Greetings and Salutations to all. It is THEE Phoenix Pharaoh coming at you once again from the comfort of my own apartment. Yes, I said my apartment. As I sit here on the couch next to my daughter and my lady's little sister as they watching K-Pop videos of Super Junior I can't help but to wonder exactly what the hell the big deal is about K-Pop anyway. I understand if you are Korean and can actually understand what they are singing but past that I just don't get it. Now granted, my "little sister" as I call her has been desperately trying to help me "see the light" in regards to K-Pop. She has
provided me with a basic foundation upon which I did research for myself. So let's break down what I found and the ideology behind why you should or shouldn't give K-Pop a chance.
Let's start from the beginning...the whole language barrier thing. Now, at first, I didn't even want to bother hearing any of it being as though I don't speak Korean or Japanese. Then I had time to think about it and realized that I don't always understand some of the American music I've listened too in the past. I've rocked out to some Disturbed and Rob Zombie and had no clue what some of the lyrics were. So I would be a hypocrite to dismiss any other kind of music on such a weak premise. Even if I do such a thing I am at the point in my life where I am far more open-minded than I've been in the past days of my youth. For these primary reasons I decided to give some of this K-Pop a try.
My little sister Christina better known as Chee-na or Poochita, took the time to give me a list of some of the groups she enjoyed listening to, but the only problem with that she hardly listened to any female K-Pop groups and her taste leaned heavily towards K-Pop male groups. With this in mind I took it upon myself to do a search that was titled "The best K-Pop girl groups" and after reading a few lists of results off various websites of K-Pop enthusiasts I wrote down the list of female K-Pop groups and then began to search, discover, and watch their videos on YouTube. Much to my surprise a vast majority of what I saw was rather refreshing. It's very apparent simply based on their videos all of the hard work and dedication each member of these female K-Pop groups put in. None of them had
a member that made the group "all about them" or pulled, as I like to call it, a "Beyonce." Secondly it
has been years since I've seen female groups actually put some creativity to their craft. I know some of you may be confused as to what I'm saying so I will explain.
In the 90s, around the time when I got my first boombox, I remember buying a whole bunch of CDs to listen to in my room. During that time you had female R&B groups on the music scene like Total,
En Vogue, X-Scape, TLC, etc. I, personally, feel the 90s was the best decade of music simply because of the variety of artists and uniqueness each of them had. Whether you were into the Red Hot Chilli Peppers or Onyx or even R.Kelly or Aalliyah you had so many options to choose from. No one group or artist sounded exactly like the other. Going back to female artist during that time in music, I feel that because of their contributions that is what made the 90s the greatest decade of music. I mean you can go back and look at the brillance of Madonna, the emergence of the singing powerhouse we all know to be Mariah Carey, the "Queen of R&B" Mary J. Blige, the ever evolving Janet Jackson, etc. I could go on and on for the rest of this blog. My point is they started something of a revolution of sorts for female artists in the music industry. The problem is that in the next decade the female artists dropped the ball and took all the steps backwards that the female artists of the 90s took forward. If you look at this decade you see the systematic decline of female artists. They went from debuting their own unique music styles on their own albums to slowly drifting back to simply being dancers and eye candy in videos of other male artists. This, amongst countless other reasons, has contributed to the decay of American music we are witnessing. Just to cement my point, what is the last American female group you actually supported by buying their album? If it took you more than two seconds to answer and you had to think about it then you get my point. The last for me was the Spice Girls by the way.
Although, I did really like Danity Kaine before they broke up.
This brings me to my next point. The greed and selfish of American music, particularly when it comes to females in the industry. It seems that every talented female group in the last decade in the American music industry has split up because of them fighting over a spot as a solo artists. This is not only sad and disheartening but it's yet another indication that the love of money has completely taken the love of music hostage. Let's connect the dots and bring it back to K-Pop. The way it works, for the most part, is that if the music companies feel you can't do everything (sing, dance, etc.) then you are put into a group with other similarly talented females. Every member of the group usually has a unique talent they bring to the group in addition to being able to handle the basics requirements one would need to be a productive member of the group. The lead singer, does get paid more, however it is encouraged for all members of the groups to do outside projects and/or even collaborations with other groups and artists to enhance their resume. The members of the group are not simply worried about themselves and their accomplishments but are equally dedicated to the longevity and legacy of the group they are in. Now, of course, it is the music industry. Groups break up but, for the most part, not because of greed and selfishness. There is no where near the amount of backstabbing in Korean Pop as their is in American music as a whole. If anything, many groups break up because of them aging and thinking it beneficial to go solo because it's common knowledge that the presentation of being youthful is essential to being successful in a K-Pop group, male or female. Maturity is the very real enemy of these K-Pop groups because of how the visual presentation of it's culture is constructed. No one is interested in seeing an aging K-Pop male or female group that has over stayed it's welcome.
