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From:
James
To:
Date:
06 Feb 97 09:54:52 -0800
Subject:
Re: (idm) underground v mainstream
Msg-Id:
<199702061810.KAA15383@mailsun3-fddi.us.oracle.com>
Mbox:
idm.9702.gz
quoted 3 lines 2. they are *white* , this is a race issue , why has the music of black>2. they are *white* , this is a race issue , why has the music of black > pioneers like carl craig , mike banks, derrick may , juan atkins been > ignored in the us for the last 10 years , miles davis had the same problem
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quoted 2 lines as longs as it is watered down , reconstituted and sold with a white face> as longs as it is watered down , reconstituted and sold with a white face > america will by it
But Stuart, the American masses have recently had a massive love affair with gangsta rap, which is clearly black music but have topped the charts many times over and generated a ton of press. Many people have put forth the idea that one of the reasons for gangsta rap's success is that suburban/city non-black youths can listen to it and feel 'dangerous', like they're living on the edge themselves. Another point being that Ice Cube and Snoop have a much more up-front, aggressive public image, a catchy "face" that would-be fans of the genre can latch onto, where as the techno pioneers loved the idea of pseudonyms and anonymity and having music speak for itself (as far as I can tell) - which unfortunately won't exactly sell buckets of records in the US. So I think it's more complex than you suggest. It is however amusing to think about that alternate universe, where instead of NWA and Snoop and Death Row Records et al, Carl Craig and Derrick May and Transmat et al. are topping Billboard. A kinder, gentler America, groovin' to Detroit techno. :) James Jung-Hoon Seo // Oracle New Media (415) 506-3829 // jseo@us.oracle.com Chewbacca. // Harrison Ford, on the Tonight Show, when asked who among his numerous co-stars was the best kisser