FREE ESSAY ON MUSICAL CONTROVERSY

MUSICAL CONTROVERSY

There is a kind of music, which is commonly referred to as "Pop" music. It attracts a
variety of Americans of very different geographical, racial, and economical backgrounds.
Some of the most popular artists these days that are considered "Pop" are N'Sync, Britney
Spears (who, having recently turned eighteen, doesn't seem to mind letting the guys know
that she's legal now), Cristina Aguilera, Eminem, Limp Bizkit, and Tupac Shakur. It would
take a thousand pages to describe the entire commercial and cultural aspects of the music
industry, so I will talk about the hip-hop community. Some hip-hop is commonly referred
to as "Pop" music, simply because it is popular with a wide variety of crowds. I intend
to show you how the different types of crowds under the Pop category interact with one
another, especially at popular awards ceremonies, such as the recent MTV Video Music
Awards '00.
MTV's largest show and party of every year is their Video Music Awards, celebrated in
1999 on 9/9/99. In 2000, it was highlighted by performances by Eminem (aka Marshall
Mathers), N'Sync, a side of Britney Spears which brought a chuckle from a few early
Madonna haters, and others. In an interview with reporters before the show, 26 year-old
white rapper Eminem stated "It ain't often you get so many people that I don't like into
one room together." Eminem's relationship with the music industry is a strange one - you
either love him or you hate him. He openly hates gays, women, and children. He is being
petitioned to be arrested by a national gay rights activist group for his homophobic
lyrics and attitude. So, you ask, why is he such a loved character if he is so "shady"?
His most recent album, The Marshall Mathers LP, sold 1.7 million copies its first week -
the most for any single artist in history. Also notable for comment is that he achieved
this at a time when illegal music piracy is so commonly practiced that the government
cannot even begin to regulate it. This is another issue however.
The recent media chase over Shawn Fanning, an innocent-looking 19 year-old college
dropout, is amazing for one who has not been along for the ride the whole time. Shawn
Fanning released Napster in 1999, it was one of the top 10 most quickly downloaded
programs of 1999. It's ability to "share" music files, called mp3s, digitally over the
Internet made it become absolutely essential for anyone between the ages of 12-24 to
have. Gone were the days when you had to listen to the radio or buy a single - now you
could just go online, wait anywhere from two to thirty minutes, and have the song that
you wanted, for play on your own computer or to burn to a blank CD. In steps ancient rock
legends, Metallica. Metallica drummer, Lars Ulrich, took a stand against Napster. He
claims that it is violating copyright laws set by the United States. Fanning's creation,
by allowing fans to disperse their music to one another, is equivalent to stealing right
from the band. In a sense, he is correct. In reality, if it weren't for the popularity
that the program has already achieved, it would have been shut down long ago without a
multi-million dollar court case. Now it becomes just one of the many media-hyped
incidents in the music industry.
The pop music industry is a complicated web of underground culture. Because America is
such a diverse nation, the music industry reflects the diversity of the country. From
white rappers to thirteen year-old black rappers, to seventy year old country singers,
there is definitely a type of music that most people enjoy. 
Bibliography
Marshall Mathers, spoken in pre-show interview before MTV VMA 2000