I really don't understand how Zapp and Roger were so Unsung or overlooked rather. How or why wasn't Zapp and Roger able to reach the masses and appeal to any and everybody? Because to me, Zapp and Roger just had the kind of music that any and everybody could groove and get down too. There wasn't anything too complex about the music, it was just great music. Plain and simple. So why were Zapp and Roger not able to achieve accept and recognition amongst the mainstream?

I'm pretty sure if you asked the random Black person ( especially anybody over the age of 30 ) they could name a bunch of Roger/Zapp shit.

Also,I'm pretty sure they're held in VERY high regard on the West Coast, Half the Rap cuts from LA sampled Roger and Zapp.


I'm not sure what you mean by 'mainstream', but seeing as they were predominately Rhythm n Blues artists, they're pretty big with that crowd. Probably Hall of Fame caliber ( if there's a RnB HOF...)

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and those racist suits at those labels said they were too Black and not worth putting no budget behind and while you can have alot of hits on the R&B charts and maybe even have a few cross over hits and albums, you ain't never ever fully excepted.

ROger Troutman could play near darn any style of music, but his skin was his sin and the labels ain't putting no money on him like they would Tom Petty and that is real talks.

mistermaxxx R.Kelly, Michael Jackson,Stevie wonder,Rick James,Marvin Gaye,El Debarge, Barry WHite Lionel RIchie,Isleys EWF,Lady T.,Kid creole and coconuts,the crusaders,kc sunshine band,bee gees,jW,sd,NE,JB

Miami Heat, New York Yankees,buffalo bills

>and those racist suits at those labels said they were too
>Black and not worth putting no budget behind and while you can
>have alot of hits on the R&B charts and maybe even have a few
>cross over hits and albums, you ain't never ever fully
>excepted.
>
>ROger Troutman could play near darn any style of music, but
>his skin was his sin and the labels ain't putting no money on
>him like they would Tom Petty and that is real talks.


Roger was truly overlooked when it came to his talents. That man was a musical genius. And his work ethic was second to none. And along with that work ethic came his quality of work. His quality of work matched his work ethic.

the dollar and will pigoenhold you. and Roger tried to switch up as he got older because he did more covers and whatnot, however they were happy to keep him in a certain box and he figured that out.

Roger got more exposure working with Dr. Dre and 2Pac than he had pretty much gotten for his whole career including the fact that "I want to be your Man" was a top ten pop hit and he still wasn't getting no love and it was racial on the real.

mistermaxxx R.Kelly, Michael Jackson,Stevie wonder,Rick James,Marvin Gaye,El Debarge, Barry WHite Lionel RIchie,Isleys EWF,Lady T.,Kid creole and coconuts,the crusaders,kc sunshine band,bee gees,jW,sd,NE,JB

Miami Heat, New York Yankees,buffalo bills

again, he had such an incredible work ethic and along with that he put out quality work. He was just so creative with his work and he had everything it took to be one of the greats.

him.

He wasn't much of a Songwriter. he was a Grooves, vamp and Bump artist which was cool and creative, but it was also shallow and on the hot shot tip which didn't show alot of songwriting. i love "More Bounce to the Ounce",Computer Love, I want to be your man and the funky stuff, however he wasn't much of a songwriter in the grand picture of things. 1)

the voicebox became too gimmicky and his own voice was burried under the box after a while. and when he tried to straight up croon, folks had moved on. it was a good and bad thing for him as a artist IMO. 2)

mistermaxxx R.Kelly, Michael Jackson,Stevie wonder,Rick James,Marvin Gaye,El Debarge, Barry WHite Lionel RIchie,Isleys EWF,Lady T.,Kid creole and coconuts,the crusaders,kc sunshine band,bee gees,jW,sd,NE,JB

Miami Heat, New York Yankees,buffalo bills

body knows, of all age groups (at least for Blacks)...but I figure all the older folks loved em

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they didn't cross over to white audiences. so what? why should they?

