why dont black people really like any music other than black music?

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but there's still this issue of 'black people not liking non black music' to contend with. i dont really have a problem with it, personally, as lots of ethnic groups dont really venture out of their musical comfort zone that much so black people arent that different. on the other hand, people dont like saying that cos its seen as a connotation of being small minded or whatever.

or have we dealt with this already by saying that of course black people venture out of 'black music' (as if this is some grand gesture to be applauded), its often just not seen as being 'real' black people (whatever that means) - i suppose in this thread were saying 'white people' as = white masses and 'black people' as black masses. im still not totally into having to justify that yes, black people do listen to non black music though, does it really matter if they dont? its not as if all white people like all black music is it? anyway, i know plenty of black people who like various types of music.

oh this thread is pissing me off.

confuzzled, Friday, 9 September 2005 23:05 (eighteen years ago) link

http://www.mix2inside.com/loghi/writeBlack%20masses.jpg

rogermexico (rogermexico), Friday, 9 September 2005 23:47 (eighteen years ago) link

Another way of approaching this issue would be to ask: Why is such a disproportionate amount of American popular music produced by African Americans? I don't think its that black people are especially provincial in their musical tastes so much as the fact that the most popular music being produced by America comes from their own community.
It would be interesting to discuss why Af-American music has such a great influence (which it has for, as far as I know, almost all of Americas history) but I fear the topic might cause a terminal race panic meltdown.

Horace Wallpull, Saturday, 10 September 2005 00:14 (eighteen years ago) link

almost all of Americas history

http://www.lindamcalistertalent.com/gallery/061404-gilliam4.jpg

rogermexico (rogermexico), Saturday, 10 September 2005 00:51 (eighteen years ago) link

I know black Killling Joke fans. I know black metalheads. I know black Firewater fans.

Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 10 September 2005 01:14 (eighteen years ago) link

Hell, we all do! But still, you keep 'em away from your sister.

Austin Still (Austin, Still), Saturday, 10 September 2005 01:59 (eighteen years ago) link

Zing!

Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 10 September 2005 02:00 (eighteen years ago) link


find it quite sad that black people only like to listen to black music and not other genres. it seems quite limited. small minded, even.

the majority of the music i listen to is "black" these days. of course i'm counting anything with a groove so...regardless, i'm not hurting for variety.

simian (dymaxia), Saturday, 10 September 2005 22:31 (eighteen years ago) link

The biggest Journey fan I ever met was Haitian.

quality does not equal quality (wetmink), Sunday, 11 September 2005 01:00 (eighteen years ago) link

I've met lots of (non-Latino) black salseros.

Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Sunday, 11 September 2005 01:02 (eighteen years ago) link

(Of course, there is more than one sense in which salsa is black music.)

Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Sunday, 11 September 2005 01:02 (eighteen years ago) link

"we are the only band making authentic black negro music in the world" - brian jones

Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Sunday, 11 September 2005 01:33 (eighteen years ago) link

i know lotsa black folk who like coldplay. one morning when i was on the subway going to work, there was this black lady on the train who was blasting "clocks" on her i-pod! (true story!!)

Eisbär (llamasfur), Sunday, 11 September 2005 18:03 (eighteen years ago) link

two other (VERY) white groups that lotsa black people (used to) like:

http://www.ufm.uaem.mx/especiales04/img_2001/2001/kraftwerk/02.jpg

http://park1.wakwak.com/~record/image250.jpg

Eisbär (llamasfur), Sunday, 11 September 2005 18:09 (eighteen years ago) link

Hmm, it's strange that this topic hasn't been approached through the minority culture angle. I think you'll find everywhere a pattern of the majority co-opting the culture of minorities, who themselves try to assert/maintain their cultural specificity. That's what's happening with the muslim community in continental Europe and I have a feeling it is also a factor in the US.

