Art beyond entertainment….What we all miss

You see, when Tupac, the Black American rap artist and revolutionary said, “Maybe some people’s goal is not entertainment, they just want to be heard, to be listened to”, that sh*t hit real hard. In music, poetry, film, short stories, novels and all other forms of art, I’ve encountered voices, loud, subtle and silent. While some aim to entertain, most have convinced me they just wanna be ‘Heard’.

All forms of art, music, literature, poetry and other forms of expression possess great potential to surpass being mere entertainment and classroom texts. They overflow with information, socially constructive and enlightening. In a world where pleasure is one of the most sought after things, often, all of the other valuable attributes of art are overlooked. Only if the audience took the time to listen.

I’m a typical country boy. Classic and modern. Born towards the very end of the 20th century, we can all agree the golden ages of country music were long forgotten. But art and culture have a way of retaining the things that matter very well across generations. Hard to understand how I know all that. I’m only in my mid-twenties.  

Like I’ve mentioned, I’m the Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers and Don Williams kind of young man in the 21st century. Don’t get me wrong, the harmony in a classic country song is pretty pleasurable, but it the rich folk lyrics for me. It’s the whole story, introduction to conclusion, told in 4 minutes. It’s the emotion and passion of the country boys and girls. It’s the wisdom in an old country voice and the simplicity of a little farm dweller dressed in a pair of old beat-up boats, a pair of jeans, a shirt and a cowboy’s hat.

Make no mistake about it, Miley Cyrus and Kelsea Ballerini’s voices are some of the best out there and the instruments’ use in modern country music is marvelous, but the intense reflection of the past just has something special to it. The conception of a love song and the values promoted in the genre are just way beyond entertainment.

You think of Shakespeare, his “thou’s and thee’s” medieval English and sonnets come to mind. Yet if I look beyond the structure and the language, Shakespeare carries a crucial message on love, lust and the misconceptions of power, old age and wisdom. Hidden in her use of vulgar and imagery, Maya Angelou tackles topical issues of gender inequality, love and understanding slavery. 

Strange how we miss all that in our search for a couple of laughs, a good grade and a little surface meaning, huh?...Ever wondered how many Shakespearean fools you've come across in real life and how a simple message in an old country song could have changed someone's life?

So Tupac was right after all hmmmmm?……and 2 decades…..W’all just don’t get it. Do we?