Timmy84 said:

SHIIIIIIIIT. Black artists barely make #1 on the pop charts anyway and most of the #1's last year were so long running it didn't give anyone else a chance. Bullshit article and I'm black. Fuck this.

This thread is BAMMA as hell....lol

murph said:

This thread is BAMMA as hell....lol

I Am mixed, and i do martial artist. BAMMA indeed if that is indeed what your talking about. If not... i'm lost

Technically, the article is true in that no headlining African American recording artist had a number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 last year. (But tell that to Rihanna, T.I. Pharrell Williams, Wanz, and Ray Dalton.) And if they are saying no person of color had a number one song last year, how do you explain Bruno Mars then, who had two number one hits? If you are referring to R&B and hip-hop music artists, then yes, it's a down time for those genres right now. Most R&B and hip-hop is pretty crappy right now, Beyonce didn't release her new album till just before Christmas, and Jay-Z and Kanye released albums that were either middling or challenging to listen to. Last year reminded me much of 1988, when George Michael topped the charts, R&B went into transition from crossover pop to new jack swing, and hip-hop was just beginning to ascend into its most creative phase. It took a couple of years for this shift to come into fruition, but then we got Bobby Brown, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Guy, Keith Sweat, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, and N.W.A. to blow up. We may at a similar stage right now, and hip-hop definitely needs to enter its "punk" phase right now.

Rihanna had a #1 hit on the Hot 100 with "Stay" last year didn't she?

amit1234 said:

Rihanna had a #1 hit on the Hot 100 with "Stay" last year didn't she?

Stay peaked ar #3 on the Hot 100

Why are some people playing dumb? This isn't about there being no black presence in music, black producers, or black artists being minimally featured on some water down pop version of an "urban" track by a white artist. This is about there being no black artists topping the Hot 100 in 2013 as a lead artist, a first in the history of Billboard...and it's serious. Hell, you barely even see black music in the top 10, let alone hitting number one. I don't think there's been a black-out at pop radio like this since the very early 80's, following the Disco backlash...but even then there was more black music and artists breaking through than there are now. And no, black music (R&B, Hip Hop, etc.) doesn't need to change. Look at the pop music that's topping the charts; it's the same ol' tried and true nonsense that's been around forever. So why is it that that can continue to work, but it's black music and artists that need to alter the way they do things? No.

This topic, IMO, needs to continue to build traction so that hopefully a fallout results that forces Billboard to alter the way they track their music. The restructuring of the music business that happened in the late 00s/early 10s has been detrimental to black artists, and it isn't fair. Something needs to be done about it.

[Edited 1/14/14 6:20am]

ADC said:

Why are some people playing dumb? This isn't about there being no black presence in music, black producers, or black artists being minimally featured on some water down pop version of an "urban" track by a white artist. This is about there being no black artists topping the Hot 100 in 2013 as a lead artist, a first in the history of Billboard...and it's serious. Hell, you barely even see black music in the top 10, let alone hitting number one. I don't think there's been a black-out at pop radio like this since the very early 80's, following the Disco backlash...but even then there was more black music and artists breaking through than there are now. And no, black music (R&B, Hip Hop, etc.) doesn't need to change. Look at the pop music that's topping the charts; it's the same ol' tried and true nonsense that's been around forever. So why is it that that can continue to work, but it's black music and artists that need to alter the way they do things? No.

This topic, IMO, needs to continue to build traction so that hopefully a fallout results that forces Billboard to alter the way they track their music. The restructuring of the music business that happened in the late 00s/early 10s has been detrimental to black artists, and it isn't fair. Something needs to be done about it.

[Edited 1/14/14 6:20am]

Truth I can't wait 30-40 years til we're all integrated mutts and folks can stop with all this separatist nonsense.

No Hawaiian's charted on the Metal charts. I'm so MAD!!

