Rap music and white people

[Red Memories]

I had absolutely no idea where to put this but [MENTION=40907]permanent_temp[/MENTION] 's post reminded me of something I get mixed feedback on and I DO want to understand better...

Obviously, rap music can be a very "afrocentric" (I hope that is the correct word?) genre of music. And often times rappers will use a soft N word and things like that within their music. Over the years whites have enjoyed rap music as well, including having a guy like Eminem in the industry.

So I am obviously willing to hear anyone's educated responses, but I would really appreciate if some of our biracial or african-american/other ethnicities users would comment on this. You are the ones experiencing this issue and I want to understand it better. Because as said I notice some care and some do not.

1. Do you feel whites have a right to enjoy the music? Do you feel disdain when you see white people listening to "Black" music?

2. How do you feel about them, say like the Kendrick experience, when they rap or sing it back, using the exact lyrics even if they used the N word in the song?

3. How do you feel about white rappers in general?

4. What do you think appreciation of rap music should do for your community?

5. Is there a right or wrong way to handle this topic?

6. If you are comfortable, this is completely optional, what race do you identify with?

thank you for any responses.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

Sorry, no one asked, but white boy coming to splain his thoughts. You can request the mods move or delete this if it’s out of line

1. Everyone has a right to enjoy whatever they like. I’ve met white rap fans and black metal heads. I myself enjoy a lot of music that at one time might have been described as “black music”—70s-early 80s funk & disco, 90s East coast rap, old soul, afrobeat, etc. Plus, a lot of what people consider “white music” is a result of a cross pollination of old southern black blues with southern white folk and country styles.

2. I dunno. I’m not sure I think white people should use the word, but in the other hand I’m completely against any type and of censorship in art. There’s an old Lou Reed song called “I Wanna Be Black”, which although satirical and written to poke fun at white middle class people who see blackness as some state to achieve/appropriate for cred points, has some downright cringey, arguably offensive lyrics, but I still would oppose censoring something like that.

3. Same as I do about black rappers. Some are quite good and some are shit. I grew up on The Beastie Boys but thought Vanilla Ice was cheesy. I like Aesop Rock but could take or leave Eminem. I like some nerdcore, like MC Chris and MC Frontalot. I don’t think they’re appropriating, rather taking a style they like and speaking their own experiences and interests through that lens

4. My “community” is my family. I encourage my son to be open to all forms of music and choose what he likes. To never be someone who limits himself to any one genre. I don’t really discuss music with people in my town or care what they get out of it.

5. Just be open minded and try to avoid pidgeonholing anyone

6. Technically I’m “white” and that might be how others would identify me. My ancestry is Scotch-Irish, Anglo, German and Scandinavian, so I’m the whitest boy on the planet, but I don’t really feel a greater affinity for whites. I do realize I am probably more ignorant of black American culture, tastes and traditions, but I’m always open to learn and I appreciate people who are ethnically different from me. I always had an interest in anthropology so I enjoy learning about and experiencing cultural traditions different from what I grew up with. My wife is a white west coast girl so even between us there are some stark contrasts in what we grew up with.

 

[theablekingedgar]

so can a black person listen to grunge?
Or Beethoven?

it's sad we create these barriers. all music is just arranged sound in rhythmic pattern. one's race shouldn't affect who enjoys what.

 

[ceecee]

I had absolutely no idea where to put this but @<a href="https://www.typologycentral.com/forums/members/40907.html" target="_blank">permanent_temp</a> 's post reminded me of something I get mixed feedback on and I DO want to understand better...

Obviously, rap music can be a very "afrocentric" (I hope that is the correct word?) genre of music. And often times rappers will use a soft N word and things like that within their music. Over the years whites have enjoyed rap music as well, including having a guy like Eminem in the industry.

So I am obviously willing to hear anyone's educated responses, but I would really appreciate if some of our biracial or african-american/other ethnicities users would comment on this. You are the ones experiencing this issue and I want to understand it better. Because as said I notice some care and some do not.

1. Do you feel whites have a right to enjoy the music? Do you feel disdain when you see white people listening to "Black" music?

2. How do you feel about them, say like the Kendrick experience, when they rap or sing it back, using the exact lyrics even if they used the N word in the song?

3. How do you feel about white rappers in general?

4. What do you think appreciation of rap music should do for your community?

5. Is there a right or wrong way to handle this topic?

6. If you are comfortable, this is completely optional, what race do you identify with?

thank you for any responses.

