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  • Essay / The role of pop music in the fight for social justice and equality

    A working definition of pop music is evocative to say the least. The notions behind a definition are so changeable that we must return to its origins and its current status, in order to define this genre of music adequately. There is a misconception that pop music and popular music are confused. The New Grove Dictionary Of Music and Musicians believes that popular music arose since "the industrialization of the 1800s and best suits the tastes and interests of the urban middle class." This musical genre takes into consideration the music of Vaudeville and Ministerl shows converted to heavy metal. Pop music is apparently just the shortened form of the previous term, but the Cambridge Companion to Pop and Rock defines it as "music accessible to the general public (rather than aimed at elites or dependent on any type of knowledge or skill) 'listen) ". . This definition therefore encompasses most, if not all, contemporary popular music forms and also alludes to the evolution of pop music from the rock and roll revolution of the mid-1950s. Therefore, the first definition adopts a historical vision; define the historical definition of the term and on the other hand, differentiate that despite the confusion that most people make with pop music and popular music, their origins are several decades apart.Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay A more common definition arises from the large-scale nature of this type of music and the such far-reaching influence on social and societal issues in a particular period. Pop music is in essence a mixture of various cultural groups and is not limited by language, gender, sexuality or religion. This can be seen in the popularity of certain artists, for example Beyoncé, Paul McCarthney, Elton John, Shawn Mendez and Shaggy, to name a few. The intertwined nature of pop music and its assimilation of elements and ideas from other musical genres continues to prevail even today. Rock, R&B, country, disco, punk and hip-hop are all specific genres that have been incorporated into the pop category and even more so other international genres like reggae and Latin music. This multiculturalism and quality of assimilation gave the genre its powers. and that is why it is used as a popular means of international and local protest against various injustices. Pop music has been used as protest music for almost half a century. Its roots come from these musicians of the civil rights era in America; Protest songs have been used as a means of encouraging social change. These were pop songs that could, as the definition suggests, reach large collectives of people and influence social change around a particular issue. This was made abundantly clear in Billie Holiday's 1939 song "Strange Fruit." Lynskey credits Holiday with being the first to bring protest songs into the popular arena and explains that "until now, the songs "Protests functioned as propaganda, but 'Strange Fruit' proved they could be art." By focusing on the real conflict in the South and the mass lynching of hundreds of innocent African Americans, pop artist Billie Holiday forced her listeners to confront the harsh reality of the injustice faced by black people in the South were confronted with powerful words. “The trees of the South bear a strange fruitBlood onthe leaves and blood at the rootsBlack bodies swaying in the southern breezeStrange fruits hanging from the poplar trees. » Protest pop music generally tends to arise during times of crisis. It is therefore not surprising that due to developments in international politics in the late 1990s, from trade embargoes to oil crises to the birth of modern terrorism, it was necessary to express contempt . Following the popularization of protest music during the civil rights movement, we would see a resurgence of protest pop music in tandem with the terrorist attacks, namely 9/11, as well as war actions undertaken by the United States. American Idiot, a song sung by the band Green Day, criticized not only the actions taken by the American government during this period, but also the way it was sensationalized in the media. “I don't want to be an American idiot, I don't want a nation under the new mania And can you hear the sound of the hysteria? Subliminal and mental America. Even in Jamaica, pop/reggae icon Bob Marley used his music to influence the masses and even the divided government of the time. In the face of assassination, he defended his beliefs and used his music to denounce segregation and spread social and cultural values ​​internationally. Bob Marley highlighted the oppression felt by Jamaicans of African descent, a feeling comparable to the reality of racial segregation experienced by African Americans before and after segregation. “But even though his music called for a revolution against oppressors, Bob Marley's work offers a stark contrast to the Black Power movement of the 1960s and 1970s in the United States.” Additionally, due to the inclusive nature of pop music and its appeals to various international platforms; the ideologies of LGBTQ+ tolerance, racial equality, feminism and the fight against forms of abuse took center stage. Pop artists have used their music to combat the degradation of vulnerable groups and individuals. This is seen in Beyoncé's tribute to the Black Panther movement in response to the violence African Americans faced in the United States. In addition, the social outcry is seen with Lady Gaga and Hozier responding to the Queer community or even Belgian pop artist Angele joining the European version of the #MeToo movement, denouncing the sexual assaults that women face on a daily basis. This mandate assumed by pop music sparked internal social cries that reached all corners of the world to anyone who cared to watch or listen. As mentioned above, Lady Gaga's song calling for acceptance of people from the LGBTQ+ community, "Born this Way" came at a time when trans women and other queer people were violently targeted and suicide was high. increasing in these communities. This call to love one another despite sexual preferences resonated internationally not only with LGBTQ+ people but also heterosexuals who were fighting for equality. Gaga wasn't the first to use pop music as a way to solve a social problem. Before “Born this Way”, Katy Perry released her song “I Kissed a Girl”. Although it didn't explicitly call for accepting the idea that two women were acceptable and not following conventional norms as these mega-artists did, professing love for the same sex began to be acceptable. Feminism and issues surrounding women were also discussed. through pop icons like Beyoncé, Shawn Mendez and Angèle. Three different pop artists from three different countries who are all capable.