ADC said:

Why are some people playing dumb? This isn't about there being no black presence in music, black producers, or black artists being minimally featured on some water down pop version of an "urban" track by a white artist. This is about there being no black artists topping the Hot 100 in 2013 as a lead artist, a first in the history of Billboard...and it's serious. Hell, you barely even see black music in the top 10, let alone hitting number one. I don't think there's been a black-out at pop radio like this since the very early 80's, following the Disco backlash...but even then there was more black music and artists breaking through than there are now. And no, black music (R&B, Hip Hop, etc.) doesn't need to change. Look at the pop music that's topping the charts; it's the same ol' tried and true nonsense that's been around forever. So why is it that that can continue to work, but it's black music and artists that need to alter the way they do things? No.

This topic, IMO, needs to continue to build traction so that hopefully a fallout results that forces Billboard to alter the way they track their music. The restructuring of the music business that happened in the late 00s/early 10s has been detrimental to black artists, and it isn't fair. Something needs to be done about it.

[Edited 1/14/14 6:20am]

Exactly.

jeidee said:

No Hawaiian's charted on the Metal charts. I'm so MAD!!

!!!

Gunsnhalen said:

MickyDolenz said:

In fact, they and other African-American artists did not have a single No.... last year.

According to writer Chris Molanphy, who surveys the pop charts, in a piece for Slate, this is the first time this had happened in the Billboard chart ‘s 55 years. It represents a huge contrast to 10 years ago when a person of a color recorded every chart-topping hit. Rather, African-American artists were featured on other artists’ songs last year, such as Rihanna on Eminem’s “The Monster” and T.I. and Pharrell on Robin Thicke’s inescapable summer hit “Blurred Lines.”

There is nothing here that says R&B performer, it clearly says "African American" and "person of color". Anyway, "person of color" is not black only, it means anyone not white. So are you saying that all of the #1's that African Americans had on the pop chart during this 55 year period were R&B? Just because the next paragraph mentions white acts appearing on the R&B/hip hop chart, does not make the previous one about R&B only. Talking about white people appearing on the R&B/hip hop chart in itself is just another way of saying R&B = "black", like it's some big deal. If a white act appears on the jazz or blues chart, no mention is made of their race. So why is it so about the R&B/hip hop one? It's the same if a black act performs in a genre not R&B like "Black rock" & "Afro Punk" or a white one in R&B/soul/funk/rap. It's "blue-eyed soul", not just R&B. It's even insinuated in saying something like "Why is Phil Collins accepted by R&B audiences, but not rock ones?" in that because Phil is white, then he's automatically supposed to be liked by rock (aka white males) critics as if what they think is any more important. Daryl Hall said on an episode of his show that rock critics are suspect and prejudiced of music not rock or does not have a blues influence.

[Edited 1/13/14 15:11pm]

You said almost exactly what was i thinking Mickey. But, i couldn't quite put it into words.

In America Person of Color means African-American. You can all live in your little fantasy world if you like. The article is not referencing non-African-Americans or people who are mixed race.

---------

laurarichardson said:

In America Person of Color means African-American. You can all live in your little fantasy world if you like. The article is not referencing non-African-Americans or people who are mixed race.

---------

So if a black person in the US does not use the term African-American, (ie. Jamaican, Haitian, Dominican, Huli, or other black people who find the term "African-American" offensive), then they're not a "person of color"? Why is Rihanna mentioned then? She's from Barbados. Charlize Theron is literally "African American", so by your criteria, she is a person of color.

[Edited 1/14/14 9:11am]

MickyDolenz said:

laurarichardson said:

In America Person of Color means African-American. You can all live in your little fantasy world if you like. The article is not referencing non-African-Americans or people who are mixed race.

---------

So if a black person in the US does not use the term African-American, (ie. Jamaican, Haitian, Dominican, Huli, or other black people who find the term "African-American" offensive), then they're not a "person of color"? Why is Rihanna mentioned then? She's from Barbados.

