After reading your comments again you are definitely not a brother!!!

Good Morning all

DCM here,

First of all, I understand both sides of the comments of gman1966 and jazzy328. Today the music industry is more concerned with the latest pop star instead of a group or a band that can reproduce its album live! I watched some of the American Pop star TV show that was on Fox and was amazed that the singers and the A&R people were arguing about IMAGE!! I havent seen any musical instrument stars in a long time (No offense India Arie & Alicia Keys to a point!)

You combine the fact that a persons image is more important than the music with CLEAR CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS buying up all of the radio stations and to me that equals the DEATH of music & radio as a creative outlet to people. Its really sad to see people that are really talented with a guitar,bass, drums, piano, sax and a range of other instruments and no one even cares.

With "Black Music"it is even worse because people like Puffy cant even play an instrument. He is a great buyer and manipulator of samples, nothing more. He even admits that in interviews! I believe that you should be able to "play"an instrument before you call yourself an artist!

I am helping to tech for the upcoming Chaka Khan concert here in Philly on the 24th. And I wish more people would bring their kids to watch!! She is amazing,but gets no airplay. SAD! This is changing somewhat because of people like Tom Joyner (my friend!!)with his Sky Shows but it is not enough.

The only thing that can change the musical landscape is to create situations for yourself to express your art(music). Go to the local restaurants, bookstores (great market for guitarists and jazz musicians)corporate spots etc. and get out there and play. If you like an instrument, go to the music store and BUY it and learn how to play it! Get together people with similar interests and GO PLAY !

Even if you dont become a "Big POP star" at least you did what you could to change the current state of crappines on the radio!

Ihope this makes sense

DCM

jw1914 said:

Hello again,

I am in K of P nowadays, but as Will Smith says, West Philadelphia born and raised...!


Anyway I forgot, check out the roster for the Robin Hood Dell East, this Summer!! Great Talent. Also the Keswick theater in Glenside is always tearing up. I heard the Brothers Johnson killed it!!

young kids buy what they hear, because they have nothing to compare it to.
The dj's say it's cool and the record company promotes the hell outo fcrappy shit.

so the kids like crappy shit.


If you take a good look at this thread, you will see young and older people all basically saying the same thing: nowadays r&B/black music sucks.

It is this way because Prince, whose music we all love, has made much better stuff than the one listen throw aways we are bombarded with today.

This topic couldn't have come at a better time. Here in San Diego, I was listening to, I think it's Hot or Mega 92.5 the Old & New School R&B station out here and I was getting nostalgic listening to the songs I grew up listening to in the 80's. My friend's been calling me a trader to my generation (I'm 23) because I prefer music from the 60's-80's and he's amazed that I remember words to songs from the 80's (which I remember when they were out from I'd say 83 to now). My major beef with today's music is that everyone does the same thing, sings the same way and even looks the same. When I was a kid, no matter how dumb some of the singers looked & how bad some of the music was, they were trying to be original (for the most part). I want to be challenged musically and none of these acts do it for me. I prefer real music over fake garbage. I can only take so much of Usher, Ashanti, and Poop-Doody for so long.

VelvetJ said:

I agree with you VelvetJ about the change in Music in the late 80's. I noticed in 1988 (I was 9 yrs old) that things were changing when I first heard Guy, Al B. Sure! and Keith Sweat on the radio & BET. New Jack Swing was starting up and once that sound came in it totally changed things and it's the reason why music is where it is today. Rap got bigger that year cause BET started playing it a lot more on Video Soul & Video Vibrations (remember those shows, I miss Donnie Simpson) and MTV started Yo! MTV Raps that year too. Also, I saw that the tide was shifting when Prince & MJ weren't on the covers of Right On and Black Beat as much as before. Things have never been the same since.

dcm said:

