Robin Thicke's music is what I would classify as R&B. The Daily Show skit suggests that Robin Thicke has "assimilated" to the musical forms that make up R&B has crossed racial lines to achieve a dream. It really made me think of how certain musical genres seem to have remained somewhat, for lack of a better word, segregated. Even from watching the videos in class, I realized that certain genres were dominated by certain racial groups.
The genre that first stuck out in my mind was country. The country music industry is dominated by white artists. Only recently has this genre been breached by non-white singers, namely Charlie Pride and Darius Rucker (the former member and lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish), who are both black. Rap and hip-hop are other genres that seems to be dominated by artists of color, namely black artists. Yes, there's Eminem and - way back when - there was Vanilla Ice, but the most popular and prevalent artists of today are black. However, Rap and hip-hop, unlike country, are genres people of every race listen to. I find this really fascinating. What is the attraction to rap and hip-hop that country does not have?
Furthermore, what is it about these genres that has kept them somewhat segregated? Will ever be a time when they're not dominated by one race? What does it mean when someone "crosses over" to a genre where their race is typically not featured?
1 comment:
I think Anne has raised some really interesting questions here. in response, I want to suggest that the attraction to rap /hip-hop is more diverse and widely enjoyed than country because a) it's better music and b) location, but i'll stick to just point b.
It seems that where you grow up is deeply influential to what genres of music you enjoy and feel proud to share with others. One example is people from the Bay Area of California; even the people who won't necessarily claim hip-hop as their favorite genre, will almost always know some Bay rap artists, be able to describe what "getting hyphy" is all about, and/or proudly remind people that the Bay is hub for a lot of up and coming rap artists/music/shows.
Another point about location is that Rap and hip hop have enjoyed better publicity than country music in recent years because many of the most famous artists come from popular urban areas that already get massive media attention. With fiery passion The Game and Dr. Dre rep LA (a HUGE media, pop culture hub) while the famous Notorious B.I.G and Jay-Z show undying allegiance to New York City (second in its pop culture significance only to LA). Consequently, the cultural spotlight is always on, or at least near these rappers and their music. Their Lyrics and popular music videos showcase these cities which I presume builds the fan base of people who live in those areas or people who seek an escape/are intrigued by life in those big cities. Can you remember the last big non-country music awards show, concerts, or premiers that happened in Texas? Alabama? Georgia? If more popular culture events happened there, or if more paparazzi swarmed stars lived in these areas, maybe country music would garner a more national and diverse audience. Until then however, I’m guessing that country music will remain popular amongst white southern/ middle America listeners who associate the music with their families past, their region and their lives.
Post a Comment