Happy #BlackHistoryMonth !

I will get to Black history. For now, I'm still on white US history.

Q: Why is so much Black music about violence and misogyny? I'm not racist, but I think Black culture is just more violent. Why does it seem that way?

A: Racism. Rap, trap, and drill, are only the most popular genres of Black music listened to *by white people.* The most popular among Black folk is R&B, almost 2X as popular. Violent rap is mostly for y'all.🤷🏿‍♂️

https://www.statista.com/statistics/945163/leading-music-genres-african-american/

#BlackMastodon

In the US, "Black products" can be thought of as falling into one of 3 categories.

1) Made by Black people
2) Made for Black people
3) Black people are the product

Many products are a combination. Football is 2) and 3).

Violent rap is mostly 1) and 3). It's "Black" music made for the white ear. That's how a lot of white US music listeners see Black people. 🤷🏿‍♂️

Trap and dril are definitely *part* of Black music culture, but they're not even close to most of it. But that's how the world sees it.

If you go to a Black hair salon, you're more likely to hear Jill Scott playing, than to hear Kodak Black.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pBYV4bMlg7g

A weird thing that I've noticed: when some of my white friends hear a Black person say that they don't listen to rap or hip hop, they assume that means that the Black person listens to "white" music.😬 They genuinely don't realize that the vast majority of Black music is not rap.

This leads to some awkward eye rolls. Usually the Black person doesn't try to explain🤷🏿‍♂️

Many of the white musicians making "Black" music, are attempting to cosplay what they think of as "Black culture." But they're only seeing a tiny fraction of Black culture, seen through the pinhole of a record label producing "Gangster rap" for consumption by suburban white kids. 🙂🙃

At this point, I feel the need to explain that most Black musicians don't actually have face tattoos.🤷🏿‍♂️

Birdman has these kids drawing all over their faces permanently.

Black rappers do this too! You'll often hear rappers claim that other gangster rappers aren't "real," or are "studio gangsters," actors performing a display of what they know white listeners expect to hear from Black people.

You'll also hear Black rappers admitting that they focus their music on the violent topics that white audiences want, and simplifying their lyrical structure, because that is what's required for commercial success in a market where most of the buyers are white suburban kids

I don't need to rehash the origins of rock and roll, blues, jazz, or techno/house music. OK, maybe house music... Where was the "house" referred to in "House music?" And who were the original House DJs? (Hint: Ask any non-racist gay American man over 40, that could really dance when they were younger).

I tell people that in about 50 years, someone will say, "You know, the original rappers were Black!" And no one will believe them. Someone will have to create a long thread about it. 🤡

US music listeners do associate Jack Harlow with "Black culture," but don't associate Adele, Snoh Aelegra, etc, with Black culture, even though the later artists go out of their way to make that association known as respectfully as they can without crossing over into appropriation.🙂🙃

Snoh Aelegra
https://youtu.be/4976Fgvf5Ps

Adele:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rYEDA3JcQqw

This says more about the listener and the framing allowed by our society, than it does about either the musician, or Black people.

🤔 I know that people love Ted Talks, but for some reason, I keep running into Ted Talk fans that have never seen this one?

White Mike Ted Talk:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1DxHL2i3cZo

What we consider "Black music," is defined by racist systems. The same racist systems that cannot prevent the murder of young Black men, defines that narrow slice of most deviant Black music, as the whole.

Yes, I listen to trap and drill music. No I don't think Violet rap should all be censored. I'm not Nancy Reagan.

What I do think should happen, is that music listeners should understand that what they think of as "Black music" is just a subset of Black music seen through a lense of racism.

US history is full of beauty, violence, wonder, racism, justice, evil, hope, misogyny, respect for others, more racism, collaboration, religious intolerance, and finally, even more racism. The US is a fantastic contradiction, and we rap and sing about it. You can't just take the worst parts, and call that "Black music"

@mekkaokereke Thank you for this outstanding thread.

I've heard artists like Tyler the Creator say they're continuously pigeonholed into "rap" when what they intended to make was pop music.

As far as I'm concerned, so-called "rock" music is just R&B.

Tina Turner is the Queen of Rock. Not of R&B—but rock. It's right there on her Wikipedia bio.

@atomicpoet @mekkaokereke and Run is the King, just sayin'