A Riff: How Hip-Hop Wasn't My Thing

When I was younger, I never used to listen to Hip-Hop/Rap. You could say that I never grew up, but while most of my peers had moved on past the era of 2000s bubblegum pop, I stayed with it and continued listening to the genre and found myself listening to, and liking my local hits and top-40 radio stations. During this time period I even found myself moving into country music and liking it as well. I didn't think this was a bad thing until my peers started talking about artists I knew nothing about. Lil' Fizz--who is that? Hip-Hop and R&B were out of my realm. The only time I was exposed to R&B was in the car when my mom had it on those stations (that was when R&B was good. I still prefer '90s R&B over today's any day.)

Lil' Fizz, member of the boy band B2K, that split in 2004

When I would ask "Who is that?" I would get a flurry of "You don't know who____is?!" It made me feel embarrassed. Then when the conversation came to "Who is your favorite singer?" or "What kind of music do you listen to?" my answers would be criticized. Don't let me bring up the fact that i listened to country music, because as many people know, apparently country music is a forsaken genre. It just doesn't have the mass appeal that other genres do. But I did bring it up and that pretty much stopped the conversation. Unless there was a "Why do you like it? I can't relate to it." It's not about relating to it, I don't related to agriculture being my way of living either, nor do I relate to drug dealing and lusting after women. And since that had such a terrible reaction, I dare not tell them who my favorite singer is. (See my twitter and you will quickly find out who it is.)

A certain...Fatale

Recently, however I have liked Hip-Hop and R&B mostly due to me just being exposed to it more. Undoubtedly the best artist out right now is Eminem. simply because he is so refreshingly honest and raw at the same time, plus, there are not antics. Em just is. And now I like the Hip-Hop genre and R&B too. There is room for Pop and Hip-Hop both in my repertoire.

Image Credit: Randee St. Nicholas, bestylistik.com

A Riff: Disney Soundtrack Songs

What child born in the late 20th century hasn't heard these classic Disney soundtrack songs? These are the songs many children have grown up with, ones that any one person can start singing and another could finish. From "A Whole New World" to "Hakkuna Matata", Disney songs take you back into the past and make you feel like a kid again.

Take a trip down memory lane with the playlist below:

A Riff: Kelly Clarkson & P!nk

P!nk and Kelly Clarkson are two of my favorite artists.

I first really got into P!nk when I heard her song "Just Like A Pill" (posted about here). To this day that is one of my favorite songs of her's. Other songs of P!nk's that are my favorites are "Eventually", "One Foot Wrong", "I Don't Believe You" & "Mean". She'll definitely be posted on more on the blog.

Kelly Clarkson has been posted about on this blog more often than other artists. While I didn't see her on American Idol , I own her first album and have bought all of her records since. My favorite songs of Kelly's include, "Don't Let Me Stop You", "Maybe", "Impossible", and "Don't Waist Your Time". Kelly is due to release a new album later this year.

A Riff: Social Networking Gone Too Far

At a Clayton County school in Georgia, two teachers got into a fight at their jobs over a Facebook love letter from a fellow male teacher. Both teacher's claimed to be romantically involved with the same man. At one point, teachers Ebony Cobb and Chaka Smith fought inside a classroom, in front of students, shouting expletives in front of the children. The entire story can be read here.

So the question is, when does social networking cross the line? I think it goes over board when people post way too much of their personal business online. Also, when information like who you are dating and what is going on with that person comes into play and it starts to interfere with your professional life, then you have done something wrong. Two years ago, facebook removed photos of mothers breastfeeding their babies and banned others for "obscene content", angering thousands. But it must be understood that posting such photos is graphic and shouldn't' be allowed.

Personally, I am a private person. I don't put my business out in the street for others to know. I know what lines shouldn't be crossed. Do you?

Sources: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Sydney Morning Herald

A Riff: Blogging for Fun

Why do I blog? Well, simply put, I do it because I enjoy it! Blogging allows me to express things about about myself about the topics I enjoy. I love music; I always have. Music is something every and anyone can relate to. So blogging about music is really fun because it allows me to talk about why I enjoy and I can explain what I like about it so much.

On this blog, I can have fun expressing my certain likes and even dislikes about a particular song or artist. Previously, I have often wanted a medium through which I could discuss such topics but I was unsure about how I could do that. Now that I have found blogging, I have a forum in which I can have fun discussing my favorite topic.

To celebrate the fun I've had on the blog, I've included a musical slide show showcasing the different Rhymes I've featured so far. Have fun!

Picture cred: condemnedtorocknroll.files.wordpress.com, .avistarentals.com, ultimateturntables.com

Spotlight: Country Music & Suicide

According to an article published back in 2007, a study shows a link between listening to country music and committing suicide. The article asserts, "Country music is hypothesized to nurture a suicidal mood through its concerns with problems common in the suicidal population, such as marital discord, alcohol abuse, and alienation from work." I don't know about you, but while country music of today still talks about these issues, that sounds like the country music of the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. The report goes on to say that "the greater the airtime devoted to country music, the greater the white suicide rate." So basically if you listen to country music while on a road trip from Georgia to Florida, you'll probably want to commit suicide by the time you get down there? Or will it take a while to sink in, and by the time you get back home to Georgia, you'll want to commit suicide?


What I don't understand are the terms under which the study was conducted under. What kind of country music did the people in the metropolitan areas listen to? And for exactly hoe long? By which artists? Were they male or female? Does it matter if the particular song or songs were up tempo songs or ballads? I first started truly listening to country music when I was in the 4th grade. I listened to LeAnn Rimes, (I used to have her song "How Do I Live" on repeat while my sister on my way to gymnastics! I've always listened to her.) Rascal Flatts, Terri Clark, Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney and other artists. While the thought of my immortality does cross my mind sometimes (who doesn't think about their dying day--presumably when they're old and gray? ) but I never thought about seriously ending my life prematurely. I still listen to country music, but not as much as I did back then. I do indulge in the sounds of LeAnn Rimes, Rascal Flatts, and Carrie Underwood more than other artists, and while their songs may deal with serious topics, they don't push me to think about ending my own life. Maybe it's because I listen to other genres of music as too. Who knows?

You can read the rest of the article here, although the entire report is unavailable because it seems to be out of date.

Source: The Monkey Cage

A Riff About Me (and the Blog)

Welcome to Rhymes and Riffs! This a a brand-new blog where I will make a post about a song (new or old) that has meaning to me. I'll be giving you some info on the song and tell you my thoughts and feelings on them. The songs I plan on exploring will span different types of genres.


Now, allow me to introduce myself. I am a girl of 16 (going on 17) who loves music of all kinds and thoroughly enjoys exploring my creativity. Through this blog, I hope that you, the readers, get a sense of who I am and what I am about through the music I like and my opinions about the music and lyrics of the songs. Enjoy the blog! And be sure to leave comments about the songs I post and tell me what songs you think I should post (be sure they have lyrical meaning!)