I thought that when I matured in age I would never ever ever be one of those "uncool" adults who talked about how crappy the music of today is. But as the world keeps spinning, I have since found that that is the circle of life, and that there is nothing new under the sun..............I have turned into just that some old grumpy lady grumbling about the good ole dayz........However my rant today is about something much deeper than just the crappy today music....( Cause I like to Dougie and Lloyd Banks got a little sexy thing going on) My rant is about THE LOSS OF THE BLACK MUSIC AND CULTURE OF BLACK MUSIC.
Yes I said "black"........they put a label on us to make us seem more civilized, and that civility has squeezed the culture right out of us. And we seem content.
We as black people are so rich in talent that I think we sometimes take it for granted. But I really really don't like what I am seeing. "Singing Talent" and Instrumental Talent" are becoming fossilized in today's culture. Our young people think that its cool to NOT have talent and sing about stuff that doesn't matter.
Are there no more Marvin Gayes and Smokie Robinsons and Babyface's, or Gamble & Huff's????
What happened to all male singing groups? We need them! I mean after B2K disappeared there just seem to be no all male singing groups that are flourishing in the music industry today. I know that the industry has changed. But the change only seems to be one sided. I see Maroon 5 is kicking it hard, sounding REAL GOOD. I see the Kings of Leon and The Fray And Green Day and Linkin Park are still BIG MONEY MAKERS............Yet, Mint Conditions seems to be the only band around. And as much as I love Mint Condition......baby, they are NOT burning up the charts. Omarion & B2K ya'll need to hook back up and go on tour with 112 and Jagged Edge.........Let's get it going guys!!!
Black music is the foundation for just about all contemporary music styles. Rock is just R&B with heavy metal guitar. Country is just gospel mixed with blues for white people. Pop is stolen and watered down R&B. Alternative and Folk is grounded in negro spirituals. Every other culture has found out how rich we are in our spiritual gifts of music, dance, and poetry except for us. CAN WE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT STARTING NOW??????
I know that I personally am in the process of opening up a school for acting and vocalists. And I am hoping that some of you instrumentalists will join me and let our future rediscover our musical greatness. Music is the soundtrack to our lives, and it is our job to make sure that our music does not get lost!
There is something extremely powerful about men singing together. What do you think when I say these groups.........112, Tony Toni Tone, Jodeci, Boys II Men, New Edition, Lakeside, Shalamar, Frankie Beverly & Maze, Heatwave, The O'Jays, The Sytlistics, The Dramatics, The Temptations, Earth, Wind & Fire, The Ohio Players, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Cadillacs, The Platters, The Moon Glows, and I may not have touched on your favorite........but I know that I touched on a few different decades of male singing.
And don't tell me that I need to let go of the old dayz......Kiss & Aerosmith may not be burning up the charts, but you still have Linkin Park and Green Day picking up the baton and running on.
I'm not talking about girl groups today........I'll get to us later, but the loss of black men singers and musicians in today's music is a tragedy that I don't even think we see. So let me try and refocus us.
We need to once again find a way to nurture our young men back to singing and let them know that it IS okay to be a great singer and to sing powerfully with all of your voice. It really is okay to sing a love song and not call a woman a bitch. There really IS a market for this music. Everyone else sees the value in our rich musical tradition.........EXCEPT US................
In 2011 I plan to have the male group competition and give scholarships to the best and most polished male groups. We have to have clubs for young singers and musician,s so that they can learn the ART of performing live. Come on people let's take our music back. We like to groove, and we like to funk, and we like to mellow, in only the way that we can.
This new song "Misery" by Maroon 5 has a vamp musical breakdown that is soooooooooo funky. And I wonder how did white boys learn this kind of funk? YOU KNOW WHERE.......
A few years back I used to work the overnight shift in a downtown hotel as an operator. The other operator was a black guy named Tyrone who obviously didn't grow up within the black experience...( another blog for another time) Since he was the more senior of us, I used to have to listen to the radio station that he chose, which was an easy listening all white music station ( with a couple of Lionel Ritchie hits thrown in). But what I noticed is that every 4th song was a remake of some white singer singing a cover of an R&B song. And Tyrone had no idea that the music that he was listening to was lifted right out of the "colored music section".
So what am I saying.............Other cultures are raping our stuff, studying it, and selling it back to us, and we are buying it............ not knowing that it came from us in the first place.
As much I as I hate to love Justin Timberlake.........I gotta give it to him. He and N'Sync stole from The Temptations, The Contours, The Spinners, Jodeci, and The Jackson 5 and did it well. But trust me, Justin didn't learn his hip hop R&B swag from The Osmonds and the Oakridge Boys.
I'm bringing talent and real music back!!!!!! Anyone interested in helping me hit me up...........we gotta have a renaissance of our culture.
Okima, I agree with you whole hearetedly. To directly address your question: Where did the music go? I would say, we've given our unique artistry away. Not to judge him nor accuse him, but one brother who immediately comes to mind is Darrin Dewitt Henson. You know the brother who played Len on Soul Food (TV series)and the protagonist in Stomp the Yard. He is the choreographer who taught Britney Spears how to dance "black" as you put it. Look at the brothers, such as the likes of Usher, who have taken Justin Bieber under their wings. Back when Break dancing was popular, rich jewish fathers would get the "B-boys to teach their sons how to breakdance for their post Bar mitzvah celebrations. And your boy Justin Timberlake is just a straight up thief. I'm not suggesting that this is the only means by which we've lost our authenticity, nor a I saying it should not be shared b/c as you well know art is definitely to be shared. I'm merely suggesting that we have definitely contributed to the demise of our culture in the art of music as well as dance.
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