Yeah! Let's all put on our SJW hats and create needless divisiveness: "Fast Car"

[Stevicus]

In terms of music history, there's a track record of white artists covering, re-interpreting, and sometimes outright ripping off black musical artists. I'm thinking of Elvis and Led Zeppelin in particular, though there are more. There is a larger context here.

It's clear that black musical artists had an enormous influence over the development of music, including jazz, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, etc. At first, white people didn't want their kids listening to it. I recall reading a screed against jazz written in the 1920s, in which they thought it was the "devil's music." But it was good music, people liked listening to it, and eventually, white musicians started playing it, too.

Of course, that's not to say that black artists weren't treated horribly and exploited by the music industry.

 

[sun rise]

I thought from the thread title it was going to be a joke thread.

 

[fantome profane]

Had the tables been turned, you would have demanded citations, notice I didn't ask that of you

Oh, you can trust me. I have done “hours of research”.

 

[fantome profane]

I like Tracy. But damm!!

Most of her music is downright depressing.

And depressing has no place in country music.

 

[Callisto]

It is a good thing. It is wonderful that this might introduce people to the work of Tracy Chapman.

But it is a little bit sad that it is still needed. This has been going on forever, or at least as long as we have had the ability to make and broadcast audio recordings.

It is sad that in 2023 music is still so segregated. And I don't think it is controversial or divisive to point that out.

The music industry isn't nearly as segregated as it was in the late 1970s-mid '90s when there was a definite delineation between popular music, rock vs. the early days of rap & hip hop. It was a huge deal for groups like the Beastie Boys (a Jewish rap group) to come along, sampling hardcore hip hop groups like Public Enemy, or when Aerosmith collaborated with Run DMC for a cross-over version of "Walk This Way" (and Run DMC did a cover of the Monkees' "Mary, Mary"). That paved the way for later white rappers like Eminem, Kid Rock, Macklemore, Logic etc.

But there have always been black Country artists, this isn't a new development. You can go all the way back to the early 1900s and find Arnold Shultz who invented a style of guitar picking that white musicians like Chet Atkins and Merle Travis took up and help forge their careers. DeFord Bailey was a black country musician and one of the first artists to appear at the Grand Ole Opry. One of the most popular Country musicians in the 1970s was Charley Pride. There are several current-day black Country artists.

 

[fantome profane]

The music industry isn't nearly as segregated as it was in the late 1970s-mid '90s when there was a definite delineation between popular music, rock vs. the early days of rap & hip hop. It was a huge deal for groups like the Beastie Boys (a Jewish rap group) to come along, sampling hardcore hip hop groups like Public Enemy, or when Aerosmith collaborated with Run DMC for a cross-over version of "Walk This Way" (and Run DMC did a cover of the Monkees' "Mary, Mary"). That paved the way for later white rappers like Eminem, Kid Rock, Macklemore, Logic etc.But there have always been black Country artists, this isn't a new development. You can go all the way back to the early 1900s and find Arnold Shultz who invented a style of guitar picking that white musicians like Chet Atkins and Merle Travis took up and help forge their careers.

More examples of the white artists being needed to bring black music to a white audience.

DeFord Bailey was a black country musician and one of the first artists to appear at the Grand Ole Opry. One of the most popular Country musicians in the 1970s was Charley Pride. There are several current-day black Country artists.

I understand your point. Yes there have always been black country artists, but they have always been very small in number, and still are. I don't want to oversimplify things, but there is still a high degree of musical segregation. You say it is better than it was, maybe. But is it still there at all?

 

[Callisto]

More examples of the white artists being needed to bring black music to a white audience.

How do you come to that conclusion? Run DMC covered two white bands, Aerosmith and the Monkees. If anything, they introduced "white music" to black listeners. The Beastie Boys debuted sampling music from a more well-known group already recognized in the music industry, Public Enemy.

I understand your point. Yes there have always been black country artists, but they have always been very small in number, and still are. I don't want to oversimplify things, but there is still a high degree of musical segregation. You say it is better than it was, maybe. But is it still there at all?

Are you basing this on celebrity status in the music industry? Country may seem to be "white music" because white musicians have long been promoted, in all genres, over minority musicians. However, Country originated among blacks, and in rural areas, one would find a fairly even number of black and white musicians. Music segregation exists in large part because of societal segregation, whites had their music clubs and blacks had theirs. You would have found as many black country and bluegrass performing at the latter as you would white musicians at the former. A shift did occur during The Great Migration when more blacks left southern rural areas and moved north to mostly urban areas, and with that created more urban styles of music. Simultaneously, the music industry was dominated by whites and white musicians were promoted over black musicians, including Jazz and Blues. That doesn't mean there ceased to be black musicians in Country, Jazz, or Blues.

The black community has endeavored to maintain sounds that are unique to the black identity, the problem is, white folk keep swooping in and lifting from them for profit. The only thing that's changing is that professionals in the music industry are now more diverse and more black musicians are gaining visibility in the celebrity level.

 

[icehorse]

Oh, you can trust me. I have done “hours of research”.

Don't blame me if you're a slower learner than I am

 

[SomeRandom]

Don't blame me if you're a slower learner than I am

I mean to be fair, I also did “hours of research” for my high school assignments.
It’s not really a big deal post internet
Unless you’re like in you’re 80s I suppose

 

[fantome profane]

I mean to be fair, I also did “hours of research” for my high school assignments.
It’s not really a big deal post internet
Unless you’re like in you’re 80s I suppose

That was a joke. Notice the quotes. It was a little inside joke for @icehorse that he is pretending he doesn't get.

 

[icehorse]

That was a joke. Notice the quotes. It was a little inside joke for @icehorse that he is pretending he doesn't get.

This is internet time baby, ya gotta get up to speed fast!