As a father, I am wondering if Black music is stagnating...

[DrBanneker]

Not saying there isn't good stuff out there or everything is "trash" (though I am biased to 90s hip hop & R&B since that is when I came of age). But seriously, my kids are starting to get into music and what is primarily out there is rap and pop music. Which is a variation of what was out when I was growing up. It's different in that my parents listened to different genres of music than me (Motown, 70s R&B/Funk) and my grandparents listened to different genres of music than them (blues, big band jazz/swing, gospel) and my great grandparents were straight old Negro Spirituals. Every generation couldn't understand how the newer generation could listen to that new "crap" as each generation called it.

Basically Black people innovated a whole new genre of music, not just new faces, once every 20-30 years in the 20th century. That's not even counting genres that cribbed Black music styles like Rock & Roll and modern pop/dance music. Hip hop rules the world now, which is cool in a way, but I am worried about there being no progress. Maybe the huge inflow of money has spoiled people. My pops theory is that now Black folks are getting money on the producing side, unlike when he was a kid, they are getting lazy and happy to push trash that sells. When Black artists were getting shafted, innovation was basically the only way to try to get ahead.

But maybe I'm just getting old.

 

[CrimsonTider]

Shut up

this has been discussed a million times on here

 

[Cynic]

Not saying there isn't good stuff out there or everything is "trash" (though I am biased to 90s hip hop & R&B since that is when I came of age). But seriously, my kids are starting to get into music and what is primarily out there is rap and pop music. Which is a variation of what was out when I was growing up. It's different in that my parents listened to different genres of music than me (Motown, 70s R&B/Funk) and my grandparents listened to different genres of music than them (blues, big band jazz/swing, gospel) and my great grandparents were straight old Negro Spirituals. Every generation couldn't understand how the newer generation could listen to that new "crap" as each generation called it.

Basically Black people innovated a whole new genre of music, not just new faces, once every 20-30 years in the 20th century. That's not even counting genres that cribbed Black music styles like Rock & Roll and modern pop/dance music. Hip hop rules the world now, which is cool in a way, but I am worried about there being no progress. Maybe the huge inflow of money has spoiled people. My pops theory is that now Black folks are getting money on the producing side, unlike when he was a kid, they are getting lazy and happy to push trash that sells. When Black artists were getting shafted, innovation was basically the only way to try to get ahead.

But maybe I'm just getting old.

It's not your concern. Let your spawn enjoy their youth without your jaded childhood yearnings.

You think your parents approved of you blasting expletive rhymes over break beats ?

You think their parents approved of them using gospel instrumentation to carry lyrics about courtship ?

You are getting old. Doesn't mean you can't enjoy classics...

Your kids have far greater access to more music than ever before

 

[Piff Perkins]

How many young black people were listening to rock in the 70s? How many young black people were listening to jazz in the 80s? How many young black people were listening to disco in the 90s?

The point is simple. Black people have created more facets of music than anyone else in America...and black people tend to move on to the new wave (and ultimately abandon the old wave for white adoption). Hip hop is still the wave....but you can't say hip hop has stayed the same. The style now is completely different and it's clearly turning off old heads the same way boom bap turned off older blacks in the 80s.

Case in point:


Listen to one of the top five most influential musical artists in American history. shytting on the new wave. Noting that the majority of fans at his concerts are now white. Sound familiar?

 

[TL15]

There’s no innovation to you because you’re not looking for it (neither am I)

You can’t say there’s stagnation when a Future song is completely different in tempo, sound, lyrics, and flow of a Tupac song.

 

[MasterOfAllHeSurveyz]

How many young black people were listening to rock in the 70s? How many young black people were listening to jazz in the 80s? How many young black people were listening to disco in the 90s?

The point is simple. Black people have created more facets of music than anyone else in America...and black people tend to move on to the new wave (and ultimately abandon the old wave for white adoption). Hip hop is still the wave....but you can't say hip hop has stayed the same. The style now is completely different and it's clearly turning off old heads the same way boom bap turned off older blacks in the 80s.

Case in point:


Listen to one of the top five most influential musical artists in American history. shytting on the new wave. Noting that the majority of fans at his concerts are now white. Sound familiar?

Back in the late 90s, I saw B.B. King at the House of Blue in Myrtle Beach. When my girl at the time and I took seats at our table, Mr. King looked right into my eyes and smiled. We were the only black people in the room as far as I know. After he was finished with his second set, he nodded to me to talk to him on the side of the stage and the first thing he replied out of his mouth, "I was worried there for a second". I made his eyes widen when I told him that I knew that his stepfather was former heavyweight champion Sonny Liston's half-brother.

 

[ThaRealness]

There’s no innovation to you because you’re not looking for it (neither am I)

You can’t say there’s stagnation when a Future song is completely different in tempo, sound, lyrics, and flow of a Tupac song.

Future started popping 8 years ago.

Could be wrong, but I think Future Young Thug and Metro Booming was the last real wave of innovation

 

[TL15]

Future started popping 8 years ago.

Could be wrong, but I think Future Young Thug and Metro Booming was the last real wave of innovation

I used Future as an example that the music has changed. It continues to change. It’s just not really change that you or I may hear or care to hear

 

[DrBanneker]

I used Future as an example that the music has changed. It continues to change. It’s just not really change that you or I may hear or care to hear

Good points but it doesn't seem as paradigmatic a change but maybe I am not looking hard enough at it.

 

[DrBanneker]

How many young black people were listening to rock in the 70s? How many young black people were listening to jazz in the 80s? How many young black people were listening to disco in the 90s?

The point is simple. Black people have created more facets of music than anyone else in America...and black people tend to move on to the new wave (and ultimately abandon the old wave for white adoption). Hip hop is still the wave....but you can't say hip hop has stayed the same. The style now is completely different and it's clearly turning off old heads the same way boom bap turned off older blacks in the 80s.

Case in point:


Listen to one of the top five most influential musical artists in American history. shytting on the new wave. Noting that the majority of fans at his concerts are now white. Sound familiar?

I'm not worried at being turned off by their music, I really am not. It just seems so similar to what I listened to. I expected something totally new and crazy that I would disapprove of and that would be ok by me but it doesn't seem like it is changing that much.

 

[Tribal Outkast]

There’s way too much music out here to care about the wack shyt. I let these folks do what they do and I listen to what I want mostly older stuff with some current music mixed in.

 

[DrBanneker]

Shut up

this has been discussed a million times on here

That dead horse is still twitching

 

[Sauce Dab]

Every era says this. Let your kids enjoy things. You can put them on to music you like and let them find things they like too. Don’t be one of those dust heads who try to block their kids from listening to anything newer because it’s not “real music”

 

[cheek100]

It’s crazy how having kids makes u examine music from a different lens.
This happens to every generation. But just like your parents couldn’t tell u shyt, u gotta let it ride.

 

[TL15]

Good points but it doesn't seem as paradigmatic a change but maybe I am not looking hard enough at it.

There are always staples in a genre (Aerosmith for example would be akin to Jay Z) but that doesn’t mean that the younger music doesn’t change (in Rock “The White Stripes” might be totally different than Aerosmith like Lil Uzi Vert is nothing like Jay)

Rap has changed, but it’s still a genre with some steadfast rules. And if you’re looking for a complete overhaul in 20 or so years, your expectations are off (no offense )

But you can easily tell that Rap has changed by just riding around with your kids and playing rap music from when you were their age. Their face and reactions will tell you all you need to know