Hear from the Tastemakers staff about what music from our pasts we returned to during quarantine

Editorial

the redemption of nu metal

Fall 2020 Mom jeans. Mullets. Cargo pants. Like clockwork, all fashion trends ebb and flow through the consciousness of American youth decade after decade. Styles come and go, merging and evolving into new aesthetics and designs based on the old. Like fashion, music follows a similar pattern. Society rejects and then later embraces genres, with creative influencers paving the way for their emergence into the mainstream. Despite all odds, there is a looming presence in the 2020 artistic climate: a genre that simply won’t die. You may see a sevenstring guitar on the stage of your favorite local DIY outfit, a sports jersey over a long sleeve tee, or perhaps even hear the faint scatting of Korn’s Jonathan Davis over a heavily syncopated guitar track. No matter your personal opinion on the genre, there’s no denying that nu metal is making a glaring reappearance in the alternative music scene.

Part of nu metal’s ability to make a resurgence in such a powerful way are its open-ended roots. Citing influences from heavy metal, industrial, funk metal, hip hop, and more, nu metal is a conglomeration of rap and metal techniques that’s finished product is a sound filled with heavy, syncopated guitars riffs and rhythmic vocal deliveries. Vocalists often practice singing, growling, rapping, and even scatting. Any vocal style in existence has probably been emulated (or attempted) in a nu-metal track scattered somewhere across the early 2000s. Pioneers of nu metal in its most popular form include the heavy-hitting Korn, the fan favorite Limp Bizkit, the mask wearing Slipknot, and the more melodic Staind. Although the style peaked between the years 19982003, its rise in the early 90s and decline in the late 2000s is not to be discounted. However, by 2010 the genre had mostly died out as softer folk rock like Mumford and Sons began to rise in radio popularity. The genre that had once overpowered Woodstock 1999 and even had its own tour, The Family Values Tour, was now nearly extinct. So, what happened to nu metal? One reason responsible for nu metal’s steep decline was that it was ultimately rejected by its founders. Korn, Slipknot, and Staind actively attempted to distance themselves from the label, claiming in interview after interview that they wanted nothing to do with the genre and didn’t appreciate being artistically linked to it. If artists within a scene, especially ones that are considered to be its founders, aren’t proud of what they forged, how can their fans be? When major nu metal pioneers rejected the genre, it became even more unfashionable to be associated with it. Many of the major bands’ distaste for the scene was a response to its overcrowding. By the early 2000s, mediocre nu metal artists seemed to be cropping up constantly, inspired by bands like Limp Bizkit’s radio success. Most nu metal tracks contain simplistic

“Citing influences from heavy metal, industrial, funk metal, hip hop, and more, nu metal is a conglomeration of rap and metal techniques that’s finished product is a sound filled with heavy, syncopated guitars riffs and rhythmic vocal deliveries.”

redemption nu metal

“Although for a while it seemed like nu metal had been forgotten in a graveyard of genres, millennials and gen xers (who were teenagers and young adults during its height) refuse to let this culture die.”

song structures and somewhat banal, angsty lyrical content, which allowed for easy emulation by aspiring musicians. Thus, nu metal had become somewhat of a laughing stock among the metal community, almost a caricature of itself. Musicians within most other subgenres of metal refused to acknowledge nu metal as “real metal”, including Trent Reznor, Mike Patton, Maynard James Keenan, and others whom many nu metal artists have cited as influences. As the public opinion of nu metal began to shift from hip to embarrassing, the genre quietly faded away. It’s been over fifteen years since nu metal peaked the airwaves. But that hasn’t stopped the genre from weaseling its way into current pop culture. Although for a while it seemed like nu metal had been forgotten in a graveyard of genres, millennials and gen xers (who were teenagers and young adults during its height) refuse to let this culture die. Through ironic, nostalgia-driven reflection, Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit and Korn as a whole have become a meme of sorts among millennialowned meme pages. Instagram users with follower counts in the five and six figure range, such as @worstigaccount, @catatonicyouths, and @ctrlctrl often post nu metal content as a running gimmick. Fred Durst himself has even interacted with these posts as some sort of quasiPR tactic. Nevertheless, the nu metal discussions on Instagram have leaked to other popular social media sites. TikTok has exhibited some odd trends, with the song “Twist” by Korn displaying popularity among teenagers on the app for a short period of time. Goth adjacent kids were suddenly discovering the alternative of the past, and to them this sound was fresh. Perhaps all this discussion and the faint inkling of nu metal popularity amongst a younger group is what inspired current day artists to revive the style. Whether done subconsciously or purposely, there’s no denying that pop artists Rina Sawayama, Poppy, Grimes, and Lil Aaron have incorporated nu metal into their music. Poppy’s most recent album, I Disagree, takes a sharp turn from her bubblegum pop debut album, Poppy.Computer. She experiments with heavily syncopated guitar riffs, vocal deliveries influenced by rap and pop, and an overall aggressive tone. Sound familiar? I Disagree is without a doubt influenced by nu metal- with one major difference. Poppy provides a feminine perspective on a genre that’s historically been dominated by men, in addition to incorporating occasional pop elements that make this album seem much more 2020 than 1998. British-Japanese singer Rina Sawayama does similar with the track “STFU!” off her 2020 release SAWAYAMA. In this seething track dedicated to the microaggressions Sawayama has faced as a Japanese woman throughout her life, what better way to diss her aggressors than doing so over a nu metal backtrack? Another leading lady of pop who’s adopted a quasi-nu metal style is Grimes. Though a bit more abstract than Poppy and Rina Sawayama’s adaptations, there’s no denying that “We Appreciate Power” off of her latest release Miss Anthropocene Designer: Gabby Bruck (UX Design and Computer Science)

Editorial

Fall 2020 is influenced by the genre as well Grimes herself described Miss Anthropocene as “ethereal nu metal,” unashamed to label her album as such. With this reclamation of the once highly masculine genre by a group of female pop artists, nu metal has been refreshed and brought out of its stale slumber.

