Gen Z 100: Music and Entertainment

• The Break Up and Break Out of One Direction (Myriam Alcala)

March 2012 was a tragic day of mourning for teenage girls around the world, it was the day Zayn Malik announced his departure from One Direction. After five years of record-breaking albums, world tours, and mass attention, One Direction released its last album “Made in the A.M.” later that year. Soon after, each member released solo music and acquired a sound of their own. Zayn was the first of the members to release his music and took the number one spot on Billboard with the song “Pillow Talk” soon followed by Harry Styles’ infamous “Sign of the Times”. Although the decade began with a tragic breakup, now former 1D fans are able to follow all the boys in their individual music careers.

• Why Beyonce was important in the 2010s (Miriame Dimulu)

Beyonce and Beyonce’s music was a crucial point in the 2010s. Not only did she make many memorable anthems because of her songs like Formation and Flawless, but she also broke many records–such as being the first black woman to headline Coachella– and set the bar for future performers. Beyonce not only set new standards for what a good performer should be putting her next to the greats such as Prince and Michael, but her fashion choices also elevated her to a new status as her stage outfits are always talked about. 

• Drake (Austin Appiah)

Drake came on to the rap scene in 2006 and has literally been a trending topic ever since. Drake never fails to win the spotlight and has many great hits that everyone jams out to. Whether he’s in baby mama drama, beefing with another rapper, just being plain old drake; everyone will continue to love Drake and his music.

• XXXTentacion (Toli Geshow)

XXXTentacion was one of the most unique rappers in this generation. XXXTentacion also known as Jahseeh Anfroy, sparked his career from expressing his opinions through music. However, his career was cut short due to two individuals robbing and murdering him. His impact on this generation of teenagers is evident. His focus on mental health has cemented his legacy and music is still to this day relevant. Whether it’s X cutting his eyebrows or getting a tree tattooed on his forehead, his influence on the community has been detrimental. 

• JuiceWrld (Toli Geshow)

“I still see your shadows in my room, can’t take back the love that I gave you.” These lines boosted the illustrious career of rapper Juice Wrld also known as Jared Higgins. With the new age of rap and the critics who despise it, he expressed his emotions and struggles with drug abuse through his music. In the last two years, Juice Wrld has had his audience focus on how drug abuse has become relevant in society. His death sparked even more attention to the importance of drug abuse.

• Mumble Rappers (Anise Gonzalez)

Like every generation music artists come and go and with that different music styles also follow. A music sensation that quickly came about was the art of ”mumble rap” with artists like Lil Pump, 6ix9nine, and Migos. Our generation is probably the only one that can really relate to this type of rap. 

• K-POP Invades The West (Eric Huynh)

The genre, Korean Pop, has blown up within the western culture. It first got noticed when Psy’s “Gangnam Style” came out in 2012. It was seen as a one-time gimmick, but more Korean artists/groups have been popping up like BTS, BLACKPINK, NCT DREAM, Stray Kids, and much more. They’ve shown international success such as being nominated overseas, selling out albums and reaching millions of views with their music videos. 

• Tik Tok by Kesha

On August 7, 2009, one of the most iconic songs of Generation Z’s childhood was released. Over the last 10 years, the music video for “Tik Tok” by Kesha has gained almost 500 million views on YouTube. “Tik Tok” depicted Kesha waking up in a bathtub after a night of partying and then riding a gold bike around town. The song inspired countless parodies by YouTubers such as The Key of Awesome and thecomputernerd01 which also gained tens of millions of views.

• Brendon Urie (Lily Eberly)

Before he wrote “High Hopes”, Brendon Urie — and his band Panic! At The Disco — made some banger songs on his albums A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out and Pretty Odd. Since then, Urie has been a huge success and is able to show off his talent in other forms. After releasing the band’s song “Girls/Girls/Boys”, it was clear to Urie’s fanbase — as he calls Sinners — that he was very supportive of the LGBTQ+ community. In July of 2018, Urie came out as pansexual. He has become a big inspiration to people across the globe.

• My Chemical Romance (Lily Eberly)

Many see this band as revolutionary. Of course, there were other bands like them, but their sound broke through everything else and starred as one of the most known bands, possibly ever. “Welcome to the Black Parade” still triggers emos to this day, and due to their comeback concert, fans are losing their minds. Even people who aren’t My Chemical Romance fans know particular songs from somewhere. They inspired a fashion choice, music taste, and good messages throughout some of their songs. The band illustrated that not all hardcore/emo bands are bad influences, that there is the true meaning behind their words.

• Nipsey Hussle (Toli Geshow)

Nipsey Hussle also is known as Ermias Asghedom has one of the most fabled stories in rap history. Coming from Crenshaw, California, the home of the notorious Crip gang, he expressed that the division between gangs and police needed to end and he did so through his music. Songs such as “Racks in the Middle” and “Checc Me Out” showcases his journey and passions. Knowing that he is representing our culture is heart-warming. Sadly, the more notable fact about Hussle is his death coming at the hands of an accomplice of his, however, is mission of letting the marathon continue has resonated with his fans with his shop is Crenshaw and his debut album Victory Lap still garnering attention. 

• The 21 Club (Karisa Shumock)

The 27 Club is a long list of popular musicians, artists, and actors who died at the age of 27. These artists were dying from things such as addiction, suicides, and freak accidents. More recently, popular artists have been dying at the age of 21. Rappers “XXXTentacion” and “Juice Wrld” both died in 2019, showing a new trend of popular influencers dying by the age of 21. The trend was even acknowledged by Juice Wrld himself. In his song “Legends”, he stated, “What’s a 27 club? We ain’t making it past 21.”