Got Jesus on your neck-a-lace? Well, I don’t, and I’m a proud Christian. The Jesus piece I’m referencing isn’t the one my mother gave me as a gift in fourth grade, but the seemingly catchy lyric from Ke$ha’s “We R Who We R.” She says it’s the reason why you shouldn’t mess with her in the song. But, really, Ke$ha and others in the music biz, there are plenty of other reasons why I wouldn’t mess with you.

Ke$ha is what is wrong with music these days. Sure, she’s fun to dance to after too much jungle juice at a house party, and she’s in heavy rotation on the radio, sells millions of albums and has high notoriety as a musician. But is she really a musician or a caricature manufactured by a recording industry that “thinks” they know what we like?

I’ll tell ya – it’s definitely the latter.

If everyone ended up walking around like a drunken sorority girl, brushing their teeth with a bottle of Jack, going to work in gaudy space suits with an American flag cape and puking in Paris Hilton’s garage of a shoe closet, then we’d all agree that Ke$ha is a true role model and musician. But she’s not.

Michael Jackson’s moonwalk, his moves from “Thriller,” and the iconic glove have all been imitated, replicated and admired by many musicians and fans alike. The soulful sounds of the likes of Etta James, Diana Ross and Aretha Franklin inspired current artists like Duffy, Amy Winehouse and Adele to release a new kind of inspired sound. The ostentatious performances and lyrics from musicians like Prince have influenced artists like Lady Gaga with her over-the-top yet stylish wardrobe and theatrical stage performances. This is what I would call artistry.

For the most part, what plays in heavy rotation on the radio these days comes nothing close to making the bold statements that music from The Beatles, Stevie Wonder or U2 have made. The music industry has a problem encouraging and promoting true artistry, and it is so rare to find true artists now who aren’t the same auto-tuned, synthesized, beat-machined hot messes that continue to rear their heads onto my radio. It’s why I no longer listen to the radio. Many people I know also take advantage of satellite radio to avoid the likes of Ke$ha, Jason DeRulo, and this new thing the Black Eyed Peas are doing. Black Eyed Peas are remaking the iconic song from the film “Dirty Dancing” into a new synth pop/techno track, and it makes my stomach churn every time I hear Will.I.Am sing, “I’ve had the time of my life, and I’ve never felt this way before.”

I want to hear music with a message, lyrics with meaning and a unique sound that isn’t being replicated more often than Wendy Williams changes her wigs. I hope others are starting to feel the same and lash back at the music industry’s profit-machined focus on artistry. How about they start getting more airplay and promotion for people like Melanie Fiona, Kate Nash, Janelle Monae and Paramore?

I’d encourage you to use online tools like Musicovery or Pandora to get a broader sense for the unsung heroes of the music industry: true musicians who love what they do and don’t often get heavy radio airplay or big profits.

Derrick Clifton is a Communication junior.

He can be reached at [email protected].