Urban Thought Collective

I’ve been thinking about the deep impact music has on me. Like sports, it is truly the ultimate metaphor for life. If one pays attention, there are lessons to be learned that last a lifetime. For me, it is an irreplaceable ingredient, pure sustenance.

One of my favorite things about being a black woman is being blessed to have inherent soul. Knowing that my ancestors literally created music is liberating. The instruments, the sounds, the rituals attached to it. It is the essence of joy, the meaning of brilliance.

From a very young age, real organic music lodged in my brain like shrapnel. It remains there, stuck in that area of the mind where emotion and mood mesh together. There are some lyrics that I heard 20 years ago that I can’t forget. There are beats I’ve played that creep through my blood and take me back to particular moments in a powerful, sometimes unspeakable kind of way.

Music is patience. I’m not being dramatic or an “overly conscious sista” when I say that music teaches us many things on many levels. It teaches us the difference between listening and hearing. In life, the skill of being an effective listener can not be overestimated. There are layers to sound that beg to be separated and enjoyed. Take jazz for instance. Some may dismiss it as just a cacophony of instruments, like throwing paint on a wall to see what sticks. But, listen the first time and hear the horns. Then listen again and realize there is a bass line in there. The third or fourth listen may reveal percussion that you didn’t even know was there. It is about many parts making one amazing whole. So, when someone speaks, I can hear what is behind the words. Music taught me that.

Music is openness. To fully experience life, one must be open to any and all possibilities. Growing up, the radio held more than just “black music.” It held all kinds of perspectives and ideas, thoughts and experiences. Being open to that “otherness” has served me well. I try different foods, films, locales and more, all because I had the foundation of variety through music. Remain open.

Music is balance. We all have a soundtrack to our lives. Those songs that make you feel at once vulnerable and understood. I’m not hating on hip hop. If it speaks to you and that’s your thing, love it! I’m a child of the 90s. I love the pioneers. I get it. But, I always had more than one flavor to appease my palate. For every dose of Biggie was a spoonful of Quincy Jones. For every cut from NWA there was a chorus from Aretha.

I feel sad for this current generation. Because I just can’t fill my soul up with any of this garbage. It is disposable. I won’t be dusting it off in ten years with a smile of fondness. I don’t want to get low or back it up. I just want to listen if you have something to say that doesn’t make me feel dirty, used, defiled or make me have to defend my womanhood.

I’m not going to rant about the state of music today. It is a business like anything else. Those in power have found a formula and they are sticking with it. But I don’t want to hear that there is nothing out there. Stop complaining about radio playing the same stuff in rotation and get out of the box. Support independent radio and record stores. Go beyond what is easily found and explore.

So, yeah, I guess you could say that I’m in love with music. But, music is in love with me too. It approaches and seduces me and draws me in. It waits for me to understand it. It is patient. It is open. It doesn’t take me for granted. It meets me in my misery, brings me to tears and then reminds me to wipe them away. If for some reason we are separated, I experience a mild form of withdrawals.

Such is life. There is always more to discover. Let the music play…

Ellene Miles has worked as an entertainment publicist for more than 6 years. Her collections of rants are featured exclusively on UTC for the good of the people.