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23 Times America Failed Black People in 2014

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Or maybe successful artists from other ethnic group is a testament to how influential rap is? People are always annoyed when their medium hits the mainstream and is adopted by a large spectrum of people. I really don't understand what the problem is here exactly, other than it not reflecting the struggles of a specific group anymore? That the genre receives more recognition now since people around the world tune in and countless artists create songs, various languages are used (other than English) and so on?

Every genre has its origins somewhere but things change, popularity, mainstream, shit happens, adapt, Darwin, gotta roll with it.

You're thinking about it too hard. Rap, like Jazz before it, and Rock/Blues before it carried a stigma of savage jungle music. Until you put a white face on it. Then it's Elvis is the King of Rock or Eminem is the King of Rap, Igloo Australia is "running the rap game." How would you feel is everything that your community creates is looked down upon until someone else puts out a blander version of it and then gets hailed as an originator and your community is still seen as a bunch of worthless welfare recipients who need to get their shit together.
 
The country was built on the corpses and backs of the black, poor, native, etc... peoples and its official rhetoric does not recognize this at all.

It does not surprise me that any of this stuff still occurs.
 

Malyse

Member
You're thinking about it too hard. Rap, like Jazz before it, and Rock/Blues before it carried a stigma of savage jungle music. Until you put a white face on it. Then it's Elvis is the King of Rock or Eminem is the King of Rap, Igloo Australia is "running the rap game." How would you feel is everything that your community creates is looked down upon until someone else puts out a blander version of it and then gets hailed as an originator and your community is still seen as a bunch of worthless welfare recipients who need to get their shit together.

You got it.
 
A lot of the list I agree with but what I don't understand how the complaints of white people rapping or dancing can be viewed as anything but racist. How is being upset that a musician wins awards within a year because they are white not discrimination?
Maybe someone doesn't like their music, sure. Maybe there are other more talented artists out there, ok (there always is no matter who wins). But making something like art an issue of race and limiting who can enjoy it or perform it because the colour of their skin is wrong and is undeniably racist, my eyes anyway. I simply don't see this any different than separate water fountains, enterances based on colour or not allowing marriages due to sexuality orientation.
I mean obviously, due to the amount people that are upset with white people enjoying or performing hip hop, I am wrong, but no matter how many times I see people angry about this, no matter the reasons I have seen people use, it still sounds like "people can't do X because their skin colour is Y".
 

Malyse

Member
A lot of the list I agree with but what I don't understand how the complaints of white people rapping or dancing can be viewed as anything but racist. How is being upset that a musician wins awards within a year because they are white not discrimination?
Maybe someone don't like their music, sure. Maybe there are other more talented artists out there, ok (there always is no matter who wins). But making something like art an issue of race and limiting who can enjoy it or perform it because the colour of their skin is wrong and is undeniably racist, my eyes anyway. I simply don't see this any different than separate water fountains, enterances based on colour or not allowing marriages due to sexuality orientation.
I mean obviously, due to the amount people that are upset with white people enjoying or performing hip hop, I am wrong, but no matter how many times I see people angry about this, no matter the reasons I have seen people use, it still sounds like "people can't do X because their skin colour is Y".

see:

You're thinking about it too hard. Rap, like Jazz before it, and Rock/Blues before it carried a stigma of savage jungle music. Until you put a white face on it. Then it's Elvis is the King of Rock or Eminem is the King of Rap, Igloo Australia is "running the rap game." How would you feel is everything that your community creates is looked down upon until someone else puts out a blander version of it and then gets hailed as an originator and your community is still seen as a bunch of worthless welfare recipients who need to get their shit together.
 

rexor0717

Member
You're thinking about it too hard. Rap, like Jazz before it, and Rock/Blues before it carried a stigma of savage jungle music. Until you put a white face on it. Then it's Elvis is the King of Rock or Eminem is the King of Rap, Igloo Australia is "running the rap game." How would you feel is everything that your community creates is looked down upon until someone else puts out a blander version of it and then gets hailed as an originator and your community is still seen as a bunch of worthless welfare recipients who need to get their shit together.
Shouldn't the blame then fall on the ones doing the promoting and not the ones doing the "appropriating" then?
 

Ok but that is applying the rules of a different, and far more racist era, to something that is happening today.
Does anyone in their right mind believe "white people" invented hip-hop, or even made it popular for that matter?
I don't think so.

