Why Buying and Listening to Motown Music Is So Important

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Motown is one of the most important music companies of all time, and one that focused heavily on important producers like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Smokey Robinson over the years. Understanding the impact of these producers is critical for those interested in modern music. It is also important to buy and listen to this music to understand why it's still so critical.

Why Listening to Motown Music is So Important Still

Motown was the first African-American-owned record label of all time and remains one of the most popular and influential of all time. Without Berry Gordy's initial risk-taking initiative, music would look a lot different. Over the years, Motown:

• Synthesized Black Music Styles: Before Motown, African American music was primarily focused on blues and jazz, two important music styles that were popular but not massive. Motown producers took these developments and, with skilled songwriters and singers, created a pop-style song that appealed to the masses.
• Increased Rhythmic Importance: Listening to any classic (or modern) Motown production, it's clear that rhythm was the most important element. While producers wanted great tunes that people would remember with meaningful lyrics they'd sing for years, the rhythmic element of Motown has influenced all music ever since.
• Remained Relevant and Important: While it is true that the initial burst of Motown music in the 1960s is their most important music, Motown producers have changed with the time and remained relevant. As a result, Motown not only helped influence pop music but also changed dance music by helping pioneer American disco and keeping R&B alive in the 80s.
• Laid the Groundwork for Rap Music: It's hard to deny that rap has taken over the pop scene, and Motown helped lay the foundation for this transformation. Normalizing African-American pop singers helped make rap acceptable when it debuted, as did the music's focus on rhythm and important social themes. Motown music producers still get sampled by rap artists even now.

As a result, it is a wise idea for any music fan to buy Motown producer compilations to hear where this amazing music originated. They may also listen to modern Motown music and trace this label's lineage back to modern times. There's nothing quite so exciting as hearing a drum breakdown in a Motown song and recognizing it as the rhythmic foundation of a whole rap genre. Few music genres let you experience these kinds of epiphanies quite like Motown.

22 February 2022