Gangster rap has been in the news recently especially with the release of the movie “Straight Outta Compton,” about the famous rap group N.W.A. The idea is that they rap about their day to day adventures in the Californian city of Compton. However the media and the police thought that gangsta rap glorified and exaggerated the situation in the ghettos. In my mind, gangster, or ‘gangsta,’ rap has a place in society. It goes along with freedom of speech and brings awareness to one of America’s problems; poverty and gang violence. While this hardcore rap genre’s fans were people in the same situation as the rappers at first, that soon changed. The music brought the street into the bedrooms of white suburban kids. Soon white suburban kids became the majority of the fan base for more hardcore rap. This continues today. It allows people to escape into a different world that they don’t have to live, just like any good fantasy novel or action film.

Thirteen is decreed an unlucky number. So I’ve decided to cover a few infamous supernatural topics in the music world.

The most renowned story where the occult and music dance together is in the tale of Robert Johnson. The famous blues musician holds a specials place in history as one of the greatest guitarist in the world. The bluesman Son House made a comment that he was a poor guitar player but after a few years away with his father Robert Johnson returned as a force to be reckoned with. Lots of theories about how he got so good. Some say his father helped him, but a far more popular idea is that he sold his soul to the devil. He went from someone who could barely play guitar to one of its pioneers with a well defined and complex style. He wrote classic songs such as “Hellhound on my Trail,” about trying to escape the devils minions. And other songs of his mention Satan. Leading up to his death he felt ill and quickly died a few days later. People suggested that he was poisoned but it was never confirmed.

Recently I picked up an electric ukulele from a local music store, Jesse and Friends. And I have yet to regret the purchase. It’s something I’ve been wanting for a while as I have been meaning to branch out from guitar. I enjoy experimenting with new things and switching stuff up in order to better understand the guitar. Also I am a huge Vance Joy fan, whose instrument of choice is the ukulele.

The ukulele is a four-stringed, primarily acoustic instrument. It seems right out of a Hawaiian postcard. The one I bought was constructed with a base of an old cigar box and a pine neck. It’s unconventional, but high quality and handmade. I was immediately attracted to the cigar box. It seemed vintage and authentic to blue grass culture. I also like knowing that it wasn’t mass-produced in a factory but that a human being was bent over this thing for weeks. I am a fan of woodworking myself so holding the ukulele in my hands brings the smells of pine shavings and sawdust right into my nose.

I’ve grow accustomed to it very quickly, most likely because it’s the same basic concept as guitar playing. My transition from guitar to ukulele has been nearly seamless. With the exception of the strings being in a different order, everything feels natural. With less background noise from other strings, the ukulele seems to be designed for my personal minimalistic style chords. Mostly, I have been learning basic improvisation and covering some of my songs. So far I am intermediate at “Ho, Hey” by the Lumineers, “Riptide” by Vance Joy, “The Times They Are a Changin’” by Bob Dylan and “Lost In My Mind” by The Head and The Heart. Next I will be taking on some bluegrass classics like “Rye Whiskey” by the Punch Brothers.

Vinyl is coming back into the spotlight. Among younger people, vinyl collections (either acquired or passed down) are becoming a sign of complexion. While many consumers still cannot be bothered with the expense or inconvenience accompanied with the outdated technology, a growing number of music devotees are becoming part of the “vinyl revival.” But why? What are the benefits to the art? First and most obviously, it sounds better. It has higher sound quality than digital music. Some of this may be because turntables harness analog. But there is also a special connection to listening to vinyl. It sounds more authentic. It’s like watching a black and white movie. A certain magic comes from having a long history. And that more than makes up for the trouble you have to go through.

Secondly, records have a lot more value. They can cost more and displaying a large collection of vinyl records is a sign of class. Digital copies of albums are easy to get which takes away from their ultimate worth.  However, if you have the record, it is sure to turn a few heads. But really the value goes beyond that.

