Some additional thoughts regarding Oprah's show, yesterday....













I watched Oprah's show yesterday, and I thought that some of what Russell and the others had to say was valid. What wasn'telaborated on, and I'm not suprised that it wasn't because of whose show it was and who her main concern/demographic/constituency seems to be, was when Common talked about rap having taken a turn at some point. The turn it took was that it went from a genre almost EXCLUSIVELY listened to and purchased by AFrican Americans to one that is now Overwhelmingly purchased by WHITE PEOPLE. Before white people started being the main CONSUMERS of the music, there was not only VARIETY in it, but much of it was CONSCIOUS AND POSITIVE. It wasn't a billion dollar industry, so itdidn't attract ever Tom, Dick and Harpo, who a minute ago were selling drugs and now all of a sudden they want to writerhymes(and who weren't likely to be concerned about selling poison to their own community, no matter the form it comes in), former wanna be pimps, and other assorted rif raff. It attracted people with a REAL artistic/creative bent, because you certainly weren't going to getrich doing it. The minute Crackers became interested in it, the modern day minstrel show mode that many of these rappers are in, went into full effect. Why? Because the stereotypes and imagery panders to the images/views/fantasies that Crackers ALREADY HAD ABOUT Black folks and spent much time and energy promoting about us , through movies/cartoons/t.v, for YEARS, that's why. To the extent that Russell and others like him have PANDERED to that, he should becalled out for that,(though healso signedartists who didn't fit that mold)White people, particularly , white males, are what drives that industry, yet that was somehowconveniently leftout of the discusssion. I wonder why.....




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