. Peluso

Music provides a forum to explore knowledge, creativity, collaboration and expression as a part of the human condition, in which we relate self-identity, self-knowledge and a socio-cultural context for our experiences (Hodges, 2005). Many youth are able to be involved in participatory cultures, where musical learning occurs easily and without formal intervention, through the development of complex technologies that allow interaction and sharing across the world without the limitations of geographical boundaries. Musical activities are a significant part of many young people's everyday lives, as they are musically encultured from a young age, yet the majority of their musical participation occurs outside of formalized music education (O'Neill, 2005), through informal learning within popular music (Green, 2007). Contemporary music educators are faced with finding ways for youth to strengthen the connections between music education at school and their musical experiences outside the school walls; and I posit that an understanding of participatory and informal music learning practices might help this challenging endeavour.
Informal Music Learning Practice
Historically, music-making practices have been a predominant part of the social culture in which human beings exist (Blackling, 1981). Green (2007) proposes that "informal music learning practices" are how many popular musicians are becoming educated as musicians, and that formal music education has had little relationship to the popular musicians who create a majority of the music that the world listens to and appreciates (p. 16). According to Green's (2007) research, the criteria that describe young musicians' informal music learning practices include encountering knowledge and experiences outside of formal education, being enculturated into musical practices via "lived experience in a musical environment", interaction with their peers and family outside of formal teaching capacities" and "self-teaching by developing independent learning techniques" of skills and knowledge acquisition (p. 16). For comparison, Green defines "formal music education" as instrument-based in nature, where "classroom music teachers" implement "practices of teaching, training and educating" (p. 16).

Upon comparing formalized Canadian music education to informal music learning, it may seem that formal music education is overly rigid and standardized, as it adheres to a set curriculum that requires quantifiable assessment of learning outcomes. This can be seen in The Ministry of Education - Province of British Columbia (2010) Curriculum Guide that focuses on structure and form within music education, and how curriculum should provide learning outcomes that can be "expressed in measurable and observable terms" (p. 11). In reality, formal music education is not always the stringent classically-focused entity that one envisions of music education in conservatories or in days gone by, as jazz, blues and popular music have become a large aspect of the formal school curriculum (Jaffurs, 2004). Yet, a pertinent question arises, 'if popular music is primarily learned through informal music learning practices, then how are teachers within this formalized environment helping their students learn this popular material within a technologically evolving world?' Further, while informal learning practices have provided many popular musicians with their musical skills and knowledge, the challenge for music educators in incorporating these informal practices into their classrooms is not only 'how to implement it', but to address the challenge of creating and developing spaces within the classroom where music can be expressed "as a medium, practice, and art that carries, reflects and instills values" (Mans, 2009, p. 89), not simply as a skill that is honed through solitary practice, repetition and systematic achievement of seemingly arbitrary goals.

In the endeavour of integrating informal learning practices into formalized environments, Green (2007) suggests ways for music educators to strengthen their understanding of how popular musicians learn, such as teachers first attempting to place themselves in the position of their students, and to "try out some informal learning for themselves" by experimenting with "purposive listening" to recorded music (p. 214). Applying an approach such as Green suggests to an existing culture, where youth are learning music through informal practices, has its limitations, as the approach is not a natural progression within the formal classroom and does not fully encompass how youth are experiencing music. To enable a comprehensive understanding of how youth are learning and engaging in music, I propose, in addition to Green's informal music learning practices, that Jenkins' (2009) notions of youth participatory culture in media education may be of use in providing a way for music educators to strengthen the connections of music education for youth, both in-and-outside of school.
Participatory Culture and New Learning Spaces
The term 'participatory culture' can bring to mind a variety of definitions, and in many cases, the term is related to old (pre-digital) and new (digital and interactive) media technologies (Jenkins, 2006a). At its core, participatory culture holds the possibility of developing skills and competencies that not only hold value with the present-day workforce but allow for diversified cultural expression, creative expression, and opening opportunities for civic engagement (Jenkins, 2009, p. xii). Jenkins' (2009) defines this media-based participatory culture as one that has "relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement", where there is "strong support for creating and sharing one's creations with others", "some type of informal mentorship whereby what is known by the most experienced is passed along to novices", and "where members believe that their contributions matter and where members feel some degree of social connection with one another" (p. 5). Examples of participatory cultures include online social communities (e.g., Youtube), creative digital forms of expression (e.g., video 'mash-ups'), and disseminating media and content through such forums as blogs (Jenkins, 2009, p. xii; Jenkins 2006b).

