Music is so much more than just a form of entertainment. For some people the music that they listen to represents who they are. Different people all have different tastes, but pretty much everyone has a favorite type of music. One of the best and worst things about music is that it is always changing. Thirty years ago upbeat and positive songs like The Jackson Five's ABC, Bill Wither's Lean on Me, and The Partridge Family's I Think I Love You topped the Billboards best sellers list. These days songs are not as toned down and soft. In the past few years number one hits like Party Up by DMX, Mo" Money Mo" Problems by Notorious B.I.G, and Purple Pills by D12 have reached the top of the charts. These songs all feature lyrics that promote violence, sex, and drugs. They glorify activities and practices that are unhealthy, unethical, and illegal. The negative images that these songs portray have a negative affect on the people that listen to them. Music today can sometimes be considered an indirect reason for some of the bad things that go on in the world today, for example the Columbine school shooting. Kids today listen to music that talk about doing drugs and killing people while kids in the past listened to songs that encouraged listeners to "lean on me". Present music has a negative effect on the children of our time and is not as positive and healthy to listen to when compared to music from decades past. .
The personality of a listener dictates the type of music he or she is attracted to. That is why music cannot be considered the direct cause of some tragedies that have occurred, the Columbine massacre for example. While the music is not the sole scapegoat, it played an indirect part in aiding the children with ideas that led to the shootings. The particular type of popular music that the Columbine killers were said to listen to was a group called Marilyn Manson, a heavy rock group that sings about such things as drugs, rape, and homosexuality.