Being asked about what music I like can become a nerve-wracking question.
What should I say? Should I tell them my ringtone is Suga Suga by Baby Bash? Is it okay that I still blast old 50 Cent tracks on Friday night pregames? Why do I constantly listen to the "Middle School Turn-Up" playlist on Spotify?
I'm surrounded by 20-somethings who seem to know every artist/band/music genre of the minute (which, good for you if you do!). Half the time when they bring up an indie artist, I just vaguely nod my head and hope that they don't call my bluff. The other half of the time, I have to try not to laugh at the fact that my music taste seems to be perpetually stuck in 2006.
Maybe it's just me, but I suck at this kind of stuff. And I'm learning to embrace the fact that it's okay that I have nostalgia for the days when everyone would bump Nelly on their iPods (Hey Porsche will always be a personal favorite). I'll always have the somewhat horrifying memory of wearing my new jean skirt - hot, hot, hot - to the middle school dance and getting down to Low by Flo Rida. There was something incredibly bonding about a gym full of sweaty 13-year-olds (because boys were convinced they could substitute antiperspirant for Axe body spray) getting down to a song about a woman's butt. And you know the best part was pantomiming spanking your friend during the part where Flo sings, "she turned around and gave that big booty a smack." Ignore the fact that most of us hadn't even had our first kiss yet and were still sporting the training bras that our moms bought for us in 5th grade.
So when people ask me what music I'm into, I have to gauge if they'd think it would be super lame if I didn't say anything obscure and/or pretentious, and instead just admitted that Outkast is still great, Justin Timberlake can really do no wrong, and Ginuwine is popping (these are all true facts). There's really no shame in liking something that's popular: It got popular because a lot of people liked it, too. So before you ask if I've heard of a certain band from the Bay Area that's "mostly just doing local shows but is totally gonna blow up soon," the answer is probably no.
...But, if you ask me to play DJ for a night at your house party? I'll always say yes. No matter what people would like you to believe about their music tastes, no one can resist some nostalgia and the sensation of screaming "Yeah!" at the top of their lungs to that old Usher number.
Don't lie, I know that you know all of the words.
