It has been proven that listening to music can help to reduce anxiety, blood pressure and pain as well as improve sleep quality. People listen to many different types of music: pop, classic rock and rap among others.
Sophomore Harper Huckeby revealed that she doesn’t really listen to mainstream music, choosing to listen to less traditional types of music instead.
“My favorite artist is probably Fiona Apple because I can relate to a lot of her music,” Huckeby said.
Apple rose to prominence in the late ’90s with the release of her first album, Tidal. This album and future releases from Apple displayed her use of baroque pop, art pop and alternative music styles that are not traditionally used in mainstream music.
Junior Bryleigh Tarter also has an interesting music taste with her two favorite artists being complete opposites of each other.
“My favorite artist is Insane Clown Posse because they’re just simply the best,” Tarter said. “I also like Tyler, the Creator and his most recent album, Chromokopia, because Tyler always makes great music, especially on the new album.¨
Insane Clown Posse is a lesser known hip-hop group, based in Detroit, who use horror and carnival mythology in their music. However, they have been releasing music since 1992 with 16 albums in the past 30 years.
Tyler, the Creator, however, has become an extremely popular artist in recent years, with songs from his last three albums: Igor, Call Me If You Get Lost and the aforementioned Chromokopia, earning him spots in the Billboard Top 50 singles chart within the past five years. Additionally, Tyler has two Grammy award wins in 2020 and 2022 for Best Rap Album.
Freshman Lizzy Nguyen and seniors Jacob Cabler and Kyle Tan all agreed that one style of music was better than the rest: rap. However, the three students all listed different rap artists as their favorite artists.
“I really like SZA because her voice is very calming,” Nguyen said.
SZA became well known in 2017 with the release of her heavily rap influenced first album, Ctrl. Since 2017, SZA has continued to release music, including the critically acclaimed SOS in 2022, which earned her three Grammy Awards.
“My favorite artist is Kendrick Lamar because he’s consistently good every time he releases a song,” Cabler said.
Kendrick Lamar is one of the most influential voices in rap throughout the 21st century, having rose to prominence in 2011 after the release of his debut album, Section.80. Additionally, he is scheduled to perform at this year´s halftime show during the Super Bowl, making him the first rapper to ever headline the halftime show.
“Right now, my favorite artist would be Travis Scott because he’s always hyped up and I love his energy,” Tan said.
Travis Scott is another influential voice in the rap community with the releases of his past two albums, Astroworld and Utopia, being considered two of the best rap albums in history. Additionally, Scott has had four singles reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, a feat only a handful of artists can claim.
Whether your favorite genre of music is pop, hip-hop, rap or some other style of music, it is clear that music connects people.
Music is an art form that allows people to express themselves through different styles of music and lyrics. Ultimately, it is impossible to ignore the importance of music in our society.