Empire State Of Mind Essay

When thinking about musical taste, it is easy to point out the flaws and elements of a song that make you classify it as “bad music.” But it is often more difficult to pinpoint exactly why you love a song. There is something fascinating about the way in which a song is simultaneously loved by some listeners and hated by others. Although the song certainly has as many critics as it does fans, to this day, “Empire State of Mind” by Jay Z featuring Alicia Keys remains one of my favorite songs. Through the ideas of music critics Simon Frith and Carl Wilson, I can more clearly articulate why I love “Empire State of Mind” in a nuanced way. My initial reaction to the song was a very surface level appreciation of its sound. The song has a great beat that effectively combines drums with piano. Unlike other rap songs, which are personally a turn off because of their incomprehensible lyrics, Jay Z’s rapping is slow and clear enough that it is easy to follow along with the verses. In his book, Frith describes how many songs considered bad music fall into the category of incompetence due to the artist’s inadequate skill or technique. I would argue that “Empire State of Mind” avoids this classification, as it combines Jay Z’s solid rapping with Alicia Keys’ vocals. It is evident
A pet peeve of mine about the music industry is the increasingly large amount of artists who sing songs written for them by other people. While it’s understandable that not everyone is good at songwriting, I get annoyed when artists’ sing songs about events they have never experienced or create this false background and lifestyle through their music. Jay Z and Keys add authenticity to “Empire State of Mind” because it is a song about New York City, and both artists grew up there. Since both artists helped write the song, their shared knowledge and ties to New York City provide a level of credibility and authenticity to the