The traditional formats of music education, where knowledge is transmitted from the teacher to student have become only one option for learning music, as youth are engaging in multimodal and technologically advanced musical activities (Peluso, 2012). Jenkins (2009) provides similar observations in that many youth are engaging in meaningful new informal learning environments (either physical or virtual). These virtual collaborative learning environments are termed "affinity spaces" by James Gee (2003), where youth engage in experimental learning and knowledge sharing in collaboration with others, rather than the conservative and solitary regimented learning environments of formal school education (Jenkins, 2009, pp. 10-11). Participatory cultures provide youth with a new sense of empowerment and identity, that they typically might not have the chance to explore outside these affinity spaces.

Within virtual affinity spaces, youth are able to create new identities for themselves, where they are able to learn, share their expertise, and be a part of a knowledge sharing community that fosters creativity and expression, all without judgment of their background, ethnicity, and most importantly, age. Within these participatory cultures, such as YouTube, youth are able to create, edit, remix, mash-up, and broadcast their own content in the form of videos (Jenkins, 2009). More importantly to music learning, many of these videos incorporate complex music creation and editing, which youth have learned within the context of experimenting with these technologies. Within this environment, youth are able to create, express and learn music with little resistance, and a high level of support and mentorship.

Participatory cultures not only encompass many aspects of informal learning practices, but also allow youth to be musically creative and expressive individuals, and provide an outlet for civic engagement and a place to express one's values. These participatory cultures provide youth with not only a vast environment for expression, but also an environment where they are supported and heard. Participatory culture and informal music learning practices each bring forth their own benefits, thus it would be ideal to find a way to embed these practices and culture into formal music education, as a way to provide educators with opportunities to be involved in these ways of musically learning.
The Teacher In This Digital Age of Musical Learning
I propose that youth still need someone to facilitate their music education, while incorporating informal learning and participatory cultures, as well as helping youth navigate the changing landscape of musical learning and expression. Adults have the ability to influence how youth are enculturated into music, as seen in Green's (2007) study, where many popular musicians came from musical families or environments. Jenkins (2006a) suggests that adults, and in my adaptation, music educators, can use contemporary media content such as television, to instigate conversations with youth about issues that may be difficult to understand due to differences in generations. This provides youth with ways of communication that are relevant and familiar, as Prensky (2001) notes that in comparison to their pre-digital age educators, contemporary students have become technologically literate from early childhood. These conversations can provide a forum for reflection and new ways of talking about issues, such as sexuality, violence, politics and social lives. Taking Jenkins' suggestion and applying it to music education, it could be possible to engage in similar conversations using multimodal resources such as YouTube, where image, video, text, and music are ways to discuss meaning, moral and ethical issues. By providing a way for youth to connect their interests outside of school to meaningful concepts in the classroom, educators may find a way to critically engage their students in ways that traditional routes have not had a chance to do otherwise.

While many teachers may believe that they already have existing participatory cultures in their classrooms, as they let their students surf the net for music videos and sheet music, they are not truly enabling a participatory culture. To clarify, a participatory culture must consist of a combination of the five outcomes that Jenkins' identified. While it is beneficial to allow students to use new technologies and expand their knowledge online, they may really only be exploring potential new genres of music to listen to, or in the worst scenario, viewing the use of the computer for non-participatory related actions - as just another curriculum task that does not relate their out-of-school experience.
Continue to page 2 of 2 >>

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Deanna C. C. Peluso Music provides a forum to explore knowledge, creativity, collaboration and expression as a part of the human condition, in which we relate self-identity, self-knowledge and a socio-cultural context for our experiences (Hodges, 2005).

# data[].attributes.headline
Participatory Music Involvement | Being musical. Being human.

# data[].attributes.subject
Participatory Music Involvement | Being musical. Being human.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The term vernacular music refers to the musical styles and music making practices that are most widely used among people. I tend to use the terms vernacular music and popular music interchangeably. For decades now, leaders within music education have promoted the use of popular music in schools only to see little substantive change occur. I think, however, that the curricular landscape might be starting to change. Hopefully more schools are broadening the music learning opportunities they offer to become more inclusive of multiple types of musicianship.

