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Printableviolator said: Graycap23 said: U are correct 2 simple. That said, take 2 artist with same talent and same material, one dark, one light.....which one is more successful? Well it's obvious what you think. But it's too slippery a slope for me to tread because the inference ultimately becomes that the light-skinned artist isn't as talented. Or didn't have to work as hard. It reduces everything in life to that house-nigga/field-nigga perspective. I have to look a little deeper than that. Black entertainers biggest successes have always been dominated by brown skinned or dark complected faces whether you're talking about Paul Robeson to Denzel Washington. Aretha Franklin to Whitney Houston. Bill Cosby to Eddie Murphy. I'm sorry but I just can't buy the idea that any dark complected entertainer who doesn't become hugely successful is hampered by their skin color. I don't disagree with you but race does play a factor....especially if the person is of a MIXED race. | |
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lilgish said: There's a few new light skin jump offs Corinne Bailey Rae and Susan Cagle that I see getting promo, I hear those albums are good. India Arie does the same kinda music.
 
Why isn't India Arie as big as Alicia Keys? They make the same boring ass music. I think India has better songs. Is there another reason besides skin color that India isnt a major star? I'm a black woman and I'm so sick of this light skinned/ darked skinned B.S.!!!!! It's tired and demeaning to black people. Of course there is racism in various forms, but, if you allow skin tone to run your life then it will. Saying you are only going to support an artist because they are dark therefore being treated unfaily by the public, is just as biased/ prejudice as someone saying ohh they are too dark so I can't get into them. This is why people who aren't black are tired of us, because we keep making dumb arguments about race instead of just living our lives. The best way to fight a bigot is to work hard at being yourself and ignoring them as best you can! I've grown up and been around every black and white socio-economic group imaginable and guess what ASSHOLES COME IN ALL COLORS!!! Anyway I digress. A lot of black acts are BORING!!! Most so called R&B is just TERRIBLE. I can't tell the difference between any of them. What's up with Brian McKnight STEALING Mavin Gayes rift from Let's get it On" in his new song? I'M PRAYING FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF MUSIC REBELS BLACK & WHITE, ROCKERS SOULSTERS WHATEVER THAT WILL FIND A WAY TO OVERTAKE THE MONOTANY OF TODAYS CRAPPY MUSIC! Can't rely on Prince forever. Gnarls Barkley is getting close. Alicia Keys has Clive "the fixer" Davis as her benifactor. What I keep hearing from alot of people about her is that either one they think she is all right, but they think she's fake or they just flat out can't stand her (like myself). Susan Cagel and Corrine Bailey are new and we don't know how popular they will be. I've seen Susan Cagel in the NY subways with her family over the years and I'm not surprised she is getting attention...she's really talented and she's had the best learning experience....she been performing live in front of real people since she was a kid. India Arie last I heard has had a couple of Grammys and has been earning her respect in the industry. She has a strong honest fan-base and I suspect she will be around for years to come. I'm not a big fan of hers either, but she is getting better and she works on her craft. I think most people perfer India over Alicia because she doesn't act like a fake wanna be. Who was on stage at the BET awards with Prince, Stevie, & Chaka???? Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliott, Mary J and Destinys Child are not "light skinned" and became very successful...why? BEACAUSE THEY ARE TALENTED AND INTERESTING AND HAVE STRONG PERSONALITIES!!!! I've heard people say ...ohh no one likes Tamar because she's dark, no idiots, Tamar can sing and dance, but SHE HAS NO CHARISMA. Most of these current acts light, white, dark, whatever just FLAT OUT DON'T HAVE A STRONG PRESENCE BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T DEVELOPED A SENSE OF SELF AND THEIR MATERIAL IS BORING AND UNINSPIRED!!!!. That goes for the guys as well. Let's put it this way, The record industry is bigoted and biased and they don't press there acts to be themselves, but the record buying public always makes the final call. If you're good.... you're good and people will get into you no matter what color or shade of a color you are. [Edited 7/8/06 8:08am] | |
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MistyCotton said: lilgish said: There's a few new light skin jump offs Corinne Bailey Rae and Susan Cagle that I see getting promo, I hear those albums are good. India Arie does the same kinda music.