Baaderonixx and the choco-pop babies (baaderonixx), Monday, 12 September 2005 07:09 (eighteen years ago) link

i just scrolled down this thread pretty quick with my mouse wheel, and it was a bunch of jumbled stuff like ppl were posting really fast, a lot of pictures, one of larry bird i think, another one of john mayer, and then some dark spaces where someone really wrote a lot, with 'nabisco' under them

geoff (gcannon), Monday, 12 September 2005 07:36 (eighteen years ago) link

That could be any thread.

mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 12 September 2005 07:43 (eighteen years ago) link

yeah, the 'minority' rule is partly correct, but its still redundant to say that black people dont like this, black people dont like that, when black people are not a monolith, nor are any other minority.

okok, Monday, 12 September 2005 08:57 (eighteen years ago) link

three years pass...

Great thread

Carrie Bradshaw Layfield (The stickman from the hilarious 'xkcd' comics), Saturday, 18 October 2008 21:11 (fifteen years ago) link

good god, i missed this thread at the time.

Pfunkboy Formerly Known As... (Herman G. Neuname), Saturday, 18 October 2008 21:14 (fifteen years ago) link

Me too. The original poster's most important question still unanswered though: why the hell do black people love Jim Reeves at the expense of all other white artists? "O_o"

anatol_merklich, Saturday, 18 October 2008 21:20 (fifteen years ago) link

Who doesn't like Jim Reeves?

Pfunkboy Formerly Known As... (Herman G. Neuname), Saturday, 18 October 2008 21:26 (fifteen years ago) link

Hasn't Jim Reeves always had a huge following in South Africa?

If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up, Saturday, 18 October 2008 22:29 (fifteen years ago) link

And Herman OTM -- Reeves is smooth.

If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up, Saturday, 18 October 2008 22:30 (fifteen years ago) link

Pfunkboy Formerly Known As... (Herman G. Neuname), Saturday, 18 October 2008 22:32 (fifteen years ago) link

The original poster's most important question still unanswered though: why the hell do black people love Jim Reeves at the expense of all other white artists? "O_o"

― anatol_merklich, Saturday, October 18, 2008 9:20 PM (

My google search shows-

NPR weekend edition story: April 7, 2007 - American-style country music might not seem like just the thing to catch on in Africa. But listeners in Nairobi, Kenya, are crazy about it. They're particularly fond of Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton.

wikapaedia-In the early 1960s, Reeves was more popular than Elvis Presley in South Africa. During this period, he recorded several albums in Afrikaans. In 1963 he starred in a South African film, Kimberley Jim, which was the biggest South African production up to that date.

curmudgeon, Saturday, 18 October 2008 22:50 (fifteen years ago) link

Very interesting curmudgeon I had no idea abt Reeves' popularity many places!

American-style country music might not seem like just the thing to catch on in Africa.

Um why not really? (I realize this is your google search, not your words.) Why should songs of personal joy, grief and whatever not touch people who hear it, even if they live on another continent? Is this a case of USers being apologetic abt country music, as if it were some plague they've let loose on the world (aided by the Germans or something)?

anatol_merklich, Saturday, 18 October 2008 23:11 (fifteen years ago) link

Sales statistics show that Africans are way more likely to get into "white" European/American music than African Americans.
And judging from what kind of music is popular there, the Japanese probably have the "whitest" musical taste in the world. They never get enough of McCartney-esque melodic pop.

Geir Hongro, Sunday, 19 October 2008 19:09 (fifteen years ago) link

hmmmph

Pillbox, Sunday, 19 October 2008 19:10 (fifteen years ago) link

wikapaedia-In the early 1960s, Reeves was more popular than Elvis Presley in South Africa. During this period, he recorded several albums in Afrikaans. In 1963 he starred in a South African film, Kimberley Jim, which was the biggest South African production up to that date.

You are aware that there is a huge white population in South Africa, and that in the 60s they had most of the money, which enabled them to buy most of the music?

