With the United States being a very diverse country, musical diversity is not an exclusion. Ranging from metal to rap music, each state has its own most prominent genre. Today we are going to explore these different types of music played across the US.
We will be looking at only 3 genres, which people chose to be the most popular in the states. These genres include Rap, Country, and Rock, all of which were created here in the USA.
The statistics that we are going to go through are based on an anonymous voting platform Wisevoter, where many Americans had the chance to vote and choose their genre of liking for the state they are based in.
In the first place, taking over the map, we can see rap music. Rap is a style of music that features rhyming, rhythmic speech, commonly in a less formal form of language. It originated from the Bronx, New York in 1970’s. The big three ambassadors of this genre are Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Jay-Z.
Rap music gained the most popularity in 23 states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington.
“Yes, I think that rap music is the most popular genre in North Carolina,” said Bennett Zajkowski, freshman.
Country music came in second place. It contains ballads, simple harmonies, and stringed instruments, with the main topic of these songs being hard work, love, pride, loss. It arose in the 1920’s in the rural South of the US. The all time biggest representatives of this genre are Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, and Johnny Cash.
Country music took over people’s hearts in these 21 states: Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Rock took over the rest of the states. People can recognize rock music by its strong beat, amplified instruments, and aggressive vocal performances. Rock music originates from the mid 1950’s United States. Notable bands include The Rolling Stones, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Metallica.
On this list, rock music came in last, being most popular in just six states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada, and Rhode Island.
Overall, the United States is very diverse in music, featuring not only these three genres, but also Pop, R&B and soul, EDM, Alternative, Reggae, Afrobeats, and more.
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