Let us explore another aspect of K-Pop groups versus groups in the American music industry. As I've stated previously individual accomplishments and achievements outside of the group is encouraged not only for financial gain but for the legacy of the members' careers. This is, in my opinion, actually rewarded by a sort of cult following in Korea, Japan, etc. by fans because they begin to see each of the members as unique and talented individuals that combine themselves to make the entity of whatever group they are in. I could be wrong because I never claimed to be right in regards to the topic or topics I am discussing. This is strictly my opinion. I have yet to see any female pop group in the American industry do anything but collect checks, fight, and then break-up. The last female group to actually give the American music industry something to be proud of was the Spice Girls, that is, until they kicked one of their own out of the group and began their decline. For what it was worth, it was one great rise to fortune and fame for them. They showed how successful a female pop group can be when they put in the work and add some originality and creativity to their product. This concept is something of a lost art in 2012.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but not every member of a music group is "destined" to go on and have a successful music career. Ask remaining members of the Jackson 5. Ask the remaining members of TLC. Ask Danity Kane. No one promised anyone that they would be talented enough to take on the world of music all alone. Not only is your overall talent a huge factor in that but's there is the timing, what you're bringing to the world in terms of your music and the style, what audience you are targeting, etc. It is selfish and stupid of so many American music female artists to assume they can just go solo and be the next Diana Ross. Even if they were to do all of the hard work who is to say that the world would be ready for the style of music they have to offer when they make their run at being a solo artist? The worse part of it is that they, in favor of going solo, more often than not kick dirt on the legacy of the group they were in. Not only is that a slap in the face to the fans who supported your group but it's a slap in the face to the other members as well as the label who took a financial leap of faith in regards to the group as a whole. This ongoing trend of stupidity and selfishness is enough to make me want to hurl. Whatever happened to appreciating being given the opportunities are you given instead of demanding to be a solo superstar in the music industry and to hell with whose career you have to destroy or how you have to destroy it.
So after careful research, I have deemed that K-Pop is not the vile, evil, form of brainwashing I thought it to be. Now do I pity the American girls who have some kind of sick obsession with these K-Pop groups and singers? YES. Idol worship is not only a sin but it's unhealthy and extremely unattractive. So for those of you out there engaging in this false idol worship take a break from all of the K-Pop and enjoy your life for what it is. These singers and groups are people just like you. Yes they have talent and are successful in their music careers but they are still human beings. They are not Gods or Goddesses. Do not let the marketing machine control you and rule you. They is a difference between being a fan of a particular kind of music and being a puppet on the strings of these labels, who ultimately, are winning as you continue to pump your money into their bank accounts. Stupidity is stupidity in Korean and in America. Don't be stupid. Just think about what your favorite K-Pop artists or groups would think. They wouldn't want you adopting any unhealthy behaviors on their account.
Now...drum roll please! It's almost that time you've all been wanting for. It's offical! I approval of K-Pop for one and all. In fact, I approve and encourage anyone and everyone to go outside of your usual preference of musical taste and find out what's out there. Don't let the American music industry fool you into thinking what they have to offer is the end all be all because when you see what else is out there you will be kicking yourself for not doing some "musical exploration" of you own. Whether it is K-Pop, J-Rock (I am more of Rock fan myself actually; BTW J-Rock is just Japanese Rock), or Reggae-ton, etc. Just try something different. Give it a chance. I know it's hard at first. It was hard for me too. Stepping outside of your personal comfort zone always is, but trust me, you'll be glad you did in the long run.
I'm sure you're all wondering after my research what my choice of K-Pop music is thus far. Well I am going to tell you! I am officially a fan of a female K-Pop group called F(x)! Now of course, I had to listen to my little sister's mouth and still do because she has been listening to them for however long and knows all their songs and eats and drinks everything K-Pop yadda yadda yadda! Whatever. The point is I have dared to do my own "musical exploration" therefore breaking the shackles of lame, unoriginal, mediocre, bullshit music the American music industry has been forcefeeding me. I am free! Now go free yourselves as well!
Now, before anyone ask, I am going to tell you WHY I chose F(x). I chose them because I like their sound and their moves, of course. Truth be told though, what really did it for me was their originality when it comes to their presentation. This is especially true when it comes to Amber, who is the "Tomboy" of the group.
She is actually from Canada, speaks fluent English, wears fitted hats, and AC/DC t-shirts in her videos! What more can you ask for!? She is my clear cut favorite simply because of the level of coolness. The rest of the group members are pretty cool too. Their trademark is the unique attire which definitely is something I can praise as opposed to the American ideology which is "dress as slutty as you possibly can but demand respect for your "talent." Yeah, right. I'm going to be the next President of the United States too. How much more ignorance can these idiots that keep presenting us with this garbage be and how much more stupid can we be for making them rich!? Well not me! Hey American music industry, you greed assholes, I have options! Granted, I do not understand what F(x) and the other groups I will no doubt be listening to with my "musical exploring" but I understand what all of your groups and artists are saying...the SAME OLD SHIT! That is why I am not listening anymore!
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