I also don't think there a reasonable argument to suggest those it could or would happen again in this day an age. Shit maybe in 100 years hip-hop won't be seen as a "black thing" and I hope it won't. I hope we finally see a day where lines are no longer drawn, and expression is no longer categorized into strictly defined boxes seperating people, instead of bringing us together.
 

Malyse

Member
Ok but that is applying the rules of a different, and far more racist era, to something that is happening today.
Does anyone in their right mind belive "white people" invented hip-hop, or even made it popular gor that matter?
I don't think so. I also don't think there a reasonable argument to suggest that can or would happen again in this day an age. Shit maybe in 100 years hip-hop won't be seen as a "black thing" and I hope it won't. I hope we finally see a day where lines are no longer drawn, and expression is longer categorized into strictly defined boxes seperating people instead of bringing us together.

Except black people invented Rock and Punk music. See how that turned out? And this era is still pretty damn racist. Look at the list.
 
Except black people invented Rock and Punk music. See how that turned out? And this era is still pretty damn racist. Look at the list.
Again, different set of rules for a different time. It was my first sentence.

Edit: I never said racism doesn't exist. I never implied something so stupid.
What I did say was previous eras were far more racist than they are today.
 

rexor0717

Member
You're shifting the blame. "Well, yeah, I shot him, but it's the gunmaker's fault for making a weapon"

Yes, I am shifting the blame. It doesn't make sense to blame the musicians. They can make whatever type of music they want to. Are they supposed to give history lessons each time they perform/put out music?
 

Malyse

Member
So the point is that a white person rapping (in a commercially successful context) is an abuse of privilege?
Yes, I am shifting the blame. It doesn't make sense to blame the musicians. They can make whatever type of music they want to. Are they supposed to give history lessons each time they perform/put out music?
facepalm_.jpg
 

Ties

Banned
Yes, I am shifting the blame. It doesn't make sense to blame the musicians. They can make whatever type of music they want to. Are they supposed to give history lessons each time they perform/put out music?
are you or are you not familiar with igloo's twitter account
 

gerg

Member

Maybe I really just don't get it, but I think I understand Robido's argument, inasmuch as that I can empathise with the frustration and upset people must feel to see aspects of their culture and identity denigrated when they express them, only for those same elements to be praised when someone else from a more privileged position adopts them.

So, yes, Iggy Azalea's look and identity can be considered cultural appropriation. I agree with that, and I think it would actually be a very good thing if more people (including her) acknowledged the origin of her ideas and styles.

I just don't feel that I've heard a coherent account of how to "solve" the problem as people seem to frame it.

But, I'm also willing to admit that I know very little about Iggy Azalea specifically, so maybe I am just ignorant about how this issue pertains specifically to her. Having said that, watching her video for Fancy does make me uncomfortable, perhaps because her style and accent does come across as sufficiently inauthentic.
 

rexor0717

Member
I get the whole point of "when its done by a black artist its bad but when a white artists comes along its suddenly thrust into the mainstream and acceptable now." That sounds like the fault of a racist system and not of the artist.
are you or are you not familiar with igloo's twitter account
Yes, I've seen some of the very questionable tweets from Iggy's twitter.
Examples? I looked up the history of the genre and that doesn't seem to be the case.
I think they mean "Death"
 

Direlect

Banned
I get the whole point of "when its done by a black artist its bad but when a white artists comes along its suddenly thrust into the mainstream and acceptable now." That sounds like the fault of a racist system and not of the artist.

Yes, I've seen some of the very questionable tweets from Iggy's twitter.

I think they mean "Death"

Death were good, but they were not the originators of punk rock. They sounded like they bit-off of MC5 quite a bit, to be honest.
 

border

Member
You're thinking about it too hard. Rap, like Jazz before it, and Rock/Blues before it carried a stigma of savage jungle music. Until you put a white face on it. Then it's Elvis is the King of Rock or Eminem is the King of Rap, Igloo Australia is "running the rap game." How would you feel is everything that your community creates is looked down upon until someone else puts out a blander version of it and then gets hailed as an originator and your community is still seen as a bunch of worthless welfare recipients who need to get their shit together.

Yeah, I remember how everybody hated rap music until Iggy Azalea and Macklemore came along.

The music they make is hot garbage but I don't really see why they are shouldn't be allowed to do it, or should be ashamed of their success.
 
