As an aspiring singer/songwriter, I’ve always tried to be accepting of everyone’s art. But, I ran into a bit of a pickle when I met my current boyfriend. He’s an exceptionally brilliant actor with the biggest heart and an even bigger sense of humor. Let’s also not forget the fact he buys me pizza at least two times a week, so I guess you can say we’re pretty serious.
To most, this man sounds like the full package. Although I firmly believe I’ve got quite the catch, there was just one thing about him that caught me off guard and that is his obsession with trap music. At first, I thought the random outbursts of Future we’re humorous and refreshing. But, I am now constantly haunted by the overwhelming overuse of bass and misogynistic lyrics.
Grocery shopping is no longer just grocery shopping; it’s grocery shopping with Young Thug’s “Best Friend” being played so many times I feel as though I could drive the shopping cart off a cliff. When choosing music to get intimate to, it’s never Miguel or The Weeknd. Instead, I am greeted by the loud screaming approach of Lil Bibby’s rapping. And don’t even get me started on the warning I have to give in advance to Uber drivers whose vehicles come equipped with aux cords in fear that my boyfriend’s playlist will cause their cars to self destruct.
For a while, I thought it was just a phase. Everyone goes through phases when it comes to music. I know I did in middle school when I convinced myself that I actually enjoyed the raspy, shrilled screams of Kellin Quinn from Sleeping With Sirens in order to impress a crush. Yet, I’ve been dating my boyfriend for 6 months now and sure enough, the trap lives on.
Although I don’t condone the misogyny laced lyrics and repetitive styled beats, I must admit that it makes my boyfriend happy. On most nights, I am treated to a dance routine with one of the songs providing the rhythm. If any of you have ever seen a grown man whip and dab within seconds of one another, it is just a millennial mystery how one can make it seem so silly, yet so sexy at the same time. His euphoria revolves around trap music and as his significant other, there’s nothing more I could want for him to feel.
At the end of the day, everyone is going to like and dislike whatever type of music they choose to. I’m sure I’ve been judged plenty of times for binge blasting Celine Dion’s greatest hits. The beauty of music is that everyone experiences and perceives it differently. There’s an old saying that goes along the lines of “One man’s trash is another’s treasure” and I firmly believe that couldn’t be more true for music tastes. So, even though you won’t find me personally jamming out to the likes of Future or Migos, I cannot deny that trap music is its own unique form of art that has surely proven that it is here to stay not only on the charts, but in America’s dirty Sprite filled hearts.