Linn4days said:

Prince, Erykah.... and anyone elsewho has to comment about "modern production" need to listen to the facts:

(Supposedly Prince and Erykah are friends..)

Prince was futuristic sounding with the Linn LM-1 and synths. Roger and Zapp and others were doing the same thing by that time, but he infused the "Techno" of the time into his music-whether out of convience or not.. And he rode that sound all the way to about 50 Million albums sound. When he drops that sound, people really wasn't into his new stuff.. It kind of trapped him a bit. He's made some good music without that drum machine and other effects, but the average person doesn't care about it.

Nobody opened a school for these producers. Nobody invested $1 million to buy "real instruments" for "Real musicology". Nobdy built rehearsal halls (even in theri own hometowns), so anyone could perform and rehearse "real music".

Sometimes, through selfishness, you just built your own trap.

Nobody remains "on top" forever.. Here, people grow tired of you because you are "on-top"!

Techno sound is winning because the music industry has been tied to clubs all over the World. There is nothing wrong with slow, and soulful "mood-music", or little mid-tempo hand-clapper songs, but people want to move to a steady beat. That will change again. Poeple are fickle.

Europeans are probably purchasing more single downloads and (still) CDs than American whites and others.. These producers, rappers, and bosses are going where the money is..

Somewhere, there is a broke Neo-Soul artists who are sticking to what they do (especially here in Atlanta), some perfrom in Europe, but most without connections are struggling because their "big-brothers and sisters" talk about the "lack of integrity of (black) music", but won't lend a hand (like one was extended to them).

.

You do see the Neo soul artists at the different festival concerts, and even part of the smooth jazz crowd.

You know what's also strange. Erykah HATES the neo-soul tag. I would think with her artistic mind, she could bring a full-fledged funk sound though she also has a hip-hop background herself though technically she's not "hip-hop". My thing is why even focus on what they're doing when you could help "distract" from that "pimping of the system". You hear this from some artists who've been veterans for a minute but you wonder what they're bringing to the table themselves. Difference between the artists and normal joes is that we can talk about how music is fallen off because we ain't doing nothing lol Artists however can talk loud but say nothing. You see what I'm saying? It ain't like she's all the way wrong but...well you know lol

[Edited 10/26/10 11:21am]

Timmy84 said:

You know what's also strange. Erykah HATES the neo-soul tag. I would think with her artistic mind, she could bring a full-fledged funk sound though she also has a hip-hop background herself though technically she's not "hip-hop". My thing is why even focus on what they're doing when you could help "distract" from that "pimping of the system". You hear this from some artists who've been veterans for a minute but you wonder what they're bringing to the table themselves. Difference between the artists and normal joes is that we can talk about how music is fallen off because we ain't doing nothing lol Artists however can talk loud but say nothing. You see what I'm saying? It ain't like she's all the way wrong but...well you know lol

[Edited 10/26/10 11:21am]

It's just a waste of energy, IMHO and makes her look out of touch. Just inspire us Badu, just inspire.

Techno for the most part is not soulful and is not funky. All that mess about being "out of touch" has NOTHING AT ALL to do with what she was talking about. Most black folks "get it" because she was speaking on modern black-oriented music culture. She didn't say that rap over techno shouldn't exist or shouldn't have its place but when its the dominant thing in black music then something is LOST and that's what she is speaking on and I agree with her. She is speaking about culture over trends. Some of you don't get that.

Its not so much a knock at techno as it is a reinforcing of keeping the essence of the music intact and not forgetting where it started.

[Edited 10/26/10 16:50pm]

To be frank though, isn't "Planet Rock" from the beginnings of hip-hop? It wasn't at all what you call "traditional" unless she's referring to the Lost Poets/Gil Scott proto-hip-hop stuff...

Timmy84 said:

To be frank though, isn't "Planet Rock" from the beginnings of hip-hop? It wasn't at all what you call "traditional" unless she's referring to the Lost Poets/Gil Scott proto-hip-hop stuff...

Planet Rock preceeds techno. Techno was spawned from songs like Planet Rock, Play At Your Own Risk, Egyptian Lover, and much of Kraftwerk's catalogue.

BlaqueKnight said:

Timmy84 said:

To be frank though, isn't "Planet Rock" from the beginnings of hip-hop? It wasn't at all what you call "traditional" unless she's referring to the Lost Poets/Gil Scott proto-hip-hop stuff...

Planet Rock preceeds techno. Techno was spawned from songs like Planet Rock, Play At Your Own Risk, Egyptian Lover, and much of Kraftwerk's catalogue.

Yeah like I said though techno and electronic music was always part of hip-hop in one form or another. The current stuff that's being called electronic and techno is basically just a rehash of 1980s pop lol maybe that's what she was complaining about. Then again, who knows? She sounded as if she was generalizing it.

Identity said:

[img:$uid]http://i51.tinypic.com/20z5px3.jpg[/img:$uid]

I love this WOMAN.

