You know those people that get the lyrics to a song wrong and it's funny and somewhat ridiculous. Well that’s me, but for most songs. 😬 Even my favourite and beloved songs, chances are, I don’t really know the lyrics. I have listened to the songs hundreds of times and I can barely recite the rapper’s lyrics. I could probably give you a vague recap of what the song’s lyrical content is about and give you an inkling of the chorus/hook but I definitely couldn’t rap you a 16.
I can however breakdown the beat for you, I am so familiar with the hi-hat or snare or when the drum pattern is about to change. I know the exact moment you’re about to hear that weird sample or sound the producer has used, which they’ve only added for a layer, but is the exact reason why I am obsessed with this song and listen to it repeatedly. I have so many examples of that!
Don’t get me wrong, I am a Hip Hop stan - sorry, did I say stan? I mean fan… - I LOVE the energy rappers and singers bring to a track (I don’t think you can rely on a DJ or producer to bring that energy 😂), I have so much respect for the art of lyricism, the wordplay and the ability to write a catchy hook, and I can appreciate that a truly great song, Hip Hop or not, is the combination of an amazing beat and well-written lyrics. (Case in point: Illmatic - Nas, the entire album! 🙌)
I can however breakdown the beat for you, I am so familiar with the hi-hat or snare or when the drum pattern is about to change. I know the exact moment you’re about to hear that weird sample or sound the producer has used, which they’ve only added for a layer, but is the exact reason why I am obsessed with this song and listen to it repeatedly. I have so many examples of that!
Don’t get me wrong, I am a Hip Hop stan - sorry, did I say stan? I mean fan… - I LOVE the energy rappers and singers bring to a track (I don’t think you can rely on a DJ or producer to bring that energy 😂), I have so much respect for the art of lyricism, the wordplay and the ability to write a catchy hook, and I can appreciate that a truly great song, Hip Hop or not, is the combination of an amazing beat and well-written lyrics. (Case in point: Illmatic - Nas, the entire album! 🙌)
I love the art of rap and Hip Hop as a whole and I thoroughly enjoy some fire lyrics but I do think I am just a beats person. 🤷♀️ I can tell you my favourite producers off the top of my head - Damu the Fudgemunk, Q-Tip, Dilla and The Alchemist - and I am partial to an instrumental beat tape.
I struggle to tell you my absolute favourite rappers. Though I love all the OGs and some of the new school and up-and-comers too. There is dope lyrical talent, locally, nationally and internationally. I’ve also always been jealous of people who can just recite a songs lyrics but I guess my brain doesn't work that way.
It’s quite ironic actually, I mean, I am a writer and I work in communications. I love to read and study. My whole world revolves around words. But when I think of the songs that I truly love and listen to repeatedly, it is mostly due to the fact that the music resonated with me first and then the lyrics second. Perhaps due to my lifestyle when I lean to music, my brain has had enough of words and just wants to melody. 🎶
A recent study by researchers McGill University reported that “song sounds are processed simultaneously by two separate brain areas – one in the left hemisphere and one in the right.”
"On the left side you can decode the speech content but not the melodic content, and on the right side you can decode the melodic content but not the speech content," says Robert Zatorre, a professor at McGill University's Montreal Neurological Institute.” 🧠
I struggle to tell you my absolute favourite rappers. Though I love all the OGs and some of the new school and up-and-comers too. There is dope lyrical talent, locally, nationally and internationally. I’ve also always been jealous of people who can just recite a songs lyrics but I guess my brain doesn't work that way.
It’s quite ironic actually, I mean, I am a writer and I work in communications. I love to read and study. My whole world revolves around words. But when I think of the songs that I truly love and listen to repeatedly, it is mostly due to the fact that the music resonated with me first and then the lyrics second. Perhaps due to my lifestyle when I lean to music, my brain has had enough of words and just wants to melody. 🎶
A recent study by researchers McGill University reported that “song sounds are processed simultaneously by two separate brain areas – one in the left hemisphere and one in the right.”
"On the left side you can decode the speech content but not the melodic content, and on the right side you can decode the melodic content but not the speech content," says Robert Zatorre, a professor at McGill University's Montreal Neurological Institute.” 🧠
Most people are aware of the left brain, right brain theory. A very simple breakdown is the left side of the brain is the analytical side and the right side of the brain is the creative side. This new study does support this theory as it could be suggested that the left analytical hemisphere would be more suited to deciphering lyrics whilst the right creative side would be more suited to decoding the music/melody.
The research is interesting and touches on how music requires both sides of the brain to be working simultaneously to fully understand a song, as well as how this may be an indicator of why music is integral in so many different cultures.
But it also got me thinking about how this applies to myself. Does this make me a right-brained person? I’ve actually never thought of myself as being one. 🤔
A major factor that hasn’t been considered in my very weak analysis here - right brained you know - is emotion. Whilst music connects on a mental level, it connects perhaps more deeply on an emotional level. Either way, there is no denying the emotional connection music has. 💓
But I want to know - are you a rhymes or beats person? If you are a rapper, would it be presumptions to assume you prefer the lyrics of a track? And similarly if you’re a producer or DJ? Or maybe you don’t have a preference and just have appreciation for the entirety of a track. 💭
Written by Lee Vixen.
Cover Photo by Mihail Macri on Unsplash.
The research is interesting and touches on how music requires both sides of the brain to be working simultaneously to fully understand a song, as well as how this may be an indicator of why music is integral in so many different cultures.
But it also got me thinking about how this applies to myself. Does this make me a right-brained person? I’ve actually never thought of myself as being one. 🤔
A major factor that hasn’t been considered in my very weak analysis here - right brained you know - is emotion. Whilst music connects on a mental level, it connects perhaps more deeply on an emotional level. Either way, there is no denying the emotional connection music has. 💓
But I want to know - are you a rhymes or beats person? If you are a rapper, would it be presumptions to assume you prefer the lyrics of a track? And similarly if you’re a producer or DJ? Or maybe you don’t have a preference and just have appreciation for the entirety of a track. 💭
Written by Lee Vixen.
Cover Photo by Mihail Macri on Unsplash.