I think you can like and listen to anything you want. It's how people are treating each other, their work and their community and frankly, why does opinion matter? As in why are these questions even a thing?

To sum the topic up in a nutshell...

 

[Red Memories]

I think you can like and listen to anything you want. It's how people are treating each other, their work and their community and frankly, why does opinion matter? As in why are these questions even a thing?

To sum the topic up in a nutshell...

Well it was a few years ago but there was an african-american girl on this forum I was on, and she started complaining how more white people were listening to rap music, and how it'd lead to them thinking it was "okay to use the N word" and how after all the things our race had done to her race she didn't want white people "claiming" the music. And it led to a very heated debate and I wasn't sure how I should...really feel about it empathetically I guess? Another biracial (she is half-black) friend I still have today, she said she felt this person was being pretty irrational and was out of line about it. But I guess I am curious how a bigger picture feels about the issue.

 

[Lark]

I like a lot of metal rap like Rage Against The Machine, Prophets of Rage or some older styles like earlier Public Enemy for instance, sometimes some rap is better when its sampled for other tunes and poetry slams are different to rap battles obviously but some of them are sampled well by some artists too, the most recent rap that I've liked is Run The Jewels.

I do like some rap or hip hop which I've heard as covers at first and then like the original artists too, RATM did an album of covers, I think it included Cypress Hill. It can depend on the tune and the individual artist a lot of the time. I dont like country music, especially Dolly birds, although I do like Johnny Cash or similar artists, I even think some pop artists sound a little country, dont know if that's deliberate, like Cyrus on Ronson's Nothing Breaks Like a Heart.

I dont think there's any sort of racial bar to performing or enjoying styles of music, I think that's stupid to think that way but it could be part of the far right's tropes and talking points to try and politicize a lot of different interests, pass times, its pretty typical of a lot of totalitarian thinking that you can not simply enjoy anything or engage in any sort of pursuit that is somehow off message, off topic, not part of their self imposed perpetual mobilization.

 

[Lark]

I think you can like and listen to anything you want. It's how people are treating each other, their work and their community and frankly, why does opinion matter? As in why are these questions even a thing?

To sum the topic up in a nutshell...

I love that movie Office Space, its totally awesome and I discovered it just before it became popular in all the online memes and culture, I couldnt believe how old a movie it was even then and that I hadnt heard about it.

 

[ceecee]

Well it was a few years ago but there was an african-american girl on this forum I was on, and she started complaining how more white people were listening to rap music, and how it'd lead to them thinking it was "okay to use the N word" and how after all the things our race had done to her race she didn't want white people "claiming" the music. And it led to a very heated debate and I wasn't sure how I should...really feel about it empathetically I guess? Another biracial (she is half-black) friend I still have today, she said she felt this person was being pretty irrational and was out of line about it. But I guess I am curious how a bigger picture feels about the issue.

I would say that's being pretty irrational, yes. But on the other hand I also wonder why every person feels they should have an opinion on every single thing, you know what I mean? Like there are things that absolutely don't need to be analyzed to pieces and the idea that so many people feel they are entitled to having and sharing an opinion on anything...I really think that's most of the problem at times.

Wanting to be empathetic is good, it's progress, it generally fosters moving forward to real awareness of how things impact other people, without the expectation of how it impacts you personally.

 

[Jaguar]

The first time I ever heard rap, it came out of the mouth of not only a white person but a woman: the one and only Debbie Harry. Lead singer of Blondie. This song was recorded in 1980 and debuted in January of 1981. It was the first number-one song in the U.S. to feature rap vocals.

Worth reading:
The Rap in Blondie’s ‘Rapture’ - WSJ

 

[Firebird 8118]

See, I look at music the same way I look at love: there are no boundaries. As long as there is respect for the origins and artists in any music genre, I don’t see a problem with anyone enjoying and creating their own music, regardless of race or music genre. This is how music evolves in fact.

That’s not to say that I’m color blind - in fact, I openly celebrate the diversity of many different cultures and religions, especially where music is involved. I simply speak more from the perspective of a music lover who sees the beauty in all of it, if that makes sense...

And I’m shutting up now, haha

 

[Pessimistic Hippie]

Thanks for tagging me in this.

1. I'm not bothered at all by someone enjoying the music regardless of their race. Eminem's white and he's a better rapper than a lot of black rappers. Thinking rap is specific to blacks would mean discarding one of the best rappers of all time. And I don't even like rap normally, yet feel that way lol.

