In 1995, West Coast rapper 2Pac was released on bail after being jailed on sexual assault charges. His bail was paid for by Suge Knight, owner of Death Row records who struck a deal with 2Pac which would see him release three albums on Knights record label. The album, All Eyez on Me, was the first to be released on Death Row Records and being a double album meant that it would fulfill two of the three he was obligated to release.

Often seen as 2Pac’s magnum opus, the album see’s Shakur change the themes of his songs. Initially, Shakur was seen as a truth-teller, telling stories of poor families in the ghettos with tracks such as Brenda’s Got a Baby, which tells the story of a fourteen-year old girl forced into prostitution after becoming pregnant to her cousin, or Keep Ya Head Up with is a celebration of black culture and black women. Critics have pointed out that if one of the biggest artists of the hip-hop genre who claimed to live the thug life can celebrate the strength and beauty of women, then he sets an example that any of us can.

All Eyez on Me, as the title suggests, is more focused on the fame, and the notoriety that his status as one of the biggest in the game brought him. He discusses the amount of attention he receives for the right reasons, and the wrong, as well as celebrating the thug lifestyle that he is afforded. This feeling of being watched was due to surveillance from the police after his release from prison, as well as the sexual assault case which Shakur was adamant was a set up, and the lack of trust he felt because of this. In a 1996 interview, Shakur revealed that he had learned that fear is stronger than hate, a completely different attitude to those he shared in earlier albums which had a clear optimism to them.

2Pac had spent 11 months in jail which he spent reflecting. All the songs which feature on this album speak about those reflections, and upon his release he wrote, recorded, mixed and finished all 27 songs in a manic two-week period. He said that he enjoyed the pressure of having the prison guards watching him, journalists and fans watching him because it gave him that challenge and the desire to break records with this album. 2Pac wanted this album to be raw and relentless, and described it as so uncensored, and as a celebration of his life.

23 years on from his death in September 1996, the impact of 2Pac is still felt in the rap world. He personified the struggle of elevating up through celebrity and fame and becoming one of the best in the music industry, whilst still remaining humble and loyal to the streets that propped him up in his early life. He was also a symbol of the struggle felt by young black people in America, who want to celebrate their heritage in a racist society together, but have to stay cautious of each other in a dog eat dog culture.

If we think about pop music of the 1960s, we are likely to think of the countless black girl bands like the Supremes and the Ronettes. They have worked their way into classic films such as Goodfellas and Jackie Brown, ensuring they are remembered as part of the cultural landscape of the 60s. The 60s were a time of political turmoil, with civil rights and gender inequality still a pressing issue, so it could be seen as a surprise that the Shirelles topped the US charts in January 1961, with “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?”.

Girl groups had been in the US charts since the mid 50s, but it wasn’t until 1958 when the Chantels released “Maybe” that the ‘sound’ that we think of was first heard. This style of music helped to break down barriers in music, with the groups fusing multiple genres such as black doo-wop and white pop, with elements of rock’n’roll. This appealed to a younger audience, wanting something that sounded completely different to the music of their parent’s generation. Whilst the Chantels are credited with developing this style of music, their musical development followed traditional forms, going into Latin and choir music, losing that initial spark that made them so unique in the 50s.

Not only was the development of this style of music a massive turning point for the artists themselves, but also for record labels. Motown records was owned by African-American, Berry Gordy, and when the Marvelettes, “Please Mr. Postman’ was released on his label in 1961, it became the first African American owned record label to achieve a number one song. Motown success throughout the 60s was astronomical. Thy had the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, the Supremes and Smokey Robinson all signed to the label and giving them their starts in music. They also created their own sound, nicknamed the ‘Motown sound’, and were seen as pioneers of black music, producing some of the biggest soul hits of the 60s. The success of Motown and the Stax record label was copied by other record labels, who started to produce similar sounding records but with white artists, later called blue-eyed soul. Two notable examples are Dusty Springfield and Tom Jones.

Whilst the songs of this genre were incredibly popular, the groups found it difficult to consistently score hits, with over 750 girls groups achieving a charting record between 1960 and 1966. Motown Records was described as a factory, where Berry Gordy had the ability to veto songs that he didn’t think would chart and this took away creative freedom from the artists themselves. The production process back then was extremely mechanical, with each aspect of a song being done by someone else. Songwriters, singers, session musicians and producers would all work on a song individually to create a hit. It is alleged that Diana Ross was only made the face of the Supremes as she was deemed more photogenic than Florence Ballard who was the better singer.

Taking a step back, we can see how the roots of the current music industry formed. Creating an image sells a band. It is clear to see that record labels understand the buying habits of consumers and are not afraid to pull the plug on acts that don’t achieve what the label wants.