With the white rapper thing, from what I've seen it's more about them being involved with a culture without actually doing something for that culture. "Everyone wants to be black, but they don't want to be black." Azealia Banks called Iggy out the other day for her silence on the recent police murder stories.

This is such a terrible way of making a point. You used Azealia Banks who has acted like human garbage every second that she's given attention by saying horrible things about anyone and everything she can think of and putting down rape victims among other things. But that's who you chose as your example of someone making a point. She's gone after Iggy for everything and anything and not every black artist has been outspoken and protested because of the police cases. I can see what you're trying to get at but using Azealia Banks of all people and being shocked and outraged that Iggy of all people isn't majorly outspoken about or a figure head for civil rights is beyond laughable. That doesn't prove what you're suggesting it does. Artists aren't looked at for their moral compass and usually ends negatively for them being outspoken of any politically charged issue.

You're thinking about it too hard. Rap, like Jazz before it, and Rock/Blues before it carried a stigma of savage jungle music. Until you put a white face on it. Then it's Elvis is the King of Rock or Eminem is the King of Rap, Igloo Australia is "running the rap game." How would you feel is everything that your community creates is looked down upon until someone else puts out a blander version of it and then gets hailed as an originator and your community is still seen as a bunch of worthless welfare recipients who need to get their shit together.

Are you just talking about angry old white people or all of society when you say it? I don't know of anyone in the 20-40 age range who considers Iggy the face or rap and didn't listen to or know of major artists like Wu Tang, NWA, Dr. Dre, etc. People seem to think that white people didn't listen to rap until eminem came out.
 

Malyse

Member
This is such a terrible way of making a point. You used Azealia Banks who has acted like human garbage every second that she's given attention by saying horrible things about anyone and everything she can think of and putting down rape victims among other things. But that's who you chose as your example of someone making a point. She's gone after Iggy for everything and anything and not every black artist has been outspoken and protested because of the police cases. I can see what you're trying to get at but using Azealia Banks of all people and being shocked and outraged that Iggy of all people isn't majorly outspoken about or a figure head for civil rights is beyond laughable. That doesn't prove what you're suggesting it does. Artists aren't looked at for their moral compass and usually ends negatively for them being outspoken of any politically charged issue.



Are you just talking about angry old white people or all of society when you say it? I don't know of anyone in the 20-40 age range who considers Iggy the face or rap and didn't listen to or know of major artists like Wu Tang, NWA, Dr. Dre, etc. People seem to think that white people didn't listen to rap until eminem came out.

Except that's exactly what happened. Top 40 didn't give rap nearly as much spin before Em came out.
 
Except that's exactly what happened. Top 40 didn't give rap nearly as much spin before Em came out.
I don't know how old you are, but that certainly didn't happen. Hip-hop and R&B dominated the top 40 from the late eighties into the 90's and beyond. At times that genre was surpassed in popularity by other genre's, as always happens with music, and maybe you started paying attention to music as Em became popular, but Em did not make rap or hip hop popular.
Hell people said the same thing about the Beastie Boys damn near twenty years before Em came out
 
Except that's exactly what happened. Top 40 didn't give rap nearly as much spin before Em came out.

Yup. I get the feeling that no one clicked the links under #4, allow me to paste from one link:

The upset usually reaches a fever pitch because white rappers like Iggy Azalea get away with appropriating Blackness, ripping off everything but the social and institutional indignities rooted in the black experiences that lead to the creation of hip-hop.

But, more often than not, the conversation delves into a minefield of these potential impasses:

1. “So what if they rap or sing like black people?”
Contrary to most media narratives, black people don’t all speak the same way. Our sayings, dialects, and even vocal dynamics may bear common roots, but are heavily influenced by life experiences, education and regional differences. Even in hip-hop, artists like Trina, Eve and Da Brat have exhibited a variety styles and flow. .

Even though Macklemore arguably uses and abuses the white privilege he’s fully aware of having within hip-hop and popular music, he at rhymes using the vocal dynamics derived from his lived reality. Iggy Azalea’s natural speaking voice is actually the sugary-sweet, rural Australian accent she grew up with—not the grungy, Southern “blaccent” she adopts for the sake of rapping.

