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When rock and roll started in the 1950s, it was denounced by some as "dangerous to young minds." Elvis' gyrations couldn't even be shown on television, yet he went on to become one of the most celebrated and influential entertainers of the last century. In the 1960s, parents questioned the image and lyrics of performers like Bob Dylan, whose unkempt appearance and atonal singing seemed like anything but music, but vaulted him from folk singer to folk hero in the hearts of many American youth. By the 1970s, music defined a whole way of life with the arrival of the disco scene. Music has always been an important, dynamic, and galvanizing force in youth culture.
A contemporary example came with the success of the rap group NWA—whose 1989 "gangsta rap" album, Straight Outta Compton, was an early hip-hop hit. The album and the members of NWA—including rappers Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and Eazy E—were attacked by many adults.
Many African-American adults condemned the group because of its name and its glorification of the ills of ghetto life. Middle America was angered by the album's anti-police lyrics. In fact, it was the condemnation of the 200,000-member Fraternal Order of Police that brought NWA to national attention (and actually spurred sales among its youth audience). Nevertheless, teenagers loved them, making NWA the first supergroup of gangsta rap, putting the city of Compton, California, on the map, and taking the album to platinum status even though many radio stations refused to play the songs.
What many adults did not recognize was that controversy really wasn't a new phenomenon in the music world. Protests and references to drugs, sex, and other clandestine activities have always been imbedded in all kinds of music enjoyed by teenagers. In fact, a song about marijuana entitled Reefer Man, by Don Redman and His Orchestra, dates back to 1932. Rap, for example, borrowed or "sampled" old drug references from songs popular in the 1960s and 1970s. These "samples" became parts of new hit songs.
Why is music so important, anyway? Think back. Although most people can't remember exactly what they learned in ninth grade math or English class, they can usually recall the tune and sing the words of a song popular back then. That's the power of music in our memories. While we may not recognize it, the repetition of words and phrases in music etches ideas in our minds. It happened to us when we were growing up and it's happening to young people today.
Repetition. It's why we had to memorize sentence structure and math formulas. And it's why commercials repeat their messages so often. Similarly, if a popular singer says smoke, drink, or have lots of sex, those messages stick and can create an environment where unhealthy behaviors like drug use are accepted without question. That's why adults should always do a reality check on the messages that kids hear on the radio and see in music videos.
Music is powerful and is a dominant force in youth culture.
Music is also a good mirror on what is going on in society at large. Rap was a wake-up call to the realities of urban poverty in the early 1980s as crack cocaine infiltrated urban neighborhoods. With drugs came increasingly violent gang activity, reflected in rap lyrics and the skyrocketing number of homicides among African American males. Popular rappers such as Eric "Easy E" Wright and Calvin Broadus (a.k.a. Snoop Doggy Dog) used their gang member status as a stamp of "authenticity" for their music.
The 1990s saw a "Latin Explosion" with the rise in popularity of musical artists Selena, Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez, rapper Big Pun (the first Latino hip-hop artist to go platinum), and Ricky Martin. Martin's first self–titled English language CD sold 3.8 million units in 1999 and was the best album debut by a Hispanic artist in Billboard history. (Billboard is a leading trade magazine that tabulates music and video sales, video rentals, and radio play.) The rise in Latino music is indicative of increasing Latino influence as the number of Hispanics in the United States continues to grow.
Many of the youth icons of yesterday and today came from the music world. Elvis. The Beatles. Michael Jackson. Madonna. Parents and other adults probably recognize names like Kurt Cobain (the 27-year-old lead singer/ songwriter of the red-hot grunge band Nirvana who committed suicide in 1994) and Tupac Shakur (the 26- year-old rapper/actor who was killed in a still-unsolved ambush in Las Vegas in 1996). But it's a rare person over age 30 who can hum a tune or repeat the lyrics of a hit song written and performed by either of these legends of youth culture. And it's a rare teenager who isn't familiar with their music.
