I hear you and appreciate that that is how the Machine works today.

But the history of the music industry is all about artist who come along and break all the rules and cause paradigm shifts.

Prior to Prince, no one would have thought a mad feminine dude from Minnaepolis who performed in his underwear, could be a huge pop act.

Before NWA, no one would have thought a group with "Nigga" in their name that made explicit profanity laden records could sell millions of records.

Before Drake, no one would thought the hottest rapper could be a bi-racial jewish kid actor from Toronto who also sings on his tracks.

Before MJJ, no one thought the biggest selling act of all time could be a black artist.

Shit before Bruno Mars, no one would have thought the biggest R&B-ish Pop Act could be an Asian kid.

Yeah there are formulas that explain the success of a lot of artists, Justin Beiber seems like he was dreamed up in a Pop Formula Lab, but the formula gets smashed with enough regularity that we should expect the unexpected to crop up every few years.

And what I am asking for, A black male pop star, doesn't require a lot of vision or thinking beyond the formula, because it's been done before.

And I would also point out like you mentioned that Bruno Mars wasn't always Bruno Mars the pop star. He didn't star off right out the gate where he is. I think a lot of people (including his now creative team) recognized that he had the talent and the ambition to be a huge pop star and that set him on his way in the pipeline.

But my question is where is the Black Male Artist with the Talent and the Ambition to want to be a pop star that should be in the pipeline and attracting the producers and the machine to give them the look to invest in them. Not expecting someone to come out and debut as a fully formed pop star, but where are the artist with the potential?

I think people named some possible candidates:

Anderson Paak
Childish Gambino
I'd throw Blood Orange in the mix but with him and Anderson Paak I wonder if that's something they both want even though they have the talent (I wonder if Childish Gambino has the talent).






>
>>But it's ridiculous to suggest that there can be only ONE
>>artist who can can achieve the success that he has at this
>>moment in time and that there is no black male who can.
>>
>
>Pop is blockbuster silo'd... Rihanna doesn't play in Beyonce's
>lane doesn't play in Adele's lane... Bruno purposely stopped
>playing in Ed Sheeran space and Ed cannot play in Bruno space
>
>
>>Shit even when Michael Jackson was the Michael Jackson of
>his
>>time, there were plenty of artists who were in the
>>conversation and competing with him. Artist like Prince,
>>Madonna, George Michael, Whitney Huston, Lionel Richie.
>None
>>achieved the success that MJJ did, but neither has Bruno
>Mars.
>>
>There was money in the labels then.. R&B competing at that
>level COSTS a lot of money... to take 1 song to top 10 could
>cost 500k-1m.. They only risk that on sure bet lanes...
>Arianna, Demi, Rihanna are song vehicles.. Tinashe cannot get
>close to them because her vehicle isnt strong or fast
>enough..
>
>Bruno IS the gas AND the vehicle so he doesnt have to play in
>that (song placement) space. He circumvented a near
>impossible hill and is now at the top.. So anyone who wants to
>write a certain kind of song (outside of his crew) and have it
>heard like a James Fauntleroy is sending it to Bruno or JT..
>NOT to some up and coming dude who can maybe dance..
>
>>
>>Also, this is such a ridiculous position because there are
>>clearly other artist who are competing for the top of the
>Pop
>>Kingdom in 2018. Rihanna, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry.
>
>>My question is why are there no Black Males trying to reach
>>that level.
>>
>
>I answered this above.. Drake is the strongest vehicle for men
>out (besides Beibs). That means if you are a known/hit making
>songwriter or producer you are saving you best shit for the
>strongest vehicles and you are making those records FOR those
>vehicles.
>
>If someone (not just a black dude) cannot write and produce
>the songs on their OWN... they arent gonna get in the game to
>even compete with Bruno... You are asking someone to race a
>ferrari riding a bike..
>
>Everything is Rap nowadays because from day one rap had a DIY
>ethos. So most rappers and rap adjacent folks are trained to
>write their own shit.. get their boy to make a beat and keep
>grinding until it pops.
>
>The new R&B we hear learned this ethos and is implementing it.
> 6lack, Byrson etc are making records like rappers do.
>
>R&B and esp the groove r&b we are talking about was built on 1
>of 2 ways... You were in a band with your boys and ya'll got
>really good any made awesome records until they popped.
>
>OR
>
>You were plucked from "the mall" and placed in a group or good
>enough to be solo. Taught how to dance, dress, sing (better)
>in a system. You were given pre written songs to sing from a
>system and you just had to get up there and kill it.
>
>Both of these scenarios rarely happen because in the first one
>we have lost bands in general ($, school programs, technology,
>culture etc) and in the second the labels/production companies
>foot the bill for years until it worked. They arent footing
>the bill.
>
>What you are asking for is too dependent on money and outside
>partners to work.
>
>So it COULD happen but extremely rare
>
>
>
>


**********
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