2. “You’re just hating on them because they’re more successful.”
The real question here isn’t about the hard numbers, but even those figures currently side against Iggy. A look at the numbers tells a completely different story. Although Iggy Azalea is the queen of the Billboard’s Hot 100, a throne many black female emcees have never gotten the chance to sit upon, she has yet to match their sales figures and business ventures. Queen Latifah doesn’t rap as much anymore, but her career of more than 20 years includes talk shows, TV series such as Living Single, product endorsement deals, acting roles and even an Academy-Award nomination for “Chicago.” As for Nicki Minaj, her debut of “Pink Friday” moved 375,000 copies in its first week, compared to 52,000 for Iggy’s “The New Classic.”

But fans should instead ask about and, eventually, acknowledge the conditions that allow white rappers like Iggy Azalea to reach such stratospheric levels of popularity. More specifically, Iggy Azalea’s public image merits examination as one that mainstream white American audiences consume voraciously at the expense and exclusion of her black counterparts. She makes money and breaks records, largely in part, because she’s a blonde, white, foreign woman who’s doing the new “hip” thing, even if her act may be a bit recycled.

3. “You’re racist for suggesting that white people can’t participate in rap.”
Sure, she can. However, there’s a difference between appreciating an artform and adding to its richness and appropriating a minstrel-like caricature that’s composed of various tropes. With Azalea, it’s the obsession over her curvaceous cakes, the “blaccent,” and an overidentification with the abject poverty disproportionately encountered by black folks, as seen in her video for “Work.”

In the entertainment business, almost all of the stars have highly manicured public fronts that have been calculated for their profitability. It applies to rap, but only to a certain extent. Perhaps if Azalea were instead centering her raps on topics such as growing up in Mullumbimby, Australia, and doing it with her own accent, maybe we’d be looking at her differently—or not at all.

4. “But they had help from a black artist, so that gives them credibility.”
T.I. deserves all the credit for mentoring Iggy, but that’s not where his culpability ends.

Just as he profits from the offensive nature and history of Native appropriation via his Grand Hustle label and merchandise, T.I. does the same by enabling white artists like Robin Thicke and Iggy Azalea to rip off blacks with impunity.

Last fall, T.I., Thicke, and Pharrell preemptively sued Marvin Gaye’s family over “Blurred Lines,” after the late-singer’s estate claimed the trio ripped off the sound of Gaye’s hit “Got To Give It Up.” Gaye’s family eventually countersued all parties involved and, earlier this year, reached a settlement with music publisher Sony/ATV. The other battles continue.

T.I. has a similar relationship with Iggy Azalea, often helping her fend off scorn about her lack of authenticity. While discussing the infamous Forbes article in an interview, T.I. said, “She is running this moment in hip-hop, but to say running [hip-hop]; that’s a very broad statement. Although I feel eventually that is the outcome.”

5. “Black people should be flattered that someone’s singing and appreciates their music.”
The success and vitality of black-created genres doesn’t depend on white people performing the music, especially when it’s been pillaged and stolen for decades. As noted in in considerable detail over at Racialicious, various white icons and their hits—including Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog”, Madonna’s “Vogue” and, yes, “We Can’t Stop” by Miley Cyrus, to name a few—all are culprits. Despite the history cultural theft, black artists like Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson and Jay-Z have smashed Billboard records, sold out concert venues worldwide and influencing many white artists who acknowledge and truly appreciate the genres—artists like Adele, Duffy and Sam Smith.

If nothing else, at least their voices and lyrics are theirs.
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
You're thinking about it too hard. Rap, like Jazz before it, and Rock/Blues before it carried a stigma of savage jungle music. Until you put a white face on it. Then it's Elvis is the King of Rock or Eminem is the King of Rap, Igloo Australia is "running the rap game." How would you feel is everything that your community creates is looked down upon until someone else puts out a blander version of it and then gets hailed as an originator and your community is still seen as a bunch of worthless welfare recipients who need to get their shit together.

Real talk though, Elvis was the shit. Everything you said is still 100% true. But Elvis transcends it too.
 

Malyse

Member
Schattenjäger;142263397 said:
That is sooooo wrong it is embarrassing ...you clearly do not know your rap history
Notorious BIG and Jay Z broke into top 40 long before Eminem

....


NEARLY as much. NEARLY. Not like now.
 

Malyse

Member
Schattenjäger;142265071 said:
So in other words you have no argument and can't continue this debate .. Great

No, I recall that you like to shift the point away from what's being discussed and I remembered all the reasons I consider you a disingenuous poster.
 