These late artists are icons to many of today's youth who identify with their songs, their artistry, and often their lifestyles. These lifestyles included drug use (Cobain nearly overdosed on heroin a week before committing suicide) and violence (Tupac Shakur served time for sexual assault and celebrated the "thug life," tattooing the phrase on his abdomen). Despite their controversial personas, or maybe because of them, they continue to exert great influence over their legions of young fans—much like youth icons of the past influenced earlier generations. Youth identify with their favorite celebrity icons and begin to regard the artists as peers who share their values, philosophies, music, style, mode of expression, and thus, culture.
Rapper Master P (Percy Miller) grew up in what he terms a "ghetto" in New Orleans, Louisiana. Relying mostly on word of mouth promotion and underground publicity, he started No Limit Records, a hiphop record store that evolved into an independent rap label. He released his first solo album in 1991, The Ghetto Is Tryin' to Kill Me, which became an underground hit. He has created a business empire, churning out movies, producing rap albums for various artists he refers to as "soldiers," and maintaining his own performance career. He has also branched out into sports management and tried his hand as a professional basketball player. Earning $56.5 million in 1998, Master P ranked 11 on Forbes magazine's Celebrity 100 and 1 among hip-hop fans who admire his "do it yourself," entrepreneurial, rags-to-riches success story.
Marilyn Manson (the band and its lead singer share the same name) has a loyal following of young fans who view him as a crusader for free speech. Critics denounce the band's mock depictions of sex, drug use, and Satanism. But Manson's brand of "shock rock" metal, elaborate makeup, and special-effects stage shows struck a major chord with youth, and Manson has become a mainstream antihero. The band's 1996 breakthrough album, Antichrist Superstar, entered the American charts at No. 3, and their concert dates continue to sell out around the world.
 Lauryn Hill is one of the most respected solo performers in the hip-hop community, breaking new ground with her personal, honest lyrics, positive messages, and strong vocals. In 1998, Hill released her solo debut, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, for which she wrote, arranged, and produced almost every track. In 1999, Hill received 11 Grammy Award nominations. She walked away with five awards, including Album of the Year and Best New Artist.
The rap-metal quintet Korn is one of the most popular new bands of the 1990s, building an underground fan base worldwide through touring and promotions instead of slick marketing campaigns. Young fans identify with Korn's themes of angst and alienation. In 1998, the group garnered massive publicity when a Michigan student who wore a Korn shirt to school was suspended because his principal believed Korn's lyrics were "obscene." The band responded by giving away free Tshirts outside the school. In 1999, the band caused a stir within the music industry by offering an MP3 of their single Falling Away From Me on their Web site. For each person who downloaded the song, the band donated 25 cents (up to $250,000) to the Childhelp USA and Children of the Night charities.
Bubble Gum Pop?
Some critics may call it saccharin, but sweetness sells in the millennial music business. Many of today's top teen acts all have "wholesome yet sexy" images, good looks, great dance moves, and catchy, feel-good tunes that make them bankable successes.
The Backstreet Boys (Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Kevin Richardson, and A.J. McLean) are part of a new crop of American boy bands. Formed in Orlando, Florida, under the management of the boy band guru, Lou Pearlman, the Backstreet Boys blasted onto the scene with hits like Everybody. Their 1999 album, Millennium, made the record books, selling more than 1.1 million copies its first week out.
Another group formed under Lou Pearlman's tutelage is 'N Sync (Joshua "JC" Chasez, Justin Timberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick, Lance Bass, and Joey Fatone).
 Fueled by the success of the hit single Bye, Bye, Bye, their No Strings Attached album sold almost 2.5 million copies its first week in stores, more than doubling the Backstreet Boys' first week sales record. Teen queen Britney Spears (born in 1981) has roots in the Mickey Mouse Club, but she's now known as a dance-pop hit-maker. She became a certified teen sensation after the debut of her Baby One More Time video. Her debut album, …Baby One More Time, sold more than 12 million copies, and she was nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy in 1999. However, that Grammy went to 20-year-old Christina Aguilera, another pop songstress who garnered a loyal teen following with hits like What a Girl Wants. Close on their heels is 16-year-old Mandy Moore, who released her second album, New, in 2000.
See: The Strangest of Show Business Traditions
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