A critical ingredient for carrying on this kind of curricular reform is equipping teachers with the knowledge and skills necessary to use popular music in authentic and educationally meaningful ways. I've had the opportunity to do this with the music education majors at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. For these students, I offer a course called "Popular Musicianship" with my colleague Dale Bazan. Most of these teachers-to-be have developed their musicianship exclusively through the formal settings of large ensembles in schools and private one-on-one lessons. In this course, they form small "rock bands" and learn how to play the instruments authentic to them. Almost entirely outside of class meetings, they collaborate to cover popular songs and create original works. They also do some songwriting individually.

Here's a short video from last fall's class in which I explain it some more:

When talking about the educational benefits of using popular music, one that is usually mentioned first is the motivation boost it can offer. I've certainly seen this played out with my students. They have such personal, emotional, and social connections to popular music that they seem willing to invest a lot of their free time-what little music education majors have!-on improving their vernacular musicianship. And their intrinsic motivation is surely enhanced by their being able to choose the music they work on, even composing some of it individually and collaboratively.

Using popular music, however, is much more than a "hook" to get kids into school music programs, only then to focus on other musical things they may not like as much. I seriously doubt that a bait-and-switch approach even works in the long run. The real power of popular music comes from the fact that it's the native musical style of young people. It only makes sense to use a familiar musical context to most effectively engage students in creative activities like composing and improvising. As numerous music pedagogues have pointed out, people ideally learn music in the same sequence as they learn their native language. Much listening necessarily precedes imitation and personal expression. Here's where popular music can offer an educational opportunity that other less familiar styles cannot.

As I said above, most of the music education students come into the Popular Musicianship course having logged much time listening to popular music, but having very little experience performing it or being creative with it. They seem to get a lot out of exploring the social music making and personal expressivity. They gain more confidence in ear playing and improvisation, and grow the artistic interpersonal skills involved in making creative group decisions. Through songwriting and performance of original music, many discover a new outlet to express intense feelings and stories from their personal lives. When they have these musical experiences, they quickly understand the merits of providing them to others, including their future students. In this short video, some of our students explain these things in their own words:

In addition to the experiences with the Popular Musicianship class, I've been following the growing body of research that supports the value of vernacular music experiences in the education of young people. Here are a few articles I've written in which I review some of this research:

Woody, R. H. (in press). Vernacular musicianship: Moving beyond teenage popular music. In E. Costa-Giomi & S. J. Morrison (Eds.), Research perspectives on the national standards. National Association for Music Education. [excerpt]

Woody, R. H. (2012). Playing by ear: Foundation or frill? Music Educators Journal, 99(2), 82-88. [abstract] [excerpt]

Woody, R. H. (2011). Willing and able: Equipping music educators to teach with popular music. The Orff Echo, 43(4), 14-17.

Woody, R. H. (2007). Popular music in school: Remixing the issues. Music Educators Journa l, 93(4), 32-37. [excerpt]

And here are some of my favorite research studies addressing aspects of vernacular musicianship:

Allsup, R. E. (2003). Mutual learning and democratic action in instrumental music education. Journal of Research in Music Education, 51, 24-37. [abstract]

Campbell, P. S. (1995). Of garage bands and song-getting: The musical development of young rock musicians. Research Studies in Music Education, 4, 12-20. [abstract]

Campbell, P. S., Connell, C., & Beegle, A. (2007). Adolescents' expressed meanings of music in and out of school. Journal of Research in Music Education, 55, 220-236. [abstract]

Davis, S. G. (2005). "That Thing You Do!" Compositional processes of a rock band. International Journal of Education & the Arts(6)16. Retrieved from http://www.ijea.org/v6n16/.