Still, even recently, there have been examples of typical "white" music doing well in South Africa. And one would now expect the black part of the population to participate in the buying too.

Geir Hongro, Monday, 20 October 2008 10:52 (fifteen years ago) link

I'd like to see Geir's sales statistics.

Sick Mouthy (Scik Mouthy), Monday, 20 October 2008 11:16 (fifteen years ago) link

Actually, in the case of Africa, I don't think that sales would tell much about the taste of the people anyway. In poor countries, most people cannot afford to buy records. But they still like music.

Geir Hongro, Monday, 20 October 2008 12:52 (fifteen years ago) link

You'll find (generally speaking), they tend to buy records more. And play them more often.

Mark G, Monday, 20 October 2008 13:08 (fifteen years ago) link

But they still like music.

Wow. I did not know that.

QuantumNoise, Monday, 20 October 2008 13:23 (fifteen years ago) link

Surely the tastes of Africans and African Americans don't count anyway because they don't like melodic synth prog enough?

Sick Mouthy (Scik Mouthy), Monday, 20 October 2008 13:25 (fifteen years ago) link

what about afrikaans?

Pfunkboy Formerly Known As... (Herman G. Neuname), Monday, 20 October 2008 13:36 (fifteen years ago) link

Surely the tastes of Africans and African Americans don't count anyway because they don't like melodic synth prog enough?

There are those of them that do, and there are others that sadly don't.

Geir Hongro, Monday, 20 October 2008 13:37 (fifteen years ago) link

I mean, I am not so interested in putting "race" on music. Generally the world would have been a better place musically if all races and all Nationalities considered melody and harmony the two most important elements in all music.

Geir Hongro, Monday, 20 October 2008 13:38 (fifteen years ago) link

suggest ban

Joe the C.R.E.E.P. Operative (Rock Hardy), Monday, 20 October 2008 13:42 (fifteen years ago) link

whatev. the black dudes in my neighborhood are rocking Yessongs like nonstop.

flyover statesman (will), Monday, 20 October 2008 13:54 (fifteen years ago) link

the thread that keeps on giving

baaderonixx, Monday, 20 October 2008 14:14 (fifteen years ago) link

Westlife are very popular in East Africa, as I know from experience.

chap, Monday, 20 October 2008 15:16 (fifteen years ago) link

Westlife are very popular everywhere.

Geir Hongro, Monday, 20 October 2008 15:39 (fifteen years ago) link

yeah...

Mark G, Monday, 20 October 2008 15:40 (fifteen years ago) link

13 number one hit singles, at present.

The beatles had 17.

It's just a matter of time...

Mark G, Monday, 20 October 2008 15:42 (fifteen years ago) link

wow...weird..my best friend from HS roomed with a guy from nigeria in college and we hung out a lot...anyway he LOVED jim reeves (his dad was a big fan)..kinda surprised me, wrote it off to a personal/family quirky taste thing, am surprised to hear that reeves is just big in africa in general! that's super awesome and cool.

M@tt He1ges0n, Monday, 20 October 2008 15:44 (fifteen years ago) link

XP. The moment The Beatles are beaten by Westlife in the case of #1 singles is when people will definitely stop using chart positions to back why The Beatles are great.

Geir Hongro, Monday, 20 October 2008 15:48 (fifteen years ago) link

Jim Reeves C/D?

Pfunkboy Formerly Known As... (Herman G. Neuname), Monday, 20 October 2008 15:50 (fifteen years ago) link

why should black people HAVE to listen to non black music? what is this rule that says they have to do this? is there not enough variety in black music already?

Well, given the treatment of Geir on these boards, people clearly have a problem with people who in the main listen to white music.

but there's still this issue of 'black people not liking non black music' to contend with. i dont really have a problem with it, personally, as lots of ethnic groups dont really venture out of their musical comfort zone that much so black people arent that different.

And yet, Geir gets called a racist.

Freedom, Monday, 20 October 2008 21:13 (fifteen years ago) link


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