Why do the Beatles, Elvis and even someone like Madonna continue to get more recognition and respect than Marvin, Stevie, James Brown etc.?

I am not saying that black artists do not get respect at all, but when the so called experts continue to put the likes of Elvis, who never wrote any of his songs and practically "stole" a lot of his material from black artists and some one like Madonna, whose main talent is reinventing herself, over the likes of Marvin Gaye and Aretha it makes me angry..
[Edited 7/30/06 7:27am]

whatsgoingon said:

Ignorance = a bliss

I remember though a few pioneers like George Clinton being inducted in the R&R Hall Of Fame .
There should be a Afro-American Hall Of Fame .
Speaking of R&R ... Chuck Berry & Little Richard were rockin' already WAY before Elvis .

At least Chuck , Jimi , Marley and maybe a few more were portrayed at the edition # 1000 from Rolling Stone .

whatsgoingon said:

It can be frustrating, but in regards to artistic merit(popularity,innovation, etc), that is in the eye of the beholder. Sales dictate the popularity thing.

For some people, regardless of mass media proclamations, their musical alpha and omega are black artists. I grew up and my dad told me about Hendrix, James Brown, Sly, and numerous others that added style to their respective genres. They never outsold Elvis, The BEatles or others, but I like the aforementioned artists for what they brought to music.

I am one of those people that recognizes what Elvis did in his time. However, I refuse to proclaim him the "King of Rock & Roll" since it (rock)had existed way before he came on the scene. He just made it a more commercially viable medium. The Beatles, Madonna, and other artists that can be factored into the argument made excellent music, but commercially, they outsold many of their black counterparts, but the artistry is open for debate.

The media annoints who they want as king of anything. Selective memory is a hell of a thing, but the numbers (record sales, etc) provides groundwork for why some artists get more recognition than others. Ultimately, numbers are what makes these arguments go. The artistic aspects of white versus black artists is purely subjective.

Sorry for the long post

Nothing pisses me off more than the lack of recognition George Clinton gets. Parliament/Funkadelic should be talked about in the same breath as The Beatles(who are overrated IMO) and Led Zeppelin...ditto for Sly. For me more than any other black artist those two changed music. Though today there are very few artists black or white who are genuinely worth caring about.

Besides it's all part of a very clever conspiracy. Black artists today are steered into music than very often stereotypes them in a negative fashion or that chains them creatively, thats why they've stopped picking up the guitar! Hell just look at what Van Hunt is trying to do and no one really cares.

COMPUTERBLUE1984 said:

COMPUTERBLUE1984 said:

No sweat ... i dig it 100%

WildheartXXX said:

http://youtube.com/watch?...0induction
.....^
Save this on your computers , all U funkateers .

BlaqueKnight said:

Nothing pisses me off more than black folkz shittin on other black folkz instead of supporting the artists that they do like. Don't hate. Innovate!
If u have something to offer GET IN THE GAME. If not, shut the fuck up. Rant over.

BlaqueKnight said:

dreamfactory313 said:

Talk about fam overreaction because someone thinks Pharrell's shit stinks. God forbid! As if BK doesn't support the artists he likes The entire point of his post was: "innovators are hidden and the copycats, half-talents and musical clowns are pushed to the forefront"
[Edited 7/30/06 9:38am]

dreamfactory313 said:

Looks like I touched a nerve.


This is a message board. Don't pretend you know what people do when they are not behind a computer screen.

BlaqueKnight said:

I made a general statement. I dont know you or your tastes. So dont take it personally.

VoicesCarry said:

I can read. I know what he was saying. I posted my opinion.

dreamfactory313 said:

As you chose to quote him, it was a response to him, and it's no wonder he interpreted it as such.

VoicesCarry said:

That is true. However the copycats and half-talents will be forgotten soon. Who will be talking about Ashanti in 10 yrs time.? The fact of the matter people will be going on about the music of Marvin and Aretha, long after Ashanti. What gets my goat is that Marvin, Stevie and Aretha are not afforded the same recognition has the over-hype white artists like Madonna.

whatsgoingon said:

I completely agree on that one.

VoicesCarry said:

I quoted because I was referring to the idea that he posted. There are peeps that have lots of shit to say but if u ask them about the music scene in their own town they wouldnt be able to tell u shit. People always have shit to say but alot of times have no point of reference. True artists express themselves and I have a problem with "critics" shittin' on artists, saying they dont deserve this or that. Thats something that annoys me. Why do people spend so much energy bashing black music? Spend that same energy uplifting black music if thats what u say that u want. I would never bash country music. Why? Because I dont like country music. U catch my drift? Im too busy bgging up the artists that I enjoy.

dreamfactory313 said:

Because this is a message board and people are here to share opinions. And most think music is in a completely pathetic state, black music included.

dreamfactory313 said:

Most of us do, by listening to old black music, which was actually good. There are a lot of turds out today, and you can't polish a turd, so why expend the energy in the attempt?

dreamfactory313 said:

Not really. I would never even talk about country music, let alone bash it. It doesn't even register for me. However, I feel VERY strongly about music and particularly about R&B. So I will continue talking about it as much as I want. This does not mean I don't support the artists I enjoy.
[Edited 7/30/06 10:01am]

1. I dont think black music is in a completely pathetic state. There are great artists out there dying to go gold but many people never even know they're there because the record buying public is lazy and in "full effect bash mode". Yeah, I just coined a new phrase. See how innovative I am?

