I’m aware that the title is somewhat judgmental; however, in this piece, rather than being neutral and objective, I want to express and interpret my own thoughts and observations. Music, contrary to common belief, has a multi-layered structure—much like a painting or a poem. Its time signature, chord progressions, BPM (tempo), and most importantly in my opinion, the way instruments are used, resemble rhetorical devices in poetry. Impact and meaning are shaped directly through these elements.
Today’s Musical Landscape
Looking at the present day, we see a circus-like picture where these elements are pushed to the background, songs progress over similar-sounding beats, women are portrayed as objects, and power is represented solely through money and fame. Everyone competes to create the maximum impact, and the audience adds fuel to this fire. It cannot be said that impactful works are meaningless or not art. There is no meaningless music; there is multi-layered music.
The simplest and most beautiful example of this is Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. When it was released, the song was claimed to be meaningless, judged, and pushed to the background. Today, it has become one of the world’s most well-known and beloved rock pieces—and this is no coincidence. So what is the difference between this song and today’s so-called rap artists like Label C5? This difference stems from the way impact is created.
The Concept of Impact and Artistic Depth
The concept of impact is abstract and cannot be limited to music alone. A person can create impact through their achievements, or conversely, through notoriety. The concept of social morality can be disregarded in music; one of the best examples of this is Nirvana. In Nirvana’s song Polly, the main character is a pervert, and everything is told from his perspective. This is a different way of creating impact. The listener is disturbed, drawn into this discomfort, and forced to confront it.
In so-called artists like Label C5, however, the impact created is based on instant gratification and shock value rather than narrative or artistic depth. At this point, discomfort serves not to provoke questioning, but rather to normalize. In conclusion, the issue is not about old versus new, rap versus rock, or underground versus mainstream. The issue is whether music is seen as a means of expression or merely as a spectacle. There is no meaningless music; but there is music without the concern to produce meaning. Where this concern disappears, what remains is not art, but merely noise.
Blinders and Resistance to Innovation
Another issue is people listening to the same things repeatedly and becoming closed to innovation, finding what’s different repulsive and, in their own words, “artificial.” This situation blocks innovation. Yet this has happened in every era. At the end of the 1980s, when rock culture was at its peak, the attitude toward electronic music was considerably prejudiced. There has always been prejudice against innovation in every era; however, there are also ways to overcome it.
Music is one of the areas through which people define themselves. Under the influence of popular culture, society gradually begins to resemble one another. There are always nonconformist individuals; but those who initiate new movements are generally those who are nonconformist and skilled at blending. At this point, it would be appropriate to proceed with the example of Erkin Koray. Erkin Koray, contrary to his era’s musical understanding, created a new style by blending Western rock culture of the early 1970s with Turkish classical music.
Musical Evolution and Blending
This has happened similarly in every era. Before rock culture, blues dominated, and careful observation reveals that 1970s rock songs were clearly written on similar patterns. Metal music is structurally quite similar to classical music; in fact, it can be interpreted as a blend of rock and classical music. These examples can be multiplied…
This article contains my personal views on the current state of the music industry and society’s attitude toward innovation.