Black Music Needs More White People…

thick rihanna

Watching the Soul Train Music Awards show only one week after the American Music Awards show it was painfully obvious to see that Black folks have done absolutely nothing to bridge the production values chasm that has existed since before Soul Train and American Bandstand had their own awards shows.

The lack of staging and reduced amount of backup dancers was the most glaring shortcoming. The fact that these Soul Train awards couldn’t even be broadcast from a non-cable network was the next huge detraction. With all the teh ghey entertainers living in the Atlanta area you had to also ask yourself where was the Soul Train awards scene-stealing Adam Lambert. [ll] to asking yourself that question naturally.

But even that question cuts to the heart of why the Soul Train Music Awards was a major PU~. There were no white people. When the day comes that Black music has no white people earnestly doing it that shit falls the fux off. Classic R & B needs to get that blue-eyed soul back into its chamber. White is on some techno dance dance revolution now shit thanks to that race-trader Timbaland. If the Soul Train Music Awards is ever gonna stand on its own two again they need to get Adam Levine and Natasha Bedingfield on that shit.

What about Jon B and Joss Stone? Let’s break Remy Shand and Amy Winehouse out of rehab. White will get the production values back up to a viewable level where Soul Train can once again be watched with enjoyment. There was a time when white made some of the dopest R & B, ahem, urban contemporary music and I totally listened to that shit. I’m not just talking about that Teena Marie shit that never crossed over onto white’s iPod, I’m talking about that classic music that defies all racial boundaries…


The Police – ‘Spirits In The Material World’


Phil Collins – ‘Take A Look At Me Now’


Swing Out Sister – ‘Breakout’


Hall & Oates – ‘I Can’t Go For That’


Barry Gibb & Barbara Streisand – ‘Guilty’


Sting – ‘Englishman In New York’


Genesis – ‘Tonight’

25 Responses to “Black Music Needs More White People…”

  1. aaron says:

    that hall & oates joint is my ish!

  2. sealsaa says:

    Damn. They could’ve broadcast the entire show on Rihanna’s greasy forehead

  3. nerditry says:

    Lemme say this about that:

    My entire life I’ve been going to blues shows, du-wop shows, classic r&b shows with the vast majority of them being free during festivals or put on by radio stations. Never, ever, eeeeeeeeever besides an Ike Turner show a few years back have ever seen black fans make up more then 10% of the audience.

    Now I know that some would contend that white people (Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin) stole blues from the black man. But whut the fuck when it comes to attending when it’s a black blues man or woman?

  4. mercilesz says:

    lol @ nerditry. Ur so right. when it comes to black music/dance and black people thats how it is. black people dont preserve shit. We always want something new. In 1990 i used to watch video music box on 31 and it would be oldschool monday or something and theyd play the symphony…im like this just came out in 88….or if u were still a breaker in 85 and didnt do the wop u were “played out”….seems like this time black people are really on the loosing end for not keeping up tradition….Jamiroquai>Remy

  5. chris says:

    Is that where Remy’s been all these years?

  6. 6 100 says:

    On the flip side, I think something should be said about the migration of people of color to traditionally colorless(read:white) music. I was on the J train and this thug looking ass nickel sits next to me. And he’s listening to Death/Speed Metal. I was like “WTF?”

    I literally thought those three letters in my brain, son.

    It was kind of cool in that it was unexpected, but I also notice that the folks blasting rap from today don’t seem to be that bright. ESPECIALLY when they listen to that AWFUL Jigga/Alicia Keys brain vomit. That has got to be JayZ’s worst single since. . .birth. But I digress.

  7. No love for Taylor Dayne, DP? What about Jane Child and her nose chain?

    (and I had to google it to make sure I didn’t put the porn star who jacked her name)

  8. VEe! says:

    Dallas, yup, yeah . . . the production values need to be upgraded. I don’t even want to begin talking about the singers that can’t sing and their lack of showmanship. Please stop the medleys, they are horrible.

    Nerditry, yeah.
    Once in a while I’ll check out a blues show. I would say that the 10% is completely wrong, it is probably more like 5% or 3%. Black execs, urban radio are basically bullshit and have been prior to rap hitting the scene. They were really slow to embrace, support and help hip hop develop.

    Nerditry, ever check out a indie hip hop show? Or better yet a Public Enemy show? Cypress Hill is still dope but unfortunately largely ignored . . . so sad.

    Did anyone notice how quickly radio ignored any new material from Boyz II Men as soon as they became indepent?

    —–
    I recall an Isaac Hayes interview where he discussed his inability to find a label for his last disc. He end up recording for a European label called Point Blank. The label owners were REALLY excited to work with Hayes and COULD NOT believe he couldn’t find a label in the States willing to work with him. I personally thought the oh-we-miss-and-revere you Isaac Hayes sentiment was really fake because urban radio did not play select cuts from his catalog because it did not fit the format.