Why isn't India Arie as big as Alicia Keys? They make the same boring ass music. I think India has better songs. Is there another reason besides skin color that India isnt a major star? I'm a black woman and I'm so sick of this light skinned/ darked skinned B.S.!!!!! It's tired and demeaning to black people. Sure there is racism in various forms, but, if you allow skin tone to run your life then it will. Saying you are only going to support an artist because they are dark therefore being treated unfaily by the public, is just as biased/ prejudice as someone saying ohh they are too dark so I can't get into them. A lot of black acts are BORING!!! I'M PRAYING FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF MUSIC REBELS BLACK & WHITE, ROCKERS SOULSTERS WHATEVER THAT WILL FIND A WAY TO OVERTAKE THE MONOTANY OF TODAYS CRAPPY MUSIC! Can't rely on Prince forever. Gnarls Barkley is getting close. Anyway I digress. Alicia Keys has Clive "the fixer" Davis as her benifactor. What I keep hearing from alot of people about her is that either one they think she is all right, but they think she's fake or they just flat out can't stand her (like myself). Susan Cagel and Corrine Bailey are new and we don't know how popular they will be. I've seen Susan Cagel in the NY subways with her family over the years and I'm not surprised she is getting attention...she's really talented and she's had the best learning experience....she been performing live in front of real people since she was a kid. India Arie last I heard has had a couple of Grammys and has been earning her respect in the industry and I'm not a big fan of hers either, but she is getting better and she works on her craft. I think most people perfer India over Alicia because she doesn't act like a fake wanna be. Who was on stage at the BET awards with Prince, Stevie, & Chaka???? Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliott, Mary J and Destinys Child are not "light skinned" and became very successful...why? BEACAUSE THEY ARE TALENTED AND INTERESTING AND HAVE STRONG PERSONALITIES!!!! I've heard people say ...ohh no one likes Tamar because she's dark, no idiots, Tamar can sing and dance, but SHE HAS NO CHARISMA. Most of these current acts light, white, dark, whatever just FLAT OUT DON'T HAVE A STRONG PRESENCE BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T DEVELOPED A SENSE OF SELF AND THEIR MATERIAL IS BORING AND UNINSPIRED!!!!. That goes for the guys as well. Let's put it this way, The record industry is bigoted and biased and they don't press there acts to be themselves, but the record buying public always makes the final call. If you're good.... you're good and people will get into you no matter what color or shade of a color you are. If 5 long seasons of American Idol taught us anything, it's the sad reality that certain members of the buying public don't even know what the hell they want musically anymore. (Since 1994, most of their options were thrown clean off of FM radio and push back underground!!) Why? Because they (especially MTV's TRL crowd) don't know a damn thing about their music history. The parents & the relatives of these young children aren't making the time to show them what REAL MUSIC sounds like. Who in the hell is going to step up by showing these our classic music CDs, cassette tapes, & vinyl? Who going to teach these youngsters about the power of THE Funk? Or Rock&Roll? Or Soul? Or Jazz? Or Metal? They need to know that there is so much more to music beside "the image" and these "hot beats"! | |
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CalhounSq said: StoneCrib said: She nailed it right there. Great post. TRUE... Tweet comes to mind - she's about the same talent level as Ashanti or Rhianna (maybe better, I've never heard Tweet's whole album) but nowhere near the popularity. Amerie gets blown up more than she does even before "One Thing"... Leela James is neo-soul but still wasn't blown up even a little, I thought her album was good... Amerie gets that "She's mixed" pass" while Leela is light complected. Living to die and I'll die to live again - 360 degrees - comprehend | |