Another artist pioneering nu metal’s revival is Lil Aaron. From his roots touring with metalcore bands in the 2000s to his rise to fame among the 2016 Soundcloud emo trap scene, Lil Aaron’s music teeters between a combination of these two with sweet pop overtones. While Aaron doesn’t tend to label himself one way or another, his aesthetics lend themselves as a throwback to early 2000s alternative. In addition to music, the nu metal scene had a distinctive fashion that was sported by artists and fans alike. Adidas tracksuits, sports jerseys, baggy pants and shirts, cargo pants, dyed/spiked hair, tattoos and piercings were common. Lil Aaron’s long green hair, baggy clothes, and tattoos are reminiscent of this fashion and most likely a reference to it. Whether by design or by accident, Lil Aaron’s influence from the emo trap and metalcore scene combined create an undeniable, familiar rap rock concoction. While some songs sound more nu metal than others, his newest EP 808 ROCK undoubtedly reeks of the genre. In 2010, it seemed unlikely that nu metal would ever make a return. Artists like Limp Bizkit and Staind had been long forgotten in a haze of disgust from their metal counterparts, public distaste, and its creators embarrassment of the genre’s existence. However, musically impressionable teenagers and young adults had not forgotten. As early 2000s kids who participated in alternative culture grow older, these now adults are melding nu metal into their own music, forging a new wave of the style out of its disgraceful ashes. And current teenagers are catching on to the trend. Skinny jeans are out, and wide-legged JNCOesque jeans are back in. As nu metal aesthetics and music make a return in the 2020 alternative music scene, there’s no saying what can happen next. I would personally be pleased to see a revival of The Family Values Tour, but I believe we still have a long way to go until that moment. One of critic’s most hated genres is back, and it’s getting better reviews than ever before. Have tastes changed, or are critics just positively biased towards the artists who have experimented so far? Do any genres truly die? Or do art and culture move through cycles, in constant fluctuation with each other, never truly fading? Perhaps Fred Durst would know the answer.

• Hannah Lowicki (Marketing)

GET YOUR BRITS OUT “Guess who’s back on the news It’s your favourite Republican hoods”

KNEECAP’s music is laced with tales of clubbing, drug use, and advocacy for an independent and unified Ireland. The rap trio — Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Provaí — tackles issues of politics and identity through satire. They draw inspiration from Irish rebel songs of the early 20th century to deliver witty lyrics for a post-Troubles generation. “Get Your Brits Out,” one of the group’s 2019 singles, showcases all of their discography’s most notable characteristics: unapologetically crude lyrics (which got them banned from several radio stations), politically controversial subject matter, and, most importantly, the melding of the Irish and English languages.

‘Brits Out’ has several meanings, from a play on ‘(get your) tits out’ conveyed by the song’s cover art, to a call for the removal of monarchical rule. The primary meaning here, however, refers directly to the song’s plot. In the track, KNEECAP takes members of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) — a socially conservative, right wing political party that upholds British identity in Ireland — out “on a mad one.” The groups are able to set aside their diametrically opposing viewpoints after popping some ecstasy and heading to a local pub. “Anois éist, I’m gonna say this once Youse can all stay just don’t be cunts And don’t be runnin’ round like silly old tans Just take these yokes and we’ll go for a dance”

Móglaí compares the DUP members to ‘tans,’ a reference to the Black and Tans from the Irish War of Independence, soldiers employed by Britain to suppress revolutionary attitudes (namely, the Irish Republican Army). Additionally, this line refers to the popular rebel song “Come Out, Ye Black and Tans” by The Wolfe Tones. KNEECAP solidifies their stance toward British rule in this line, then immediately satirizes the hypothetical interaction by offering the DUP members ecstasy. The situation described in the song is ridiculous; DUP leader Arlene Foster says that she likes to be choked and Christopher Stalford is “licking coke off a plate,” but the song remains rooted in truth with lines that describe how things turn out later in the night. “...it’s a disaster Cunts are talkin’ politics, there’s a lack of laughter . . . Donaldson has started with his homophobic chat.”

The DUP members are further distanced from KNEECAP by this line which reminds listeners of the real views they hold, contributing to the caricature of those loyal to Britain and backing up the phrase ‘Brits out.’

The group’s choice to rap in Irish about the antics of DUP members and their British bias makes a statement in and of itself. The irony is purposeful here, as it is in some of KNEECAP’s other songs which are rapped entirely in Irish. A clear signal of Irishness, using the language in their songs places the group within a narrative that wants to uphold certain aspects of Irish culture. Advocacy for an independent Ireland comes not only from what they say, but how they choose to say it.

KNEECAP’s republican ideals are significant when considering the group hails from West Belfast — the section of the city that’s historically held the strongest nationalist attitudes. “Get Your Brits Out” is rebel music for a new generation of Irish republicans, one whose political views are bolstered by their ability to continuously take the piss out of any situation, no matter how dark.

• Sarah Lamodi (English and Linguistics) Designer: Maia Fernandez Baigun (Communications and Graphic Design)