Davis, S. G., Blair, D. V. (2011). Popular music in American teacher education: A glimpse into a secondary methods course. International Journal of Music Education, 29(2), 124-140. [abstract]

Green, L. (2002). How popular musicians learn: A way ahead for music education. Aldershot, UK: Ashgate. [publisher]

Jaffurs, S. E. (2004). The impact of informal music learning practices in the classroom, or how I learned to teach from a garage band. International Journal of Music Education, 22(3), 189-200. [abstract]

McGillen, C., & McMillan, R. (2005). Engaging with adolescent musicians: Lessons in song writing, cooperation and the power of original music. Research Studies in Music Education, 25, 36-54. [abstract]

Woody, R. H., & Lehmann, A. C. (2010). Student musicians' ear playing ability as a function of vernacular music experiences. Journal of Research in Music Education, 58(2), 101-115. [abstract] [excerpt]

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Participatory Music Involvement | Being musical. Being human.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The term vernacular music refers to the musical styles and music making practices that are most widely used among people. I tend to use the terms vernacular music and popular music interchangeably. For decades now, leaders within music education have promoted the use of popular music in schools only to see little substantive change occur.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
HeadphonesAddict is user supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
This is a complete list of the latest stats on people listening to music in 2022.
People Listening to Music

Statistics

2022

The average time spent listening to music is increasing, and if you want data on:

How much time do people spend listening to music per year?

How many songs an average person hears in a lifetime?

What is the longest time spent listening to music on Spotify?

Listening habits by age group

And more...

Then you have to read this up-to-date list of important stats on music listening:

Time Spent Listening to Music Statistics (Top Picks)

An average person listens to 961 hours and 10 minutes of music per year.

An average person hears roughly 1.3 million songs in their lifetime.

It would take over 600 years to listen to every song in the world.

Roughly 7.11 billion people listen to music.

Over 403,418 minutes is the longest time spent listening to music on Spotify

Listening to music reduces pain, anxiety, blood pressure, releases dopamine, and improves sleep, alertness, and memory.

The average time listening to music per year

An average person listens to 961 hours and 10 minutes of music per year.

How much music does an average person listen to per week?

An average person listens to 18.4 hours of music per week.

How much is that per month?

This equals to an average person listening to music for 78 hours and 51 minutes in a 30-day month.

An average person hears 1577 3-minute songs every month.

How much is that per day?

2 hours and 38 minutes of music listening per day.

This is equivalent to 52 and a half 3-minute songs per day.

According to IFPI, the time spent listening to music worldwide increases each year.

The positive trend of time spent listening to music shows that people enjoy more music. Music streaming is becoming more easily available globally, incentivizing people to listen to it more.

How much time does an average American spend listening to music?

People in the US spend 26.9 hours per week listening to music on average.

This averages to 3 hours and 50 minutes of music listening per day.

And in a whole month, an average American listens to 115 hours and 12 minutes of music in a 30-day month.

This is quite a bit more than an average person globally. But it isn't a surprise as:

62% of Americans consider themselves music lovers or music fanatics.

The percentage is among the highest of all countries, only surpassed by South Africa, with 75% of people asked claiming they're music lovers.

There's a wide availability of music streaming services and fast mobile internet in the US. Combine it with the latest gadgets like smartphones, headphones, earbuds, and Bluetooth speakers, and it's no surprise Americans spend so much time enjoying music.

But the trend in the US is reversing as people spend less time listening to music than in past years:

The trend coincides with the data showing Americans have been spending more time watching TV.

More than 2/3 of adults between 18- and 34-years old listen to music every day.

The majority of their older peers also listen to music daily, but the percentage goes down with age.

There are almost 3 times as many avid music fans aged 18-29 years old than adults aged over 65 years.

How many songs does the average person listen to in a lifetime?

An average person hears roughly 1.3 million songs in their lifetime.

More specifically, 1,299,340 songs for an average person with an average lifespan.

The length of life and music listening habits can dramatically change the number.
This calculation is based on average music listening data from IFPI. We considered the average song length of 3 minutes and 30 seconds from Billboard Hot 100 charts. We took the average life expectancy of 79 years in a developed country from Population Reference Bureau data 2021.
How much music does the average teenager listen to in a day?

Teenagers listen to music for 2 hours and 5 minutes as a sole activity per day.

This time doesn't include listening to music passively when watching TV or driving in a car but solely actively listening to music.

The Common Sense Media survey also found that girls like listening to music more (73%) than boys (59%).

82% of teens say they listen to music every day.

More than other media activities like watching videos (69%) or using social media (63%).

