research paper

[Bojack]

My teacher wants me to do a research paper on the 'most important musician of the past 20 years'.

I haven't a fucking clue.

I am considering Buckethead, John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Kurt Cobain, and Slash (Guns N Roses/Velvet Revolver). In my opinion, the last musician worthy of a research paper/presentation was Stevie Ray Vaughan, but I don't think he's recent enough to qualify. Ok, so I just looked him up and he does qualify, but I don't want to not do this thread SOOOOO...

SUGGESTIONS!

The only problem with this assignment is that the only music prevalent and important in the past 20 years has been R&B, Rap, and Pop. I actually believe that Jay-Z is the most important musician of the past few years or so (I don't like him either but you have to acknowledge his impact and following), but I don't want to do no damn paper on Jay-Z.

I was also thinking Dave Grohl a little, but I don't want to do him either.

So yeah. Go. Most important musician of the past 20 years.

EDIT: He also asked 'think about who people would still be talking about 100 years from now'. Putting it that way, I say Slash is the closest we have to soemone like that.

[Saz]

Kurt Cobain might be the way to go.

Last 20 years? Does that mean that only musicians who've been in the business starting in 1988 are eligible?

[Bojack]

Why Cobain?

And yes, pretty much 1988 and on.

[Saz]

I don't know. I pretty much idolised him back 3 years ago. He has been pretty influential though.

[Bujin]

Really, any famous musician from the 90's Seattle grunge scene. Grohl is a good choice, as if Cobain, as is someone like Layne Staley, Jerry Cantrell, Chris Cornell, Eddie Vedder, etc.

Grunge, despite anything Jack Black might tell you, helped form rock as it is today the most. So many bands knock off of any of the following: Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, or Soundgarden. Puddle of Mudd (Nirvana), Godsmack (Alice in Chains), Stone Temple Pilots (Pearl Jam), and Shinedown (Soundgarden) are all what I'd consider knock-off bands. While they all might have forged their own legacy, they all took the concept of earlier bands and took off from there.

That's not exactly something that should be included in a research paper, but that's my reasoning for any of the people I mentioned. Actually, you might not want to listen to any of that, since that's all my personal opinion. xD I, personally, would choose either Dave Grohl or Chris Cornell.

Slash is a solid choice, too, so if that's what you're leaning towards, go with him.

[Bojack]

He put an end to the whole hair metal/hard rock frenzy of the 80s KINDA. I'm just reluctant to use Cobain because then I will be giving in to this misconception that he single handedly started the whole 'alternative' thing, which he didn't. Sonic Youth, Mudhoney, there were a lot of bands that were doing alternative before Nirvana.

I could totally get away with giving him all the credit for modern music, but it would be like selling my soul.

[Bojack]

What did Jack Black say?

[Violet]

I'd say do Cobain. Have you read his diary? That guy went freakin crackers at the end, but damn if he didn't shuffle out some good music that's inspired several other musicians.

[Bujin]

What did Jack Black say?

I was actually kind of kidding. In the Tenacious D song "The Metal", he mentions grunge as one of the genres that tried to destroy rock and roll.

And I forgot about Mudhoney. Mark Arm is another person you could do.

EDIT: Actually...

While there were bands doing the whole grunge/alternative scene before Nirvana, they did do the most to commercialize it. Nirvana was the band that made it popular. They weren't the ones that started it (that mantle would go to Green River), and they weren't the ones that did the most to push/perfect the genre (I'd put that mantle with Soundgarden), but they were the band that made it popular.

[Lethe]

OMGood Question.
Eric Clapton of blues recommendation,
Jack Johnson for re-popularizing Jazz,
Jimi Hendrix still very influential for acid rock.
And Robert Zimmerman. Hint. That's not his name in pop culture. This one for folk.
My 2 cents.

[Bojack]

Last 20 years. Strictly like the guys that just started out within that timespan. Otherwise I woulda been all over Hendrix (it's the obvious choice).

[Nappa]

Bob Dylan fails.

[Paragus]

Well to put in perspective. Cobain has been dead for some time now, but still tends to make more money than anyone of us can imagine. Nirvana will never die and they pioneered the whole grunge era which then segued into the punk rocks of today.

[Kami]

There is so much fail in this thread I could cry.

[Bojack]

I like how you said that and then offered no win. booooo

[Kami]

It's what I do.

SRV would be good, if you could count The Clash in there that might be viable, and like you said Jay-Z could work, possibly if you pushed it out to show how rap/hip-hop have worked their way into mainstream culture in the last 20 years.

But my first two suggestions suck, cause they didn't start in the last twenty years. That question you have to write on is full of fail. Maybe I'll get back to you on this one.

[Lethe]

I was going to suggest Stevie. O.o I suppose only Jack Johnson will do. But Bosstones were a popular big band. Kami knows the time span on that one. I know you hate Eminem but he did a few things for the genre. Mainly revive Tupac's style.

[Raditzu]

Mainly revive Tupac's style.

I don't know about most people, but I don't really consider "being the best at copying someone else" making a serious contribution to a genre.

[Bojack]

If I go with a rapper, it'll be Ice Cube. The more I think about it, it will most likely have to be a rapper. You can't talk about the late 80s, the 90s, nor today without talking about rap.

[Kami]

You can get into how Rap/Hip-Hop has worked it's way into the mainstream culture, it's what people dance to in clubs, it's played at sporting events, it gets played in commercials, there are now more popular cliques and supposed "lifestyles" that draw heavily from the hip-hop realm, and you could even pull some comparisons to the disco years, as well as hippies in the 60's and folk music, along with Elvis in the 50's and other artists of the time. You can also get into the little emo/punk/scene kids (defining those on your own of course) and how they are the result of diving head first into a culture centered around a musical genre, and then you talk about prominent artists in the respective genre that you are discussing at the moment. I think that's how I'd tackle a bullshit assignment like that.