    Radio really needs more disc jockeys like Frankie Crocker and YES, Star and Buckwild.

  9. the_dallas says:

    6 100,
    Death metal actually takes its namesake from a group of early punk rock brothers from Detroit who named their band ‘Death’. There’s a drop on them with some attached music here at DP.com if you know how to use the search tab on the right. I would say use keywords ‘death punk rock’ and the post should come up. Blacks favored the electric guitar over the acoustic joint because they was trying to get they point across loudly. Black bands couldn’t get no shine as rock bands because of all the white holding guitars too. They saw what happened when you intermingled everyone in the 1960s on some rebel rock shit. Black bands had to go the funk route if they wanted any shine (read: label deals, airplay). Death kept it hardbody.

  10. “Motor City Is Burning”–

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6jMfoobWY0

    Ya’ll ever see this? Jimi ** in the audience ** digging on Buddy Guy–

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG05S2vNsmQ

    I assume everyone here knows Eddie Hazel and “Maggot Brain” right?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12pywl9zNIE

    Mother Earth is pregnant for the third time!!

  11. mercilesz says:

    Jane Child? classic….Rick Astley not so much

  12. 1969 says:

    Shouts out to Tears for Fears, INXS….and I’m sorry but one of the dopest blued eyed soul tracks ever is Wham “Everything She Wants”.

  13. Tony Grands says:

    Mos Def (or someone of his ilk) was supposedly producing a film telling the story of “Death”, the band not the occurrence.

    Anywhich, Joss Stone, Jon B & Robin Thicke[||] have convinced me that unbridled soul comes from the soul. They got chops, no Mr. Miyagi.

    Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems that Black folks segregate themselves so much (from White more than anyone else) & end up missing out on some flavorful hodge podge, @ least in the realm that is Hollyweird.

    It’s cool to be proud & independent, but what’s the use of having the right to use the same water fountain if we just willingly go back to “ours”.

  14. the_dallas says:

    1969,
    A couple of years ago C.S. hosted a New Years party at her crib and we carried on with the most eclectic multi-culti crew you could imagine. We danced our asses off to Michael Jackson and James Brown but all of that paled in comparison to when that classic Wham song came on the speakers. The entire apartment collectively swooned [ll] and then everyone joined in for the most raucous, heartfelt karaoke rendition of that song. It was like we were all reliving the first time we had our hearts broken. Music can be a migic time portal like that.

  15. verses says:

    Dallas, Dame Dash said him and Mos Def are doing a documentary on Death…there was this really good article bout them in the New York Times a while back…

    whats up with your twitter account?

  16. HeyLinus says:

    @ Dallas & 1969:

    Good call on the Wham! tune – its always stood out so far from all their other stuff.

    About the white/ black thing: I remember Chuck D back in the 80s talking about this – said that the rap tours were lame with no stagecraft. Also that certain acts thought turning up n shambling about on stage to a taped backing for about 20mins was what they thought a show was.. and in turn the frustration of the crowd at this increased the risk of violence at/ after the show.

    He said that was why they toured with Anthrax/U2 or whoever.. to see the rock bands putting it on, knowing about the lighting/ sound & pacing the show for maximum impact/release. That may be why PE can still turn up anywhere and do the business?

    PS. Can we put Steely Dan in the white box? Funky fuckers most of the time.

  17. md20737 says:

    Maybe we dont have whites bc the blacks are busy trying to steal thier spots IE Rhianna. Shes not a hip hop or r&b singer. Shes a pop singer I guess. We are so busy imitating them they dont have to imitate us, because imitating us would be being them at this point. The ones that give great music and have great voices jazmine sullivan, tamia, deborah cox, etc dont get the shine. The more raunchy less talented ones get.

  18. chris says:

    Dallas- Really? Death metal canonically is attributed to a couple of underground speed metal tapes from 83-85, which were comps named “Death Metal” and from the title of Possesed’s first LP.

  19. mercilesz says:

    @1969…everything she wants was my joint but careless whisper is too souful to deny

  20. mercilesz says:

    oooh and the jungle brothers sample of father figure is sick!!!!!!!!!!

  21. 1969 says:

    Dallas…if you grew up in the Wham era…you can’t front on George Michael (II). That man has soul. Ever hear his duet with Mary J when he covered Stevie Wonder’s Always?

  22. FrakTalk says:

    Indeed. Soul on the whole needs a big ol’ C’MON SON. This bloke does a decent run down here of soul’s absentia in the contemporary mainstream.

    Player had a pretty decent lp and if Steely Dan gets the nod then Average White Band gets the gold.

  23. oh yeah! black music is the best…”

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