First of all many people from the Caribbean do not want to be called African-American. If you want to be technical about it they really are not. The term is really for descendents of Africans brought to America during the American slave trade and still residing in the United States of America.

Rihanna was born in Barbados so she really is not an African-American and she did not have any of her songs reach number one on the pop chart this year despite performing RnB which, is really the point of the article that African-American artist and even those that are technically not African -Americans like Rihanna are not crossing over or having big sales in the industry.

Billboard has been catorizing music for well over 50 years and the reason has to do with advertising dollars which how radio makes money and the industry needing a metric to track trends and sales.

Music is going to always be broken down so the industry as a whole can make money. If artist can have a broad appeal they can obviously sell more music and have a longer career.

Instead of trying to pretend the facts are not really the facts some of us my want to ponder why this is happening. I am not sure how this thread go so far off of why and more on to it cannot be true or how the article was worded.

-

MickyDolenz said:

laurarichardson said:

In America Person of Color means African-American. You can all live in your little fantasy world if you like. The article is not referencing non-African-Americans or people who are mixed race.

---------

So if a black person in the US does not use the term African-American, (ie. Jamaican, Haitian, Dominican, Huli, or other black people who find the term "African-American" offensive), then they're not a "person of color"? Why is Rihanna mentioned then? She's from Barbados.

[Edited 1/14/14 9:25am]

MickyDolenz said:

laurarichardson said:

In America Person of Color means African-American. You can all live in your little fantasy world if you like. The article is not referencing non-African-Americans or people who are mixed race.

---------

So if a black person in the US does not use the term African-American, (ie. Jamaican, Haitian, Dominican, Huli, or other black people who find the term "African-American" offensive), then they're not a "person of color"? Why is Rihanna mentioned then? She's from Barbados.

Funny there's a universal word that's used by some folks who don't really give a damn if you are from Jamaican, Haitian, Dominican, Central/ North/ South America, or Timbuktu. The places you've mentioned, the same drama that goes on in this country goes on there, still. The last case I had in Chi-Town when a "person of color" was pulled out of his car and beaten by a half an inch of his life by "Chicago finest", they didn't much care that he was Jamaican. In all aspects of life, it doesn't factor in much, the music business, Corporate American, or walking down a street,... where some folks think you don't belong. But of course when you haven't walked in someone elses shoes, its very easy to assume or blow about something for which your frame of reference is 0.

I would agree cultural and different points of origins should be acknowledged and respected. If you think this shields Black people from the realities of the world we live in as a "person of color", I'd say you are a fool. As I've said here over and over again, it explains why "we" are at the bottom. That's another discussion... which I pretty sure should be debated in PT forum, we've digressed.

=======================

[Edited 1/14/14 9:49am]

laurarichardson said:

First of all many people from the Caribbean do not want to be called African-American. If you want to be technical about it they really are not. The term is really for descendents of Africans brought to America during the American slave trade and still residing in the United States of America.

Many of them do not like African-American either (ie. Morgan Freeman, Whoopi Goldberg), and do not use it. A lot of people in the US today that are directly from Africa and Africans in Africa do not consider blacks in the US "African". African is not a race, they can be white or Japanese if they are born and live there. It's no different than saying North American or Latino/Hispanic. "African American" is just a PC term for the old "negro", "colored", and others that were used.

[Edited 1/14/14 9:54am]

ADC said:

Why are some people playing dumb? This isn't about there being no black presence in music, black producers, or black artists being minimally featured on some water down pop version of an "urban" track by a white artist. This is about there being no black artists topping the Hot 100 in 2013 as a lead artist, a first in the history of Billboard...and it's serious. Hell, you barely even see black music in the top 10, let alone hitting number one. I don't think there's been a black-out at pop radio like this since the very early 80's, following the Disco backlash...but even then there was more black music and artists breaking through than there are now. And no, black music (R&B, Hip Hop, etc.) doesn't need to change. Look at the pop music that's topping the charts; it's the same ol' tried and true nonsense that's been around forever. So why is it that that can continue to work, but it's black music and artists that need to alter the way they do things? No.