Thanks again dmc, but I think you misunderstood my comment. I was not saying that here in Philly we are not exposed completely to 'all black' bands including major acts, no I was speaking about local 'unsigned' 'all black' bands that perform in the small venues. Sure in any major city such as Philly there is mid to large venues like the Keswick and the Dell which will feature major "signed" acts present and past, but show me today a unsigned local black funk band(ex. "Breakwater","Rated X", "Fleetwood"whom I played in by the way,"Brutus", etc.) playing in Vernon Park? So if our young ones see and become inspired by the music of our time and then want to go in that direction, where exactly are they going to 'cut their teeth' at here in Philly? And if they do miraculously find a place to play at, would they be able to draw a large enough following to began to attract the attention of a major label's PR, less get signed a deal!I for one frequent the small clubs here in Philly in search of new artist, and yes there tons of individual black musicians thur-out Philly all starving to eat. Sure we 'old schoolers' will go to the Dell to see the Bar-Kays, but we won't go out to a local club to support a up-n-coming local act(trust me I know, I fronted "Phil-E-Phunk" for quite sometime before we scrapped the act due to non-support by our folks,sure many whites came out). Look at what's happening at Brave New World on thursdays with kareeoke, will we support a artist once they go professional? I think not til they get a recording deal. How many supported Jil Scott before she got a deal? Most blacks here in Philly never heard of the Black Lilys less even been to one of their showcases. Oh but we sure jumped on the 'bandwagon' once Jil got signed. DATZ WHAT I'M TALKING BOUT!

jw1914 said:

Hey jw1914,

I agree with ya doctor, there arent really any places where the relative unknowns can get together so record companies can see them tear it up. It is our sad state of "Black Music". I have talked to Tiffany Bacon at Power 99 as well as the powers that be at a Brave New World about bringing in bands on thursday nights and every time they have said "WEll call you". We did a video shoot for Eleanor Grant there and then WDAS payed us a little attention,but the pay situation was all wrong.

Now the Pizzeria Uno thing with Budzilla Productions is coming up and new talent will be able to come down and play with my band! If you are BAD (as in good )Then you will keep coming back. And from what I am hearing industry people will be down there as well to check out the up and comers in the area. But everything right now is in discussions so I cant give you a start date. But as soon as everything is signed, then you can come down and do your thang!!


I tell you more as this thing happens!

Dont give up yet, real music is coming back!!

DCMxxx

Black music is in trouble. W/ legal payola, and Clear Channel, its in the shitter. I cant even listen to that shit. But w/ some of the biggest, and baddest ie. Prince, and MJ declaring independence from the plantation, I think we're aboutto see some really powerful things happen. Once we get past the egos, and agendas, we'll be unstoppable. Not us against them, thats stupid too, but we'll get our shit in order.

There are so many sideline sitting mofos who know better, and say nothing, but as soon as a trend starts they jump on. Thats whats probably gonna happen w/ this.

The 80s had some good stuff, but it was the beginning of this downward spiral. Too much cult of personality shit like Prince. One bad, one name mofo, and everybody wanted to bite. But this cat was the real deal. He could actually play alot of instruments well. And sing on key.

But it spawned a bunch of Madonna type, Giorgio, Rockwell, type bullshit. People had the looks, and the outfits, and couldnt hit the notes. Enter Milli Vanilli. We know what happened to them.

Bands have been struggling since the 80s.

Rap was gaining momentum, and it deserved it but the moguls were giving the deals and the money (like always) to the ones who hated themselves the most. Just like Little Richard, and Prince, and MJ had to get all dolled up to seem safe, rappers had to revel in self hate. Ready to Die, Life After Death, all that shit. Anyway, after these idiots realized how final death was, they went for the lowest fucking common denominator - children. They are now the exclusive target audience. They are the artists, and the target consumers. They look ridiculous, have taken the fun out of adoloescent rebellion, and have zero talent. This is some truly evil shit. If theres a God somebodys ass is in trouble. Enter R. Kelly. We all know whats about to happen to him. Sing to children about fucking, youll probably end up fucking children.

How can there be this many singers, who claim to be 'feeling it', and they all got the exact same vocal style? Riffs, runs, etc. God dizam. aaah oooh oooh yeah heh. Pleeeze stop. They need to invoke a no running rule. Its more interesting to listen to old ass jazz, at least people sang in their own distinctive style. AND THEY SANG ON KEY And who told these kids they were talented. Clearly, you can sell anything to anybody.

I ranted to say the real bad boys have seen the error in their ways, and are working to fix it. If its driving us crazy, Prince is probably throwing shit at the radio.

In my hometown, we got a team, and a plan. If we all play our parts where we live, something goods got to happen.
[This message was edited Tue Jun 18 16:49:29 PDT 2002 by Jagjams]