The meeting of traditional Yi folk songs with popular music has influenced the expression of Yi people''s contemporary cultural memory. By comparing Yi people''s classic folk songs and popular music， it is found that both traditional folk songs and popular music have reflected contemporary Yi people''s thought and cultural wisdom. Yi people''s classic folk songs are created on the basis of their living and agricultural production， of their mythology and history， etc. tending to describe such scenes or folk cultures so as to express their feelings. In comparison， Yi people''s pop music， guided by traditional Yi culture， has absorbed contemporary cultural features and pop music elements to create a new type of Yi folk songs. In the context of digital intelligence times， both traditional and pop folk songs present the characteristics of wider audiences， more diversified forms and communication channels， which have jointly contributed to the dissemination of Yi culture. Thus the meeting of traditional Yi folk songs with modern pop music has enriched the forms of Yi people''s folk songs and influenced the contemporary expression of Yi people''s culture.