This topic, IMO, needs to continue to build traction so that hopefully a fallout results that forces Billboard to alter the way they track their music. The restructuring of the music business that happened in the late 00s/early 10s has been detrimental to black artists, and it isn't fair. Something needs to be done about it.

[Edited 1/14/14 6:20am]

WTF are you talking about? as i said. Last year who had the most top 10 hits? Drake & Rihanna 2 BLACK artistts. And the top 10 doen't have enough black artists? again, that's full of shit.

I'm going to say some of you most be older... and never listen to radio. Cause for the past 5 years it has been dominated by Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Drake, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Flo Rida, Black Eyed Peas etc. And many more... are you people seriously trying to say black artists are never in the top 10? do you realize how many songs those artists i've mentioned have produced in the last few year that were overplayed?

I'm calling absolute bullshit on this bruh. There's black artists in the top 10 every month, hell every week nearly. So, again what's the problem?

Who's had the most top 10 hits of the past 10 years? Rihanna! she's had more hits then any other artists of my generation. And right behind her is Lil Wayne... do you realize HOW many hits this fool has had? or how many top 40 hits? i don't like his music... but, the fact is he has had a top 10 every year since 08.

And, again i am assumig sone of y'all don't listen to radio. I'm 23... and since i was in 6th or 7th grade all that has been popular is hip-hop and pop... and sometimes rock. That means the only artists i have heard on radio since i was a youngin was a lot of white and black artists. And, some year black artists dominated over white. Just cause they didn't have a ''lead'' number 1 doesn't mean they wern't huge. y'all still wanna ignore that Drake & Rihanna had more top 10 hits then anyone last year... and you still trying to say black artists barely get in the top 10?

as for the Hot 100 in '13, not many songs by ANYONE managed to get to #1 w/ radio playing the same 4 or 5 songs CONSTANTLY like Blurred Lines - which did have 2 black artists featured tho the lead artist is white - Royals, etc, which helped them stay on top A WHOOOOOOOLE lotta wks.

Gunsnhalen said:

ADC said:

Why are some people playing dumb? This isn't about there being no black presence in music, black producers, or black artists being minimally featured on some water down pop version of an "urban" track by a white artist. This is about there being no black artists topping the Hot 100 in 2013 as a lead artist, a first in the history of Billboard...and it's serious. Hell, you barely even see black music in the top 10, let alone hitting number one. I don't think there's been a black-out at pop radio like this since the very early 80's, following the Disco backlash...but even then there was more black music and artists breaking through than there are now. And no, black music (R&B, Hip Hop, etc.) doesn't need to change. Look at the pop music that's topping the charts; it's the same ol' tried and true nonsense that's been around forever. So why is it that that can continue to work, but it's black music and artists that need to alter the way they do things? No.

This topic, IMO, needs to continue to build traction so that hopefully a fallout results that forces Billboard to alter the way they track their music. The restructuring of the music business that happened in the late 00s/early 10s has been detrimental to black artists, and it isn't fair. Something needs to be done about it.

[Edited 1/14/14 6:20am]

WTF are you talking about? as i said. Last year who had the most top 10 hits? Drake & Rihanna 2 BLACK artistts. And the top 10 doen't have enough black artists? again, that's full of shit.

I'm going to say some of you most be older... and never listen to radio. Cause for the past 5 years it has been dominated by Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Drake, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Flo Rida, Black Eyed Peas etc. And many more... are you people seriously trying to say black artists are never in the top 10? do you realize how many songs those artists i've mentioned have produced in the last few year that were overplayed?

I'm calling absolute bullshit on this bruh. There's black artists in the top 10 every month, hell every week nearly. So, again what's the problem?

