Music and Family
For this blog I wanted to interview my father. He spent most of his life within the city of Philadelphia living in what is most commonly called “The Hood”. He was born in the 1980s and had his most influence on music in the late 1990s, early 2000s listening to virtually anything. At home it was strictly Cambodian music/karaoke but outside of home it was a huge “melting pot” of music, cultures, identity, and religion. One of his earliest memories of music was listening to Micheal Jackson (“King of Pop”) sing “Thriller” and “Beat it” on the radio. The leather jacket drew his attention as one of the most prized possessions. This partly sparked his interest and taste in music of pop, r&b, and rap which were very popular when he was growing up. The other part that influenced him was anything being played on the streets, in the park, within friend groups, or on the radio.
Michael Jackson - Beat it
Music played a big role in my fathers life as it was his form of escape. He listened to music a lot and the type was dependent on the mood or situation. Some of the technology used during his time were: Cassette Tapes, Walkman, CD players, tape players, and recorders. He specifically used the Sony Walkman as his form of music player as the cassette tapes were very crappy. One of his favorite songs was “1st of Tha Month” by Bone Thug because that was when his mother would get food stamps to get food to eat since they were poor. He really enjoyed his era of music because the lyrics had hidden meanings that he could make personal connections with and that he was able to connect with others with similar taste in music (that would eventually become his life long friends).
Bone Thug - 1st of Tha Month
His favorite types of music were r&b and old school hip hop. His parents did not approve of his taste in music as they were completely biased towards Cambodian culture music. As he got older and moved to South Carolina he got introduced to country music. He never listened to it until moving down south but he enjoys it because their lyrics are story-like with meaning towards it. One of his least favorite music genres is heavy metal because of the screaming, intensity, and loudness it brings. He also strongly dislikes today's music (referring to rap) because it is “trash and crappy” with no real meaning in the lyrics. As he aged, his taste in music generally stayed the same with the addition of some country, but he really appreciates the music more in his time compared to today's music. The only difference between our taste in music is the time era of which the music was produced.
EXTRA:
My father and I are very similar because I look up to him as inspiration. He is a great role model and a lot of my characteristics come from him. I am fortunate enough to not have to go through living in “The Hood” where life is tough. My father would also say that your goal in life as a dad is to provide the necessities you were never able to receive and he has done that very well. My taste in music is almost a direct reflection of what he listens to. r&b seems to be our favorite genre. His is more of the 1990s-2000s era and mine is more current but of course we mix and listen to everything in between. I am glad to be able to share a similar taste in music with my father. Below is a personal song that my father and I share.
Luther Vandross - Dance With My Father
My dad was born around the same time your dad was born, and they seem almost like the same person. My dad was also born in PA and, along with yours, hates rap music. I really enjoyed reading this, and it's cool to see how similar people are when born in the same time frame.
ReplyDeleteI loved learning about your Dads taste in music. I can agree, I love songs with hidden meanings that make you relate. My parents have a distaste for rap as well, and their music tastes have also stayed the same as they got older. The only change was that they became more aware of different genres.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was cool to read about how Michael Jackson's leather jacket appealed to your dad and made it one of the reasons as to why he liked his music. My dad also liked listening to 2pac and my mom also mentioned that she listened to music on cassette tapes and the Walkman.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this. I’m familiar with the Micheal Jackson songs mentioned; however, not familiar with the Bone Thug or 2Pac. I loved learning about your dad and your relationship with him!
ReplyDeleteYour dad's music taste is top tier. Of course Michael Jackson is one og the greats, but Bone Thug and 2Pac??? Icing on the cake right there. I loved reading this blog.
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