17th Floor Issues with Class

As we all know in the past, class and/or social status in American society used to play a huge role in every day life. People were defined by lower class, middle class, and upper class. Today there is still such thing as a hierarchical status based on income or name or whatever, but it's nothing like how it was years ago. In fact many people like George W. Bush argue that there is really no such thing, and he thinks everyone is middle class.
In my opinion the members of 17th Floor cannot be categorized into a certain social status in terms of low, middle, or high class, because for one, I don't know them personally, but as for generalizing the term and defining it as a set of attributes that a group shares, 17th Floor does stick out. Being a hip-hop and R&B group, they possess characteristics of the hip hip culture. In terms of fashion and style, they have a hip hop look to them including baggy jeans, sideways cocked hats, big chunky flashy jewelry, etc. It's also hard to determine much more because they are a cover group, their lyrics and dance moves, etc. are mostly copied from other artists.
As for 17th Floor's audiences, I think it's safe to say that people of every social class flock to see them perform. Despite of how much money you make, your level of education, what your last name is, the great thing about music, and what 17th Floor does is performing hits that every single person will enjoy. There is no such thing as an upper class band or a lower class band or vocal group. Music unites everybody. But in contrast, I want to argue that I believe that music artists can be from a certain class and affect others because of where they came from. Performers such as rapper Eminem and rapper 50 Cent are just two examples of guys who have exhibited their struggles to their fans. I think it's safe to say that they both came from a lower class, and now that they have made it big they choose to showcase their life experiences. I believe that people like them influence and inspire others from a lower class to pursue their dreams and provide hope for others who are still out there struggling. So in a sense, when 17th Floor performs an artist's song who exhibits struggles or excessive wealth, you could say 17th floor influences listeners from all kinds of social classes.

17th Floor Intro & Issues with Race

The band I chose to follow is called 17th Floor. They are a hip hop and R&B group that performs and covers the latest hip hop and R&B hits. They do have some originals, but they mainly stick to top 20 favorites. They are a crowd favorite here in Carbondale and they consistently pack the local concert venue, Copper Dragon.

As far as race is considered, all of the performers of 17th Floor are African American, as most rap artists are. They perform music originated by other popular African American artists such as Flo Rida, Usher, T.I., and the list goes on. As far as hip hop and rap music goes, it is a dominantly African American owned type of industry. However, the audiences who listen to hip hop and R&B music are of all different races. There is no doubt that the top 20 hits consists of mostly rap and R&B artists. These songs are favored among millions across the world, despite of their race.

17th Floor's entertainment is targeted towards a younger generation who listens to the latest hits. In their audiences, there are people who are African American, Caucasian, Asian, Hispanic, you name it. Their music isn't targeted towards a crowd based on race, but strictly based on taste in music. 17th Floor maintains their popularity by their ability to bring eveyone together, despite of race, to have fun and enjoy listening to the nation's most popular hit songs.

Carbondale Regulars

Carbondale Regulars are the bands that frequent the Carbondale bars. Here, we will discuss race, class, and gender of bands and their audiences that visit our area often. We've each researched a particular band and observed them, as well as their marketing tactics. The four cover bands we have chosen to follow include the following: Hairbangers, 17th Floor, Mike and Joes, and Wedding Banned. Our goal is to open your eyes and mind to each band's own style. These bands are just one form of alternative media that Carbondale has to offer.
Our goal for this project is to explain to everyone how race, class, and gender does or does not play a role in the music world. We are mainly targeting the students of Southern Illinois University, partially because these particular bands are Carbondale's local favorites, but this could also be targeted towards anyone who enjoys music and attending live shows. By closely examining these four bands, we want to explain how race, class, and gender plays a role amongst the band members themselves, and also among the audiences who gather to watch them perform. We will explain it by addressing various issues such as, the genre of music that each bands plays, a brief history about each genre in general, the role of song lyrics and how bands use them to target certain people specifically, the different types of audiences that bands try to reach, and anything else we can think of that will help us explain how race, class, and gender plays a role in music. We purposely chose four very diverse bands who each play a very different type of music. By observing each of them, we are able to draw conclusions about the kind of music they like and the types of people they are trying to attract strictly based on their musical preferance.
One of our main objectives is to prove that music is a way for people of any race, class, or gender to come together and share their appreciation for a mutual liking, despite their cultural differences. So you will just have to read yourself and decide if race, class, and gender plays an important role in the performing arts.

Feel free to post any comments, questions, or ideas!