Who's had the most top 10 hits of the past 10 years? Rihanna! she's had more hits then any other artists of my generation. And right behind her is Lil Wayne... do you realize HOW many hits this fool has had? or how many top 40 hits? i don't like his music... but, the fact is he has had a top 10 every year since 08.

And, again i am assumig sone of y'all don't listen to radio. I'm 23... and since i was in 6th or 7th grade all that has been popular is hip-hop and pop... and sometimes rock. That means the only artists i have heard on radio since i was a youngin was a lot of white and black artists. And, some year black artists dominated over white. Just cause they didn't have a ''lead'' number 1 doesn't mean they wern't huge. y'all still wanna ignore that Drake & Rihanna had more top 10 hits then anyone last year... and you still trying to say black artists barely get in the top 10?

The article is about being number 1 on the pop chart. The article states nothing about black artist not being in the top ten. Are you having trouble reading the article? In addtion, RnB and Hip-Hop is the worst selling music for the last five years. You hear it on the radio but no one is buying it.

[Edited 1/14/14 13:14pm]

MickyDolenz said:

laurarichardson said:

First of all many people from the Caribbean do not want to be called African-American. If you want to be technical about it they really are not. The term is really for descendents of Africans brought to America during the American slave trade and still residing in the United States of America.

Many of them do not like African-American either (ie. Morgan Freeman, Whoopi Goldberg), and do not use it. A lot of people in the US today that are directly from Africa and Africans in Africa do not consider blacks in the US "African". African is not a race, they can be white or Japanese if they are born and live there. It's no different than saying North American or Latino/Hispanic. "African American" is just a PC term for the old "negro", "colored", and others that were used.

[Edited 1/14/14 9:54am]

If people do not want to be referred to as "African-American that is their choice. I know that I am not colored or black. I know that no country or continent on this planet is called colored or black. I know my decendents came from Africa so I am an African-American. I also know exactly what happens to a race of people who are told repeatly that they come from no place.

Most of the people I know from Africa refer to themselves by the country they are actually from. I have not run across any they want to be called African-Americans and that is fine with me.

laurarichardson said:

MickyDolenz said:

Many of them do not like African-American either (ie. Morgan Freeman, Whoopi Goldberg), and do not use it. A lot of people in the US today that are directly from Africa and Africans in Africa do not consider blacks in the US "African". African is not a race, they can be white or Japanese if they are born and live there. It's no different than saying North American or Latino/Hispanic. "African American" is just a PC term for the old "negro", "colored", and others that were used.

[Edited 1/14/14 9:54am]

If people do not want to be referred to as "African-American that is their choice. I know that I am not colored or black. I know that no country or continent on this planet is called colored or black. I know my decendents came from Africa so I am an African-American. I also know exactly what happens to a race of people who are told repeatly that they come from no place.

Most of the people I know from Africa refer to themselves by the country they are actually from. I have not run across any they want to be called African-Americans and that is fine with me.

There is no country called "White" either and "Caucasians" are people from the Caucasus mountain region. If you look at the average form in the USA it says "White, not of Hispanic origin". It does not say "European American", "Greek American", "Italian American", "Jewish American", etc. African does not necessarily mean a person is black. There's many white people in Africa, and they are just as much African as anyone else there. If they are not African, then most of the people who calls themselves "American" & "Canadian" are not that either, since their ancestors are not of the original Native population. Technically, you could say that everyone in the world is African, since it's been said human life began there.

Wish someone would do an article on how crappy all of the songs were that reached #1 on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart in 2013 by African-American or black artists. I peronally didn't find any of them listenable. It's sad that Justin Timberlake and Robin Thicke brought songs to that chart that had more rhythm and blues in them than any of the black artists who topped that chart.

kitbradley said:

Wish someone would do an article on how crappy all of the songs were that reached #1 on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart in 2013 by African-American or black artists. I peronally didn't find any of them listenable. It's sad that Justin Timberlake and Robin Thicke brought songs to that chart that had more rhythm and blues in them than any of the black artists who topped that chart.

