As an example. I grew up in hip-hop but at a certain point I stopped listening to new people and realised recently that I’d slept on some bangers. Like Kendrick particularly, but even people like Juice WRLD and Xxxtentacion.
The same for the Kendrick and Drake (the nonce) beef which has given some rabbit holes to go down.
So I’m wondering what I can do to keep in the loop with my younger brothers and sisters?
Is it something as simple as watching trending videos on YouTube (somtheing I’ve never done) or are there people to follow etc. I don’t like Twitter though so hopefully it’s not that.
Edit: Man I got so many replies. You guys are awesome. I am going to work my way through them all today, but I’m hella tired and off to work so may take a while. I will reply to you all.
Edit part deux: God damn I think I got all the replies.
Late thirties is aging? That’s like peak life. You have money and family (at least a chance of that) and purpose in your life. You have confidence and you know who you are.
You are still a bit dumb, but less dumb than twenty somethings. I liked my late thirties.
I have money and a family?
I meant relative to teens really, sadly I’ve got another 40 years to go before my forever nap.
I should have money, but I was very irresponsible and only the last 5 years have I started to progress at life. No family ever, I like being single and I couldn’t look after children I am too selfish with my time.
You’ve made me think now what period of my life I enjoyed and I honestly couldn’t choose. I guess now as I’m on a better trajectory.
Start dating a 19 year old.
Bro I ain’t drake.
I am aware that at this age gap is have nothing in common with a 19 year old other than sex.
19 is about 9 years too old for Drake.
By listening to their interests you’d keep your fingers on the youth’s pulse.
True.
I also realise I have no idea why Drake is rated so highly, dudes goofy as fuck and his music is mid at best.
Because he used to be in a wheelchair and now he’s not.
You can only sort of ever keep up.
The main issue preventing you an Old, from finding more about people who are Young, is that the Young don’t exactly love the old filling up their spaces, trying to remain hip.
This is exemplified by the slow death of social networks as they grow in popularity. A new social network pops up, its quickly populated by the youth. Slowly, as it becomes more popular, Olds start creeping in, until there are so many Olds that the youth want to go somewhere else because they no longer have privacy.
When Mom and Uncle Jim are in the conversation, everything is suddenly less cool.
Happened to MySpace first, and it’s happening to Facebook right now. It’s basically ghost towns of people who will be dead soon.
We are limited because the youth will always want their own private spaces where they can truly be themselves without their weird expectations of the older generations. If you’re older with zero expecations for the youth, congratulations: you’re unusual, so don’t hold it against the youth that they assume you’re just another boring old person who is going to judge them for something. Most adults are out here judging them, so give them a break on assumptions they might make about you.
I used to keep up with music through YouTube channels, but even the ones I used to follow are aging up and soon enough those people I was listening to are Old now too, and they’re doing the same thing as me, trying to keep up with what’s hip and good.
I understand the desire to do so. New music is often so good, and I really get sick of people who act like the music they grew up with is the best in history. It’s not, and it never will be. Music is always growing and making music is more accessible than ever, which means its really exploding and evolving. There’s never been a better time to love music.
However, as Olds, we’re just going to miss a lot of what’s cool with the kids simply because we’re Olds. So much is just going to naturally be hidden from us.
So I’m wondering what I can do to keep in the loop with my younger brothers and sisters?
The question is completely weird to me. Why do you care? Why do you think that is important?
Sounds from the example like OP doesn’t want to miss out on media they might enjoy just because they’re not hanging out with young people anymore. Seems like a reasonable thing to want.
If they enjoy the media won’t they just consume it? My music tastes cover several decades and while I don’t follow all modern music there are a few genres and artists that I seek out actively.
You have to discover it somehow, and that’s what they’re asking for help with.
Because I wanted to keep up with changes in art, as well as understanding the younger generation more.
There is huge divide between generations from the elders and it’s usually due to ignorance or superiority and it achieves nothing.
I honestly think your view is weird. Why wouldn’t you want to understand your fellow humans more.
There is huge divide between generations from the elders and it’s usually due to ignorance or superiority and it achieves nothing.
Preferred music doesn’t do much about it. Your focus in it was the main thing that confused me.
If you had mentioned having discussions about ideas I would understood better.
I honestly think your view is weird. Why wouldn’t you want to understand your fellow humans more.
Again, you mentioned music, which for “understanding my fellow humans” is fundamentally irrelevant to me. Discussions about philosophy, ethics, or politics are much more relevant.
Or maybe you just want to understand why they like the music they like and nothing beyond that, which is valid, but painting it as “understanding fellow humans” is a little too grandiose.
Do you not believe that music, particularly the lyrics, is a snapshot in time of what the artists ideas and beliefs are?
You can use the zeitgeist to get a measure of how things change over time. As I believe music is the most emotive form of expression.
Do you not believe that music, particularly the lyrics, is a snapshot in time of what the artists ideas and beliefs are?
It once was. Now music is mostly the result of an industry churning sellable platitudes and blandness.
As I believe music is the most emotive form of expression.