Overall, a typical kid spends 2.5 hours listening to music per day which is a bit less than adults.

The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) is seeing an increase in time spent listening to music among children and found many positive impacts.

Children who attend a music class for 30 weeks develop significantly higher IQ levels and better marks on standardized tests.

And nearly all of the high-school winners in the prestigious Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science, and Technology play at least one instrument.

How long would it take to listen to every song in the world?

It would take over 600 years to listen to every song in the world. Considering the extensive Apple Music library has over 90 million songs, and the average song length is 3.5 minutes.

In other words, it would take almost 8 human lifetimes to listen to all the songs while listening to each song only once.
This estimate is based on the Apple Music library, which has more songs than Spotify at 82 million. And the average length of a song at 3 minutes 30 seconds as per Billboard data. Plus, we have to assume there are actually more songs than that in the world that aren't on the platform.
How many people listen to music?

Roughly 7.11 billion people listen to music.

Practically everyone living on our planet is listening to music, and the number is growing each year with population growth.

What percentage of the world listens to music?

90% of the world's population listens to music, according to Nielsen Music 360.

According to new report from Nielsen, the share of people who listen to music globally hovers around 90-93%. This is no surprise, as music is a universal language.

How many people are subscribed to a music streaming service to listen to music?

487 million people are subscribed to one of the music streaming services worldwide.

According to Statista, the 2021 number of subscribers slightly increases from the previous year. Music streaming exploded in the past years, but growth is slowing down.

How many people listen to music daily?

Over 315 million or 95.6% of Americans over 13 years old listen to audio daily.

According to SXM Media, a big majority of the American population listens to music every day.

They do it 4.8 times per day and on 2 different platforms with 2 different devices. Most commonly on the radio in their car and with music streaming services via their smartphone.

And it's no surprise as it has been proven that:

Listening to music releases dopamine and endorphins.

Dopamine (happiness hormones) helps with feeling happy about your life, and endorphins (stress and pain relief hormones) help you deal with stress and relieve pain (Silver Pines Treatment Center)

How do people listen to music?

Over 50% of all music is consumed via streaming.

IFPI research finds that streaming is the most popular way of listening to music.

23% Subscription music streaming (Apple Music, Spotify Premium, Amazon Music, etc.)

22% Video music streaming (YouTube, DailyMotion, etc.)

16% Radio (broadcast radio, internet radio, etc)

11% Short video apps (TikTok)

9% Ad-supported music streaming (Free Spotify, Deezer, etc.)

9% Purchased music (CDs, vinyl, paid downloads, etc.)

5% Other forms of music (TV, on-demand video, etc.)

3% Social media (Facebook, Instagram, etc.)

2% Live (live concerts, live streaming, etc.)

Music streaming revenue grew at 24.3% in 2021 and represented 65% of global music revenue.

41% of Americans listen to music via streaming services according to a CBS News poll in 2021.

US listeners aged 18-34 are the likeliest to consume music via streaming services.

61% of them use streaming services to listen to music.

On the other hand, US listeners aged 65+ are the likeliest to consume music via radio (55%).

When do people listen to music the most?

People listen to music the most between 4 pm and 8 pm.

This is after they come home from work and spend more time relaxing.

Where do people listen to music?

People generally listen to music in a car (66%) followed by at home (63%).

Here's a table of where and when people listen to music:

(source: IFPI 3)

Listening to music at home and when working are common, but many people also listen to it before sleeping.

What about young people?

Younger listeners are listening to more music but at fewer places:

(source: IFPI 3)

Sources: IFPI 1, IFPI 2, IFPI 3 Statista 1, Statista 2, Billboard 2d, Statista 3, Nielsen, SXM Media, Silver Pines Treatment Center, Common Sense Media, CBS News

How many people listen to country music?

Almost 50% of Americans said they listen to Country music.

Country music is more popular than you might think. According to a Deezer survey of US respondents, it was the 3rd most listened to genre at 49.9%, right after Rock at 56.8%, and Pop at 56.1%.

Roughly 165 million people listen to Country music in the US.

Though this data doesn't mean it's their favorite genre, it still shows people generally enjoy it.

Country is the #1 most popular music genre in the following US states (Grizzly Rose):
Origins of Country music
How many people listen to hip hop & rap music?

