From Adele to ZZ Top: Why I listen to the widest scope of music possible

I remember my first MP3 player so vividly. I already loved the portability of my music. As an elementary-schooler before the days of the first iPod, I would grab my cassette player — and later my portable CD player — for any car ride longer than 10 minutes. When my parents excitedly told me we’d received a free Napster MP3 player as part of a BellSouth promotion — yeah, that’s a sentence you’ll probably never hear again — I was pumped: We just download our music from the internet? And this little thing can hold more than 70 songs?

Fast forward about 12 years, and now I toggle between homemade Spotify playlists of 100+ songs apiece, exploring new artists and rediscovering old favorites all in a matter of minutes. Unless you’ve just arrived in 2017 via time travel, that doesn’t even sound impressive. In retrospect, though, I owe so much to streaming technology: I’m now getting as close as I can to having a personal soundtrack.

Music really does feel like something I can’t live without. However, I’m not here just to extol the plentiful virtues of music. What I want to talk about is how amazing it is to appreciate the widest scope of music possible. With some of my own examples, I aim to convince even the most selective listeners to try some new music — even the music they hate.

I think there’s harm in saying something like: “I just can’t stand rap music” or “I’ll listen to anything but country.” Some music is about context, and I argue that you just have to find the right situation for the right song.

With hip-hop, for example, there’s a whole world to explore and many different ways to enjoy it. There’s nothing quite like going for a run or hitting the gym to the rhythm of Fabolous, Childish Gambino, J. Cole, Big Sean and ScHoolboy Q. If you want different kinds of melodies to sing and dance to, my favorites include Solange, Chance the Rapper, Noname, SZA, Anderson .Paak and Frank Ocean. Many of their songs bridge the gap between rap, rhythm and blues and funk.

How about country? If some newer songs aren’t your cup of tea, you don’t have to write off the genre entirely. If you’re in a sentimental mood, try classic artists like Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn. For more pumped-up country rock, take a trip to the coast and mix in some Zac Brown Band with reggae hits while you’re at the beach. Even if you’re not into country music, the song “Knee Deep” featuring Jimmy Buffett can roll well with Bob Marley and Dirty Heads on any beach playlist.

To me, blues, jazz and folk represent the ultimate form of timeless music: the songs that complement all activities, including walks home from campus, long car rides, reading, writing and lounging around. I think we need this music in our lives. Quintessential blues musicians ranging from Robert Johnson to Janis Joplin make me feel connected to a deeper sense of humanity and emotion. Jazz singers like Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong and Etta James remind me that all types of melodies can find their place in beautiful music. And folk music always, always makes me want to take a walk in the woods.

My point is this: You can’t knock a whole music genre unless you’ve listened to every musician playing it, and that’s simply an impossible task. Harness the amazing powers of streaming technology. Listen to all the music you can get your hands on.

Mia Gettenberg is a UF philosophy and criminology and law junior. Her column appears on Mondays.