from The Root.com
Hip-hop has run out of ideas. And if you need proof, consider that Lil Wayne's doing a rock album.
Rock is Black Music, Too
by Rob Fields
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.
Read the Full Article @
Hip-hop has run out of ideas. And if you need proof, consider that Lil Wayne's doing a rock album.
Rock is Black Music, Too
by Rob Fields
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.
Read the Full Article @
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