37.4% of US respondents said they listen to hip hop.

According to a Deezer survey, hip hop was the 5 th most listened-to music genre among the general population.

But hip hop and rap dominate in album consumption (BuzzAngle Music).

Hip-Hop/Rap albums are the most sold in the US, with 21.7% of all sold music.

That's more than the 2 nd most sold music genre, Pop, at 20.1%.

Hip hop and rap are particularly popular among young people aged 16 - 34 years old, after which it drops down proportionately with age.

54% of 20-24 age group say they generally like hip hop and rap. While only 5% of people over 55 years old say the same.

But since young people prefer to listen to music via streaming, their tastes significantly impact rankings.

52% of the 100 most streamed songs were hip hop or rap in 2019.

How many people listen to classical music?

Over 90.3 million or 35% of American adults listen to Classical music.

MIDiA Research study found that 29% (nearly a third) of the Classical music audience is under 35 years old. Though the majority of the fans are still 55 years old or older.

It's the least popular among 16 - 19-year-olds.

What are the most common ways of listening to classical music?

Radio is the most popular way to listen to Classical music.

On average, 190,000 Americans listen to a Classical music radio station at any given moment.

Almost 11 million Americans listen to classical music on the radio at least once per week.

Globally the data is:

40% listen to classical music on a radio

35% listen to the genre a CD

3rd most common way is to stream it via YouTube

A non-negligible 11% use vinyl records

Young people increasingly seek classical music to relax, work, and focus.

Deezer reported a 270% increase in the subscription to their most popular classical music playlist, with 43% of new subs being millennials (BBC)

Listening to classical music boosts brain functions like learning and memory.

A study from the Department of Medical Genetics in Helsinki found many benefits of listening to classical music after just 20 minutes per day (PeerJ).

Sources: Statista 4, Grizzly Rose, Norton Center for the Arts, BuzzAngle Music, Classical Music Rising, MIDiA Research, BBC, PeerJ

What is the average time listened to music by streaming service?

In North America, users spend 2 hours 44 minutes per day listening to Apple Music which is more than Spotify.

Consequently, at most, music streaming users spend 19.11 hours per week or 81.9 hours in a 30-day month (Statista 5).

Apple Music and Spotify battle for domination in the US and Canada. When it comes to time spent listening to streaming music, Apple Music is winning.

On the other hand, Spotify has more global users.

What are the average minutes people listen to music on Spotify?

Spotify users, on average, spend 25 hours per month listening to music.

44% of Spotify users access the app daily.

What are the highest minutes listened on Spotify?

Over 403,418 minutes is the longest time spent listening to music on Spotify by the @indrahartmann in December 2021. Today the number is probably higher.

That's over 280 days spent on music listening alone.

How many minutes of music do you have to listen to be in the top 0.005% of listeners on Spotify?

The number changes from musician to musician, but if you wanted to be a Taylor Swift top 0.005% listener, you'd need over 30,000 minutes listening to her music.

To reach her top 2%, you'd only need 1,500 minutes. Keep in mind the trends change, and these numbers fluctuate with them. You'll likely need more or fewer minutes in the future, depending on her popularity (Pop Buzz).

What is the average number of songs in an album?

An album has between 9 and 12 tracks on average, but many are shorter or longer.

While the average number of songs in an album gives us a general idea, there is no rule for how long an album should be. (Routenote).

The 2021 best-selling album Adele's "30" has 12 tracks.

What's the longest album ever recorded?

You need 4 hours 49 minutes 20 seconds to listen to 111 tracks in the longest-recorded album "MEN" by Quiet Marauder.

An average song length in the "MEN" album is 2.6 minutes (WalesOnline).

But the longest ever digital album is:

"500X30 Morse Code Days In Lockdown" by Mark Lee and The Pocket Gods with 446 tracks.

They've held the Guinness World record a couple of times and regained it with the 446 behemoth album release in 2021 (Guinness World Records). But their album is only digital and not recorded.

Sources: Statista 5, GoodWaterCap, Pop Buzz, Routenote, WalesOnline, Guinness World Records

Why Do People Listen To Music?

Listening to music reduces pain, anxiety, blood pressure, releases dopamine, improves sleep, alertness and memory.

