As an example. I grew up in hip-hop but at a certain point I stopped listening to new people and realised recently that I’d slept on some bangers. Like Kendrick particularly, but even people like Juice WRLD and Xxxtentacion.
The same for the Kendrick and Drake (the nonce) beef which has given some rabbit holes to go down.
So I’m wondering what I can do to keep in the loop with my younger brothers and sisters?
Is it something as simple as watching trending videos on YouTube (somtheing I’ve never done) or are there people to follow etc. I don’t like Twitter though so hopefully it’s not that.
Edit: Man I got so many replies. You guys are awesome. I am going to work my way through them all today, but I’m hella tired and off to work so may take a while. I will reply to you all.
Edit part deux: God damn I think I got all the replies.
Listen to music.
yeah, but what if the music i listen to isn’t ‘with it’? what will the kids thing of me? as an old?
That’s one of the reasons I spend a lot of time in forums like this. To keep up with the latest stuff.
But then the latest stuff started being hella weird and I still couldn’t follow it even knowing the origins and context of popular trends and now I’m grumpy about kids on my lawn. 😬
I just take older bands/artists that I like, and look up “artists similar to…” On Google, and start from there. Easy enough.
music-map.com works great too.
Yes I’ve seen this before but never saved the link. Thank you.
https://everynoise.com/engenremap.html
I’m in my mid-40s and I love searching for new (and old) music. It makes me happy. Maybe I start with an artists I like and just go thru the rest of the label. You just have to break the habit of listening to the same thing and challenge yourself.
I think the difference is that as a kid music is forced on you from all kinds of sources: parents, friends, radio, etc. So you don’t realize how much time you actually spent just listening to new music.
As an Old, you probably don’t have nearly as much random exposure, i.e. you control when you listen to music now. Which means the answer to your question is that you have to consciously set aside time simply to listen to music. It may feel like a “waste of time” for each track you think is shit, but that’s just part of the process.
Good luck, and thanks for coming to my Ted talk.
Bandcamp is nice, they have a curated genre section that updates frequently. College radio stations as someone mentioned, then just Shazam or whatever or look at their playlist online. I hate Spotify because it just gives you pop shit and doesn’t do anything niche or indie. There’s also SoundCloud, they make curated playlists of new stuff frequently. Sound cloud also has labels on there which curate some of their newest bands. It’s super easy to find niche indie labels I think. Lastly, look at lineups of local music spots. I used to listen to Deezer for finding non-US artists, but haven’t used it in a while since Bandcamp is kinda great about covering everywhere.
Honestly, just follow some Instagram meme pages or browse SoundCloud’s rap playlists. As a young person™️, this is how I’ve always found stuff, including xxxtentacion and lil peep when I was younger and they were both still around. If you’re worried about “invading” our spaces like the other comment says, I think that sentiment is changing. I’ve befriended some older peeps online just for having anime pfps and stuff lmao.
just let the algorithm feed you the cultural gruel
The algos are not all there cracked up to be, they get quite repetitive.
It depends on which algo/service. Pandora and I have never meshed so I just avoid that one. YouTube occasionally tosses a good one in my feed. Spotify does well enough that I pay. SoundCloud is probably my favorite.
Aside from that, I’m subscribed to a few music communities here. That has widened my net. Same with imgur - 99% of the time I’m there for the memes but occasionally someone will post something that helps me find a new band.
I’ve gotten back into going to concerts. I go by myself and end up meeting bunches of new people and we all end up talking about music, sharing the names of our favorite tracks and bands.
You’re going to have to blaze your own trail. There’s so much new music being made every day that it’s very much a “needle in a haystack” thing.
Plus, don’t automatically rule out a band because they’re not new. That is, Alien Ant Farm was never on my radar until last year. Their cover of “Smooth Criminal” hit my SoundCloud recommendations. It’s from before MJ died…anyway, I’ve listened to some of their stuff and added some to my playlists.
Keep your ears and mind open.
Switch to Classical music.
Start dating a 19 year old.
Bro I ain’t drake.
I am aware that at this age gap is have nothing in common with a 19 year old other than sex.
19 is about 9 years too old for Drake.
