“But in all seriousness; I felt sad because music is supposed to inspire. It saved my life, this trash won’t save any kid’s life. In a world that is even scarier and with lives still worth saving, who will stand up and have soul? Disenfranchised to say the least.”

Pop- star Pink tweeted this to a fan on Aug. 31, 2015 (the post has since been deleted)

“Yeah I smoke pot, yeah I love peace /But I don’t give a f***, I ain’t no hippy”

Miley Cyrus, Dooo it!

“I can’t feel my face when I’m with you/ But I love it”

The Weeknd, Can’t Feel My Face

“And I get high with my baby… I be in the kitchen cooking pies with my baby”

Fetty Wap, Trap Queen

“Spend my days locked in a haze/ Trying to forget you babe, I fall back down/ Gotta stay high all my life to forget I’m missing you”

Tove Lo, Habits

These are some of the lyrics that I hear every single day when my sister insists on listening to Z100 and 92.3 on the radio. They are some of the lyrics that I hear my 7-year-old cousin singing, even though she has no idea what they are about. These songs devour the mainstream music world and instantly become part of every teenager’s playlist.

I have a strong opinion when it comes to music. Music is my life and it shapes a lot of the ways I view the world. Many of the bands I listen to inspire me. Songs like, ‘Best of You’ by  Foo Fighters and ‘I Am Mine’ by Pearl Jam are just some of the songs that have influenced me.

What I really want to conclude is mainstream pop music’s senseless lyrics, influencing society in a good or bad way? If you asked me, I would say  these songs are not helping anybody.

Of the lyrics that I referenced above, all of them involve the use of drugs. ‘Dooo it!’ and ‘Habits’ are about getting high and ‘Can’t Feel My Face’ and ‘Trap Queen’ are both about crack and cocaine. These are a few of the hottest songs this year. Now I can admit, they do have catchy sounds but I honestly have to believe that is the only reason people listen to them.

When I listen to music, I look for meaning and incentive. I want to have a connection with the song and learn about the experiences a band had. I feel that mainstream pop is just glamorizing the use of drugs and drinking. These singers and rappers are almost saying, “Hey! Do drugs and drink because it is so much fun and you can become famous and sing about it!” But what the songs fail to mention are the negative effects of drugs and alcohol. These songs have no substance.

I want to stress that this music, who many believe is the voice of this generation,  will not be remembered in a positive way. Music from the 60s it is about peace, love, and justice. The lyrics were trying to inspire people, to stand up for good causes. The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix were the mainstream music but their lyrics moved people.

I respect artists who have overcome addiction or write anti- drug songs. One of the many that I know is, ‘That Smell,’ by Lynrd Skynrd. It mostly touches on subjects such as death and injury in drug related situations. I think more rap and pop stars should be coming out with anti- drug songs, they might help some of the thousands of kids who are influenced by their music that think it’s okay, or even ‘cool’, to use drugs.

I really cannot bear to listen to a rap or pop song and consider it art, especially if the entertainer lacks creativity and talent. I value musical art and artists that can be respected. Rap is not the same as it was in the 90s and pop is just evolving into a degrading industry. Nowadays with auto tune, fake beats, and talentless creators, I really hope that one day these genres will have a real importance to them. Chris Brown, Kanye West, Ariana Grande, and Rihanna are just a few of the current artists today that use auto- tune.

Basically, if you own a computer, you can record a hit album without even learning to play an instrument or sing. There is no ingenuity when it comes to rap or pop and a continual absence of talent in all performers.

Right now the only relevant rapper in my world is Macklemore, which many rap fans would think is ridiculous.