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theAudience said: StoneCrib said: C'mon, TA, Aretha's career may have stalled around that time but she was STILL an icon and you know it. An icon of course. She already put in work to establish that if she never hit another lick at a snake. But she was still a recording artist that was releasing albums that the majority of folks never heard (if they even knew were out there). However the discussion was Clive's association with a female artist that didn't have the looks of an Alicia Keys, not her icon status. How many 80s kids would even know she existed were it not for the Arista releases?... Jump To It Freeway of Love Who's Zoomin' Who? Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves ...This re-established her as a visible and viable current (at that time) artist and not an Oldies act. I'd say a 10 year drought is more than a stall. In the music business that's pretty much a death. This association with Clive Davis and Arista definitely brought her back from the dead as a recording artist. tA  Tribal Disorder
http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431 [Edited 7/7/06 20:26pm] No one's saying Clive didn't help revive her career, I'm just saying that she was an icon before Clove got to her. Being "Aretha" already was a plus. Clove revived her career, but she was already known. The 80s kids knew her from their parents, and the new stuff was just gravy. Living to die and I'll die to live again - 360 degrees - comprehend | |
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BlaqueKnight said: The original question was "If India Arie was light skinned would she be more popular?" If you add "and had more eurocentric features" to that question, my answer would have to be "most likely".
She'd probably be a different artist, though. Her life experiences would be different. This question, while using India Arie as the subject, is actually alluding to a bigger question. "Does being light-skinned and more "exotic" looking contribute to being more successful?" Since people in general are very visual, the answer is obvious. I'll bet Prince would have 1/3 less fans than he does if he looked like Barry White. Excellent post. | |
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guitarslinger44 said: TonyVanDam said: I don't know any. And BTW, the same can be said about girl bands at the moment. The PCD don't even have a dark-skin sista in the group neither. What about Missy Elliott? I think that artists who know they can't rely on their looks tend to work a little harder on their music. Not to say that attractive people can't be talented, but I think especially in pop music, a less attractive artist is probably gonna have a better record BECAUSE they can't skate by on their looks. Just my opinion. Bingo! I have been saying that all along. That's why you will be hard pressed to find marginally-talented females in the industry that are not universally accepted as beautiful. | |
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MistyCotton said: lilgish said: There's a few new light skin jump offs Corinne Bailey Rae and Susan Cagle that I see getting promo, I hear those albums are good. India Arie does the same kinda music.
Why isn't India Arie as big as Alicia Keys? They make the same boring ass music. I think India has better songs. Is there another reason besides skin color that India isnt a major star? I'm a black woman and I'm so sick of this light skinned/ darked skinned B.S.!!!!! It's tired and demeaning to black people. Of course there is racism in various forms, but, if you allow skin tone to run your life then it will. Saying you are only going to support an artist because they are dark therefore being treated unfaily by the public, is just as biased/ prejudice as someone saying ohh they are too dark so I can't get into them. This is why people who aren't black are tired of us, because we keep making dumb arguments about race instead of just living our lives. The best way to fight a bigot is to work hard at being yourself and ignoring them as best you can! I've grown up and been around every black and white socio-economic group imaginable and guess what ASSHOLES COME IN ALL COLORS!!! Anyway I digress. A lot of black acts are BORING!!! Most so called R&B is just TERRIBLE. I can't tell the difference between any of them. What's up with Brian McKnight STEALING Mavin Gayes rift from Let's get it On" in his new song? I'M PRAYING FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF MUSIC REBELS BLACK & WHITE, ROCKERS SOULSTERS WHATEVER THAT WILL FIND A WAY TO OVERTAKE THE MONOTANY