“It’s not a very wise statement to say that you don’t enjoy a whole genre of music,” he said. “Maybe Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s not your thing, but Nas is… Your taste should be determined more by the musician than the genre. When I spoke to saxophonist Kamasi Washington last year, we discussed the notion that many palm off jazz as a whole, deeming it too stuffy, complicated or unenjoyable. Neither one is trying to be comparable or interchangeable. You probably won’t turn up at the club to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony (although there are some amazing trance and techno remixes of classical compositions out there), and it’s unlikely you’re going to sit at home with your headphones on, studying the lyrical intricacies of Lil Jon‘s Bend Ova, but that fact doesn’t make one better than the other. Put simply, it is arrogant, ignorant and elitist to trash anything considered lowbrow because it’s classified as such. Conscious hip-hop and trap are allowed to exist at the same time and people are allowed to enjoy both. It’s commonly said that classical music and jazz is highbrow, while pop and gangsta rap is lowbrow. Radiohead’s music is cryptic and experimental, blending organic and electronic elements together, while Tiesto’s is adorned with synthetic melodies and heady beats, exclusively designed for dancing.
Four Tet’s music is challenging and thought-provoking, Swift’s typically romance-focused pop songs are incredibly catchy, bright and easy to follow. There’s also no point in comparing, Four Tet to Taylor Swift, or Radiohead to Tiesto. There is no need, nor point, in comparing War and Peace to the Kardashians, because they exist for entirely different reasons. Music, much like all entertainment and art, does not all exist for the same purpose or to serve one function. Working my triceps to some Calvin Harris, got a problem? Image: MTV I preface with this anecdote as it’s a spectacular example of everything that is wrong with being that guy who insults everything that is popular or considered lowbrow simply because of said popularity. They seemed betrayed, appalled at the concept that someone can write about conscious hip-hop and immersive electronica if they’re also pumping iron to Deadmau5 and Jimmy Eat World. The person I was chatting to literally cringed, scoffed into their drink, and challenged the validity of my being a music journalist. When it came to exercising, I mentioned ( not for the first time) that my gym sessions are usually soundtracked by EDM, pop-punk, aggressive rap and heavy metal. I recently had a conversation about music which lends itself to activities like cooking, cleaning and driving. David Guetta, Jason Derulo and Tyga on the other hand? Get out. Aphex Twin, Brian Eno and Talib Kweli are profound and significant, canonical essentials to any serious collector. Like popular culture, popular music and its many branches, be they pop, EDM, trap and so on, have been considered plebeian preferences, music for the untrained ear, the underdeveloped brain and just plain bad. Lenton’s article stemmed from an elitist Guardian review of the latest Captain America. I similarly commented on an overwhelmingly sanctimonious Coachella review earlier this year, and this article got me thinking about how many of us look at music in the same way. Titled You’re Not Smart Or Interesting For Shitting All Over Popular Culture, Lenton looks how many compare “highbrow” and “lowbrow” pop culture, such as a literary novel like War And Peace and a reality show like Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Last week, Junkee‘s Patrick Lenton wrote a great article about the unnecessary arrogance of those who turn their pointy noses up at the kind of culture that might be considered “lowbrow”.