The Contemporary Artist In Music: As defined by the glitchez

April 23, 2024

Contemporary Art and Music

Not so fresh off the first WIMBI session and issue, we are delving into what a contemporary artist in music is. Firstly, let's refresh ourselves with the musings from the WIMBI 001 recap. This is where the session’s theme was literally framing the music artist as art and taking up physical space in an art gallery.

The conversation was surrounded by the intriguing idea of a contemporary music artist’s place in traditional fine art spaces.

How do we collect their art?

How do they exhibit their art?

We’ll start with the existing definition out there and then put in our two cents.

The Legit Definitions From Our Fave Institutions

Good ol’ Wikipedia defines Contemporary Art as the art of today and work created in the last century and present one. This artist’s work can be seen as well-rounded and worldly, multi-cultural and utilizing today’s technology while creating conversations that build on cultural frameworks including personal and cultural identity, community, and society at large.

Dane Fine Art reiterates “Contemporary art is considered revolutionary and more about experimentation and freedom as well as social impact, with society as the primary focus.” Modern Art VS Contemporary Art. What Is the Difference? |

The Getty, a favorite museum, explains that, “working in a wide range of mediums, contemporary artists often reflect and comment on modern-day society.” With many options available, a contemporary artist is usually no stranger to multiple mediums.

On that note, running with Wiki’s paraphrase and above quotes, it’s simply the work influenced by the current state of the world, past history and the artist’s own lens. For some reason, this brings to mind the film, Everything, Everywhere, All At Once. One of its characters depicts a tortured soul of a gen-z teen that exhibits the detrimental effects of over-consumption of information while not having enough space and time to process or understand in a healthy way.

And there you have it! Art is a mad man’s game. Trying to distill what they experience around them into something they can understand and express in a way that brings their soul some relief is tough. We’re not always successful with soul relief but these artists continue to move the needle forward on conversations in society through their work.

Contemporary Art Faves

Contemporary art is seen in traditional mediums such as paint, clay, metal, wood and with today’s newer technology, film and digital photography. It's using traditional mediums in new ways or creating new mediums to add to the mix. Telling our stories in interesting, new ways is the name of the contemporary game.

Our favorite artists push the boundaries of the space where art can exist and be recognized. They cleverly use juxtaposition and usually ask questions or illustrate observations on human behavior, society as a whole and how we view each other.

Here are some contemporary artists we are inspired & encouraged by.

Banksy - Juxtaposition. Period. His use of the environment to his subject matter is always a conversation starter, always startling yet always beautiful. He leans towards commentary on worldly affairs and politics.

Tatyana Fazlalizadeh: Her use of juxtaposition lends the same treatment in the work “Stop Telling Women to Smile” . Fazlalizadeh meets you where you are and where what she talks about exists. Her site-specific works from this project was an instant viral hit. It shows how important this seemingly trivial debate is while confronting men and encouraging women. She also has some large scale pieces on buildings that are breathtaking and her recent work at California African American Museum is just as breathtaking with the giants she hoists up on the walls of the building’s atrium. Her work just has so much presence. Perhaps because I’m a Black woman but her art gives me that feeling of being seen.

Karen Walker is known for her cut paper silhouettes that depict the horrors of Black American history and CRT. Even though the shadow cutouts are not graphically detailed, the shapes and scenes she draws out are stark enough. It lends the feeling of uncomfortable, painful shadow work but almost gives a safe enough space to look and discuss. She also works in other mediums to drive home “historical narratives haunted by sexuality, violence, and subjugation”.

Kehinde Wiley - Famous for his portraits of Black people in the style of Old Master Paintings, his use of juxtaposition immediately reframes the long history of black stereotypes and images in media to tell a story of power, heroism and resilience. And let’s not forget the flowers!

Autumn Breon - “Autumn Breon imagines her work as immersive invitations for the public to join in the reimagining and creation of systems that make current oppressive systems obsolete.” We’re going to leave that there because you just have to experience her work to understand. I urge you to get to know her.

From Contemporary Art to Contemporary Art in Music

When you look up ‘contemporary music’, it also yields a similar vague definition encompassing all music created between the 20th and 21st century. For the glitchez purposes, we also want to apply contemporary art’s definition to music artists and see how far we can go.

M5 Music sets us up with their definition on their website, “Contemporary music”, in the realm of the sonic arts, denotes the musical creations and performances that thrive in the present era, typically encompassing a spectrum of styles and genres that have emerged from the late 20th century to the 21st century.

