Music & Family

 For this assignment, I decided to interview my sister. She is a millennial (10 years older than me), and as for her music taste, I had a pretty vague idea of what she likes now vs what she liked when she was my age. So, this interview was pretty fun for me to do. Although we are 10 years apart, she's like my twin so I assumed that we would have some similarities when it came to our specific music tastes and our views on the music industry. She was an avid viola player in high school, and I was really excited to talk about that because I was super young and missed most recitals/performances. To no surprise, it was a great time to interview her and get the inside scoop of the 2000s high school experience.

Z= Me

C= Sister

Past Tastes

Z: What kind of music did you listen to as a teen? 

    C: 80s and 90s R&B, with the occasional 70s funk.

                        .  

                    Daryl Hall & John Oates - Sara Smile

                                                         

  

                               SWV - Weak

Z: Who was your favorite Artist as a teen?

    C: T-Pain

Z: Did you go to any live concerts? What were they like?

    

    C: I went to see Future, It was one of the best days of my life. It was quite invigorating.

    

            . 
                       T-Pain - Bartender     Future - Turn Off the Lights 

The Trends

Z: What were the most popular artists when you were a teen? 

    

    C: Lil Wayne, T-Pain, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Tyga, Wiz Khalifa, Rich Homie Quan, Mac Miller, etc. Lady Gaga was popular, I had a big Lady Gaga Thing. Justin Timberlake was on everybody's stuff, they loved him. 

            

Justin Timberlake - My Love

Z: Did music artists influence the way people dressed and such?

        

    C: They definitely did. The New boys (You're a Jerk) Influenced wearing skinny jeans, however, kid Cudi did it first. Monica influenced the asymmetrical bob. Kayne started the "Blind Shades". Honorary mention would be the gauchos, they were weak.  

    

        
                   Shutter Shades        Iconic Bob             Gauchos

Z: What was the music industry like then? 

    C: A lot was happening. B2k and Bow Wow were beefing, and Chris Brown and Drake were too! (He threw a bottle at Drake in the club)(link). A crazy moment was when Justin Timberlake accidentally caused Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction at the Superbowl. Britney Spears was at the start of her breakdown and was still dating her baby daddy, prior to her conservatorship. Chris Brown was also in the news for beating Rihanna circa 2009. Then in 2010, he performed at the Michael Jackson tribute at the BET awards. Mo'Nique had a very iconic performance at the BET awards in 2009. Kanye West was also in a feud with Drake, to sum it up Drake was beefing with everyone.   

        

        .       

       Chris Brown's BET performance      Mo'Nique's BET performance 
                

As a Musician... 

Z: Were you in the band, orchestra, or choir?  

    C: I was in Orchestra. I decided to play an instrument because I've always felt musically inclined. It allows you to hear more things in the music you listen to that other people wouldn’t. Also being black, you don’t see a lot of black representation in orchestra. I played cello for a while, it wasn’t really my thing. I didn’t want to play violin because it was too high. I decided that the viola would be my primary instrument. I was the second chair viola and could be a stand-in cello at times. 

Z: How many years did you keep up with this?

   

    C: I kept up with this from sixth grade through high school. I wanted to go to school to be a music teacher, but the job pay and schedule weren’t to my liking. 

Nowadays? 

Z: What’s your opinion on the music industry today? 

    

    C: Music today isn’t good now. I feel like mainstream music now is trash and repetitive. Kayne is acting up now but with good reason, in my opinion. Tons of Rappers have been going to jail with insane charges, and a lot of big music artists have passed. The celebrity beef is still just as crazy as it was then. I love Lil Nas X though

    

Z: How has your music taste changed since you were a kid? 

    C: It hasn’t really changed but I don’t really listen to Lady    Gaga anymore. I like listening to the artists that put me into the same mindset as back then. I think I listen to older music like Anita Baker and Luther Vandross. 

       

Thoughts & Conclusions 

    C: Long live bankroll Fresh, that was one of my favorite rappers.

I definitely think OJ did it. Long live Young Dolph, he died two days before my birthday. Get registered to vote, and don’t do man-made drugs. 

 *Honorary Mention*

My sisters' iconic recreation of the asymmetrical bob! she ate tbh.