Basically, music makes people happier and feel better due to releasing happiness and painkiller hormones (dopamine & endorphins).

Research shows many benefits of listening to music which explains why it's a universal activity (John Hopkins Medicine).

According to psychological research, people listen to music to balance their mood, realize self-awareness, and express social relations.

Psychologists are calling these the Big Three (reasons) for music listening. They also found that the expression of social relatedness is considerably less important than the other two reasons (National Library of Medicine).
Who's a melomaniac?
Why do people listen to sad music when they are in a bad mood?

One of the main reasons people listen to sad music when they're in a bad mood is that they feel some kind of connection to the lyrics, melody, and emotions in a song and want to amplify it.

People want to amplify negative emotions due to hormone response after the session when prolactin and oxytocin make you feel calm and soothe the pain (Psychologs).

It's also a reason why people feel better after a good cry. It's all chemistry.

On the other hand, happy music makes us feel better and more comfortable because our brains produce dopamine and serotonin hormones.

Why do people listen to classical music?

People listen to classical music when they want to relax, focus and get energy for work. It also increases mental alertness and memory (National Library of medicine 2).

Classical music has a calming effect and helps reduce nervousness, jitters, anxiety, and high heart rate (AIRE).

Why do people listen to loud music?

People listen to loud music to relieve stress. Loud music stimulates the inner ear part called the "sacculus," which releases endorphins and makes us feel better.

The sacculus is especially stimulated by low frequencies or bass. This is why people like a "good beat" and "rumbling bass" and why bass headphones and bass earbuds are so popular.

Loud music also drowns out the world, evokes more emotion, and increases heart rate. It even improves physical performance, which is the reason for loud, bass-heavy music in gyms (New Scientist).

Sources: John Hopkins Medicine, National Library of Medicine, Psychologs, National Library of Medicine 2, , New Scientist

Types of music listeners

Casual listeners - are passive listeners who listen to popular music and don't have a strong preference for genres.

Average listeners - are often actively looking for new music and have a developed preference for music genres but don't spend an extraordinary amount of time or money on it.

Music critics - are knowledgeable and passionate about a specific music genre and feel like their opinion matters more than others.

Audiophiles - have developed music taste but focus more on the technical aspect of the sound quality and know all about headphones and speakers.

Melomaniacs - or music addicts who listen to music non-stop every day and strongly prefer genres and artists.

What music do Americans love the most?

Hip hop, rap, and R&B are the most popular music genres in America, representing 31.1% of streamed music consumption in the US.

While there isn't a hard line between hip hop, rap, and R&B, the category is often used interchangeably, and it's the most popular genre among Americans.

Rock is the second most popular, with 15.6% of streams coming rock genre (Statista 6)

Sources: Statista 6

Find more data on music streaming, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and SoundCloud.

Conclusion

Thanks for checking our list on time spent listening to music stats. Some people are truly music maniacs who spend an ever-increasing time enjoying music. An average person isn't far behind.

Do you think we missed answering any questions you'd like data on?

Let us know in the comments below.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
30+ People Listening to Music Statistics & Trends (2022)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
HeadphonesAddict is user supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more. This is a complete list of the latest stats on people listening to music in 2022.

# data[].attributes.headline
Everything is a Remix Remastered (2015 HD) - YouTube

# data[].attributes.subject
Everything is a Remix Remastered (2015 HD) - YouTube

# data[].attributes.headline
A great musicological tool for navigating musical styles of the entire world using YouTube

# data[].attributes.subject
A great musicological tool for navigating musical styles of the entire world using YouTube

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
popularity emergence modernity youth femininity engagement background tempo duration color name xmasness 2021 added or click a genre to sort by similarity to it

# data[].attributes.headline
The App Generation | Howard Gardner, Harvard University - YouTube

# data[].attributes.subject
The App Generation | Howard Gardner, Harvard University - YouTube

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The App Generation | Howard Gardner, Harvard University

# data[].attributes.headline
(1) Rhyan LaMarr - Fight Another Day (Official Video) - YouTube

# data[].attributes.subject
(1) Rhyan LaMarr - Fight Another Day (Official Video) - YouTube

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Rhyan LaMarr - Fight Another Day (Official Video)