OF TODAYS CRAPPY MUSIC! Can't rely on Prince forever. Gnarls Barkley is getting close. Alicia Keys has Clive "the fixer" Davis as her benifactor. What I keep hearing from alot of people about her is that either one they think she is all right, but they think she's fake or they just flat out can't stand her (like myself). Susan Cagel and Corrine Bailey are new and we don't know how popular they will be. I've seen Susan Cagel in the NY subways with her family over the years and I'm not surprised she is getting attention...she's really talented and she's had the best learning experience....she been performing live in front of real people since she was a kid. India Arie last I heard has had a couple of Grammys and has been earning her respect in the industry. She has a strong honest fan-base and I suspect she will be around for years to come. I'm not a big fan of hers either, but she is getting better and she works on her craft. I think most people perfer India over Alicia because she doesn't act like a fake wanna be. Who was on stage at the BET awards with Prince, Stevie, & Chaka???? Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliott, Mary J and Destinys Child are not "light skinned" and became very successful...why? BEACAUSE THEY ARE TALENTED AND INTERESTING AND HAVE STRONG PERSONALITIES!!!! I've heard people say ...ohh no one likes Tamar because she's dark, no idiots, Tamar can sing and dance, but SHE HAS NO CHARISMA. Most of these current acts light, white, dark, whatever just FLAT OUT DON'T HAVE A STRONG PRESENCE BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T DEVELOPED A SENSE OF SELF AND THEIR MATERIAL IS BORING AND UNINSPIRED!!!!. That goes for the guys as well. Let's put it this way, The record industry is bigoted and biased and they don't press there acts to be themselves, but the record buying public always makes the final call. If you're good.... you're good and people will get into you no matter what color or shade of a color you are. [Edited 7/8/06 8:08am] Great points. Not sure about the last sentence though. | |
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whoknows said: MistyCotton said: I'm a black woman and I'm so sick of this light skinned/ darked skinned B.S.!!!!! It's tired and demeaning to black people. Of course there is racism in various forms, but, if you allow skin tone to run your life then it will. Saying you are only going to support an artist because they are dark therefore being treated unfaily by the public, is just as biased/ prejudice as someone saying ohh they are too dark so I can't get into them. This is why people who aren't black are tired of us, because we keep making dumb arguments about race instead of just living our lives. The best way to fight a bigot is to work hard at being yourself and ignoring them as best you can! I've grown up and been around every black and white socio-economic group imaginable and guess what ASSHOLES COME IN ALL COLORS!!! Anyway I digress. A lot of black acts are BORING!!! Most so called R&B is just TERRIBLE. I can't tell the difference between any of them. What's up with Brian McKnight STEALING Mavin Gayes rift from Let's get it On" in his new song? I'M PRAYING FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF MUSIC REBELS BLACK & WHITE, ROCKERS SOULSTERS WHATEVER THAT WILL FIND A WAY TO OVERTAKE THE MONOTANY OF TODAYS CRAPPY MUSIC! Can't rely on Prince forever. Gnarls Barkley is getting close. Alicia Keys has Clive "the fixer" Davis as her benifactor. What I keep hearing from alot of people about her is that either one they think she is all right, but they think she's fake or they just flat out can't stand her (like myself). Susan Cagel and Corrine Bailey are new and we don't know how popular they will be. I've seen Susan Cagel in the NY subways with her family over the years and I'm not surprised she is getting attention...she's really talented and she's had the best learning experience....she been performing live in front of real people since she was a kid. India Arie last I heard has had a couple of Grammys and has been earning her respect in the industry. She has a strong honest fan-base and I suspect she will be around for years to come. I'm not a big fan of hers either, but she is getting better and she works on her craft. I think most people perfer India over Alicia because she doesn't act like a fake wanna be. Who was on stage at the BET awards with Prince, Stevie, & Chaka???? Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliott, Mary J and Destinys Child are not "light skinned" and became very successful...why? BEACAUSE THEY ARE TALENTED AND INTERESTING AND HAVE STRONG PERSONALITIES!!!! I've heard people say ...ohh no one likes Tamar because she's dark, no idiots, Tamar can sing and dance, but SHE HAS NO CHARISMA. Most of these current acts light, white, dark, whatever just FLAT OUT DON'T HAVE A STRONG PRESENCE BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T DEVELOPED A SENSE OF SELF AND THEIR MATERIAL IS BORING AND UNINSPIRED!!!!. That goes for the guys as well. Let's put it this way, The record industry is bigoted and biased and they don't press there acts to be themselves, but the record buying public always makes the final call. If you're good.... you're good and people will get into you no matter what color or shade of a color you are. [Edited 7/8/06 8:08am] Great points. Not sure about the last sentence though. Sorry...I got excited and didn't double check myself  , but glad you got my point | |
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MistyCotton said: I'm a black woman and I'm so sick of this light skinned/ darked skinned B.S.!!!!! It's tired and demeaning to black people. Of course there is racism in various forms, but, if you allow skin tone to run your life then it will. Saying you are only going to support an artist because they are dark therefore being treated unfaily by the public, is just as biased/ prejudice as someone saying ohh they are too dark so I can't get into them. This is why people who aren't black are tired of us, because we keep making dumb arguments about race instead of just living our lives. The best way to fight a bigot is to work hard at being yourself and ignoring them as best you can! I've grown up and been around every black and white socio-economic group imaginable and guess what ASSHOLES COME IN ALL COLORS!!! Anyway I digress. A lot of black acts are BORING!!! Most so called R&B is just TERRIBLE. I can't tell the difference between any of them. What's up with Brian McKnight STEALING Mavin Gayes rift from Let's get it On" in his new song? I'M PRAYING FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF MUSIC REBELS BLACK & WHITE, ROCKERS SOULSTERS WHATEVER THAT WILL FIND A WAY TO OVERTAKE THE MONOTANY OF TODAYS CRAPPY MUSIC! Can't rely on Prince forever. Gnarls Barkley is getting close. Alicia Keys has Clive "the fixer" Davis as her benifactor. What I keep hearing from alot of people about her is that either one they think she is all right, but they think she's fake or they just flat out can't stand her (like myself). Susan Cagel and Corrine Bailey are new and we don't know how popular they will be. I've seen Susan Cagel in the NY subways with her family over the years and I'm not surprised she is getting attention...she's really talented and she's had the best learning experience....she been performing live in front of real people since she was a kid. India Arie last I heard has had a couple of Grammys and has been earning her respect in the industry. She has a strong honest fan-base and I suspect she will be around for years to come. I'm not a big fan of hers either, but she is getting better and she works on her craft. I think most people perfer India over Alicia because she doesn't act like a fake wanna be. Who was on stage at the BET awards with Prince, Stevie, & Chaka???? Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliott, Mary J and Destinys Child are not "light skinned" and became very successful...why? BEACAUSE THEY ARE TALENTED AND INTERESTING AND HAVE STRONG PERSONALITIES!!!! I've heard people say ...ohh no one likes Tamar because she's dark, no idiots, Tamar can sing and dance, but SHE HAS NO CHARISMA. Most of these current acts light, white, dark, whatever just FLAT OUT DON'T HAVE A STRONG PRESENCE BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T DEVELOPED A SENSE OF SELF AND THEIR MATERIAL IS BORING AND UNINSPIRED!!!!. That goes for the guys as well. Let's put it this way, The record industry is bigoted and biased and they don't press there acts to be themselves, but the record buying public always makes the final call. If you're good.... you're good and people will get into you no matter what color or shade of a color you are.