*sigh* Was she just born yesterday? Music grows and evolves and shit changes all the time. You can not remain the same forever. Maybe, one day, there will be someone that will be able to combine those elements together to create something new again, but until that happens...stop bitching about it on twitter and go do something about it in the studio.

Also, I happen to be a huge fan of techno, trance, and house, so whatever floats her fucking boat.

I was wondering the same damn thing because it sounds a hot ass mess. Artist are desperate to increase their records sales.

I'm with BlaqueKnight on this one. I know when the core audience is being ignored! Real listeneurrs

The "core audience" has been ignored for about 20 years. Lots of those claiming to be hip-hop are faking the funk, not naming anybody but like I said, we've been saying that forever.

badujunkie said:

Identity said:

[img:$uid]http://i51.tinypic.com/20z5px3.jpg[/img:$uid]

October 2010

Erykah Badu has now publicly criticized the increasingly popular dance-pop, techno and electronic epidemic that is currently dominating today’s airwaves. The 39-year-old even criticizes Hip Hop acts for jumping on the electropop bandwagon.

This is what she had to say on Twitter:

http://globalgrind.com/ch...hop-music/

god

i wish the bitch wouldn't speak sometimes

i actually find her last comment a bit homophobic

i mean i get it and totally know what she saying

but 1) no one music type should be 100% racialized

and 2) yeah, some gay men obvs have had both and prefer asshole. im surprised no one else found that kind of...eh, i dunno i wish she'd just make music and shut up a lot of the time. not that i don't totally want to stalk her and be her best friend. but she comes across so much more interesting, innovative and intelligent via her music and lyrics and live stage show (and videos too).

You know, I don't know that there was any gender assignation to the asshole in question.

Echo on wanting to stalk her and be her best friend!

"Bumpity bumpity bump and still I rise." Badu is close to 40 and still rising. Her business is making magic - throwin' down regularly. And, while she may have hic-upped in her articulation here, her speaking is valid. The accomplishments in her career and life reflect a critical perspective of intellectual, emotional and cultural depth that is singular and fine.

And somedays I imagine that she is just a girl with green eyes ... and a 7 dollar dress.

Linn4days said:

Prince, Erykah.... and anyone elsewho has to comment about "modern production" need to listen to the facts:

(Supposedly Prince and Erykah are friends..)

Prince was futuristic sounding with the Linn LM-1 and synths. Roger and Zapp and others were doing the same thing by that time, but he infused the "Techno" of the time into his music-whether out of convience or not.. And he rode that sound all the way to about 50 Million albums sound. When he drops that sound, people really wasn't into his new stuff.. It kind of trapped him a bit. He's made some good music without that drum machine and other effects, but the average person doesn't care about it.

Nobody opened a school for these producers. Nobody invested $1 million to buy "real instruments" for "Real musicology". Nobdy built rehearsal halls (even in theri own hometowns), so anyone could perform and rehearse "real music".

Sometimes, through selfishness, you just built your own trap.

Nobody remains "on top" forever.. Here, people grow tired of you because you are "on-top"!

Techno sound is winning because the music industry has been tied to clubs all over the World. There is nothing wrong with slow, and soulful "mood-music", or little mid-tempo hand-clapper songs, but people want to move to a steady beat. That will change again. Poeple are fickle.

Europeans are probably purchasing more single downloads and (still) CDs than American whites and others.. These producers, rappers, and bosses are going where the money is..

Somewhere, there is a broke Neo-Soul artists who are sticking to what they do (especially here in Atlanta), some perfrom in Europe, but most without connections are struggling because their "big-brothers and sisters" talk about the "lack of integrity of (black) music", but won't lend a hand (like one was extended to them).

hip hop dominated most of the 90's and part of the 00's. it's time for a damned change. she just knows that she's now stuck in a genre that is biting the big one right now...so she complains. i've heard all of this before.

BlaqueKnight said:

Techno for the most part is not soulful and is not funky. All that mess about being "out of touch" has NOTHING AT ALL to do with what she was talking about. Most black folks "get it" because she was speaking on modern black-oriented music culture. She didn't say that rap over techno shouldn't exist or shouldn't have its place but when its the dominant thing in black music then something is LOST and that's what she is speaking on and I agree with her. She is speaking about culture over trends. Some of you don't get that.

When hip-hop was primarily consumed by blacks it was demonized. Now, in the age of Eminem, where whites are large consumers of it, there is pressure on these artists to be "more appealing" and to a lot of them, that translates to changing their sound to something they think "they" can relate better to.

And anyone who thinks it ain't racial is delusional. Its cultural and in a genre started predominantly by black Americans and creatively driven largely by black Americans, that makes it racial. Hip-hop for the most part, is the black American experience like soul, R&B, funk, jazz and blues have traditionally been. People want to take race out of the equation but it is also the experiences of a specific group of people that have brought about the invention and development of this music. Erykah is simply saying that tradition should not be abandoned in favor of trying to win favor. If anybody can make the music you make, then your music is not special. Its not personal.

Its not so much a knock at techno as it is a reinforcing of keeping the essence of the music intact and not forgetting where it started.

