i really don't care either way, but what's so hard about saying i like funk/soul/rap/hiphop/r&b music? this way you're concise and not making generalizations...
i really don't care either way, but what's so hard about saying i like funk/soul/rap/hiphop/r&b music? this way you're concise and not making generalizations...
ah hah. I see now. I wonder though if the use of the word "urban" to describe certain types of music is a uniquely american phenomenon.
It's pretty prevalent in the UK now but appears mainly as an all encompassing label to describe anything with RnB influences rather than specifically music record by black artists.
Just all boils down to the mainstream media's attempt to categorise every single thing that's released into one of their irrelevant genres.
I mean, that is basically like saying the Black Music awards.... thats only missing out 1 word of the title.
DISCUSS.
Yeah i remember a whole heap of shit being caused when they started nominating white artists for awards and even more controversy when Timberlake won best R&B. They kind of ruined all credibility for the show when Jamie "Poisoned dwarf" Cullum won best jazz artist as well.
However, calling an awards Music Of Black Origin and then freaking out when white people win is pretty stupid to start with.
maybe "black music" is an acceptable term for the same reason that it's sometimes useful to refer to the "African diaspora" in spite of the great diversity that the phrase implies.
DocMcCoy"Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
What about the
Is it unfair to call it that?
I mean, that is basically like saying the Black Music awards.... thats only missing out 1 word of the title.
DISCUSS.
Depends. What a lot of people forget about the MOBOs is that they were founded because black British artists were consistently being overlooked at industry awards such as the Brits (the UK equiv of the Grammys, for our US brethren), and in the absence of anything that even acknowledged the significance of black British music, or of the influence over British music and popular culture of black music generally, well then, whoomp, there it is, y'know? For example, when Soul II Soul were blowing up in the US, the Brits (which supposedly exists to honour the best of British music) completely ignored them. The industry either recognises achievement or it doesn't.
That it's now not uncommon for white artists to win at the MOBOs is down to a couple of things, I think. Firstly, the name "Music Of Black Origin" isn't an exclusionary one. If you're working in an idiom that's explicity rooted in black music - which the likes of Jamiroquai, Justin Timberlake and Jamie Cullum all are, irrespective of what you might think of them and their work - then you've as good a chance of getting a gong as anyone else. Secondly, there's now effectively a music industry awards season/circuit, and major labels especially will lobby to get their acts on the list of nominees at as many of these ceremonies as possible. They don't really care too much whether those acts actually belong at something like the MOBOs, so long as there's a chance that a win on the night will translate into sales. The MOBOs as an organisation has probably been a little too guilty of bending to industry pressure in that respect. They brought it back this year, though - most of the winners were black British acts, and quite a few were comparatively underground as well.
As for the broader point about whether or not the term "black music" is too tied into perceptions of blackness that are unique to America, I couldn't really say. I do know that a lot of people in the UK get terribly upset that there exists something like a "Music Of Black Origin" awards ceremony. They usually mutter something about "political correctness" and make a sideways remark about how you wouldn't be "allowed" to have a Music Of White Origin award. To me, that kind of mentality has always betrayed a resentment toward black people being "allowed" to have something (anything?) that is explicity identified as theirs, or as a product of their experience, indirect or otherwise. To me, the term "black music" is just a general one like any other, but there's always been people who believe that colour is a badge of authenticity when it comes to music - that whole "can white men sing the blues?" question springs to mind, for a start. But, on the other hand, I also know black British reggae fans who will dismiss Lee Perry's output as being "music for white people", so go figure.
Comments
"japcore"? who the fuck says that?
by the way its ALL black music.
C O N C I S E
alright, maybe not ALL music
It's pretty prevalent in the UK now but appears mainly as an all encompassing label to describe anything with RnB influences rather than specifically music record by black artists.
Just all boils down to the mainstream media's attempt to categorise every single thing that's released into one of their irrelevant genres.
Is it unfair to call it that?
I mean, that is basically like saying the Black Music awards.... thats only missing out 1 word of the title.
DISCUSS.
Yeah i remember a whole heap of shit being caused when they started nominating white artists for awards and even more controversy when Timberlake won best R&B. They kind of ruined all credibility for the show when Jamie "Poisoned dwarf" Cullum won best jazz artist as well.
However, calling an awards Music Of Black Origin and then freaking out when white people win is pretty stupid to start with.
Junior IS [/b]black music!
Depends. What a lot of people forget about the MOBOs is that they were founded because black British artists were consistently being overlooked at industry awards such as the Brits (the UK equiv of the Grammys, for our US brethren), and in the absence of anything that even acknowledged the significance of black British music, or of the influence over British music and popular culture of black music generally, well then, whoomp, there it is, y'know? For example, when Soul II Soul were blowing up in the US, the Brits (which supposedly exists to honour the best of British music) completely ignored them. The industry either recognises achievement or it doesn't.
That it's now not uncommon for white artists to win at the MOBOs is down to a couple of things, I think. Firstly, the name "Music Of Black Origin" isn't an exclusionary one. If you're working in an idiom that's explicity rooted in black music - which the likes of Jamiroquai, Justin Timberlake and Jamie Cullum all are, irrespective of what you might think of them and their work - then you've as good a chance of getting a gong as anyone else. Secondly, there's now effectively a music industry awards season/circuit, and major labels especially will lobby to get their acts on the list of nominees at as many of these ceremonies as possible. They don't really care too much whether those acts actually belong at something like the MOBOs, so long as there's a chance that a win on the night will translate into sales. The MOBOs as an organisation has probably been a little too guilty of bending to industry pressure in that respect. They brought it back this year, though - most of the winners were black British acts, and quite a few were comparatively underground as well.
As for the broader point about whether or not the term "black music" is too tied into perceptions of blackness that are unique to America, I couldn't really say. I do know that a lot of people in the UK get terribly upset that there exists something like a "Music Of Black Origin" awards ceremony. They usually mutter something about "political correctness" and make a sideways remark about how you wouldn't be "allowed" to have a Music Of White Origin award. To me, that kind of mentality has always betrayed a resentment toward black people being "allowed" to have something (anything?) that is explicity identified as theirs, or as a product of their experience, indirect or otherwise. To me, the term "black music" is just a general one like any other, but there's always been people who believe that colour is a badge of authenticity when it comes to music - that whole "can white men sing the blues?" question springs to mind, for a start. But, on the other hand, I also know black British reggae fans who will dismiss Lee Perry's output as being "music for white people", so go figure.