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http://www.theroot.com/views/rock-black-music-too?Gt1=38002Rock is Black Music, TooHip-hop has run out of ideas. And if you need proof, consider that Lil Wayne’s doing a rock album. By: Rob Fields | Posted: April 21, 2009 at 6:49 AM PrintEmailRSSBuzz up!BiggerSmaller RELATED TAGSblack communitylil waynemusicrockCultureRock is Black Music, Too Hip-hop has run out of ideas. And if you need proof, consider that Lil Wayne’s doing a rock album. lottie.joiner Hip-hop has run out of ideas. And if you need proof, consider that Lil Wayne’s doing a rock album. <p>Hip-hop has run out of ideas. And if you need proof, consider that Lil Wayne’s doing a rock album.</p> 04/21/2009 06:49 Know what the problem is with black folks? No imagination. Sounds crazy, I know, but consider black music.Every significant moment in America’s history has been accompanied by its own soundtrack. And black musicians have often written the music and the lyrics. But what’s our soundtrack now? The music industry has imposed the same low expectations on black artists and black life that politicians and pundits have imposed on black folks with respect to education, business and simply managing our daily lives. And we’ve let it happen. The blues and jazz gave meaning to our lives in the 20th century, and it still enjoys a fringe following. But it doesn't fit this new age. R&B is formulaic and predictable. And hip-hop? In its commercial form—the stuff that hammers us from radio and video outlets—has painted itself and its fans into a corner, boxed in on all sides by what Brown professor Tricia Rose calls the pimp-gangsta-ho triumvirate. Essentially, we've let a small group of hip-hop "artists" of limited experiences, education and vision set our cultural agenda. In this age of expanded possibilities, it is time to broaden our musical influences. Hip-hop is out of ideas. If you need convincing, consider this: The best-selling rapper of 2008—Lil Wayne—is doing a rock album. Yes, a rock album. It’s time to give black rock another look. From artists as diverse as TV on the Radio, Shingai Shoniwa of The Noisettes, Gnarls Barkley, Santigold and The Family Stand, to performers at the recent South by Southwest Music Festival like Ben Harper, Whole Wheat Bread, BLK JKS, Janelle Monae and Ebony Bones, black rockers take to heart the idea that our imagination and creativity are boundless. Take, for instance, Grammy winner Janelle Monae. She created a dystopian landscape in her album Metropolis: The Chase Suite, that is part Blade Runner, part Fritz Lang's Metropolis. It's a radical, yet accessible, departure from the “keep it real” orthodoxy that pervades most of what's on black radio's playlist. And having seen hundreds of fans flock to her Central Park SummerStage show in NYC last summer, I wasn't the only one who saw her bring something refreshing and exciting to music. The tagline on the signs that many fans waved underscored a simple truth: “Imagination Inspires Nations.”Black rock artists have gotten past the fear that prevents many of us from fully following our interests, even when those interests aren't seen as "traditionally" black. "I grew up listening to Joy Division, New Order, Echo & the Bunnymen, the Cure…." says TV on the Radio's Kyp Malone. "I simply identified with something in the [white rock] music.” He took that music as inspiration and, along with his bandmates, created Dear Science, the sharp, angry and euphoric genre-mashing album that Rolling Stone and SPIN unanimously named their 2008 album of the year. It was also one of the blackest albums I've heard.Black rock can change lives. It changed mine. In the 1980s, I was a regular, middle-class kid from the Midwest, who started listening to Top 40 radio in eighth grade as a reaction to the repetitive playlists and limited subject matter on black radio. Top 40 radio introduced me to artists like Journey ("Who's Cryin' Now") and Styx ("The Best of Times"), who moved me with their melancholy and soaring guitar solos. AC/DC's "Back in Black" gripped me with its signature opening riff. And I found it impossible to ignore the incredible songwriting and storytelling that went into The Eagles' "Hotel California." For me, rock was simply more creative and raw than the slick, synthy sounds on black radio. It still is.To reclaim our place as musical innovators, we need music that's up to the task. We need artists who have the courage to explore new sounds and ideas. But there's no way today's artists can do that if their grasp of music history only extends to the latest ‘80s record Diddy sampled. Just as Stevie Wonder counted Joni Mitchell and her experimental chord structures as one of his big music influences, Beyoncé now credits Etta James and the roots of rock 'n roll for helping her to find more expansive ways to be herself. The Black Rock Coalition's manifesto says, "Rock is black music, and we are its heirs." These times call for substance, not swagger. Rock, America's subversive, anarchic, rebellious gift to the world, is ours, and we need to stop treating it like some bad four-letter word. Rob Fields writes about black rock and the evolving black imagination on his blog, boldaslove.us. Also on The Root:Terence Samuel tells WHY THE DEMS CAN'T COUNT ON SPECTER. Kai Wright looks for the BULLY IN THE PULPIT.
One factor that I think should of been mentioned in this article....-blacks are no longer America's favorite "underdog" so to the speak. Rappers used to be like the ultimate underdogs who came from nothing and overcame the odds to achieve greatness. Now black people aren't really viewed as the underdog anymore. Most obvious example of this is we now have a black man in the white house. This would of never seemed possible in the 90's.-Economically, blacks are no longer viewed as being the most impoverished people. Whites typically think of blacks as having as much or more than them; that's the new perception that's out there. Blacks aren't really seen as living in great want or need much more than whites. I know statistically blacks are still poorer than whites but I'm talking about the general perception. -The struggle is not really there anymore. Black people used to be America's favorite victim. But now the perception is starting to change, whereas whites are starting to percieve blacks as benefiting from the society and gaining the advantage and upper-hand over them.-Gangsta Rap can not be successful like it was in the 90's because of lot of the shock value fed off of white fear of blacks. Since whites no longer fear blacks, and blacks are no longer alienated from whites, the shock value is gone.
^^Yeah u mad.
thats some crazy ass comment LMFAO! "Obama isnt that big in the hood." Obama got like 90+% of the black vote for just one reason & it wasnt because they liked his policies lmao.i think Infinite really summed it all up & was on point. but like i said, there are still rappers who put out amazing music that keep it so real, but have a sound of their own. i think another big thing is that rappers use to rap to get out of the hood & had real stories from the hood to spit about; i would say more than half of the rappers today arent even from the "hood" or a bad hood, like how it was & where the Pac's, Biggie's & Snoop's grew up, way back in the day.
Quote from: Chamillitary Click on April 29, 2009, 05:38:01 PMthats some crazy ass comment LMFAO! "Obama isnt that big in the hood." Obama got like 90+% of the black vote for just one reason & it wasnt because they liked his policies lmao.i think Infinite really summed it all up & was on point. but like i said, there are still rappers who put out amazing music that keep it so real, but have a sound of their own. i think another big thing is that rappers use to rap to get out of the hood & had real stories from the hood to spit about; i would say more than half of the rappers today arent even from the "hood" or a bad hood, like how it was & where the Pac's, Biggie's & Snoop's grew up, way back in the day.its just as bad in this day. just less blantant racist... the white folks r still scared lol. but dont let Obama & MTV confuse the facts.... reality
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