We are lost people and have nowhere to turn for #real music critique. So if you get it, try to help others get it too.
A key aspect I’ve grown to love about TikTok is the ability of a historical event to spark introspective discourse about our culture. The most recent debacle I can give is what I’d like to call The People of Atlanta vs. Keith Lee.
Let me bring you up to speed.
Keith Lee, a content creator with 15 million followers, is known for his candid and transparent reviews of local restaurants. Many credit him for ‘saving’ their small businesses, as his publicity boosts sales due to his large following as well as showing them their hard work doesn’t go unnoticed. Getting a Keith Lee nod of recognition, let alone a stellar review, is somewhat the modern equivalent of a Michelin star. The issue arose, however, in his reviews during his Atlanta food tour, where both he and his family were met with Atlanta’s restaurant culture and all the unwritten rules that come with it. He stayed true to his ethos, giving a frank review but being careful enough to mention he meant no disrespect. He received backlash for his comments, with many denouncing him for ‘tearing down small businesses’ and questioning the qualifications he had to make such comments.
I couldn’t help but notice parallels between this situation and the music “commentators” of today.
We live in a time where quality is no longer king. Rather, it’s engagement that keeps the lights on, and that is prioritised more than ever, it seems. This has a polarising effect on music critique: either create something that succumbs to existing popular opinions (that a faceless entity has probably paid you to do so) or, even worse, inflammatory content that intends to incite a reaction from its consumer.
Similar to Keith Lee, anyone who chooses to dissect the music of old or praise today’s artists as “the goat” can quickly garner a large audience. (That being said, you’d probably have to put it under the guise of a video essay so you can use pretty pictures and videos to engage the audience, but that’s a point for next time.) This type of content is good publicity, which equals dollar signs for the artists’ and the teams that work behind them. However, when the time comes to express any issues found with the music, all hell breaks loose. Either you feel the full force of the artist’s stans or the musicians themselves clapback, quick to label you as a “hater” intent on their demise.
Whenever this occurs, normally on Fridays thanks to Beyoncé, I can only blame this constant cycle on the lack of authentic criticism in the industry. Tastemakers, influencers, commentators, critics, whatever you choose to call them, will soon lose their influence to playlist algorithms if they’re not careful.
Spotify has about 31% market share in comparison to other DSPs. What upholds its competitive edge is its use of Big Data — daily mixes, Release Radar, and the flamboyant Spotify Wrapped, to name a few. The ability to track and assess listening habits to recommend what they should listen to next and hidden gems they may have missed out on is what keeps the streaming platform ahead.
Spotify Wrapped especially enhances the ever-social function of music. It’s helped to develop a new strain of FOMO — fear of not being the original fan or fear of being perceived as hopping on the bandwagon when an underground artist goes mainstream. It should go without saying that it’s okay to listen to mainstream artists. Drake manages to leak into everyone’s Wrapped at some point.
For many teenagers in the mid-late 2010s, the end of the year was synonymous with YouTube Rewind and trying to recap the year’s memories via Snapchat, Instagram, or a Twitter hashtag. Nowadays, many aren’t trying to prove in pictures how fun a year they’ve had but rather share how cool their listening habits are. It’s almost treated as an online currency or, dare I say, *cringe* a street cred, as it’s proof of whether you’ve got your ear to the streets as you say you do. It’s easy to generate content about music, but there’s no point if you aren’t consuming what you support publicly.
In the arena of music discovery, there isn’t much value in the opinions of tastemaking music critics. Listeners don’t need someone to tell them what they’re sleeping on, because if they want to step out of their comfort zone or delve deeper into a genre they already love, Spotify will hold their hand through it. They will have to do the listening themselves, but if they feel the need to know if others have had the same experience, social media will reaffirm their biases, and that too is down to algorithms.
So if you are constantly on the lookout for quality music commentary that helps you develop your stance, where do you go?
Honestly, I can’t answer this question. It’s funny because it is why I even thought to write this blog.
During my impressionable teenage years, I grew up on YouTube, where the likes of Zach Campbell, 20DaysofJune, and theneedledrop were my go-to’s. Video form helped me, particularly because it felt like I was having a conversation that I wouldn’t be able to have in person. However, I don’t think I was able to develop my own perspective or even question it, let alone theirs, for that matter. I knew I wanted to create music discourse content, but I didn’t have anything else to say apart from what the above told me. If anything, they were so charismatic that I couldn’t find it in me to object to their narratives. But it did cause me to think…
Would I treat them with the same authority if they were women?
I can’t answer that question honestly, but I do believe there is a place for women in critique and commentary. Pretty privilege does work in this space; after all, it’s said that part of Lil Baby’s rise to fame comes from Jayda’s Snapchat posts that contained snippets of his music. We associate pretty women with quality, which is why so many have this Zara jacket and is also why, after some initial tussle, Chy Cartier’s Bossed Up is so loved on TikTok.
Nevertheless, women are more than their looks. They also tend to discuss the intangible sensations you get from the listening experience as well as decoratively celebrate icons of the past, present, and future. In comparison, you’re more likely to get objective numerical ratings of songs and albums (what does 7.4 even mean?) and rankings of top 10s from men in criticism.
Emphasis on tend and likely; this does not apply to all men and all women, but it’s just an observation.
While we’re observing, I’ve also seen instances where a woman has given a negative critique and received backlash to the tune of “What do you know about…” It’s almost as if once you manage to build yourself up as a critic, you’ll only be valued for saying positive things. Go against that, and your qualifications are called into question.
Interesting.
To be crystal clear, there is no list of required qualifications to come into this space. All you need is a critical ear. And, of course, the words to accurately describe what you’ve listened to. It’s an added plus if you have the historical knowledge of the genre to match, but the art of critique isn’t to be a historian.
You’re not just there to comment on the “what” and the “how” of the music, but really on its impact and what it means for the peopledem (whether that’s just you personally or for a subculture in society).
I have no real objection to how tastemaking for music is evolving. I just hope we give space for music commentators to do exactly what they intend: listen to what is produced and give their honest opinions on it. In all forms, both in writing and video formats. Without unknown biases and independent from the influence of big labels and artists. There are a few good eggs that do this well, my two current faves being SAINT and ElsieNotElise.
Lest we forget, music is an art form that is filled with emotion and experiences. The commentary should be respectful enough to acknowledge this and treat the art with care during critique. But critique should always be in the interest of maintaining quality standards of music and not maintaining the stardom of the select few.
Music critique is a necessary evil. That only the girls that get it…
Get It.
