The Beginning of the Generation X, Essay Example

In today’s society, popular culture has made a profound impact on the most recent generations, and continues to do so in a dramatic way. The terms popular culture are often abbreviated into the simple phrase which many people use on a regular basis, “pop culture”. Pop culture initially started to surface in society at the beginning of the generation X. Generation X populations begun to sprout in the 1960’s. This was the period in time when pop culture actually became a concept of life. (Berkeley, 2015)

Pop culture can consist of, but is not at all limited to, any form of media, art, athletics, or common practice. There has been a very positive impact on society as well as the human race itself on a global scale due to the effects of pop culture. The rise of pop culture was first seen in the 1960’s with the rise of disco music. Disco music was very popular back then as it was present in many parties, radio stations, fitness gyms, along with many other aspects of life. (Berkeley, 2015)

Of course, in order for the concept of pop culture to sustain in society to keep up with the ongoing trends, it must continue to evolve and adapt. When the 1970’s came around, disco music was starting to die out, and hard rock ‘n’ roll hit the pop culture scene. This kind of music primarily consisted of heavy electric guitars along with screaming. Some examples of popular rock ‘n’ roll bands during this time were AC/DC, Duran Duran, U2, Metallica, and Kiss. Hard and heavy rock ‘n’ roll music dominated the realms of pop culture all the way through the 1980’s.

When the 1990’s came around, rock ‘n’ roll music was still a very popular aspect and remained present in pop culture, but a new kind of music was beginning to surface. Although more modern rock bands such as Limp Bizkit, Slip Knot, and Linkin Park were becoming very popular, the pop culture movement of hip-hop music was on the rise very quickly. Hip-hop was founded on the movement of African American culture, and was used as a way to express the struggles they had to go through being a minority race. Hip-Hop music blew up rapidly and was favorable amongst all races throughout the entire world. (Serpick, 2015)

A hip-hop group known as the NWA was on the rise with their unique hip-hop music. The group was originally founded by hip-hop recording artists such as Dr. Dre, Snoop Dog, and Ice Cube. Many of their works were present across all media platforms from film, to radio, to television. Like the rock ‘n’ roll bands, hip-hop artists were performing live concerts and gained the attention of thousands of fans across the world. Other famous and significant hip-hop artists during this same time period included Nas, Jay-Z, Tupac, Biggie Smalls, and Eminem. (Serpick, 2015)

What became known as “gangster rap” was socially accepted as a form of music. This kind of music was not sung as traditional forms of music were. Hip-hop artists would “rap” or speak rhymes at a really fast pace to go along with the music. Eventually, singing was integrated into the hip-hop scene when singing artists like Beyoncé began to work with hip-hop artists or rappers. (Serpick, 2015)

Both hip-hop and rock ‘n’ roll music made a huge impact in the foundations of pop culture. It is because of the ambition of music artists that pop culture is where it is today. Their innovative mentality has made a difference in the world in a positive way.

References

Berkeley. (2015). Pop Culture. Retrieved from University of California Berkeley: http://english.berkeley.edu/Postwar/pop.html

Serpick, E. (2015). NWA. Retrieved from Rolling Stones: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/n-w-a/biography