Mixed MessagesThe music industry is one of the biggest stages for individuals to convey messages. Some artists sell millions of records each year and are able to convey a message to their audience through their music. Unfortunately, the artists who sell the most records are often those who don't use music to send messages, but only as a source of income. On the other hand, there are a handful of talented artists who use music as a platform for good, using their lyrics to send positive messages. Many musicians use the music industry simply as a way to make money, but there are always musicians who use their lyrics to tell stories, send messages, and improve the music industry as a whole. Most mainstream music seems to be made up of songs that sell lots of albums but have little lyrical meaning. Their lyrics are full of meaningless lyrics and rhymes that are catchy to the ear but mean nothing more than their surface value. For example, artist One Direction, a popular boy band that has been in the spotlight for a few years, released a song called "Best Song Ever." This song has lyrics like: And we danced all night to the best song ever. We knew every line. Now I don't remember it anymore. How it goes but I know I won't forget it 'Cause we dance all night to the best song of all time (One Direction). This song is literally just a catchy tune to the best song of all time. There is no purpose, meaning or anything important about the lyrics that would make them even a little bit important. Somehow, this meaningless song was number two on the Billboard Hot 100 as of July 31, 2013. This means that "Best Song Ever," a song whose lyrics are no more complex than its title, was the number two most popular, so... . middle of paper......city lyrics are used to people liking a song with no deeper meaning or story. Herd, Denise. "Changes in the Prevalence of Drug Use in Rap Music Songs, 1979-1997." Addiction Research and Theory 16.2 (2008): 167-180. Elite academic research. Internet. October 18, 2013. This source discusses the prevalence of drug use in modern music and all the topics in which it appears. A quote from this essay is used in my article to list a number of sources where drugs appear in modern music. He highlights how common drugs are becoming in the industry. Salaam, Mtume ya. “The aesthetics of rap.” African American Review 29.2 (1995): 303. Elite academic research. Internet. November 12, 2013. Krohn, Franklin B. and Frances L. Suazo. “CONTEMPORARY URBAN MUSIC: Controversial messages in hip-hop and rap lyrics.” ETC: A Review of General Semantics 52.2 (1995): 139-154. Elite academic research. Internet. November 14. 2013.