Hip-hop has been the most popular music genre for at least three years now. It’s safe to say that Black creatives’ impact will be a mainstay for the foreseeable future. Everyone should recognize that Black people are the creative force behind trends in pop culture. This impact rings especially true in the music landscape that thrives off the craft of Black people.
Unfortunately, this genre’s ongoing successes and prestige have placed Black artists and creatives in a box. Fans are not the only limitations on Black creativity but also the overall hierarchy that critiques and “validates” music.
Modern expectations should not predetermine the work of Black music artists. Many Black creatives do not follow the aesthetics of hip-hop and R&B at all.
Earlier this year, Tyler, the Creator called out the Recording Academy for their now-defunct “urban” category at the annual Grammy Awards.
“I don’t like that ‘urban’ word. To me, it’s just a politically correct way to say the n-word. Why can’t we just be in pop?” he said in response to typecasting within the music industry.
Additionally, many of his fans felt like his latest effort, “IGOR,” did not fit into the category for “Rap Album the Year.” The Grammys seemed to have ignored the album’s intricacies and limited the content to just rap music.
Actions like this further maintain Black erasure within genres like rock. White bands still have the advantage in marketability over Black bands.
This occurrence stems back to the last century, where white acts like Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones and even The Beatles skyrocketed to fame by embracing or ripping off the Black art form. Legends such as Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Sister Rosetta Tharpe paved the way for the genre.
There is another side to this issue. Black people tend to dismiss other Black people who enjoy culture and aesthetics that are not pertinent to hip-hop. Please be aware that this take is coming from a Black person. Within the race, individuals have ostracized others for liking and embracing genres besides hip-hop and R&B.
This criticism does not make any sense since Black people have a massive influence on the rock and country genres, both of which spawned from blues, a genre rich in Black history.
People need to keep in mind that Black people’s creativity is the sole reason music has developed the way it has.
A Black person who’s really into rock music is not “the Black kid who had no Black friends growing up.” That is a ludicrous and inclusive statement that flies in the face of demonstrable historical fact.
The main issue is how people label others to meet their expectations, which are deeply rooted in a preconceived notion of how Black people should present themselves. Their expectations come from cultural familiarity, which is leading people very far from the actual truth. Let’s not treat Black people who are attracted to non-hip-hop culture like anomalies.
