Listening to "Rude". Thinking about cultural appropriation.

[redgreenandblue]

Not the most knowledgeable on popular culture, I would classify that as Reggae (hipsters flame away). After having heard it many times on the radio, I was surprised to learn that the singer was not a black man when I first saw the video.

Adele is similar: I just kind of assumed she was black until I saw the video.

It is pretty clear that these singers are imitating things that African Americans did first.

I just wonder whether that should be considered a bad thing. One would think that in some sense it is a great victory. It seems that African Americans have been extremely successful in leaving a cultural imprint far beyond their own demographic.

In science we would say that quoting other people is fine as long as you properly give credit. In other words, shouldn't it be ok to adopt someone else's style as long as you don't deny that this is what you are doing?

By the way, just burned my first joint in years and thus having weird thoughts like these

[aikoaiko]

1. We recently had a similar conversation about Iggy Azalea and DU decided it was fine.

[Romulox]

2. Reggae isn't an African American music style.

In fact, American rap music/hip hop has a huge debt to pay to Jamaican dancehall reggae. Accusations of "appropriation" could possibly be leveled toward the US artists appropriating Jamaican styles...

Is your mind blown?

[Depaysement]

4. Wow

I thought I was the only one who knew that.

[redgreenandblue]

10. Mind is blown.

And the best part: Woke up without a hangover

[Erose999]

16. Jamaican music owes a tremendous debt to American jazz and of course... American country.

The original:

Back in the days of AM radio, signals would bounce all over the place. In Jamaica they got radio stations from the Southern US. Jazz from New Orleans and country from Nashville. Reggae is the rhythm of jazz and the melody of country layered over the top. Lots of reggae artists did country covers. I read somewhere that Bob Marley's first single was a cover of a Roger Miller song.

[msongs]

3. anything Ive heard by adele is pretty much white bread stuff. nt

[Nye Bevan]

5. 3% of DUers believe that Katy Perry's cornrows are cultural appropriation.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026006441

[seveneyes]

6. Hold my head so it won't shake

[cemaphonic]

7. Seems like almost every major British group from the 70s copped a reggae beat or two.

Quite a few American ones too. Humans have always adopted ideas, including cultural ones from each other and it has only accelerated since the era of global mass media.

Reggae itself, like pretty much every other form of music that developed in the Americas is already a complex fusion of elements from both African music and European music.

[FrodosPet]

8. The only music white artists should be playing is orchestral, waltzes and polkas.

Every other kind of music played by white artists, whether rap, reggae, jazz, pop, rock, or country, has African roots.

[CBGLuthier]

11. Jazz grew out of a blending of african american and creole classically trained influences

Those trained creole, were trained in European music.

Some country grew out of folk tunes of the Irish and Scots.

No argument that rap is african american but spoken poetry over music is far older than rap.

Blending music is a good thing.

[FrodosPet]

12. I totally agree

I guess I was just being a bit too snarkie.

Nothing unites people better than music.

[romanic]

14. Your last sentence says it all

Music is unity and everyone should take part in whatever genre they love.

[Romulox]

15. By that token, African Americans shouldn't be allowed to use guitars, basses, orchestras, synths...

Since all of those instruments have European roots. Or does music not work like that?

[Ex Lurker]

9. By that token, Native Americans should never have adopted the horse as a means of transportation

since it was cultural appropriation from Europeans. The whole cultural appropriation argument is stupid in the extreme.

[romanic]

13. I would definitely not want to live in a world where cultures are seperated

People who pull out the "appropriation" argument are ignorant to histories of various cultures that have blended since the start of human history. Advocates who believe cultures should be separated and owned/partook only by one group of folks advocate for cultural genocide. In this day and age where the world is more connected to one another than ever, it's virtually impossible.