[Edited 7/8/06 8:08am]   I'm a white chick and if there's one thing I wish, it's that we'd all just get along. | |
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I was reading something about india the other day. They asked a group of african american parents, whom would they let their children listen to. India or Beyonce. All of the parents said india. This is due to the fact that she does not sing that "Booty-shaking", music that Beyonce and some others tend to sing. However, when these parents were asked, who would they listen too, an overwhelming majority said, Beyonce. Why? They said that although, India's music and message is uplifting, it is too messagey, (if that is a word) for their tastes. They said that children especially, african-american children, need those positive messages that she sings about. Quite frankly, I think it is up to their parents to give them those messages. India's music although very good, in the right setting does indeed bombard the listener with too many of those messages' and although it is not a bad thing....doing something or saying something, over and over can become a bit trivial and can be looked at as a bit of a joke. When I want to dance or get my groove on....India just does not do it for me. She never said that her music was the cure.....So, why should we. It all boils down to how one is feeling at the time. I would never put on Maxwell, if I wanted to clean my house. I would put on some "house music"....same thing with India.....if I want to be uplifted I would put her on or Jill or Gladys. [Edited 7/26/06 5:15am] "Love is like peeing in your pants, everyone sees it but only you feel its warmth" | |
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squiddyren said: MistyCotton said: I'm a black woman and I'm so sick of this light skinned/ darked skinned B.S.!!!!! It's tired and demeaning to black people. Of course there is racism in various forms, but, if you allow skin tone to run your life then it will. Saying you are only going to support an artist because they are dark therefore being treated unfaily by the public, is just as biased/ prejudice as someone saying ohh they are too dark so I can't get into them. This is why people who aren't black are tired of us, because we keep making dumb arguments about race instead of just living our lives. The best way to fight a bigot is to work hard at being yourself and ignoring them as best you can! I've grown up and been around every black and white socio-economic group imaginable and guess what ASSHOLES COME IN ALL COLORS!!! Anyway I digress. A lot of black acts are BORING!!! Most so called R&B is just TERRIBLE. I can't tell the difference between any of them. What's up with Brian McKnight STEALING Mavin Gayes rift from Let's get it On" in his new song? I'M PRAYING FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF MUSIC REBELS BLACK & WHITE, ROCKERS SOULSTERS WHATEVER THAT WILL FIND A WAY TO OVERTAKE THE MONOTANY OF TODAYS CRAPPY MUSIC! Can't rely on Prince forever. Gnarls Barkley is getting close. Alicia Keys has Clive "the fixer" Davis as her benifactor. What I keep hearing from alot of people about her is that either one they think she is all right, but they think she's fake or they just flat out can't stand her (like myself). Susan Cagel and Corrine Bailey are new and we don't know how popular they will be. I've seen Susan Cagel in the NY subways with her family over the years and I'm not surprised she is getting attention...she's really talented and she's had the best learning experience....she been performing live in front of real people since she was a kid. India Arie last I heard has had a couple of Grammys and has been earning her respect in the industry. She has a strong honest fan-base and I suspect she will be around for years to come. I'm not a big fan of hers either, but she is getting better and she works on her craft. I think most people perfer India over Alicia because she doesn't act like a fake wanna be. Who was on stage at the BET awards with Prince, Stevie, & Chaka???? Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliott, Mary J and Destinys Child are not "light skinned" and became very successful...why? BEACAUSE THEY ARE TALENTED AND INTERESTING AND HAVE STRONG PERSONALITIES!!!! I've heard people say ...ohh no one likes Tamar because she's dark, no idiots, Tamar can sing and dance, but SHE HAS NO CHARISMA. Most of these current acts light, white, dark, whatever just FLAT OUT DON'T HAVE A STRONG PRESENCE BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T DEVELOPED A SENSE OF SELF AND THEIR MATERIAL IS BORING AND UNINSPIRED!!!!. That goes for the guys as well. Let's put it this way, The record industry is bigoted and biased and they don't press there acts to be themselves, but the record buying public always makes the final call. If you're good.... you're good and people will get into you no matter what color or shade of a color you are.
[Edited 7/8/06 8:08am] I'm a white chick and if there's one thing I wish, it's that we'd all just get along.I honetsly thought you were a brother, in his 30's.  | |
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lilgish said: I honetsly thought you were a brother, in his 30's.
Nope! Just a lil' white girl from the suburbs of Florida. 
I sometimes feel like I could have been a sista in a past life, though.  | |
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