[Edited 10/26/10 16:50pm]

Co-Sign I cannot understand out of all these post why no one questions black artist selling out their music and their culture. Why are black artist performing techno and why on god's green earth are RnB radio stations playing it. It is not RnB music at all and if you really get down to it does it not suck at being techo?

Where do you draw the line at selling out?

laurarichardson said:

BlaqueKnight said:

Techno for the most part is not soulful and is not funky. All that mess about being "out of touch" has NOTHING AT ALL to do with what she was talking about. Most black folks "get it" because she was speaking on modern black-oriented music culture. She didn't say that rap over techno shouldn't exist or shouldn't have its place but when its the dominant thing in black music then something is LOST and that's what she is speaking on and I agree with her. She is speaking about culture over trends. Some of you don't get that.

When hip-hop was primarily consumed by blacks it was demonized. Now, in the age of Eminem, where whites are large consumers of it, there is pressure on these artists to be "more appealing" and to a lot of them, that translates to changing their sound to something they think "they" can relate better to.

And anyone who thinks it ain't racial is delusional. Its cultural and in a genre started predominantly by black Americans and creatively driven largely by black Americans, that makes it racial. Hip-hop for the most part, is the black American experience like soul, R&B, funk, jazz and blues have traditionally been. People want to take race out of the equation but it is also the experiences of a specific group of people that have brought about the invention and development of this music. Erykah is simply saying that tradition should not be abandoned in favor of trying to win favor. If anybody can make the music you make, then your music is not special. Its not personal.

Its not so much a knock at techno as it is a reinforcing of keeping the essence of the music intact and not forgetting where it started.

[Edited 10/26/10 16:50pm]

Co-Sign I cannot understand out of all these post why no one questions black artist selling out their music and their culture. Why are black artist performing techno and why on god's green earth are RnB radio stations playing it. It is not RnB music at all and if you really get down to it does it not suck at being techo?

Where do you draw the line at selling out?

Haven't black artists always performed techno? Isn't the history of techno the history of many black musicians? Prince was the king of "punk funk" which was not necessarily so 'black' of him. Why these strict rules for what black people can and cannot do?

JudasLChrist said:

Haven't black artists always performed techno? Isn't the history of techno the history of many black musicians? RICK JAMES was the king of "punk funk" .... Why these strict rules for what black people can and cannot do?

Fix'd. [img:$uid]http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/rr196/hypatia320/GIFs/Smileys/thumbsup.gif[/img:$uid]

Most traditionalists prefer the preservation of culture. I don't understand how anyone who knows anything about Erykah Badu would expect her to have a different outlook other than the one she has on this subject.

JudasLChrist said:

laurarichardson said:

Co-Sign I cannot understand out of all these post why no one questions black artist selling out their music and their culture. Why are black artist performing techno and why on god's green earth are RnB radio stations playing it. It is not RnB music at all and if you really get down to it does it not suck at being techo?

Where do you draw the line at selling out?

Haven't black artists always performed techno? Isn't the history of techno the history of many black musicians? Prince was the king of "punk funk" which was not necessarily so 'black' of him. Why these strict rules for what black people can and cannot do?

Donna Summer with Georgio Moroder might have been the first one to bring that type of music to the mainstream.I'm sure people can namedrop R&B acts with a synth and used voice effects, but I don't think you heard it until "I Feel Love" in the discos around the world. There were a lot of people trying to sound futuristic in the late 70s-early 80s, and can find Eurodisco songs that had that robotic sound to it as much as you can find funk songs that were doing the same thing.

Rick James was more rock musician than king of funk or punk.

He came on the map in the late 70s, even though he was in the shadows of Motown in the 60s and 70s. Thankfully Berry Gordy didn't leave him back in Detroit when they moved the company to Motown, of course people are still to this day upset that he did that.

dalsh327 said:

JudasLChrist said:

Haven't black artists always performed techno? Isn't the history of techno the history of many black musicians? Prince was the king of "punk funk" which was not necessarily so 'black' of him. Why these strict rules for what black people can and cannot do?

Donna Summer with Georgio Moroder might have been the first one to bring that type of music to the mainstream.I'm sure people can namedrop R&B acts with a synth and used voice effects, but I don't think you heard it until "I Feel Love" in the discos around the world. There were a lot of people trying to sound futuristic in the late 70s-early 80s, and can find Eurodisco songs that had that robotic sound to it as much as you can find funk songs that were doing the same thing.

Rick James was more rock musician than king of funk or punk.

He came on the map in the late 70s, even though he was in the shadows of Motown in the 60s and 70s. Thankfully Berry Gordy didn't leave him back in Detroit when they moved the company to Motown, of course people are still to this day upset that he did that.

Uh, the term "punk funk" was COINED BY RICK JAMES. He referred to his work as "punk funk".

Aqua does not sound like Frankie Knuckles.

...And I'm still with Erykah on this. Everybody is trying to make it out to be an attack on techno when its really about keeping the soul alive in a genre spawned from it and used it to ride to success. Without funk & R&B samples, where would hip-hop be?

[Edited 10/30/10 10:55am]