You know what really grinds our gears? Going on the Internet and hearing old people complain about how the Internet ruined everything. Fuck that.
The Internet's not perfect, but it is awesome. It gave us all the things we never knew we wanted. It’s 2015 and everything is amazing, nobody is happy, and everybody wants to bitch, bitch, bitch about how everything was better in the ‘90s. We’re tired of old 'heads badmouthing our generation, our music, and our livelihoods. We're the change we’ve been waiting for. The change you've been waiting for? Meh. We got now and we don’t care who had it before.
Were the old days really all that great? We get it, there were some classic albums in the '90s. We won't deny that. But there's irrefutably good music being made every single day, all over the world (something most old 'heads will at least begrudgingly if not readily admit). Thanks to technological advances, we have more access to more music, and more music culture, than we ever have before. It's why it's undeniably better to be a music fan today than it ever was before.
But since you old fucks just don’t want to admit that, here: 20 Good Reasons You Old 'Heads Need to Shut the Fuck Up About How Music Was Better in the '90s.
Live in the now. And try to watch that blood pressure while you do it, old people.
Written by Insanul Ahmed (@Incilin) & Lauren Nostro (@LAURENcynthia)
MP3s and digital streams are so, so much better than CDs, tapes, and vinyl.
Taping music off the radio was time-consuming and massively annoying.
Despite their flaws, lyric websites are useful.
It's easier to be a white person who likes rap.
Rap is generally less dangerous (and that's a good thing).
We get to talk about rap 24/7.
Rap is far less homophobic and misogynistic today than it ever was before.
Shazam and SoundHound exist.
YouTube exists.
It's much easier to share music.
"Parental Advisory" isn't a barrier anymore.
We have easy access to every release, new or old.
Music is no longer outrageously expensive.
Anyone can produce a high-quality record in their basement.
Love Chief Keef or hate him, it's hard to deny the effects of his 2012 street anthem, "I Don't Like." Without getting into a debate about quality, there's only one undeniable facet of its success: A largely unknown rapper made one of the biggest songs of the year without ever entering a true "recording studio."
That's a far cry from a time when something you recorded in your mom's basement could barely pass for a demo (at best). Nowadays, both rappers and producers can pirate download legally purchase GarageBand, Pro Tools, Fruity Loops, Logic, and any other number of recording products and make a quality song in their house, which empowers the artist to be creative just about anywhere they want. Hell, Juicy J recorded "Bandz a Make Her Dance" in someone's house with a sock over his microphone and it became a smash. Anything's possible, by anyone.