There are millions of artists around the world performing, and releasing new music each and every day. Hundreds of genres are the elements of a captivating and diverse culture of music. Genres of music stretch from Rock, Hip Hop/Rap, Alternative, Blues, Jazz, and more. In recent years there has been a surge in modern music like hip hop and rap. Over the years, Hip Hop and Rap has relatively overshadowed previously popular genres. The main genre that hip hop has overshadowed is rock. The majority of people prefer to listen to either one or the other. There is a clear distinction between the two genres inclusive of the sound, emotion, and composition. Although the majority of the younger generation and some of the older generation prefer modern music, there is clear evidence to support the argument that rock music should be more prominent within society.

One of the most compelling aspects of Rock music was the formation of bands and groups. Bands were referred to as a creative and exclusive name to represent themselves as a whole. There were countless band names that were so diverse and unique, making them iconic and easily recognizable. There’s a limited chance that someone who listens to a good amount of music can mix up a band like Led Zeppelin and AC/DC. There is simply no similarity between the names which makes the bands further unique.

The things rock musicians write about reflects on their way of dealing with emotions, real life experiences, and what was going on during their time.Not to say pop doesn’t include some of these aspects in their music, but rock surely capitalizes on this perspective. There is more of a diverse arena within rock songwriting, rather than the frequent pop themes like, money, fame, drugs, and profanity. Most rock songs compel listeners to interpret the songs’ lyrics and this tactic allows them to have the freedom to interpret the lyrics in any way they want. Most modern and pop lyrics aren’t even written by the artists themselves. They tend to rely on other people behind the scenes to write a lot of the lyrics, while most rock lyrics are original and written by the members of the band.

Another big difference between rock and modern pop is the sound. As simple as this may sound, it’s more complicated than a person might think. The sound of rock music revolves mainly around the band members themselves. Each band member is responsible for playing their preferred instrument (guitar, vocals, drums, bass, etc.). When composing and creating music, rock musicians are known for an organic sound. The music they conceive is primarily based on those core instruments mentioned above. There are exceptions where bands use certain effects, but you will almost always track the root of the music to these foundational instruments.

Nowadays, most pop and modern music use aspects like drum tracks, and easily accessible technological sounds. There is a loss of talent that most of these artists can demonstrate because of the way technology has made it so easy to just paste in different sounds and rhythms. This by no means is a pattern within every modern pop artist, it is solely a general observation. Rarely does someone hear a guitar or drum solo in a modern song. Adding these features makes these songwriting and recording processes so much more interesting and ensures that songs don’t sound as comparable. These additions to the song also show in their live performances. Rock musicians have the ability to show their full talents through improvisation and by having the freedom to play their music without a backing track.

After comparing and contrasting rock music and pop/modern music, there is certainly clear evidence that rock music should not be overshadowed by pop and modern music. Although there is a substantial amount of evidence, this is merely an opinion. Thankfully, the internet and entertainment gives people the ability to listen to whatever music they prefer.