By Liz Hammond, Digital media editor
For me to struggle to find an editorial topic was kind of a surprise.
Thinking about the last month, I can only pick out a few things that really made me mad. One of them was the Super Bowl half-time show; I don’t want to hear it from any of you fake Justin Timberlake fans. You never cared about him before and you sure do not after that performance.
First, I just want to ask Timberlake what happened to his dignity? That cookie cutter performance was not what I expect from him. His songs used to strike a chord with me and now I’m just lulled to sleep every new one.
Don’t even get me started on his new album because I’m pretty sure it should be illegal in most countries. Who listened to that in the studio and said he could release it, definitely no one that is his friend?
Now before that performance the Grammy Awards happened and that was full of snubs. The worst part was the best new artist category. There were a lot of big names thrown in there. Khalid, SZA, Alessia Cara, Lil Uzi Vert and Julia Michaels made up the list.
Now, you’d probably be torn with whom to pick. But, if you are respectable you wouldn’t pick Alessia Cara. She’s had maybe one or two chart toppers but in the grand scheme of it all those weren’t the best songs at the time. Khalid and SZA dominated every playlist and conversation about music. Their success was much more deserved than anything that Alessia did.
They were snubbed and from a music journalist’s view it was harsh. How can anyone with a brain put Alessia over SZA? Not only did SZA dominate the charts but her lyrics had deep meanings to them. They weren’t just pop music fluff.
It is so apparent that no one in the Academy had any respect for those in the hip-hop industry. In what world is “24K Magic” better than “DAMN.” or “4:44”? For anyone that understands the production and engineering that both Kendrick Lamar and JAY-Z put into those albums they know that it probably doubles whatever Bruno Mars did. I have no respect for artists that claim artistry but only put out music for it to blow up on the radio.
It’s 2018 and if you still don’t understand what the music industry is becoming then you need to take a quick look in the mirror. Quality isn’t what’s important, anymore, it’s all about quantity. I have some faith artists like JAY-Z, SZA and Kendrick can make people hear that cookie cutter pop music isn’t changing the conversation.
The editorials of The Quill reflect the views of individual members of the editorial board. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the entire editorial board or of the university. The content of the Forum page is the responsibility of the editor in chief and the Forum editor.