Sounds Bites from Bloomfield College

Editor's note: Bloomfield College Beat is a weekly feature written by BC students focusing on life on campus. This week's column is written by junior broadcast journalism major Nick Paleologos.

Put your head phones on and hear the music students at Bloomfield College like to listen to.

Out of the 50 people interviewed for this article, 40 percent like more than one genre. Twenty percent like rock music alone. Then there are the those that like rhythm and blues (12 percent) followed by 10 percent that favored hip hop and rap music. Finally, 18 percent prefer other kinds of music, ranging from jazz to Japanese rock to opera. And then theres Bloomfield College junior Vincent Oliver, who believes Michael Jackson is a genre all by himself.

The music is classified in two groups - mainstream and underground music. Thirty-eight percent of the people considered mainstream music their favorite.

“Mainstream music is my favorite because my favorite music is Z100 (100.3 FM),” said sophomore Barbara Popan.

Darius Ray, a freshman, likes mainstream “because I am more familiar with popular artists of today.”

While people may be more familiar with the artists, there is a case for the underground music, preferred by 32 percent of those interviewed.

“I like underground because mainstream is too commercial," said senior Tashon Jackson.

Jonathon Mercado, a sophomore, prefers the underground music because he likes to listen to different things, while sophomore Shamira Welch said she likes underground because artists have to work harder to get known. Junior James White mentioned underground can be as deep as it wants to be, while mainstream is sometimes dulled down for the American population.

Twenty-eight percent liked both the ordinary and the alternative to mainstream music.

“Both because mainstream explains feelings of today," said senior Lorenzo Tattoli. "The underground music does not represent everything society has to offer.”

But sophomore Anthony Ruiz doesn't like either of the two. “Hip hop is dead," he said. "I miss the '90s.” Ruiz’s favorite sorting of music is reggaeton.

But, what is music anyway? 

“Music is about passion. That passion has been gone for quite some time now," said senior Ramon Ortiz, who likes Michael Jackson and Frank Sinatra, two of music's most legendary artists. "Everything sounds the same and there has got to be more to music than singing about yo hoes, ya rims, and yo money.”

Tattoli agreed with Ortiz. “Music is more an object to obtain wealth or status, as opposed to something to enjoy.”

Many people who like R&B and hip hop mention artists Trey Songz, Kanye West (who is coming out with another album in 2011), Eminem, Nicki Minaj, Jay-Z and popular '90s hip-hop legend Biggie Smalls, a.k.a. The Notorious B.I.G.

“Hip hop is my favorite genre because it has a great upbeat sound that I could dance to," said Popan.

While some people like dancing to hip hop, junior Kyle Hopson said, “Hip-Hop is not just music, it is a lifestyle.”

In terms of rock, the general public mentions bands Linkin Park, Korn, Breaking Benjamin and Flyleaf. Yet, there was something startling. Just one person noted long-time New Jersey star Bruce Springsteen, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer.

It's good to know there is diversity among Bloomfield College students. So whether you like to dance to techno, move to the beats of hip hop, headbang to metal, or chill out to grunge music, take the headphones out of your ears and listen to the other sounds of Bloomfield College.