I think to avoid the appropriation label, you have to show a genuine appreciation for the culture AND the people that it came from by deliberately and proactively ACKNOWLEDGING them... GIVE as much as you TAKE from the culture... and be accepted by the culture.

With Bruno, I feel that he's been upfront about where he gets his musical inspiration from. I don't know how those guys feel about him though... and whether he's doing anything for them in the form of royalties, etc.

I don't feel like he's simply a shallow trend hopper like Vanilla Ice or a Miley Cyrus.