It’s becoming much easier to discover and listen to new songs every day.
While some people believe music was more appreciated in the past, the availability of social media platforms and different streaming apps have made it much easier for artists to make new songs, become popular, and profit from doing what they enjoy best with the support provided by their fans.
Long gone are the days when we only had a handful of music genres. Nowadays, we have an endless number of genres and subgenres.
Since the music industry has been constantly evolving since the dawn of time, going through the history of music gods might help many newer artists find their muse.
Ozzy Osbourne
Some genres can be traced back to their original roots of artists and dates.
The origin of metal stemmed from two of the most established music genres during this time; rock ‘n’ roll hard rock.
The reason why the Prince of Darkness made on this list is quite obvious to anyone familiar with his work, especially metal fans.
Ozzy Osbourne was the lead vocalist of Black Sabbath and is responsible for the biggest turning point in the music world. Back when the band started, they fell under the umbrella of hard rock.
Their music was loud and unbridled; between the brutal vocals of Mr. Osbourne and Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler’s power riffs, they managed to create the first-ever metal band.
The band was and still is, viewed as one of the greatest bands in history, with their dark lyrics, brutal sound, and cultivated satanic aura.
Ozzy was an exemplar of lawless behavior on stage to the extent that he once chomped the head of a live bat on stage.
Black Sabbath cemented their legacy in music history as a band that will never be repeated.
Lex Luger
Hip-hop consists of 4 main elements that distinguish the genre from others; DJ-ing, MC-ing, B-boying, and graffiti.
A subgenre later emerged when Shawty Redd combined the 4 essential elements of Trap music; tempo, kick drum, “Snap” and “Crunk.” HipHop isn’t and shouldn’t be a mainstream-friendly genre as it depends solely on a state of backlash.
The Black Eyed Peas and Drake aren’t the faces of how Hip-Hop music went down.
Lex Luger was a famous trap producer who paved the way for trap music as we know it today.
Lex used aggressive free kits to produce his unique sounds.
While he wasn’t one of the four gods that started trap music or the one who collected all the essential elements, he was still behind one of the biggest turning points in the history of Hip-hop music; re-popularizing the authentic hard sound of the street.
Chuck Berry
Tapping into the world of Rock ‘n’ Roll music, you can find an endless number of musicians that left their marks on music history.
Famous artists continually tweaked the sound by integrating new instruments or paving the road for other genres to join the music world.
One name that stood out between crowds of geniuses was Chuck Berry. The rock god is viewed as an exemplar of all rock stars; he didn’t invent rock, rather took the sound and gave it structure.
He made rock an attitude and lifestyle, not just a music genre.
He codified what rock music is today with his rebellious look, remarkable showmanship, and most importantly, powerful vocals.
He also left his mark on pop music with his songwriting skills as he was the reason behind the use of 3-minute pop songs to tell stories.
Amy Winehouse
Despite the detrimental focus on Winehouse’s personal life by the media, she still managed to become the first British female singer to win 5 Grammys.
Besides her quirky dance moves, famous beehive hair, and her tragic life story,
Amy Winehouse left her mark on the music world with a deep contralto, jazzy voice, and expressive songwriting, combined with unprecedented music that blossomed into a weird mix of all genres that formed Amy’s vivid sound.
She technically invented a new genre; a mix of Jazz, pop, soul, and R&B, with some electronic twists.
The music world is extremely flexible; it can change in a heartbeat.
From Beethoven to Led Zeppelin, the music world is rich with big names that formed and reshape it to this day.
Many musicians have left their influence on different music genres and some of them even created new ones.
Music is ever-evolving, but one cannot forget their roots. Understanding music’s past can help shape its future and inspire new subgenres.