By listening to their interests you’d keep your fingers on the youth’s pulse.
True.
I also realise I have no idea why Drake is rated so highly, dudes goofy as fuck and his music is mid at best.
Because he used to be in a wheelchair and now he’s not.
You can’t, it’s over, let go.
Never take a break from culture. As soon as you take a year off you will be irrelevant. If that sound exhausting (it is) then congratulations; you have discovered why older people are never on top of pop culture.
Nah, tired advice. I was literally on a remote island for most of a year, and missed out on Harambe and clowns and whatever else happened that year. But if you have a real interest in pop culture you stay in tune. Most older people don’t stay on top of it because they don’t care to, which is fine it’s not for everyone.
“You will be irrelevant” to who? People whose identities are so wrapped up in popular culture they can’t conceive of someone liking something from 30, 50, 80 years ago? Lmao
What could be more current than the beatles?
There is always more current in ACDC.
Just my opinion, but I feel like you’re far to concerned with being “current”. No offence.
I’m 48 and when I was younger I swore up and down that “I wasn’t going to be like my parents, stuck in my ways musically, blah blah blah.” But you know what, it doesn’t actually matter. Literally at all. It’s vapid pop culture stuff that in adult world, no one actually cares about. Your friends aren’t going to be your friends simply because you like the same music as them. You’re social circle isn’t going to rise and fall based on how “current” you are because outside of highschool, literally no one gives a damn.
Like what you like. Listen to what you want. and don’t worry about staying “hip” because the entire concept is subjective and meaningless in the actual day-to-day world. No one is going to shun you for not knowing what’s happening between Kendrick whats-his-face and The dude from Degrassi. And if they do, they’re not really the kind of vapid social media obsessed people you should be associating with at your age anyway.
Again…just my opinion.
I think you might have my motivations a little confused.
I don’t want to be current myself. I want to keep up with current art, as it’s fascinating. Should I have not gotten in Beethoven and Chopin because those were before my time?
I don’t listen to vapid pop, pop music and what’s popular in different genres are two different things. I know I’m flogging this horse in a few comments, but Kendrick is certified lyrical genius and I never would have found him hadn’t I put the work in.
It’s not to make friends, hell I’ve got too many friends and I don’t need anymore. I don’t even share the new stuff with them as they don’t care, which is cool.
I do like what I like , hence I want to find more of what I might like you know.
I know you said it’s just your opinion, but I hope this gives more perspective on my intentions here, this is for me and me alone.
Ah. Gotcha. Makes sense.
From my initial read it sounded as though you were suffering from some kind of pop-culture FOMO, which is what I was responding to. If you’re just looking to find new stuff for yourself, than more power to you. But I still think you’re giving it a little too much thought. New tastes, new likes tend to come quite naturally without really hunting. Very much like you discovered Kendrick. You didn’t go out searching, it just came up.
To use myself as an example, at 48, most of my new music has come from just hearing something I like on the TV and looking it up. I discovered “The 88” through How I met your Mother and Community. I loved the theme music from Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and was pleasantly surprised to learn that not only was it an actual band with MORE music, but it was literally a side gig for a comedian that I had already been enjoying for years. (Valley Lodge, if you’re interested. They don’t get enough love.) I discovered the Decemberists and Hawksley Workman both because I was trying to impress a girl at two different times in my life, but it turned out I really dug it.
My point is, don’t go looking for what’s popular, just keep your ears open and listen for stuff you like. Just looking by studying what’s popular at the time would have made me miss most of the bands I just mentioned.
Late thirties is aging? That’s like peak life. You have money and family (at least a chance of that) and purpose in your life. You have confidence and you know who you are.
You are still a bit dumb, but less dumb than twenty somethings. I liked my late thirties.
I have money and a family?
I meant relative to teens really, sadly I’ve got another 40 years to go before my forever nap.
I should have money, but I was very irresponsible and only the last 5 years have I started to progress at life. No family ever, I like being single and I couldn’t look after children I am too selfish with my time.
You’ve made me think now what period of my life I enjoyed and I honestly couldn’t choose. I guess now as I’m on a better trajectory.
