'Voice of A Generation'. That's an interesting topic. Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Kurt Cobain…I suppose.
Yes ok, Elvis, Dylan Kurt all had something to say (though Elvis said what he was fed) the 'voice of a generation for this generation? Are voices.
There are far too many voices these days, too many genre's to much media too much everything for there to be a singular source for anything. There are groups for everyone and all of those groups together are a collective 'choir of a generation' , but what are they saying?
We have mega artists- too many of them really who all have something to say and there is a group of kids who wave their flag. This isn't a completely bad thing- on the contrary it deepens the tapestry of the world in 2012, but it also compartmentalizes and encourages stereotypes. We have come so far to be set so far back.
Rappers get paper, rockers get wasted, bubble gummers fall in love and Taylor Swift ties a bow on it. All of these things make music today confusing, annoying and wonderful.
Kids today are smarter, more worldly and more terrified of growing up then ever before. I cant blame them. My generation couldn't wait to get out of the house, this generation doesn't want to leave and if they do- they'll be back. How the hell did that happen?
We need to give them some credit though. They have a broader sense of themselves so the lines are blurred a bit. No one is a slave to their musical genre. I know this kid who is full on obsessed with 70s classic rock. Jimmy Page is the voice of his world. His best friend is a girl who considers Conor Oberst the voice of her world and they co-exist.
There cannot be a voice of a generation when the world is a never ending buffet of options. Do we need one? We cant even properly debate a President but somehow some musician is going to represent a generation.
I vote for Kanye. He speaks the truth and he has a bad attitude. That pretty much sums up this generation anyway- we're just to afraid to admit it.