When you have sensible artists who talk about things beyond their own petty and minimal experience, perhaps. This is less and less frequent.
In any case, for me music is a very personal pleasure, I don’t compare notes frequently regarding what one “needs to like to be up to date”. I like what I like, and it’s not very transferrable. I rejoice when I find matches, but I don’t want to “learn what I must like” to be “modern” because that “gives me the pulse of the zeitgeist”.
Alls I can say is you’re listening to the wrong kind of music is you think all current music is vapid.
I’ve already mentioned Kendrick, who won a Pulitzer Prize I might add. There are plenty of people with conscientious lyrics. Dave would be an example from the UK, his album We’re all alone in this together is top tier. Three rivers is legendary and very political.
I don’t want to seem like I’m being aggy here, but perhaps you could take my approach to seeking out this kind of stuff as there is more than just industry knocking out clones. Sure there are plants and stuff but there are real artists out here still.
It’s honestly quite arrogant to think great artists stopped at our generation my guy.
Alls I can say is you’re listening to the wrong kind of music is you think all current music is vapid.
And all I can say is that your reading comprehension is lacking if you attribute me saying that all music is valid. I said “mostly”.
It’s honestly quite arrogant to think great artists stopped at our generation my guy.
And I had said so, I would agree. I, however, didn’t.
In any case, if music is your main focus, you could have used more prominence in the question, because your formulation seemed to indicate that there were other things you wanted to “keep up with” too. If I had understood that music was your primary focus, I would have abstained from participating. Which I will start doing right now.
Listen to music.
yeah, but what if the music i listen to isn’t ‘with it’? what will the kids thing of me? as an old?
just let the algorithm feed you the cultural gruel
The algos are not all there cracked up to be, they get quite repetitive.
It depends on which algo/service. Pandora and I have never meshed so I just avoid that one. YouTube occasionally tosses a good one in my feed. Spotify does well enough that I pay. SoundCloud is probably my favorite.
Aside from that, I’m subscribed to a few music communities here. That has widened my net. Same with imgur - 99% of the time I’m there for the memes but occasionally someone will post something that helps me find a new band.
I’ve gotten back into going to concerts. I go by myself and end up meeting bunches of new people and we all end up talking about music, sharing the names of our favorite tracks and bands.
You’re going to have to blaze your own trail. There’s so much new music being made every day that it’s very much a “needle in a haystack” thing.
Plus, don’t automatically rule out a band because they’re not new. That is, Alien Ant Farm was never on my radar until last year. Their cover of “Smooth Criminal” hit my SoundCloud recommendations. It’s from before MJ died…anyway, I’ve listened to some of their stuff and added some to my playlists.
Keep your ears and mind open.
That’s one of the reasons I spend a lot of time in forums like this. To keep up with the latest stuff.
But then the latest stuff started being hella weird and I still couldn’t follow it even knowing the origins and context of popular trends and now I’m grumpy about kids on my lawn. 😬
I think the difference is that as a kid music is forced on you from all kinds of sources: parents, friends, radio, etc. So you don’t realize how much time you actually spent just listening to new music.
As an Old, you probably don’t have nearly as much random exposure, i.e. you control when you listen to music now. Which means the answer to your question is that you have to consciously set aside time simply to listen to music. It may feel like a “waste of time” for each track you think is shit, but that’s just part of the process.
Good luck, and thanks for coming to my Ted talk.
https://everynoise.com/engenremap.html
I’m in my mid-40s and I love searching for new (and old) music. It makes me happy. Maybe I start with an artists I like and just go thru the rest of the label. You just have to break the habit of listening to the same thing and challenge yourself.
You can’t, it’s over, let go.
I just take older bands/artists that I like, and look up “artists similar to…” On Google, and start from there. Easy enough.
music-map.com works great too.
Yes I’ve seen this before but never saved the link. Thank you.
Never take a break from culture. As soon as you take a year off you will be irrelevant. If that sound exhausting (it is) then congratulations; you have discovered why older people are never on top of pop culture.
Nah, tired advice. I was literally on a remote island for most of a year, and missed out on Harambe and clowns and whatever else happened that year. But if you have a real interest in pop culture you stay in tune. Most older people don’t stay on top of it because they don’t care to, which is fine it’s not for everyone.
“You will be irrelevant” to who? People whose identities are so wrapped up in popular culture they can’t conceive of someone liking something from 30, 50, 80 years ago? Lmao
Bandcamp is nice, they have a curated genre section that updates frequently. College radio stations as someone mentioned, then just Shazam or whatever or look at their playlist online. I hate Spotify because it just gives you pop shit and doesn’t do anything niche or indie. There’s also SoundCloud, they make curated playlists of new stuff frequently. Sound cloud also has labels on there which curate some of their newest bands. It’s super easy to find niche indie labels I think. Lastly, look at lineups of local music spots. I used to listen to Deezer for finding non-US artists, but haven’t used it in a while since Bandcamp is kinda great about covering everywhere.
Hang out with high schoolers.
Found Matt Gaetz’s account.
Hey now, I didn’t say to take them across state lines.
Switch to Classical music.