Berklee College of Music puts their spin on it with their focus on the art of music. For this institution, it has more to do with an approach to music than it does with any particular type of music genre. “a rootedness in musical knowledge and technique, but also a sense of freedom and independence, and an eye to the future”

Based on all of the above, here are some things the glitchez believe make up a contemporary artist in music…

The 4 Qualities of A Contemporary Artist in Music

1. Innovation

Experimentation, Appropriation, Cross-pollination. Being able to experiment with things for your art can only go as far as the knowledge of the thing’s existence, accessibility and tools to utilize the thing. This includes borrowing techniques and elements from different periods of music and genres. A great example is creating music that blends elements of different genres together to create a new sound or concept. Hip Hop has innovated and mastered this type of genre blending and can be credited for making leaps and bounds in connecting different groups of people to different music. This can be seen in Run DMC’s collaboration with Aerosmith in their "Walk This Way" music video. Matter of fact, Hip Hop has dominated mainstream music since its inception because of its large appeal and bridge building.

2. Technology

Off the heels of innovation, technology has lent itself to the artist’s cause by the development & evolution of instruments and other tools that help create the new work. Using hip hop, once again, the record player innovated the creation of this new genre as we know it today through the rise of the DJ using a new technique not recognized or ever used before. DJ Scratching.

3. Rebellion & the Youth

This is where culture, society and norms are tested and questioned and our only hope is the Youth leading the way. A lot of times, a young punk is attached to rebellion through innovation or disrupting the status quo. To disrupt or improve the incumbent system, the Youth are always on the front line as a voice for good trouble in society throughout history. Rest in power, Mr. John Lewis.

Former Prince engineer, Susan Rogers, drives home the importance of youth with the idea that contemporary music is FUBU for the youth and “serves dancing, socializing, courtship, and signaling how one would like to be seen in the culture”. By nature, the Youth have newer eyes and are eternally in the thick of the world’s causes and effects. They are usually criticized by those who came before and vice versa which serves the purpose of balance.

Again, as an example, Hip Hop celebrated 50 years and we can see the generations and their differences. BleuMag's article by journalist, D.M., discusses old school hip hop standards and how the music has evolved from there. He highlights Ice Cube's critique of Soulja Boy "killing hip-hop" in 2008 with his viral debut and goes on to say that "the debate will rage on, but it’s clear that the magic of hip-hop lies in its ability to evolve while preserving its roots." Former Prince engineer, Susan Rogers also agrees by saying that “it is the job of young people to rebel against musical norms; it is the job of older people to conserve what was good about them.” I co-sign both, wholeheartedly.

4. Relevance

Relevance is a more polite word than popularity but this is one factor in defining a contemporary artist in music. Legacy is connected to that which is how one’s work withstands time past the artist’s expiration to still be relevant to future societies. Many things factor into relevance and it’s not lost on this platform that when you google contemporary music, the most successful mainstream artists pop-up.

The commercialization of music in mainstream media is the wild card thrown in the mix and forces this type of artist to play by a different set of rules. A more product-based and formulaic layout that often shuts down creativity over profits. Eh, capitalism, right? And, yet, it is fascinating to see what a creative can do within those confines.

Grammy-winning saxophonist Tia Fuller, defines the work of contemporary music as “excellence, influence, and exploration of what we know as popular music today—discovering the fundamental components of today’s music through cultural influences, social constructs, and cross-pollination of genres.” Berklee College

Hence, “popular music” is mostly what will stay relevant in mainstream and have a better chance at legacy perhaps over an obscure violinist breaking boundaries with their playing technique. But Victor Mendoza, vibraphonist & Berklee professor, reminds us that “great music and musicians will always be relevant" and speaks to the legacy of compositions from Nina Simone to the Rolling Stones and Snoop Dogg.

Where does this leave the contemporary artist in music?

For our own purposes, we are narrowing our focus on music artists in the industry and popular music. Those who are pursuing their art in popular mainstream culture because that is where much of the sustainable paying jobs are, whether you are an artist, producer, writer, instrumentalist, etc. Also, this is where the mainstream listens and reacts.

Oftentimes in a commercialized industry, the bottom line takes precedence over the art. However, an artist is an artist and the creative ways we can express within those restrictions should still be recognized.