I can have an entire album on my phone, but I lose the palpability of it. Vinyl gives me the opposite. It’s very personal and tangible. It really is no wonder vinyl has come back.

The best songs are the ones that take listeners away to another escape. Even in the shallow world of pop this rings true. People imagine themselves dancing with their friends to pumped-up baselines. This is why music is more than just a mindless pastime. Visionaries like Bob Dylan were just as qualified poets as they were musicians. Truly talented musicians can intertwine their music with the lyrics. B. B. King is one of the best examples of this with his blues style of switching off signing and playing lead guitar. Listeners can hear some songs over and over again because the songs induce some strong emotion: sometimes sad, sometimes excited but either way there is an underlying bliss to a really good song. Of course listeners quickly grow used to songs and must look elsewhere for a new fix. It’s a lot like a drug addiction except it benefits the listener. Listeners can go in any one of several directions for new sounds.Years worth of music from within the last 80 years are waiting to be explored. It’s a truly amazing feeling finding a new genre to fall in love with.

Years ago, a musician made music in a basement then played in bars until a record label cut a deal. It was often a slow, arduous process with many faults. Nowadays artists can sell out to iTunes or Spotify to have their music advertised. On the one hand, an instant fan base can be built and an artist does not have to work for years to become as well known. On the other hand, valuable experience is lost by taking the easier way out. Musical legends like Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton were forged through years of hard work and skill. It is my belief that young musicians should have to make a name for themselves before they start licensing their music out. It may seem old-fashioned and slow, but it’s vital to the artist’s maturation into a legend. Sometimes business deals that seem too good to be true are too good to be true.

It’s no secret that musicians make most of their money off merchandise. They get pennies at most for each play on music sharing websites like Spotify and Pandora. iTunes takes a 30% cut from all their store sales. And on top of that, people just aren’t buying albums like they used to. The whole music world is moving toward singles. Record labels take out a hefty cut from the tour and album sales. Merchandise is really the only thing that promises large returns for artists. Unfortunately, that drives prices up at the concerts themselves, but merchandise is usually cheaper at store locations. The mindset is that the fans are willing to support the artist. It is sort of an intimate connection between the fans and the bands. It’s like cheering for your favorite sports team.

There are a lot of new alternative artists. Hozier for one has a sound that not many people have heard before. He plays minimalist, gospel-like blues that relies heavily on vocals. Lots of modern music focuses on the musician’s voice. Lorde was one of the first to revive the minimalist sound. While many of the less musically-educated will tell you her music is original, I can assure you, it’s not. In 1960 a song called John the Revelator was composed by a man named Son House. The song consisted of lyrics and Son House clapping the beat. It is the ultimate minimalist song. It doesn’t tell you how to feel. It just lets you experience and imagine the meaning. Modern artists like Hozier and Lorde are experts at the style. Hozier also touches in the Southern Gothic realm. His songs paint pictures of decaying swamp houses, long work days and short lifespans. The White Stripes, the famous garage rock duo, was founded upon the idea of minimalism. It’s a type of music that is finally reentering the spotlight.

Soundtracks represent one of the biggest wings of the music industry. Music can sometimes make or break a movie. I personally enjoy the legal drama Suits because of its excellent use of modern rock artists, such as Dan Auerbach. The music fits aesthetically and lyrically. In the medical drama House, M.D., the Rolling Stones song You Can’t Always Get What You Want plays every time major plot advancements occur. The solo artist Hanni El Khatib, who plays music resembling 60’s rock and roll, contributes to both of these shows as well as many others. His song Build. Destroy. Rebuild is played when the protagonist of House, M.D. restarts his lucrative life as a smart-mouthed diagnostician. The scenes themselves are good, but the score gives them a certain authority. The show Sons of Anarchy has a flawless selection of music. The pilot episode starts with Hard Row by The Black Keys, a gritty song that defines the rough and tough attitude of the show. The show also features music by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Five Horse Johnson, Son House and dozens of other rock artists. The show’s excellent writing only benefits from a spot-on soundtrack.