I don't see the big deal about Adele.

Very well written. To be honest even in college when I studied Afro-American history it was always in the context of Euro-history. And that is understandable...to a point. In the greater more macro view of history we are all connected but when on takes a deeper more micro view we can see district differences in those similarities. On the s


Let me give you an example. China and the greater Asia vs the Japanese. On the surface these are very similar cultures, but if one were to take a deeper view one would find the Chinese and Japanese culture are very different. Different cultural norms, different language, grammar, totally different syntax even though the Japanese culture, and the greater Asian culture was influenced by China.

yes, African(black) American history and education is influenced by Europeans but we still have a very distinct culture, one that I am very proud of.

 

Out of curiosity, what would you say is our black American cultural identity in America?

 

There are a lot of great African American artists... (Romare Bearden, Augusta Savage, Jacob Lawrence, Charles White, and Henry Ossawa Tanner, just to name a few). Then there is Jean-Michel Basquiat, one of the most famous (and infamous) artists of all time. Romare Bearden and Jacob Lawrence are regularly taught in school as part of the curriculum - I taught a 2 day session on Jacob Lawrence to a group of high school students because I wanted to learn more about the Harlem Renaissance and wanted them to as well. It was a very successful lesson.

I see no reason why anyone would be ashamed of their African roots - especially when you were taken from them through no choice of your own. And people did not have blues, soul, old R&B, and jazz STRIPPED from them - they CHOSE to leave it behind. They willfully left behind a great legacy which came out of suffering, in favor of something cheap, transient, and lacking all depth of character. WHY???? That's what I want to know. It's certainly not because of anything the White Man has done. If I were black, I'd be an Afro-centric scholar, studying everything I could about all of the great people who had come before me. I am white, and I still try to learn as much as I can. It's gotten so bad, that I was amazed that nobody at work but me seemed to know who Josephine Baker was!!

They could have held onto it and taken PRIDE in the beautiful art/music that came out of their suffering, but they didn't. And look, NOW you CAN find out all you would ever care to know about great artists, composers, writers, inventors, etc. who were African American - it's all on the internet!! Yet people know less, and less, and less... it's nobody's fault but their own. I don't blame it on the kids, I blame it on the teachers and on the parents.

 

That's my point, I'm certain they exist. I don't know very many who would say they're regularly taught in school as part of the curriculum though. The whole point of black history month is to level the playing field.

You're missing the point. Blues, soul, old R&B and jazz are not traditional African music. That's the music of North America. If we are going to accept that as our cultural music then we also have to accept rap and everything else. WHY have people given up on music born out of suffering and taken to music that, though shallow says "I am successful"? How depressive / defeatist would we be if we still sang and played music born out of suffering?

Sounds like you blame it on the kids, teachers and parents. The fact that it is available on the internet means it's accessible to kids.... the fact that they're not searching it means the blame goes to them. However, I agree... the black community needs to do a better job at educating the black community.


I'm going to make an old soul album, please advise as to how I get it marketed to the masses.

 

So if i'm to understand you, black people left behind rock n roll? Little Richard would like a word with you.

I think you're simplifing too much the state of black music in america right now. When black music was at it's best, it was still fringe culture in some respects especially modern r&b and early hip-hop. When it became embraced by white america on the whole and went mainstream, the record companies found ways to mass market the product as cheaply as possible while still making a buck. Black people didn't make artist like Lil Jon and the Ying Yang twins popular, suburban white america did.

So please don't put this all on us. I can't believe i'm the only person saying this.

 

The 90's were "okay" for white female singers? Britney Spears in shocked.


Speaking of Britney, she began the trend i noticed of white pop singers who changed their cadence in singing to match black female vocalists who were popular at the time like Mariah Carey. Christina Aguilera, Pink, Jessica Simpson all followed as well. Before then, most white pop vocalists sounded like Madonna.

And there is a difference between tributes and straight up imitation. Was Vanilla Ice doing a tribute to black music or just capitalizing on a trend that was rising?

 

Reggae isn't the only music form to come out of the Caribbean. You should try listening to some Soca and Calypso. Reggae main roots come from Africa btw, i have no idea what you're talking about it.

 

I disagree that it as Britney trying to match black music...this was simply the direction of POP music. And there is a big leap between Madonna and Brittney. By the time Brittney came on the same Madonna had changed her sound completely from the here 80s days.

And what's funny is the very same thing Vanilla Ice was dissed for doing, is not a main stay in hip hop music...biting whole entire lines and runs...

 

wait.......what?

 

Its good to see you knew where I was going with the mention of Maroon 5...as you have been able to tell..i generally only like when black ppl do soul music...with a few exceptions like tina marie & jon b.

The Maroon 5 five mention was to let white ppl know that yall produce good music...thats not tied to what
we call soul or r&b music....btw...george michaels fits this example too.

 

Memo: Almost no one in this thread knows anything meaningful about music from an historical or cultural standpoint.

 

Please good sir, enlighten us with your vast knowledge of musical history.

 

As in it came out of spirituals which were part of the conversion to Christianity enforced on people who were brought here into slavery.

 

I think you have lost your way...with regards to this thread

 

Well, you always think that. I'm unworthy of notice, being ancient and all anyway.

 

Ridiculous. I know you are being sarcastic, TreePixie, but you are not that old, just old enough that you know more than most people here, based on sheer life experience (not to mention you've lived through more musical phases and seen the transitions, not just heard about them).

 

Fuck me... I haven't mastered responding to the multiple quotes. Anyway, above, jaisee, are my responses to you, only they are in "quotes".

 

CO-SIGN!!!!!!

DAMNIT..

 

:smt081

 

Thank you, Ymra, and Saint Augusta as well.

Some of the folk here make me giggle. I don't feel any older in spirit than I did 30 years ago.