Troy Curtin

Professor Deys

Pop Culture & Identity

8 February 2017

Paper 1: Music Identity List Analysis

1995: Name Goo Goo Dolls
1996: Ebonics Big L
1997: Semi-Charmed Life Third Eye Blind
1998: What its Like Everlast
1999: Scar Tissue Red Hot Chili Peppers
2000: Ms. Jackson - Outkast
2001: Rewind Nas*
2002: Ignition (Remix) R. Kelly
2003: You Never Know Immortal Technique*
2004: Here Without You 3 Doors Down
2005: Better When Were Together Jack Johnson
2006: Kick, Push Lupe Fiasco
2007: Runaway Love Ludacris (ft. Mary J. Blige)
2008: Homecoming Kanye West (ft. Mr. Hudson)
2009: Day n Night Kid Cudi
2010: Premeditated Murder J. Cole
2011: She Will Lil Wayne (ft. Drake)
2012: Hova Mojo Jon Connor
2013: Let Nas Down J. Cole
2014: 03 Adolescence J. Cole
2015: God, Money, War King Los
2016: 4 Your Eyez Only J. Cole
2017: No Favors Big Sean (ft. Eminem)
 Creating this list of my favorite songs released each year since I was born was both a fun

and difficult task. When it comes to music, I take a strong position as a fan, listener and critic all

together taking in everything from vocals and lyricism to instruments used and production

quality. My father started playing drums at an early age, played in a band around my age, and is

now currently a member of a cover band Lazy Susan along with my stepmom which defines

my music background. Its constantly around me in my daily life and I was introduced early to

his favorite bands and acts of his time mainly in the rock eras. From there I built an extensive

library of artists from Elvis and The Beatles to ACDC and 311. But, I was introduced to Hip

Hop around 8th grade and since then thats been my go to genre.

Now that Ive given a brief background the first song on the list of 4 would definitely be

Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind. Vivid memories of sitting in the back seat of my

mother or fathers cars in the summer when I was very young of course, hearing this song play

pretty often. Theres a handful of songs I can connect to a memory with a person or great a time

Ive had in the past and this is the first one. It was just a sound that gave off great vibes from

what I had remembered but hearing it again many years later was a cool experience. It only took

me like a day to memorize all the words and looked more into the band.

My second choice was difficult so I had to split it between two. Both songs are labelled

under the old school underground hip hop era by two legendary MCs. Rewind by Nas is a

classic song that is sure to blow the mind of any listener. Before pressing play I will warn you

though that the language is pretty vulgar. The song takes you through a brief story in the artists

life, but with a twist because all the actions as well as dialogue between characters is in reverse.

While rapping and an entire story backwards, Nas still manages to flow with the beat and match

clever rhyme schemes along the way. You Never Know by Immortal Technique was the tie
breaker for my second choice because like Nas, IT paints such a vivid picture of a time in their

lives that makes you feel as though youre there or could see it in front of you. Compared to the

majority of this new generation rap that has released in recent years, I prefer the artists and

music that contain deep meaning or some sort of substance with instrumental production like

these two represent so well. People dont buy into the artist and their views or message these

days, they only buy the 3 minutes and 40 something seconds of big egos and money.

Number three on the list is a song that is extremely relevant to my views on the rap

industry today. The artists name is Jon Connor and he is a Michigan artist signed to Dr. Dre

who if you dont know is one of the most profound contributors to the genre. Being backed by a

big name Connor is able to write his own lyrics over classic hip hop albums using legendary

artists instrumentals while having his own thing to say. He does this to pay tribute to his

predecessors but also to remind his listeners to go back and listen to the classic albums while

spewing words about the corruption in the industry today. The song title is Hova Mojo over a

classic Jay-Z instrumental with a strong delivery starting at the intro with a quote about where

the future of rap is headed. I enjoy the heart and dedication to the art that he unloads on this

track as well his other stuff so it was fitting to make the top four.

Last on the list is a song entirely made by my favorite current artist J. Cole. At the end of

2016 Cole released his 4th studio album labeled 4 Your Eyez Only which had no features and

was projected to go platinum before its release. Cole is hated and loved alike, but for those who

enjoy his music like myself, we feel like we can relate to him on a personal level with much of

the truth he tells. Unlike most rap artists today, he doesnt own a mansion, flashy cars clothes or

expensive jewelry. He keeps his family life private from publicity and leaves it all in his songs,

living the simple life while giving back to those who lived the struggling life of his past. J. Cole
took two years to create this masterpiece with a strong message from the beginning. Becoming a

father was something he had mentioned so the album was in dedication for his daughters eyes

only to hear her fathers life story and lessons. During that time he learned to play the guitar,

bass, piano, and drums to individually record each instrument for each sound in every song.

Denying the labels wishes he didnt speak of a new project or even give out one single for a

teaser. It was announced 9 days before the release with a sole purpose for his daughter

disregarding an interest in sales. 4 Your Eyez Only is the last track on the album and is eight

minutes of heart and soul through someone elses eyes so it definitely deserved to be in the top

four.

I really enjoyed this assignment. Although very enjoyable it was also difficult for several

years and even knocking it down to a top 4. Hopefully you got the chance to look up some of the

songs, and I hope you enjoyed reading this.