A mainstream artist and their team may cut the vision short because of market research dictating their public persona and perception but there’s a silver lining to this. Some music can be ‘crap’ or disingenuous to the artist; it may also do the opposite. Considering the industry will do anything for a profit, it’s also common for it to use the mantra “best of the best” when working on projects.

The ecosystem

This results in the most creative, innovative and craft-mastered talents being called in to work with the pop artists (who are creatives in their own right!). That obscure but innovative violin player may get hired for Drake’s new album, who knows? This creates an ecosystem of different level players in the industry allowing it to be a very collaborative art affair. But there is still the ever-present bottom line that one must create around.

The bottom line - Access

Many of the music artists we listen to today and who’ve impacted the world in a major way have been because of their access to and exposure through mainstream media and its evolving technology. That media is in the form of live shows, records, CDs, radio play, music video channels, magazine features and now the wonderful digital world wide web with social media. It also should be noted that today, merch has taken a steep incline in importance to the music artist. Especially the independent one.

The contemporary artist in music as defined by the glitchez: 5 Qualities

To recap, I believe a contemporary artist should have the following qualities which were discussed above and would like to add an additional quality below:

Innovation - Your art pushes the boundaries in storytelling through cross-pollination, appropriation and remixing of traditional techniques and concepts. i.e. genre-fusion, changing the signature of a traditional song, etc.
Technology - Use of technology to create or support your art. i.e. DAWs, social media, improved instruments or sound equipment.
Rebellion/ Youth - Music that questions and critiques society is a must. Even if it’s subtle and tongue-in-cheek. You don’t have to be young but you must stay connected and support the youth with their legitimate feelings about this world. As we get older, the windows to our souls may develop glaucoma and we have to be very careful not to lose sight of what really matters with our art and what stories we push with it.
Relevance - The most relevant artists are the ones that are seen and that’s usually the successful pop or mainstream artist. And that’s thanks to the marketing machine with all its avenues and platforms of exposure. But luckily, we’ve seen the playing field leveled with social media and the Youth have been disruptive ever since! Enough so, that the industry swiftly followed suit with utilizing the new media.
Community - the glitchez thinks being active in your chosen community is integral to an artist. You can’t just talk about it, you must be about it. People like to say that an artist’s job is to create the art to shine light on the subject but that is not enough. To be an authentic artist, your actions must back up what you’re selling. i.e. artists who support community level projects, social justice, community building, are vocal in their government, etc.

5. Community / Activism/ ‘Bout it

Nipsey Hussle famously said, “It aint on me, it’s in me” after a reporter asked him to talk about the chain he was rocking (A Malcolm X piece from his brother). Just like he mentioned in that early interview, putting something on doesn’t make you what you claim. It has to be in you. If you’re talking about it, claiming it, your actions must match and you have to be about it. And I don’t believe an artist’s only role is to make art and share it to the world, regardless of the huge positive impact it may provide the audience. If you are marketing yourself in the industry as one thing but you don’t really live that life, it’s a lie. And it’s a lie for the bottom line.

Most artists that do authentically create and express along the lines of rebellion and disruption are most often found to be active in their community, providing space or guidance. As Nipsey showed with his life, he was about providing access to knowledge, community space, entrepreneurship and real estate with his Buy the Block campaign among many other moves that disrupted the business industry.

Where is the music artist's place in contemporary art?

The music industry permeates all facets of industries and especially marketing for those businesses. We hear it in our commercials, the stores we shop at, in the movies we watch, driving in the car and while we’re eating in restaurants. And if we don’t understand the power of music and how important access is, Tik Tok’s music disruption brings home the fact that it influences us in major ways and brings a huge potential money-maker if you’re lucky enough to go viral. Music has become the marketing’s go-to goose with the golden eggs as as it can reach all levels of our lives and consciousness throughout the day.

But for art’s sake, popular artists have been seen approaching the question of fine art spaces like JayZ in 2013 with his performance art piece of “Picasso Baby” at Pace Gallery in New York. He was inspired by the work of performance artist, Marina Abramovic. The piece was a 6 hour non-stop recording that invited some audience members to engage and join the rapper turned mogul as he performed the song back-to-back-to-back.

Over the years, Solange has been steadily creating musical performance art pieces in museums and fine art settings. Notable work that should be mentioned was her site-specific Bridge-s performance at the Getty Center in 2019.

