# Are There Any Predominantly Black Rock/Alternative Bands? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 22, 2005, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-predominantly-black-rock-alternative-bands/300584 "2005-04-22T12:32:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chimpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@Chimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimpy)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-predominantly-black-rock-alternative-bands/300584/21 "2005-04-22T18:44:23Z")
Try Skindred, they’re reg-metal and from the looks of things predominantly black. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-predominantly-black-rock-alternative-bands/300584/22 "2005-04-22T19:36:12Z")
The lead singer of **Splender** is black and I think one other member as well. They rock. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-predominantly-black-rock-alternative-bands/300584/23 "2005-04-22T19:59:48Z")
Most of the one’s I can think of have already been mentioned… **Bad Brains** and **The Dirtbombs** certainly rank with some of my all time favourites. Not mentioned thus far… **24-7 Spyz** and if Ska counts there are plenty, including… **The Specials** **The English Beat** ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-predominantly-black-rock-alternative-bands/300584/24 "2005-04-22T20:35:16Z")
Cyprus Hill’s mainly a rap group but they’ve made forays into Metalland. \*Rock SuperStar \* is the starting song for my jogging list. ---
**Author:** ![Mississippienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mississippienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mississippienne)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-predominantly-black-rock-alternative-bands/300584/25 "2005-04-22T20:49:15Z")
Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine/Audioslave is of Kenyan, Irish, and Italian descent. There’s a number of bands with racially mixed lineups. RATM singer Zack de la Rocha was Chicano (Mexican-American). Fieldy from KoRn is Latino. Chino Moreno from Deftones is Mexican/Chinese, and his bandmate Chi Cheng is Asian-American. Mike Shinoda and Joe Hahn, both of Linkin Park, are of Asian descent. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-predominantly-black-rock-alternative-bands/300584/26 "2005-04-22T21:05:43Z")
[Motown](http://www.motown.com/frameset.html) is still predominately black. ---
**Author:** ![Freejooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ba8739/32.png) [@Freejooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freejooky)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-predominantly-black-rock-alternative-bands/300584/27 "2005-04-22T21:53:15Z")
God, it’s so sad when people start trying to respond to threads like this with little or no knowledge of music. If you don’t have anything to add, don’t reach deep into your rectum and pull out a 15-year-old one-hit ownder like Living Colour or Sonia fucking Dada! Now - TV on the Radio BLEW UP in the past year, having a hit record and ending up on many critical year-end lists. They’re all black, with one white guy, and are a rock band. The Dears, from Canada, are fronted by a black guitarist and singer. Ditto for Washington, DC’s Stamen and Pistils and Beauty Pill (who are fronted by Chad Clark, famous for engineering Fugazi’s albums and fronting the defunct band Smart Went Crazy). An incredible compilation just came out called “Chains and Black Exhaust” that’s all post-hendrix black rock bands. It’s fucking incredible. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-predominantly-black-rock-alternative-bands/300584/28 "2005-04-22T22:08:33Z")
> [@Rufus Xavier](#): > > _Robert Randolph and the Family Band_ definitely qualifies. They rock, and they have but one white person in the band. They are really good, and I would check them out if they were playing anywhere within 500 miles of me this year. Their first LP, released last year, is excellent. Here’s their website: > > [http://www.robertrandolph.net/](http://www.robertrandolph.net/) I just want to second the sentiment. They opened for Clapton at the Hollywood Bowl, and for the first time ever, I enjoyed the opening act basically as much as the main star. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-predominantly-black-rock-alternative-bands/300584/29 "2005-04-22T22:15:46Z")
\*\*The Negro Problem \*\* is an otherwise-white band of six, but it’s led by its black singer-songwriter, Stew, who’s also a solo artist. Their music is an arty, often retro-sounding pop and not rock or alt-rock, per se. Needless to say, their band name is historical and ironic. ---
**Author:** ![Leviosaurus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Leviosaurus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leviosaurus)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-predominantly-black-rock-alternative-bands/300584/30 "2005-04-22T22:21:59Z")
> [@Larry Borgia](#): > > Yeah, whatever happened to them? I didn’t care for there albums so much, but live they put on a hell of a show. The guitarist was amazing, and unlike too many other super-talented axe players he worked to better the song, rather than to show off.(His name was Vernon Reid, right? it’s been a while.) The rest of the band was pretty tight too. I always wondered why they seemed to suddenly disappear. Man, when they first hit the scene with that song, it was electric! Nobody knew what to make of them, and they were too good to ignore. I can’t recall any band that had such an amazing presence, and everything about them was so damn cool… it’s a real shame they weren’t able to keep it going. They were the Band that Should Have Been. **Freejooky** , I’m sorry you didn’t get them. ---
