Black music used to be the best

and now its the very worst.

Back to the 20s through to the 50s a lot of black popular music was musically invigorating and the musicians themselves were talented individuals, improvisation and soulful playing had a big part in it. Blues music speaks to my soul more than any other music, and that was entirely a black invention. Jazz is more debatable, but goddamn you take some of the very best jazz figures and i assure you the ones that you find twirl your mind in a cathartic frenzy are probably mostly black.

Now look at all the black musicians in the spotlight today, they're all rappers. Reggae don't have no spotlight nomore, neither does ska (at least not in its proper form, this punk-ska leaves a lot to be desired), and I think its a sad thing that the once great black backlash of music against the tradition has changed now... into a form of music that is both lacklustre and faded, untalented and simply a means of keeping the proletariat docile.

It's got nothing to do with race, though i guess it has something to do with racism. Black musicians in the early twentieth century in the US feeling alienated and pushed aside strove for a new form of musical expression.

I can't even begin to make sense of the hip-hop movement though... everything since the 80s has been pretty screwed up. And i mean EVERything.

ps: anyone who shouts me down as a racist for this is a fool who doesn't even understand the meaning of what he is saying... yet I can guarantee someone will say it.

 

I blame black people for buying into the image the white man created for them in order to keep them down.

Point and laugh at every OG you see on the street wearing FUBU.

 

Whatever Nazi.

I'm completely kidding but couldn't disagree more with your assessment.

The message, when there is one, has simply been redirected and delivered differently. I do agree that much of the mainstream radio cuts you hear hold no message of substance, but I cannot agree that ALL, or even a majority, of today's black artists fail to inspire or have depth.

 

Good point.

One must also realize that the concept of "mainstream" music didn't truly exist back in the days of "good" black music.

Plus, there's always Wu-Tang.

 

lol yeah this hip hop shit is out of control i see preppy college kids crip walkin at the club and wonder, do they know what their doing.

 

You're comparing your musical tastes with the upward momentum of a race.

"I used to like black music in the 20's but now I don't anymore so black culture isn't going anywhere" sounds fucking ignorant.

I haven' had a good omelette in a while. Paris must be on fire.

 

the majority of mainstream artists of any race lack any depth, while the more underground independent artists of all races tend to have much more integrity to their music.

It will likely be that way forever now

 

Seems it's been that way for about 24 years or so. . .

 

Its because blacks were more down to earth 70 years ago. They seen hard times first hand, they had real problems to over come, and that went into their music and made it original.

Now all black music is about is money cars and tits, no art what so ever. Fine music for the musically retarded.

 

A man who can condemn an entire genre is a man who knows little about what he speaks of.

 

People who say that hip-hop and rap are only about money, cars, and tits obviously are dogging a genre they know nothing about and haven't actually LISTENED to the lyrics. Sorry, but I dig old R&B and Motown, and I also dig some of the modern (I guess in the past 15 years is modern in my book) "black music". They may have a lot harder and dirtier lyrics but a lot of them talk about the way life was for them, and if you can't take the violence and street life in the song, then turn off the radio and put on a Marvin Gaye album.

 

i was actually condemning a whole race's contribution to music in general, over the last 20 years.

The thing with hip hop is that they did not create the sounds or lyrics, its all been done before just arranged differently. Even if they rap about how their life was, what does that accomplish? does it change anything for the better, no. It glorifies the life and puts money into the gun toting animals they are.

 

"If you know in this hotel room they have food every day and I knock on the door. Every day they open tha door to let me see tha party, let me see that they throwin' salami, throwin' food around telling me there's no food. Every day. I'm standing outside tryin to sing my way in- "We are weak, please let us in. We're week, please let us in."

After about a week tha song is gonna change to, "We're hungry, we need some food." After two, three weeks it's like "Give me some of tha food! I'm breakin down tha door." After a year it's like, "I'm pickin' the lock, comin' through the door blastin." It's like, "I'm hungry."
You reached your level, you don't want any more.

We asked ten years ago, we were askin' with the Panthers, we were askin' in the Civil Rights Movement. Now those who were askin' are all dead or in jail, so what are we gonna do? And we shouldn't be angry!?"

Tupac Shakur

 

underground and oldschool underground hip-hop is cool.

Madlib "invasion" is spawn of something really cool in under ground hip-hop his father was a soul musician, and they recreate old records pretty much,
really unique, tasteful, and enjoyable. This is the 21st century, there are new ideas and if you just look at it with an open mind they are broad arenas, and some very classy, knowledgeable, music.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupac_Shakur

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Sure. Co-optation.


BUT, I'd say ALL commercial music today is inferior to the music of even a few decades ago.

Bad music goes well with bread and circus.

 

It was kind-hearted for Death Row Records to keep bailing Tupac out of jail in return for him signing more recording contracts with them.

.

 

Not really. They were making shitloads of money off him.

 

True, but let's give the industry a break. They did it only at the expense of creating a violent east-west rivalry between rappers, fighting over who gets the bigger piece of the corporate pie, establishing a backdrop of false glamour for the general public to latch onto to increase profits, and setting up a marketing environment for all the youth to see that was as much or even more violent and repulsive than any setting they may have grown up in.

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That's the smallest price to pay in a consumer-oriented society. There is more to come.