Explosive and implosive root concepts: An analysis of music moods rooted by two influential rap artists.

This study proposes the notion of "root concepts" in cultural production, defined as a novel style and mode that a creator expresses at the initial field development phase, and that has a great influence on subsequent creators. We explore the role of root concepts in cultural evolution by...

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Main Authors: Susumu Nagayama, Hitoshi Mitsuhashi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2022-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0270648
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author Susumu Nagayama
Hitoshi Mitsuhashi
author_facet Susumu Nagayama
Hitoshi Mitsuhashi
author_sort Susumu Nagayama
collection DOAJ
description This study proposes the notion of "root concepts" in cultural production, defined as a novel style and mode that a creator expresses at the initial field development phase, and that has a great influence on subsequent creators. We explore the role of root concepts in cultural evolution by focusing on their capacity to generate new combinations with other elements and examine how creators use root concepts jointly with other elements. Using data on artists and albums in the rap genre from the online database Allmusic, we view music moods as a type of experience that music generates and focus on music moods as a phenotype in studying styles and modes. We constructed a dataset of recombinatory patterns in the subsequent cultural production and identified two types of root concepts: implosive concepts, which artists use jointly with similar elements; and explosive concepts, which artists use in conjunction with highly diversified elements. Implosive concepts are exclusive because they require creators to have network contagions with those familiar with the root concepts and have strong and specific socio-economic identities. Previous research has suggested that finding a new combination is challenging owing to creators' limited cognitive capacities and the resulting local search. Our finding presents an alternative explanation: some root concepts (i.e., implosive ones) possess innate characteristics that limit creators from experimentally integrating diversified elements. This study develops new opportunities for future research on the evolutionary growth of cultural production and knowledge fields.
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spelling doaj.art-9682e3eea4294e22bbd6f093d68a23542022-12-22T02:14:13ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032022-01-01177e027064810.1371/journal.pone.0270648Explosive and implosive root concepts: An analysis of music moods rooted by two influential rap artists.Susumu NagayamaHitoshi MitsuhashiThis study proposes the notion of "root concepts" in cultural production, defined as a novel style and mode that a creator expresses at the initial field development phase, and that has a great influence on subsequent creators. We explore the role of root concepts in cultural evolution by focusing on their capacity to generate new combinations with other elements and examine how creators use root concepts jointly with other elements. Using data on artists and albums in the rap genre from the online database Allmusic, we view music moods as a type of experience that music generates and focus on music moods as a phenotype in studying styles and modes. We constructed a dataset of recombinatory patterns in the subsequent cultural production and identified two types of root concepts: implosive concepts, which artists use jointly with similar elements; and explosive concepts, which artists use in conjunction with highly diversified elements. Implosive concepts are exclusive because they require creators to have network contagions with those familiar with the root concepts and have strong and specific socio-economic identities. Previous research has suggested that finding a new combination is challenging owing to creators' limited cognitive capacities and the resulting local search. Our finding presents an alternative explanation: some root concepts (i.e., implosive ones) possess innate characteristics that limit creators from experimentally integrating diversified elements. This study develops new opportunities for future research on the evolutionary growth of cultural production and knowledge fields.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0270648
spellingShingle Susumu Nagayama
Hitoshi Mitsuhashi
Explosive and implosive root concepts: An analysis of music moods rooted by two influential rap artists.
PLoS ONE
title Explosive and implosive root concepts: An analysis of music moods rooted by two influential rap artists.
title_full Explosive and implosive root concepts: An analysis of music moods rooted by two influential rap artists.
title_fullStr Explosive and implosive root concepts: An analysis of music moods rooted by two influential rap artists.
title_full_unstemmed Explosive and implosive root concepts: An analysis of music moods rooted by two influential rap artists.
title_short Explosive and implosive root concepts: An analysis of music moods rooted by two influential rap artists.
title_sort explosive and implosive root concepts an analysis of music moods rooted by two influential rap artists
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0270648
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