Gang culture and racism

[Mistress Of Foxes]

Why do people always immediately think of hip hop and rap when they hear the words "black music"? Have people forgotten that jazz and Rock&Roll were considered "nigger music" not even 100 years ago?

I think it's a sad state of affairs that people forget the big names from back then when they look for a role model that absolutely has to be black. In my opinion, most of the rap and hip hop stars are not someone to look up to...

[protege]

That's because most of the "black music" being heard (at least locally) is rap and hip-hop. If there is any new black music, the media tends to focus on rap and hip-hop. Unfortunate, but true.

I for one, haven't forgotten about the "big names" of the past. People like Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Louie Armstrong, Booker T & the MGs (two white guys and two black guys, BTW), Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, Isaac Hayes, et al are just a few in my collection. Of course many of those artists later influenced other bands--Steely Dan, for example. Both Donald (Fagen) and Walter (Becker) were heavily interested in jazz and blues.