HW Creativity

            The New Yorker article “1+1+1=1” was a very enjoyable read and for me, it was a walk down memory lane. The article is a perfect example of how new media fosters creativity, in this case with music and mashups. A mashup is a song where the vocals from one song is interlaced with the music of another. The real creativity comes from the types of artists that are sampled, the article mentions combinations such as Christina Aguilera and The Strokes, Madonna and the Sex Pistols and particularly important for me, Jay-Z and Linkin Park. The album Collision Course is an apt title because the styles of Jay-Z and Linkin Park are very different, Jay-Z’s music is more gangster rap while Linkin Park is more nu metal or rap metal. As a kid I was a fan of both musical acts and had heard on the internet so many people talking about their collaboration as well as listening to their works on both traditional radio and internet radio. Collision Course was the first piece of music I ever bought. It sounds like an bygone era but I saved up my birthday money and went with my dad and sister to the mall and bought it from Sam Goody’s.

            Now that new media is more integral in our lives, artists can more easily share tracks and create more music. Sites like “The Remix” were created so that people can share music the music they have created and grow an audience. It removes the traditional barriers that people had from creating music, all you need is a track and software to produce things you like.