This is a video essay discussing why TikTok loves to promote both terrible music and bad music taste, and why that is bad for the music industry and social media in general.

I have a major problem with TikTok music curation and recommendation, and no one grinds my gears more than Ari Elkins… and Raptok. It goes against everything that makes taste making, taste-making. If it seems like you enjoy everything— every stupid cookie-cutter pop song/every lazy rock cut— then your credibility as a taste-maker goes down. I think the number one most important quality for a music curator is the ability to critique. Unfortunately, as this case proves— TikTok rewards musical complacency, and there’s nothing we can really do about it. So maybe, instead of hating— we should just suggest these Tik Tok creators some songs ourselves— maybe ones a little more specific.
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Why I HATE TikTok
TikTok's Worst Music Content Creator
Rating Tik Tokers Music from Cringe to Tolerable
tiktok hates this song
TikTok Is Worse Than You Thought
These TikTok ‘’Musicians’’ Need to STOP

There is definitely more to say about TikTok music in general— how artists are now just making songs for Tik Tok now because of the influence it has on recognition and promotion, and the mediocrity that that enables— but I wanted this video essay to focus on music curation and more of the surface-level cringy tik-tok content. Also-- I am using Ari Elkins more as a super obvious example of what I dislike about TikTok music content, and I know I am perhaps clowning on him too directly-- but please refrain from bullying this dude just because of my problems with the general TikTok nonsense he exemplifies.

My other music-related videos:
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   • How Danny Brown Made The Best Party A...  
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Alternate titles: TikTok “Music Curators” and Raptok: Rewarding Musical Complacency, TikTok “Music Curation” and Raptok | The WORST Content in Existence, TikTok Rewards Musical Complacency

Note: 3:45-4:15 is muted for copyright reasons.

This is a video essay on Tik Tok music discussion, Ari Elkins, and Raptok.