Music has improved over the years in sounds, beats and rhythm. But gradually it has slipped away in terms of wordings and lines that hold meaning to trigger provocative thinking. Music like "The Night by Avicii" calls for a rethink on the kind of life we live, the same goes with ASA, Westlife, and Phil Collins who not only sang, but presented music as a message to the world. With evolution in the music industry, music artists are more concerned about the song than the message they sell out to the world. The trend around women makes it easy to catch the interest of many who seem to have lines for their selfish and immoral interest.
Music In the 80s and 90s
One thing I've noticed about music is that it follows an era and trend. With the current moral decadent, a lot of youths wouldn't have interest in a kind of music that doesn't satisfy their itchiness. People in the 80s & 90s would also have rejected music that didn't promote morals. So the fall in the areas of morality has given birth to the style of music sung today. Those in the 80s engaged with life in a deeper sense and sang songs with either their experiences or a lesson they learned from those before them. The lines of their music was easy to understand because it spoke directly to an individual soul with clarity. They were preachers who didn't stand on pulpit but were eager to change the world through music.
Music In this Era
I tried to browse through a lyric of a Nigerian musician "Patoranking" on the song "Gaza". The beat was great but when I went down to check the lyric, this is what I found
Udeme na my best friend pankolo
I just wan siddon dey shack kololo
I realized I had been dancing to a song that says nothing, but to a rhyme that flowed just well. Music in this era has improved in sounds, we have more beats than we did years back but the messages are nothing to write home about. People seem to be satisfied with meaningless songs as long as the beat is okay, and the love of the people has shaped the music industry into what it is today. It's no longer Music targeted to change the world but an entertainment industry and nothing entertaining offers life-changing experience.
Comparison of Music in the 80s and Music of Today
Sometimes it seems the musicians in the 80s and 90s had sung everything we needed to know and there's nothing left but entertainment to help cheer us in these difficult times. But that's not true, musicians can still sing against immorality, corruption, apathy and it will still be a great message judging from the decadence over time. What differentiates the music of the 80s and today is their focus. The 80s focused on changing lives and the world, and this era focused on entertainment. The 80s sang songs that inspired, this era sings danceable songs, the music in the 80s was often slow allowing listeners to follow the lines, the music in this era is fast that only echoes are left, the musical sounds in the 80s are less advanced, the sounds in this era are advanced. I hope that someday the music in this era would go beyond sounds but leave behind meanings to help educate the lad.