Zapp and Roger got massive love from blacks in their heyday. no way they're unsung.

fuck you.

>they didn't cross over to white audiences. so what? why
>should they?
>
>Zapp and Roger got massive love from blacks in their heyday.
>no way they're unsung.

Troof. They were way too funky for the pop charts.

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They just never had any cross over hits.
And who cares? They jammed.

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blah blah blah

I am such a huge fan of Roger and Zapp.....I am trying to get them inducted into the rock n roll hall of fame but the mainstream saw the talk box as too much of a gimmick which was a false assessment because you have to know how to play a piano in order to play a talkbox....it takes real talent to play a talkbox.

>I am such a huge fan of Roger and Zapp.....I am trying to get
>them inducted into the rock n roll hall of fame but back then in the 80's, the mainstream saw the talk box as too much of a gimmick which was
>a false assessment because you have to know how to play a
>piano in order to play a talkbox.... and it takes real talent to
>play a talkbox.

I was watching a concert on youtube from supposely 1994 during Roger and Zapp greatest hits tour according to the comments on the video post and Roger was playing a hole in the wall venue and He had been making money, releasing albums, producing other artist and had crossed over with I wanna be your man and he was playing this hole in the wall very small club and I blame the industry and how they label music as white and black for the reason why Roger and Zapp was so unsung because Roger did have a lot of hits.....especially on the r&b charts from 1980-1988 and then crossed over with I wanna be your man and ohh baby baby even charted on the r&b side at number 8.

Roger and Zapp was big even in japan, brazil, germany, and europe and it doesnt make any sense that they were so unsung especially when I posted a thread about them at the pfunk messageboard about 3 years ago and some guy replied back that he thought that at that time that they were going to be bigger than what they were.....

Man, they did some crazy wild jams and theatrics onstage. Saw 2 shows and wish that the mighty Shirley "Pearly" Murdock had appeared on that 80s gig which i went to, because i heard afterwards that she was actually there backstage! (and was married then with one of Zapp's keyboardist, Dale DeGroat). If she had appeared on that set, it would've been somethin' like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8WivuEOGT8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DxQ2hNbf-E

Their Budweiser Tour from 1984/1985 was an event as well, also featuring Shirley, Bad Bobby Glover, and The Human Body-trio. I heard some audio from it with solid belting by Shirl and Bobby. The second show i saw was in the mid 90s, and that set was one of the most hilarious ones i ever saw, with them entering the stage on an outrageous intro-rip of Lakeside's "Fantastic Voyage" and other weird syncopated arrangements performed throughout the show, crazy costume changes, and their diva Nicole Cottom belting out on Cheryl Lynn's "Got To Be Real". It was one crazy-funk-tripping-experience all over the place lol.

with cross over but folks in the know will tell you Roger was beasting and busting it big time. live was no joke.

mistermaxxx R.Kelly, Michael Jackson,Stevie wonder,Rick James,Marvin Gaye,El Debarge, Barry WHite Lionel RIchie,Isleys EWF,Lady T.,Kid creole and coconuts,the crusaders,kc sunshine band,bee gees,jW,sd,NE,JB

Miami Heat, New York Yankees,buffalo bills

>with cross over but folks in the know will tell you Roger
>was beasting and busting it big time. live was no joke.


Word & true that! That unsung episode of them showed also that Roger was almost 24-7 in the studio.
They sometimes had to drag him out there lol, and the later Zapp-member Robert "Bigg Robb" Smith was
his personal driver because Roger was so focussed on his music that they didn't wanna risk putting him
behind the wheelchair. As Doc Claw recently explained on another Lesson-topic that the sonic sound of
Roger's productions was solid, because he was a perfectionist spending so much time in the studio.

>with cross over but folks in the know will tell you Roger was
>beasting and busting it big time. live was no joke.

I saw them live in the mid 90s! Roger was running up and down the aisles.
I almost got a high five from him. Tight band! I still have the ticket stub.

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