A JOURNEY THROUGH SOUNDS
Music they say is food to the soul, it empowers, strengthens and nourishes the inner man and radiates the spirit.
The Formative
I grew up in a musical family where my father was a music director in church and my mom was a chorister. This trickled down to my siblings who all ended up in the choir. Back then it was all about gospel music, with the likes of Don Moen and Panam Percy Paul as our music idols. It became kind of customary that we wake up everyday to their music or some beautiful hymn.
Those were my formative years where music wasn't about choice for me, but about what was made available with the biggest impression being my dad's baritone breaking through the still of the early hours and waking you up with melodies of God's goodness. To us that was the only genre that existed, along with country music from the like of Dolly Parton (actually got to know the name later as I never knew back then).
The Pressure
My musical life twirled around those channels up until my high school days. It was there that I found out my innocence about the trends in contemporary music industry. Like a babe tasting real food for the first time, my taste buds struggled to adapt.
The likes of P-Square, Tuface, Timaya, D'Banj etc were thrown at me on a daily basis and though my spirit resisted, my mind succumbed due to the sheer volume of it being forcefully fed to it in school, on the streets, and amongst peers. In a short while, there was a battle between the religious and the contemporary, hustling for space and prominence in my mind.
Two different genres not voluntarily chosen by me, but imbibed as result of different influences on my life. On the one part there were expectations on me not to appear coerced away from the ways of the gospel, and on the other, there was a pressure to appear woke and follow the trends in the contemporary.
The Choice
Stuck in between the two influences and struggling to keep up with their expectations, my soul leapt for joy subconsciously immediately after I graduated high school. Not because I graduated or that I had escaped the pressures, but because my mind and soul had finally agreed on a music genre and tone for once.
This genre was different, starkly different from all the ones I've ever heard before. The instrumentation was heavy and boppy while the singing was poetic, more like a recital than singing. It was simply poetry over a beat. That's when I set out to investigate what this strange sounds are called, and I found out that they were called Rhythm and Poetry. We immediately clicked like soul mates made for each other and brought together by fate.
It was as if the powers that be made sure that I go through the toxic relationships with all those other genres just to prepare me for this particular partner. Before I knew it my Playlist was populated by strange names like Jay_Z, Dr Dre, Lil Wayne, Eminem, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Obie Trice etc., and whenever I played them at home, I was perceived as a lost sheep, but that didn't matter to me anymore. My mind was at peace.
The Journey
These artistes eventually opened up my music subconscious and I found myself gradually exploring through different sounds and instrumentations, and different genres. It was on this journey that I found different flavors and became much more versatile. RnB came to the fore, Pop crafted its own space and Soul found a special place in my heart.
Music right now is a more than just rhythm and groove to me, it means different things at different times. There are times they unlock my creative subconscious, there are times they soothe my pains, there are times they relieve stress, there are times they unlock my worship and there are times they just let me release those therapeutic tears and lighten my heart.
A world without music would've been like an empty void for me. My music journey though hasn't arrived at its destination, it's still a process that keeps morphing and evolving and I believe that just as time brings about different problems and needs, so does my music journey metamorphose over time. But then the foundation remains the same, just as the journey continues.
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What a stunning memory and the affection for your Dad is palpable. I like the way you describe the tension between the music of your peers and childhood, common, I think. You are right though - musical taste changes, develops, matures too. Still, those sounds of childhood echo through...
Thank you for giving my writing value with your time and comment. Music has played a very vital role in my life and my dad has been a major part of it.
Sometimes it gives me goosebumps to sit and reminisce about him and those times
That seems like a nice thing to do, if you loved your Dad ❤️
Yeah! I did...
I understand your love for RAP songs. The beauty in that genre lies in the lyrics, it's how I perceive it anyway and that's what makes it an excellent choice.
The beauty of rap is truly in the artistry of its lyrics, that's why for the most part, they're ageless.
@diikaan this is a beautiful exploration of your musical journey. It’s an ode to the tone music has played throughout your life. The piece sings with the shifting sounds that have influenced you and developed your taste - from gospel to RAP.
Masterfully woven, your writing pulses to the beat as you investigate the chance of change, of finding something new along the way. Lovely!
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I always imagine a world without music, it would've liked like a world without color. I hope music continues to give you the peace you've found in it