2. Sure there are turds out there but y waste your energy discussing turds? Thats seems rather moronic to me, but to each his own.

3. Besides Janet Jackson, I rarely see you post about anything unless its bashing someone. I'll keep a look out for your positive threads/posts. Im sure Im overlooking them.

dreamfactory313 said:

Yes, you are, as I've been here several years and have not interacted with you, much. But yes, most of my posts about contemporary artists are about how shitty they are. Because that's the damn truth, and I'm not going to sugar coat it for your consumption, or anyone else's.



One man's turd is another man's fertilizer. I don't think you're a moron for liking the Black Eyed Peas, because I realize it's just an opinion. You should work towards that perspective, too
[Edited 7/30/06 10:24am]

If ever you wanted proof that God has a sick sense of humour you couldn't do much better than to consider the fact that black music's all time artistic lowpoint(the last 10 years) has also been it's absolute commercial high point. What the fuck is up with that?
Back on topic, these ignorant assholes still call Elvis the King to this very day. What a joke!

I'm more irritated by the idea that hiphop has been deemed the pre-eminent form of black music. Most people expect to hear beats, rhymes, booty-bouncin' and crotch grabbing from a black musician on the showcase. Any true player coming to the stage with a sax, keyboard, guitar or bass is gonna get my respect right off the bat. This other stuff ain't much more than strip-club fodder.

whoknows said:

Easy fast food consuming makes the $ rollin'

whoknows said:

Bingo. I mentioned the same thing a year or so ago...the irony that blacks are dominating the music charts and music channels when black music is at an all time low.

PFunkjazz said:

Straight point .
I really dug some live-jams from The Roots .
Their drummer , Brother G?estlove , is founder of the "lazy-beat" , an after-beat which comes late on purpose .
He layed some tight grooves together with bassist Pino Palladino , during a D'Angelo concert i saw back in the day .

VoicesCarry said:

I just dont deal in that attitude. I guess Im a rare breed. I'd rather find what I do like than bash what I dont. Thats all Im saying. Maybe if we change our attitude about how we accept black music, things will change. We have to stop letting record companies/radio stations determine what we listen to. We have to support the backpacks on the streets and the local flavor. Thats just where Im comming from. Hell, we ARE black music. We are apart of that culture. We have a stake in it. Its our heritage. Why bash it when u can change it or at least evolve with it?

100MPH said:

Thats why I love 100MPH. His mind is always thinking about whats great in music. He doesnt go on these senseless bash-a-thons. He's talking about a contemporary artist who has innovated something in hiphop. That shit is constructive right there!

Here is my two cents. I have always felt that as a people, we take our music for granted. While we are doing this, white artist study our music and run with it. This is why we need to educate ourselves on what is ours and don't blame someone else if he has taken the time to study. Groups like the Beatles, Elvis, and Lead Zep, when asked what they listened to grow up, they will tell you black R&B artists. They then took the time to practiced what they heard. The end result was an appreciation for the music. When it comes to today's artist, and producers; all they are seeing is the quick buck that they can make. I say quick because, through today's technology, it is easy for them to reproduce a track on the fly, instead of making one up. This saves them from, admitting that they failed to do their "homework", on what a measure is or how many beats are in 16 bars of music. Until we realize that we have to not only do our homework, but also test ourselves on what we learned.....we will continue to go unrecognized for what was and is rightfully, ours.

I think the real problem here is what is focused on in terms of "black" music. There once again we can blame media for it, but in reality we should look at society itself and not media which is everyones scape goat. You can blame MTV BET for jamming images down your throat of "stereotypcial" rap videos but then you have to look at whos buying it, this generation eats that shit up. I mean take a look at BET for a minute, which should support all Black artists but it doesnt even come close. Look at the shows it has recently, LIL KIMS going to Jail Special, DMX coming in and out of Jail Special, and Keyshia Cole. How come there isnt a special about VAN HUNT playing clubs and being a musician, wheres the INDIA ARIE special, how come THE ROOTS get no love, because people dont want to see that, thats the problem. But what do we do, blame MTV and BET how about looking in our neighborhoods. Now im not a fan of most artists of today at all, manily because the focus is not music the way i know music. Today the focus is on your video, guest rapper, your producer, and no one is even talking about playing and doing something different. It just seems that this generation really just wants it simple and fed to them, no one is going against the tide anymore. Everyone talks about breaking boundaries, but no one is backing that talk up with their work.