**Author:** ![Freejooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ba8739/32.png) [@Freejooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freejooky)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-predominantly-black-rock-alternative-bands/300584/31 "2005-04-22T22:53:51Z")
It’s not that I didn’t get them - Wooten in particular has kept it up, doing some amazing work with others. I was just frustrated that they were the first/only thing most people could think of when asked to name a black rock band. 15 years, people! ---
**Author:** ![Jojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecd19e/32.png) [@Jojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jojo)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-predominantly-black-rock-alternative-bands/300584/32 "2005-04-22T23:01:55Z")
Can’t believe no one’s mentioned Jimi Hendrix. I saw Bad Brains live a few times - they were one hell of a live band. Although (perhaps surprisingly) their thrash songs were better than their reggae ones. If they could have gotten their reggae stuff just a little bit better, they would have been the perfect band. Although this is a minor niggle, their reggae stuff was still good. At some of the concerts I saw they would play mostly thrash and throw in the odd reggae number, other times it would be mostly reggae with the odd thrash one thrown in. It’s hard to describe just how cool it is to be standing there watching a really good reggae gig that suddenly and inexplicably turns into thousand mile-an-hour thrash metal. ---
**Author:** ![ZeroGyro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47774/32.png) [@ZeroGyro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZeroGyro)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-predominantly-black-rock-alternative-bands/300584/33 "2005-04-22T23:50:50Z")
> [@Freejooky](#): > > It’s not that I didn’t get them - Wooten in particular has kept it up, doing some amazing work with others. I was just frustrated that they were the first/only thing most people could think of when asked to name a black rock band. 15 years, people! Wooten who? If your talking about Victor Wooten, you’re getting your black bassists confused. Muzz Skillings and Doug Wimbish have been the only two bassists for the band. I don’t think you should be so critical of people “with little or no knowledge of music.” And the band is still around, though obviously not near as successful as they once were. They’re easily the most prominent all-black rock band to have been succesful in the last 20 years(sad as that may be). Speaking of Wimbish and Living Colour drummer Will Calhoun, they were (are?) part of a supergroup fronted by rapper Mos Def. Its called Black Jack Johnson and it includes Parliament/Funkadelic keyboardist Bernie Worrell and Bad Brains guitarist Dr. Know. That’s a fucking line up! ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-predominantly-black-rock-alternative-bands/300584/34 "2005-04-22T23:59:35Z")
Who here besides me remembers [Mother’s Finest?](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:u1uk6j5h7180) They kicked ass. Check out their last album Black Radio Won’t Play This Record. Good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2005, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-predominantly-black-rock-alternative-bands/300584/35 "2005-04-23T00:01:18Z")
If only I read my own cites I’d know that Black Radio Won’t Play This Record was not their last album and that they are still together. I’m stupid. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2005, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-predominantly-black-rock-alternative-bands/300584/36 "2005-04-23T00:33:19Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > The lead singer of **Splender** is black and I think one other member as well. > > They rock. 😃 Lol. A friend and I spent the first 10 minutes of one of their concerts trying to figure out if he was black or the lighting was strange in the spot where he was standing (his hair was dyed platinum blond, which threw us). We concluded that he was black \*and \* the lighting was strange in the spot where he was, because when he moved we could see him far more clearly. 😛 Tricky comes to mind. Ms. Dynamite and Zap Mama get some play on alternative stations as well so they at least have crossover appeal. One member of the alternative group Bloc Party is black too, but I’m guessing 97% of people who read the this thread have never heard of them (or Zap Mama). ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2005, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-predominantly-black-rock-alternative-bands/300584/37 "2005-04-23T00:50:29Z")
Isn’t one of the guys in Sum 41 black? How about Massive Attack? If I’m not mistaken, they used to have 3 black members, 1 white member, but now it’s just 3D (the white guy). ---
**Author:** ![ZeroGyro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47774/32.png) [@ZeroGyro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZeroGyro)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2005, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-predominantly-black-rock-alternative-bands/300584/38 "2005-04-23T01:08:36Z")
> [@Mirror Image egamI rorriM](#): > > Isn’t one of the guys in Sum 41 black? Guitarist Dave Baksh’s parents are Guyanese immigrants. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2005, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-predominantly-black-rock-alternative-bands/300584/39 "2005-04-23T01:16:21Z")
> [@Jojo](#): > > Can’t believe no one’s mentioned Jimi Hendrix. Jimi? He hasn’t performed in, what, 35 years? [Leon](http://www.leonhendrix.com/), on the other hand… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2005, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-predominantly-black-rock-alternative-bands/300584/40 "2005-04-23T01:37:16Z")
**The Libertines** ’ bassist Gary Powell is a skinny, angsty white boy by association only. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-predominantly-black-rock-alternative-bands/300584.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-predominantly-black-rock-alternative-bands/300584.md?page=3)