My Musical Culture

MY MUSICAL CULTURE

My name is Eseose Amora Okoduwa. I am the eldest of 4 of my parents' children; my mom being from Jamaica and my dad from Nigeria. Living here in America instead of either of my parents' home countries means that we had to somehow find the mix between these 3 cultures: the American, Nigerian, and Jamaican culture. I feel that I've somehow grasped them all now; the difference in traditions, food, and even music. 

1. Current go-to:

 Don't Matter To Me - Drake

I'm not gonna lie, but Drake is most DEFINITELY NOT one of my favorite artists, but there is a very influential artist who's part in the song was taken from part of an unreleased 1983 session: Michael Jackson. I'd play this song first when either cleaning or doing homework. This song gives off really calm and smooth vibes, which is something I really need after a stressful day.

2. Meaningful Music: 

Remember Me - Lucky Dube

Although this is a reggae song, my dad (Nigerians tend to really click with Reggae music btw) loves Lucky Dube and his songs, specifically this album. When I was a kid, every other Sunday my dad would take me and my siblings out to have fun (like to an arcade or to the movies and to a restaurant afterwards), and on the way home, he'd either play Whitney Houston or this song. He played this song as a kind of 'indicator' that we're on our way home; even though I'd get sad that he was taking us home, I'll always remember my dad and all the fun we had, through this song. All of Lucky Dube's songs were memorable, from his mini angelic-sounding choir in the background to the sway-like beat in music.

3. Music I don't connect with: 

Savage - Megan Thee Stallion

To be honest, I can say that I just cannot vibe with Rap or Hip-Hop music in general. I listen to all kinds of music, but out of them all, I can say that this genre as a whole just isn't for me. I will say though that there are a good handful of songs within this genre that I can sit and listen to and connect with. When it comes to music, for me, I listen to the actual acoustics and lyrics of the song, and if the song is filled with words or sounds that don't really appeal to me, then I can't really vibe with a song like that. 

Recently I've noticed a lot of collaborations with popular Rap artists with many Afro-beat and Reggae artists (my favorite kind); I think this is a good idea, not only because of the delicious spice the Afro-beat and Reggae artists provide to these collaborations, but because this brings together 3 very different kind of music cultures (and they so happen to be all 3 of the cultures that make me who I am).