When an icons time is coming to an end, they leave a void. Woody Guthrie was one of those icons. One of the most noteworthy folk musicians of his era, his music came to define folk music throughout the 40s and 50s, with “This Land Is Your Land”, his most popular song. Guthrie continued to sing until 1956, singing songs of the poor and downtrodden, before his Huntington’s disease forced him to stop. Guthrie continues to be remembered as one of the all-time greats, influencing the wave of musicians that followed him such as Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer. Another artist who was influenced was Bob Dylan, who would be seen as the torchbearer of folk music for the next generation.

Dylan had become obsessed with Guthrie after reading his autobiography whilst studying at University in Minneapolis, even travelling the country following his footsteps and eventually meeting him in a hospital in 1961. Guthrie had been in hospital for four years, being treated for his Huntington’s, and gave Dylan a card saying, “I’m not dead yet”. Dylan performed a song for him, Song to Woody, which appeared on his debut album a year later.

Dylan continued to write folk music, writing songs about the working classes, infusing blues elements with a writing style similar to Guthrie’s. In the early 60s, Dylan’s songwriting become more lyrically adventurous, including references to classical poetry and literature. These early songs, such as “The Times They Are A-Changin’”, came to define the genre of folk music at the start of the 60s. Dylan moved away from this style of music towards the middle of the 60s, not wanted to be restricted to one genre, producing a mixture of country, gospel, blues and rock’n’roll albums.

It is important to remember that this movement away from folk music was not a rejection by Dylan of folk music, but a move to stop himself stagnating musically. He continued singing protest music, most notably “Hurricane” from his album Desire, which recounts the story of Ruben Carter, who was falsely convicted of murder.  Guthrie remains an idol of Dylan, who sings his songs at his concerts, and as he once said, “I will be Guthrie’s greatest disciple”.

On the 22^nd of January 1959, Buddy Holly recorded his last recordings. Armed only with an acoustic guitar and a tape recorder, Holly recorded six songs, including ‘Learning the Game’. Two weeks later on 3^rd of February, Holly died in a plane crash, alongside Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper, and the day is now known as ‘the day the music died’.

Holly’s influence on music throughout the 60s and 70s was enormous. The most famous reference in popular music is Don McLean’s hit ‘American Pie’, which was the first time the day of the crash had been referred to as ‘the day the music died’. This wasn’t his only influence on popular music, as Elvis, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles and Bob Dylan all cited Holly as a major influence. Holly and his band also popularised the four-piece band, with a singer and guitar player, a rhythm guitar, and bassist and a drummer. At the time of his death, Holly was only 22 years old.

Saying that Holly’s image is iconic is an understatement. His big, baggy suits and horn-rimmed glasses were hardly the pricey, designer clothes modern artists wear, but they were distinct. Whilst it may seem like a small detail, this allowed his fans to follow in his footsteps, whether they were rich or poor. One of these fans was Elton John, who started wearing glasses at 13 after seeing Holly wearing his. This has become John’s signature look now, and whilst more people now will see the glasses as John’s own look, it is still an example of Holly’s lingering influence after his death.

Ritchie Valens was an upcoming rock and roll musician, who had already scored two hits by the age of 17. ‘Donna reached number 2 on the charts, whilst La Bamba, which only got to number 22, has become a classic rock and roll song. A Los Lobos cover in 1987 charted at number one, giving Valens credit for writing a number one. Valens achieved all of this before his 18^th birthday, and was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.

A young Waylon Jennings, Holly’s bassist, was also supposed to be on the plane, but gave it up for the Big Bopper who had fallen ill. Jennings would go on to be a huge artist in his own right, and later joining the Highwaymen, with Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.

In 2015, Don McLean said “Buddy Holly would have the same stature in music, whether he lived or died because of his accomplishment by the age of 22.”

It is absurd to think of a song being banned in the 21st century. Censorship of any art only deprives people of knowledge, and it allows the gatekeepers to decide what we can and cannot see and hear.

In November 1983, Frankie Goes To Hollywood released “Relax”, a song with clear allusions to sex, Before this, they were a small band operating out of Liverpool with one John Peel session under their belt. Without any real following, Relax slowly climbed up the charts, peaking at 35 before an appearance on chart show, Top of the Pops on January 5th helped to push the song up to number 6.

The following week, Radio 1 DJ Mike Read announced that he would not play the record because of the suggestive sleeve design and explicit lyrics. At the same time, the BBC declared that they would not play the song for the same reason. That week, “Relax” climbed to number two. The next, it claimed the top spot. Top of the Pops, a BBC show, showed a still image of the band and refused to let them appear in person. The song stayed at the top of the charts for five weeks in total and each week the BBC showed the same image and other artists played their own songs.

It is not a stretch to say that the BBC’s well-publicised ban helped the song reach number one, maybe even being the only reason for it. The Streisand effect is a phenomenon where something that is censored becomes more desirable, for the sole reason that you cannot have it, and this looks like a clear case of it. Whilst the song has a catchy tune, the shallow lyrical content would suggest that it wouldn’t have made it to number one, or at least not stayed there for five weeks.