How music artists show up in these art spaces is not new. However, the players with the new faces and the new access to it are taking it upon themselves to bring these avenues to light for an audience that may not have seen themselves or their work as art instead of simply commodity. Again, Hip Hop and Black Americans for the win.

Doja Cat and many more have also started framing their work as fine art when rolling out promotion for the Scarlet album. A day before the release, Doja locked herself in a room and painted while onlookers gawked.

But all in all, the best place for the contemporary artist in music is the stage, period. Whether it’s a stage at the Getty or Michigan stadium.

How do we collect their art?

Short answer, we buy whatever they're selling. Whether it’s their music on vinyl, cd, cassette, digital download, streams or live shows. They’ve also taken to providing all kinds of merch for each project or for their brand, itself.

The industry measures an artist's success in sales. How many units of a product is sold. In fact, this is the main metric Billboard uses for their Hot 100 rankings.

The Hot 100 is ranked by radio airplay audience impressions as measured by Nielsen BDS, sales data compiled by Nielsen Soundscan (both at retail and digitally) and streaming activity provided by online music sources. - Wiki

Do you remember the day that Beyonce digital dropped? Beyonce’s self-titled 5th album dropped on December 13, 2013 and it blew open the door to what an artist can do with their music in the digital world. Disrupting the industry right on up!

Her surprise visual album was an overnight success and spawned many copy-cats because, as you know, if the industry sees it works for you, they will soon come. But it did inspire many other artists to open themselves up to doing things differently and taking back ownership of their work. She dropped exclusively on iTunes and instantly went #1 in 100 countries, simultaneously.

But just like payola in radio play, the metric of unit sales and streaming can be questionable as in the case with Nicki Minaj vs. Travis Scott in 2018 and the debate on who really deserved number one on the Hot 100.

The music industry’s common practice of bundling albums and songs to merch purchases or tour passes helps the artist that much more in getting that coveted spot of number one. When Travis was announced as number one, Minaj cried foul and exposed the industry’s practices which she also admitted to participating in. She used her platform, Queen Radio, to discuss.

And as far as streams on digital giants like Spotify and Apple Music, that can get a little sticky, too. While she planned to play the whole album on Apple’s main radio show the day it dropped, after only a couple tracks, she paused and only continued after its scheduled release on Spotify.

In a Rolling Stone article, she feared that the streaming platform would punish her if she didn’t wait. After all, the industry always makes it about the bottom line. This is just one example of the loops artists have to jump through to make it in the industry, regardless of how good one may think an album is.

Stage Presence is the Best Present

Today’s technology has allowed artists to showcase their work in many different ways but a performance artist is a performance artist. Their shows have gotten more entertaining and immersive with advanced lighting & sound technology to provide their audience with a memorable show.

Kendrick Lamar’s concert The Big Stepper’s Tour: Live from Paris was an immaculate art show, even viewing it on a small screen. It had all the feels and the use of light, stage choreography and projectors was stunning.

Artists are putting more into their stage performances. Perhaps they see the importance of re-connecting with their fans in a physical space and letting the favorite pastime of word-of-mouth occur. Of course, in this day and age, it occurs right along with phone footage uploaded as reels and shorts.

Defining contemporary artists in music and recognizing the art they bring to the table will always be open-ended as time marches on. For this platform and our mission, the Women In Music 'Bout It is a contemporary artist defined with a focus on Black, Woman & Queer. The glitchez and WIMBI’s quarterly will abide by our findings in this article and continue the discourse on these types of artists and how they are living and creating in today’s world.

What are your thoughts? Feel free to comment below.

Full references

Contemporary Art

https://www.danefineart.com/modern-art-vs-contemporary-art-what-is-the-difference/#:~:text=Modern%20and%20Contemporary%20Art%20both,society%20as%20the%20primary%20focus.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contemporary_art#:~:text=Contemporary%20artists%20work%20in%20a,underway%20in%20the%2020th%20century.

https://www.getty.edu/education/teachers/classroom_resources/curricula/contemporary_art/background1.html#:~:text=Strictly%20speaking%2C%20the%20term%20%22contemporary,%2C%20technologically%20advancing%2C%20and%20multifaceted.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/female-street-artists_n_5759430

Contemporary Music

https://www.ritmostudio.sg/post/what-is-contemporary-music

https://www.m5music.hk/en/dictionary/contemporary-music/

https://www.berklee.edu/news/berklee-now/what-contemporary-music

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