AFRAM 337 Blog Post #2

Gary Tran

AFRAM 337




The reading that I found very compelling, inspiring, and provocative was Jack Hamilton’s article “How Rock and Roll Became White”. When Jack Hamilton said “Criticism, historiography, and popular discourse generally have accepted a view of popular music in the 1960s as split according to genre and, more tacitly, race: on one hand is rock music, which is white; on the other, soul music, which is black.” (Hamilton 1) It made me think about the popular music that’s released by artists of many different races and colors out in this decade, how there are still people talking about genres being dominated by only certain colors or races, and how there isn’t a place for another color or race for that genre. Another thing that Jack Hamilton talked about was “All musicians are influenced by other musicians, and throughout American history, most musicians worth hearing have been influenced by musicians whose skin is a different color than their own.” (Hamilton 1) There are lots of Asian artists and Asian American artists that are trying to make a place in the music industry for the genres Hip-Hop, Pop, R&B, and many others. One specific artist that I listen to is Rich Brian, he is an Indonesian rapper that moved from Indonesia to Los Angeles, California. Rich Brian talks about how his musical style came about and how it was influenced by the musicians he listened to, they were all black musicians, Young Thug, Tyler the Creator, Childish Gambino, and Yung Lean. Referring to Jack Hamilton’s sentence again, Rich Brian’s skin is yellow and different from the black musicians he’s influenced by. I want there to be a place for all colors and races in the music industry, each artist should be known for their own music and art rather than the color of their skin and their race.

Another reading that I found inspiring is Ann Power’s “A Spy in the House of Love”. Ann Power’s said "For both feminists and pop critics certain tasks are fundamental: reclaiming lost history and unacknowledged pioneers; championing contemporary figures otherwise overlooked by the mainstream; noticing patterns that reinforce negative perceptions; and speaking truth to the powers-that-be who've trivialized, repressed, or otherwise wronged the parties we champion" (Powers, 40). What Ann means by that is how people who listen to music specifically mainstream music don’t listen to older music that came before it. Not knowing the old music is also in a way not knowing the history and the roots of the genre and the greatest artists during that time that made the genre what it is now and the influences it has on current music. I feel that every artist who wants to make history and be in the books, leave a mark in this world, they should have the power to do so. When people only listen to mainstream music, the history of the old artists before that isn’t getting recognized like they wanted to be.




A Wake - Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAZ0kA-KvWg

What song means to Macklemore is, it’s about how he’s tackling the issue of the color of his skin. Because he’s a white rapper, he’s going to be compared to other people, especially black rappers. Macklemore reflects on the racial tensions and struggling to find his place in society with the “white privilege, and white guilt. He talks about how times are tough and how it makes it harder to be a credible artist, but he hopes the music can speak for it. This connects to Jack Hamilton’s article and Ann Power’s.
Temptation – Joey Bada$$

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75rKK3xyoHM

Joey Bada$$ talks about his own experience with discrimination and racism in the song. The song also talks about the social issues that affect the black community, it also includes police brutality, white supremacy, and violence. This song isn’t as specific as it is to the readings but it was a song that came up on my head and I felt that it had some connection with the readings for this week and with our previous readings because it talks about not being treated as equals with the whites, whether it’s politics, society, or music.