2. Yeah I don't like this. To me it's like an inside conversation that white people who use it are trying to be a part of, but they're not, plain and simple.

3. If they're good, they're good. If they suck, they suck. But what I like about Eminem specifically is that he doesn't seem to play much into "black stereotypes." He's just a white guy who raps if that makes any sense.

4. I might be too stupid but I don't fully understand this question [MENTION=33903]Red Memories[/MENTION] ?

5. I think you handled it very well. You didn't make any assumptions. You just asked questions. So I'd say, people should just do it that way.

6. I'm black.

 

[Luminous]

enters to point out that we can thank African Americans for the development of most popular American music: blues, jazz, rock, rap

If I am not allowed to appreciate or enjoy this music, I just as well be deaf because, with the exception of rap, it's the music that speaks to my soul.

 

[Firebird 8118]

enters to point out that we can thank African Americans for the development of most popular American music: blues, jazz, rock, rap

If I am not allowed to appreciate or enjoy this music, I just as well be deaf because, with the exception of rap, it's the music that speaks to my soul.

THIS RIGHT HERE

 

[Mole]

Thanks for tagging me in this. 1. I'm not bothered at all by someone enjoying the music regardless of their race. Eminem's white and he's a better rapper than a lot of black rappers. Thinking rap is specific to blacks would mean discarding one of the best rappers of all time. And I don't even like rap normally, yet feel that way lol. 2. Yeah I don't like this. To me it's like an inside conversation that white people who use it are trying to be a part of, but they're not, plain and simple. 3. If they're good, they're good. If they suck, they suck. But what I like about Eminem specifically is that he doesn't seem to play much into "black stereotypes." He's just a white guy who raps if that makes any sense. 4. I might be too stupid but I don't fully understand this question [MENTION=33903]Red Memories[/MENTION] ? 5. I think you handled it very well. You didn't make any assumptions. You just asked questions. So I'd say, people should just do it that way. 6. I'm black.

Some say we need a Black Physics, Chmistry, Biology, and Mathematics, but what about Astrology, and Mbti?

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

Some say we need a Black Physics, Chmistry, Biology, and Mathematics, but what about Astrology, and Mbti?

No one who is taken seriously or not trolling says we need this.

 

[Red Memories]

Thanks for tagging me in this.

1. I'm not bothered at all by someone enjoying the music regardless of their race. Eminem's white and he's a better rapper than a lot of black rappers. Thinking rap is specific to blacks would mean discarding one of the best rappers of all time. And I don't even like rap normally, yet feel that way lol.

2. Yeah I don't like this. To me it's like an inside conversation that white people who use it are trying to be a part of, but they're not, plain and simple.

3. If they're good, they're good. If they suck, they suck. But what I like about Eminem specifically is that he doesn't seem to play much into "black stereotypes." He's just a white guy who raps if that makes any sense.

4. I might be too stupid but I don't fully understand this question [MENTION=33903]Red Memories[/MENTION] ?

5. I think you handled it very well. You didn't make any assumptions. You just asked questions. So I'd say, people should just do it that way.

6. I'm black.

for question 4 I was hoping to get at, say, the white community enjoying hip hop music, what do you hope it creates for them when viewing people of an opposite race? Do you hope it fosters like a sense of unity, community, etc?

 

[Jaguar]

Someone needs to tell us what the mystery "issue" is mentioned in the OP. What is it?

 

[Red Memories]

Someone needs to tell us what the mystery "issue" is mentioned in the OP. What is it?

As I mentioned to Ceecee...

A few years ago I was a member of a forum where this african-american girl started going off on a rant about how she hated seeing white people getting so into rap music now. And that they would think it was fine to use the "n" word because the rappers use it and all that jazz. Or how they'd claim it as their own and take over it. And it became a heated debate. So I wanted to basically get a perspective if like, any other people of color had an issue with this sort of thing as well. If that makes sense.

 

[Pessimistic Hippie]

for question 4 I was hoping to get at, say, the white community enjoying hip hop music, what do you hope it creates for them when viewing people of an opposite race? Do you hope it fosters like a sense of unity, community, etc?

Ah gotcha. Hard question for me I guess. To me music is just shit to listen to. If it helps create unity among races then great but I also think people shouldn't care about that stuff to begin with, I guess.

 

[Mole]

No one who is taken seriously or not trolling says we need this.

How true!