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Damn. I didn't think I would read something this racist in the Voice. Anyway, beyond the fact that Mr. Couch is obviously racist, the article has a variety of serious factual errors, especially when he decides to widen his criticism into other genres of music.
Country music, much like rock music is a result of the mixing of African American and white influences. If you read anything by its originators, or people who study this for a living, you will find that to be true. The pop trend in country music may have increased its sales, but at the expense of the quality of the music, a trend that exists in every genre of music.
Rock music is at its best when it incorporates, and respects the influence of black music (much of the work of Dylan, Beatles, etc.)
The artists in these fields have more knowledge and respect of our music than the fans do, which informs the complexity and quality of their work. The current trend towards "rock rap" is not based on this trend, but a marketing gimmick, featuring groups that cannot play instruments or spit get away with doing both to a hybrid audience.
However, I find many of his arguments to be uncomfortably close to the arguments that I would find on this very website. The idea that a music artist has any kind of responsibility to "elevate" anyone, especially a race, is just as ignorant as the age old justification for gangsta rap that it is the "CNN" of the ghetto.
In addition, we (as the producers and fans of hiphop music) have been lazy in refusing to criticize "artists" who are not truly creative in any sense. There are a large number of mc's and producers who don't put any effort into what they do on any level. Even though the majority of the examples the writer gave indicate a rudimentary familiarity with the music, some of them were uncomfortably close to the truth. We all know that the simplistic production of Swiss Beatz is not good, but as a group we proclaim that it's hot if it can convince drunken people to dance. And if anybody criticizes that, then they are haters.
The truth is that there is a lot of opportunism in hiphop, because it is the only musical art form in which the fans can easily become the artist. I know that it's all about money (Quest seems to say this in every post now) but people who just want an easy paycheck are starting to water the game down.
It is good to have friends, even in hell.-Tommy
Funnybook Babylon - We write the blog while Rome burns.
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