I enjoy metal music.
I dont mind saying it. There's no shame in it. There's heaps of sub genres and variety within the metal category, that I'm pretty sure anyone who is willing to sample it could find something that they would enjoy, if they put in the required time.
This isn't an article about metal and praise for metal, rather the strange view that society has against it, compared to any other genre.
If ever I play a song that I enjoy, even if it is quiet, I am approached by the people around me who either ask me to turn it down/off, or they make a show of leaving the area, holding their ears and proclaiming that they are close to bleeding. I'm not even mad about it, as on the one hand, I completely understand the repulsion. It's exactly how I feel when Nicky Minaj or some other rapper comes on the radio. I feel violent. I feel an uncontrollable rage growing inside me. I dont just >dislike the music - I hate it. I can't stand it. I have to remove myself from it completely. As weird as it is to admit, it can sometimes trigger a negativity within me that lingers for the remainder of the day, as I reflect and ruminate on such low quality, noisy, crude, vulgar, worthless crap that permeates and degrades the culture that I am a part of.
I know that I cant be the only person who feels this way about much of the 'popular' music on today's radio. And so it's not a surprise to me when people hear me listening to my own music and walk away. I get it.
What I dont get, and what I find to be an unfortunate though intersting situation, is that after that initial reaction, the follow-up actions differ greatly.
Regarding metal, the initial reaction may be one of disgust, at which point not only does the person want to get away from the sound, but they feel the need to announce their departure, to inform the metal listener of their disgust. They may lecture on what real music sounds like, or slam doors, or scoff continually until they've left the continent.
When rap is played, the same disgust is often displayed in facial features only. The hater then continues to tolerate the rape of their ears for the benefit for the 0.4% of the population that actually enjoy it.
I am aware of the fact that many people dont like my music, and so I listen in private, quietly or with headphones, or when home alone, or in designated metal areas such as concerts and certain bars. My metalhead friends have this same, curtious approach. When at a party, if I am ever allowed to select a single song - usually a bone thrown at me around once a year - I am conscious not to select something that will kill the vibe, or that's as heavy as I can find, just for the lols of it. I select a song that I think will go down well, but that's also enjoyable for the metalhead within me. Even then it's often met by scorn, due to the fact that I picked it, and so by extention it must be a dirty metal song that people are happy to reject before it even starts.
On the absolute flip-side of that lies rap listeners, who pride themselves on playing the most offensive music as loudly as they can, as often as they can. Rap is like a cancer. No one wants it, yet there it is, spreading into all aspects of our lives, growing more obnoxious by the day. If ever you think you've rid yourself of it, you would be wrong. It keeps coming back. And just like cancer, society accepts it as part of our lives. It's everywhere, and it's tolerated.
Why?
For whose benefit?
When did rap become the untouchable evil? How did rap achieve this status, while metal remains a dark corner dweller that must be shunned whenever it pops out for a cup of coffee?
Who is it that we keep rejecting metal for? And why do we not respond the same way with rap, if we equally dislike both? Is it really the case that people would rather listen to Wet-Ass-Pussy then some drums and guitar or a gruff-voiced ballad? It's possible, but I don't belive it.
- Aluca Sol 