If that wasn’t meant as extreme hyperbole, then that’s just crazy. And offensive. Well. it’s probably offensive either way. Teenagers in general do try to fit in with their peers, but nobody is MAD about someone listening to weird music. They might think you’re weird, might even make fun of you for it, but get violent? Come the fuck on. Black people are just people. Sure they might like orange soda, but what they don’t do is kill people for having different taste in music. Lovely attitude for a social worker to have.
Ha!
For the record, I have driven through Houston’s Fifth Ward neighborhood blasting The Police. No bullet wounds, or weird looks, for that matter.
I recall that when Bloc Party became popular they were considered somewhat remarkable because their lead singer, Kele Okereke, is black. This was (and perhaps still is) unusual for a British indie band.
Grape.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, loads shotgun I think I hear the soft strains of Barry Manilow coming up the street.
Well, I noticed similar trends in Canada albeit in smaller size. I myself am no fan of hip-hop or R&B but blues and funk is a different thing. So is jazz and it’s equally cool derivative acid jazz.
Now, one thing that I noticed that may explain cultural aspects of it is the trend in Canada that immigrant groups tend to stick together (unlike US “melting pot”) in many ways that sustain a given community; e.g. proximity of settling in homes, subdivisions, specific city areas or even small towns, keeping friends from back home due to strong influence of language and old-country political, national and/or religious ties, you get the picture. Now, music is very important aspect of it because these communities bring old-country obscure music acts that only enhance and confirm a given community. In these communities, music becomes significant cohesive ingredient; the point is always made of attending a concert of some musician from old-country becoming a pledge of allegiance to the community. It is self-imposed isolation and sort of tribalism that while it permeates these communities, especially 1st generation immigrants and their offspring (which is at least 50% of people in Greater Toronto Area) it also brings a sense of comfort and self-sufficiency and, as this is Canada, kind of agreed and understood mode of coexistence.
How does this link to OP?
Well, I think that a predominant portion of AA community in US is in certain type of isolation, in some cases, self-imposed in some cases structurally imposed. It brings about tribalism in its raw form and music, as this community is very musical, music becomes instantly a symbol of that “tribe” and its significance is evident with some of the earlier anecdotal evidence. The reason it is cultural is because it affects poor White and Latino neighbourhoods and hip-hop focus on lyrics of rebellion (early on) and lyrics of provocation (nowadays) is a perfect tool for maintaining tribe cohesiveness and, in my opinion, reactionary attitudes.
Once you get someone out of it - i.e. you take someone’s cultural cover away - they will inevitably via interactions with others open up their own desires that were pent-up due to tribal forces described.
I guess…
But we haven’t mentioned some of the bigger black rock artists before hitting up “that guy from that band” status. What about Prince? Slash? Ben Harper? Hootie?
:smack:
All important artists, especially Prince. Sheesh.
I would suggest that again, this is an artifact of racism in the music industry. Prince plays rock (at one point in his career) but he would never be categorized thusly. A lot of these artists, and those I mentioned, cross genres quite easily but are placed in the R&B category.
Don’t forget Lenny Kravitz.
And the “black people will shoot you!” stuff must be tossed in the bin along with the “black people will riot!” stuff. None of my peers ever gave me a hard time about rocking to Sinead O’Connor and the Black Crows when I was a youngin’…except when I would sing out loud to whatever was playing on my Walkman.
Just like no one ever called me “white” for being smart.
The image of someone busting a cap in someone’s ass because they’re playing Genesis or Rush cracks me up.
BAD ASS #1: Say fool break yo’self! We got to smoke this sucka.
BAD ASS #2: Word? What that fool do?
BAD ASS #1: I caught this sucka on Crenshaw blasting Matchbox 20!
BAD ASS #2: That shit makes me sick. Let’s peel that muthafucka’s cap!
(car tires squeal)
Word. There are a lot of people who don’t really get this. I tell folks all the time. In my school, there were smart kids and there were kids who ‘acted white’. The two weren’t the same thing. (although plenty of the kids who ‘acted white’ were also smart.)
Some of the coolest, hippest most popular kids in school were smart. As a matter of fact, if you were dumb, black kids would pick on you for that! (you should see what would happen if it was your turn to read in class and you struggled).
Sorry to hijack, but that is theme I’ve heard or seen in the media that bugs me.
Is it bad that I agree with them?
I think the prejudice is not so much for being smart but for actually trying hard at school. Black kids will sometimes get shit for that from other black kids, more so than white kids would from other white kids.
Not at all. I’ve contemplated murdering people who profess to like Matchbox 20 and Train.
And don’t get me started on will.i.am and his crapophile friends in black eyed peas. They suck in the strongest way. Last night the Queen had a concert and that fool was the first act on! Lost a little respect for old’ Liz II after that.
But on to the acting white thing… I definitely got a lot of shit from Black people for being a nerd, not athletic, and having corny tastes. White, Latino, and Asian kids seemed to just accept my weirdness but I was ostracized by a lot of Black kids. Now I did have a lot of Black friends, and I was just weird Hippy, but some would just blank me. I did go to school in the 'hood with some tough characters. But I also didn’t try real hard to fit in, which could have been my problem…
I do think that in my experience, both as a student and a teacher in inner city schools, Black kids get more shit from Black kids for being really into school. Like Nzinga said I will say the worse thing that can happen to you in the Black peer group is to be thought of as stupid. Either from not being able to read, or just doing dumb shit. Now if you don’t give a fuck and that’s why you flunked/got arrested, that’s okay. But don’t let it be a situation where you tried and failed.
A lot of dudes loved the police and rush because they have badass drummers..in fact I remember blasting the start of hot for teacher by vanhalen for that reason..
There is something gone terribly wrong with the world when the fact that ska bands have black members is considered worth mentioning.
Story told before.
I once attended a concert by these guys in Barcelona’s Studio 54.
At one point, Prince and his entourage went up to the VIP area, causing a wave of confusion all around the central floor. It was like seeing Montserrat Caballé in a Lady Gaga concert- bwah? They stayed for maybe 15 minutes before leaving.
In Spain, RB stands for rockabilly and Prince is considered pop. It was only when I discovered that in the US he is considered R&B (rythm-and-blues) that I realized how could he have ended at the Studio listening to a group whose concerts are peppered with “Who’s The King?” “Elvis!” “I can’t hear you!” “EL VIIIIIIS!”
The friend I went with was from a part of town where the default music is flamenco. In other areas, the heavies, punks and rockers growled at each other: in his, they sort of formed the group of “those weirdos who don’t like normal music”.
Just a little bit of irony there, isn’t there?
Now, I can’t speak to the broadness of the average hip-hop music listener’s music and art horizons, but to be a successful hip hop music producer, you generally have to have a broad interest in music of all kinds. The backing tracks on rap records are incredibly dense and diverse in terms of musical history and genre.
Ben Harper? The Jewish guy? 
And Slash is British. Black British and African American are two different things.
Sorry. Couldn’t resist. (:
I’m sticking with my “it’s largely the culture” argument. In my experience, minority cultures are more conformist. (Mine included.)
Y’all can’t forget Bad Brains, who were pioneers of punk rock in the DC area in the 1970s. All four band members are black, and they’re still making music.
How can people listen to Rap exclusively? I find it generally boorish and repetitive. 