I COULDNT HAVE SAID IT BETTER!

kitbradley said:

Wish someone would do an article on how crappy all of the songs were that reached #1 on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart in 2013 by African-American or black artists. I peronally didn't find any of them listenable. It's sad that Justin Timberlake and Robin Thicke brought songs to that chart that had more rhythm and blues in them than any of the black artists who topped that chart.

That's a valid point most of what passes for R&B music these days isn't worthy of being in the Top 10,much less at the Number One position

laurarichardson said:

Gunsnhalen said:

You said almost exactly what was i thinking Mickey. But, i couldn't quite put it into words.

In America Person of Color means African-American. You can all live in your little fantasy world if you like. The article is not referencing non-African-Americans or people who are mixed race.

---------

And with "America" you probably mean "United States", an equivalence which is one of the little fantasies of American (that is, US) people.

[Edited 1/15/14 5:23am]

THIS thread is just asking to be sent to P&R.

Did that Aloe Black song go to number one?

BTW, I guess this article is overlooking the fact that Pharell Williams wrote and appeared on 2 of the biggest hits of 2013. So, technically, a black artist did have a number one hit.

Gunsnhalen said:

Articles like this piss me the fuck off. Cause they act like no black artists ever have number 1 hits or are never played on radio this is pure race baiting bullshit.

In the 80's white and black artists cheered each other on. Phil Collins, Hall & Oates, George Michael etc. Were accepted for the most part in r&b and they wern't fighting each other.

Why were black and white artists so much more in synch then? rock artists could play on a black artists album. And vice versa... is there no harmony anymore? probably not cause of bullshit articles like this.

Some of y'all seriously seem to forget how Asian artists are so incredibly unrepresented in music. Except Psy... and he's only famous for a dumbass youtube video... i hardly count as a singer, rapper, or musician. Y'all forget how there has never been hardly ANY fucking asian artists on radio since... well EVER while white and black artists are played hur dur every fucking day on top 40 radio.

Get......THE........FUUUUUCK.......OUTTTTA HERE WITH THAT BULLSHIT AND SHUT THE DOOR.

but bruno mars is asian, is he not? he had a number of hits last year.

it's true that asians are underrepresented in the media and something should be done about it, but i don't think that means it can't be pointed out that no black artists (who weren't featured on someone else's song) had no number one hits last year.

[Edited 1/15/14 11:28am]

starbelly said:

Gunsnhalen said:

Articles like this piss me the fuck off. Cause they act like no black artists ever have number 1 hits or are never played on radio this is pure race baiting bullshit.

In the 80's white and black artists cheered each other on. Phil Collins, Hall & Oates, George Michael etc. Were accepted for the most part in r&b and they wern't fighting each other.

Why were black and white artists so much more in synch then? rock artists could play on a black artists album. And vice versa... is there no harmony anymore? probably not cause of bullshit articles like this.

Some of y'all seriously seem to forget how Asian artists are so incredibly unrepresented in music. Except Psy... and he's only famous for a dumbass youtube video... i hardly count as a singer, rapper, or musician. Y'all forget how there has never been hardly ANY fucking asian artists on radio since... well EVER while white and black artists are played hur dur every fucking day on top 40 radio.

Get......THE........FUUUUUCK.......OUTTTTA HERE WITH THAT BULLSHIT AND SHUT THE DOOR.

but bruno mars is asian, is he not? he had a number of hits last year.

it's true that asians are underrepresented in the media and something should be done about it, but i don't think that means it can't be pointed out that no black artists (who weren't featured on someone else's song) had no number one hits last year.

[Edited 1/15/14 11:28am]

He's puerto rican & spanish. I think he has a little filipino in him too.

Bruno Mars is half Puerto Rican and half Filipino