Questions on Pop Music and Culture (Essay Sample)

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Question 1
Essentialism denotes the notion that, for any particular entity, be it music, a concept, and a group of people among others, there are unique attributes that define that entity's function and identity. With respect to race, this means that a given race has unique attributes that define it and differentiate it from other races (Brackett, 2013). In the USA, race is a vital component, and it has a huge effect on key societal components such as music. Essentialism plays a crucial role in helping understanding music on the basis of race, as well as the history of a people.
Popular music, for instance, has undergone numerous transformations since its inception, and if such music is looked at from the essentialism point of view, it can be seen to be aligned with a particular group of people, as well as provides a historical picture of that group. Pop music is associated with a group of people that embrace social-cultural heterogeneity. Essentialism helps us understand the historical trajectory of music. For instance, as Shuker (2013) denotes, popular music has evolved following changes in the modes of production and recording, modes of transmission, audiences and fans, and musicians and stars. Essentialism, in particular, helps us understand the meaning of music, and to some extent, the historical inclination of that music.
Question 2
(a)
Subculture denotes a cultural group that is a subset of a larger culture and has beliefs or practices that are different from the larger culture (Brackett, 2013). Subcultures often evolve from larger cultural groups (Brackett, 2013). In this case, the larger group normally has a huge population who share a common ancestry or history, but over time, the population expands leading to the emergence of subsets that have unique beliefs or practices. It takes time for subcultures to form, because initially, the larger group is governed by similar concepts or components. Subcultures are often differentiated from the bigger culture on the basis of fashion, music, and visible affectations. For instance, in the USA, the Punk subculture is associated with punk music, punk fashion, and style. In order to showcase their authority or have their voices heard within and across cultures, subcultures could turn political. In essence, political voices often emerge to take care of needs of the subculture.
(b)
Punk and disco qualify to be termed as subcultures because they have unique identifiers that set them aside from the main cultures in which they belong. Punk, for instance, is characterized by unique music, style, and fashion. Similarly, disco is a unique musical style that is composed of a unique range of musical styles such as funk, salsa, pop, souls, and psychedelic music. Additionally, these two have emerged from the larger American/Western culture. It is paramount to also note that punk and disco have a historical and racial connotations that define them. However, when these two subcultures are looked at keenly, some differences can be noted. Punk, for instance, is associated with musical style and dressing code or fashion, and these are its main distinguishing features. On the other hand, disco is uniquely identified mainly by its musical styles and not a dress code.
Question 3
(a)
Dreamworld III, one of the series in Dreamworlds, gives an analytical view of the music video industry that is seen to be warped. In the current music industry, music videos have become the significant aspects of any given musical piece. Nowadays, musicians are less concerned with the message their music passes, rather, they are determined to come up with state-of-the-art videos that would take their audiences by storm. There is stiff competition in music video production with thousands and at times millions of dollars being pumped into the production of a single musical video.
For that matter, Dreamworld III brings into focus the current underpinnings of today's dangerous music video industry. The author questions the predominance of ideals of masculinity and femininity in this industry. The ideals underlying the music video industry showcase who this industry has prioritized a sexist world-view even as there are attempts to fight for women's rights. The author gives a wakeup call to young people to think about how their actions in the video negatively impact gender roles, race, violence, homophobia, and misogyny.
(b)
A good example is the music video of the hit Ajehandro by Lady Gaga. Released in 2009, and inspired by the musician's "Fear of Men Monster”, the song was a top ten hit in many differe