IT'S IN YOUR GENE(RE): DISCOVER YOUR MUSIC NICHE

Hip-hop was founded in 1973 in Bronx, New York by a man named Clive Campbell AKA 'DJ Kool Herc". Unlike most legendary discoveries, Kool Herc came across the culture, which would literally alter the way we know music today, unintentionally. It started with talking over breaks in a record, which was mainly Disco oriented at first, to remixing and scratching the sound altogether. What Kool Herc found through his observations of the crowd at parties was how they reacted at what was soon to be called the breakdown. Such fine details leads up to what this article will help you learn today which is how to discover what your genre of music is and why it's so important (or not). 

The first thing that can be said about anyone who is trying to figure out what their "sound" is, should be that there really is no formula. Literally. Imagine, for example, a world filled with people with multiple personalities and a few with..... none, for the lack of a better word. In order to get a job in this society, everyone is responsible for choosing one personality they feel best describes their character. Impossible, right?! You can compare this to asking a close friend for advice on how to get past the friend zone. It's just not happening. However, there are alternatives to getting around this sort of thing. Let's take it back for a second. What if having one identifiable sound wasn't the only way to relate yourself as an artist? Even more intriguing, what if observing those sounds directed you to a whole new musical niche? As time has progressed since the age of Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, Kurtis Blow and more, hip-hop has gone under major deconstruction as far as its root definition. People who grew up with those names up until the early 90s, have a lot to say about what "real" music is. Don't let those people discourage you though, as all things tend to evolve naturally. It's okay not to be sure where your music fits in the grand scheme of things as long as you know who your audience is. 

Hold on! I still don't know what genre of music I belong to. Once you've broken down the details such as: How many genres do I fall under? Which ones do I relate to most? Who is my audience? you can begin to create a sort of mental diagram of where your music mainly lies. Again, there really is no formula to understanding this and you might want to debate weather it's worth the effort to hone down in the first place. The entertainment industry is exceedingly running at a faster rate than ever before; pumping out more songs a day than in any other generation. Getting stuck on details such as where you fit in doesn't make a difference in the grand scheme of things. To be fair, we still want to offer tools so you can gather the information for yourself. Understanding what kind of music you fall under is essential to defining what kind of artist you are. Every Noise is a great resource to utilize if you are curious about what kinds of genres of music are out there. Their page it littered with all sorts of titles that you can scan and discover! You can even look up a particular artist and see which genres they fall under to get a sense of how they work. Give this post a comment if you found this site useful and we'll post you to our Soundcloud.

Paying attention to detail when it comes to your music is a hit-or-miss topic depending on what end of the spectrum you're coming from. Anyone who's been on both sides could attest that learning to accept imperfection is all part of the creative process. Elements of music come from a source probably found way before we were ever conceived (am I giving away my age?) so be practical about what defines you as an artist. If you consider yourself mysterious with a little bit of an angry side, let the audience be the judge of that; except you shouldn't take it to heart. Unless it's your mom or something. Experiment as much as you can while independent so when anyone tries to confine you to the likes of "hip hop" or "punk rock", you can bravely combat their stance with "Hip Rock" or something to that effect. Take charge of your creative abilities by analyzing your music from an outsiders perspective. Ask questions like: How does this music make me feel? Who comes to mind when I hear it? Are my emotions clear? Afterwards, its easier to discern how relevant knowing your niche is. If you find that it's particularly important, try asking friends how they would describe your genre in 3 words. You might be surprised by their answers and realize you're the next Kool Herc. 

 

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