Ska

A genre of music which originated in Jamaica, mid 1900's. Ska is the precursor to reggae music, which in America seems to be a more popular genre, and has never been widely accepted as a true style of music (meaning you won't find it as a tag on iTunes as of today, October 13th, '09). Many people are haters of ska music, and some of my close friends are big fans. I don't see what the big deal is about popularity and social standards. I like ska because it's full of hype and positive energy, and I love to dance to it. I get dirty looks from people when I play ska in the car or on my stereo, especially when they hear the horn section (tends to induce a WHAT-THE-FUCK-ARE-YOU-LISTENING-TO?!" response) And it's funny, if I take the time to play the band "Cake" before a ska song, people are suddenly reminded that having a horn section in a band isn't a reason to tell the DJ to go fuck himself/herself. Let's be honest. I'm a white middle class suburban kid. I'm not a "gangsta", and therefore, I'm not going to be superficial and listen to rap music because everyone else does and because it makes me feel like I'm the shit. If I like a rap song, I'll listen to it because I like the tone, the rhythm, the rhyme: The same reason why I like Ska. I'm going to be cheesy now: Ska has heart and soul. I love it because it makes me happy and makes me feel young. As I grow older, I won't stop listening to Ska, because it's not a dead genre, and it will never die. I'll shut up now. Skank On!