Socreges

Banned
5. No one cared about Ebola until it started affecting white people.
Err, correction: No one cared about Ebola until it started affecting AMERICANS. No doubt there's a significant racial component to the disease and how it is seen, but the hysteria that hit American media was a proximity thing, not a race thing.
 

border

Member
NEARLY as much. NEARLY. Not like now.

Rap artists were topping Billboard charts long before Eminem. Even white rappers were topping charts before Eminem (Beastie Boys, Snow, Vanilla Ice). You are very seriously underestimating rap's pervasiveness in the 1980's and 1990's.
 

CloudWolf

Member
The article makes good points (though putting Ferguson and some silly statewoman who fails horribly at being 'cool and hip' in the same list is kinda weird), but number 4 is icky. Sure, Iggy Azalea is a prime example of a white woman adopting black mannerisms to get succesful, but bringing Macklemore and Ryan Lewis into the equation is pushing it, because:

1. I've read a Reddit AMA with the two and they both are very sincere people who make hip-hop albums because, gasp, they really like rap music. They don't try to pander to the public, they just made an album that feels right to them. They're not appropiating black culture at all, unless you still think that rap/hip-hop music is still a 'black' genre, which it hasn't really been since the mid-80's.

2. That album is actually pretty damn good. Did it deserve to win? No, IMO Kendrick's album was better, but The Heist winning isn't some big slap in the face of rap music/culture. Sure, the album didn't have much 'to say', but since when does rap have to have something to say? Old-school rap sure as hell didn't have something to say, they just had fun with the lyrics and music.
That said, I'm fully aware that the Grammy jury might've voted based on a personal bias, just like the same kind of movies always win Oscars

Now, this might be controversial, but even Miley Cyrus twerking it out isn't really appropiation in my opinion. She was just acting on an internet fad and making a terrible fool of herself, which can be explained by the fact that twerking is fucking stupid (seriously, stop doing it, it's not attractive at all).

Except that's exactly what happened. Top 40 didn't give rap nearly as much spin before Em came out.

This is not true at all. Acts like Run-DMC, Sugarhill Gang, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and even highly political groups like Public Enemy had their fair share of mainstream succes before Eminem even recorded his first album.
It was a different white hip-hop group that kickstarted the mainstream popularity of rap, the Beastie Boys.

Also, what is this about black people inventing punk rock? Punk is one of the few rock subgenres that didn't start in the black community. Death wasn't even the first proto-punk band.
 
can you point out, specifically, which numbers have you so irate

1) Erics daughter came on CNN and said herself that its not a race issue, but due to what is happening in the Media with ferguson its being used by black people to just add wood to the fire. The cop was 100% wrong in what he did, but it has nothing to do with race and just a Cop who did not like his Ego being crushed on.

3) Donald Sterling was shown what happens when you are racist, so i dont see how America failed black people here. They dealt with him and made sure he will never be in such a powerful position again.

4) I have no words for this one. Its like his trying to say that black culture is only for black people and that white people cant embrace it.

5) Ebola is the worlds problem not just Americas.

12) Very circumstantial. OP is saying that the media only recognised woman with huge asses because Jlo and Iggy did a front page spread.

15) Again i find it very circumstantial

23) Again i dont think it has anything to do with race, just foolish cops with a trigger finger wanting to see some action.
 
Rap artists were topping Billboard charts long before Eminem. Even white rappers were topping charts before Eminem (Beastie Boys, Snow, Vanilla Ice). You are very seriously underestimating rap's pervasiveness in the 1980's and 1990's.

This is the point I made previously and why I think he is in his late teens or very early twenties. I don't know how anyone that lived through the 80s/90s can hold his opinion.
 

border

Member
"In the entertainment business, almost all of the stars have highly manicured public fronts that have been calculated for their profitability. It applies to rap, but only to a certain extent. Perhaps if Azalea were instead centering her raps on topics such as growing up in Mullumbimby, Australia, and doing it with her own accent, maybe we’d be looking at her differently—or not at all."

This is what I never really got. "OMG Iggy Azalea is fake! She's not authentic!" No shit. I heard that David Bowie isn't actually from Mars either.

The entire industry, and especially mainstream rap, is centered around maintaining a fake persona. How many middle-class guys from the midwest suburbs are rapping about killing dudes in South Central? How many newcomers are rapping about driving Bentleys and throwing $100 bills at strippers when it's their first album and they haven't made a dime?

I'd probably be more interested in hearing an Austrailian-accented rap than that cornball voice she uses, but let her be a big phony if she wants to be. Everyone else is.
 
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