Great article Trent. This is the 100% truth!

I liked this article, you could have even went further and mentioned people like Pat Boone who merely existed to cover rock and roll songs to take the ‘sex’ out of them for the White audiences back in the Bandstand days. But the kids used to buy the Pat Boone records just to hide the Little Richard version inside of it. Fact is people all over the world appropriate Black Culture-Paul Mooney said ‘The black man is the most imitated man all over the world, everyone wants to be a nigga but nobody wants to be a nigger’.

No truer words have been spoken. Great article and I loved the video when I watched it yday too.

Yaaasss trent!! Tell em!!
http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/7351/mimiclapping.gif

Yes I agree on everything that has been said. Artists such as Teena Marie and Elton John knew and respected the urban culture in music. Adele is right along with them. Speaking of Adele I’ve been playing her music nonstop and she truly knows her music. The music industry is to blame too for this corny shit where to as black artists are struggling to get their music out there. I don’t know if anyone who has heard of Elle Varner but I hope she becomes another fresh/new talented artist who gets recognition. She’s dope as hell, she should get hers. Trent made valid points that were true because Justin Bieber as an artist is corny. I see what people in general are talking about. But what sickens me is that black people are kissing his ass and turn around an put down on their own artists. The Breakfast Club for instance, those fools are the worst trying to sugar coat the fact that this kid is just doing the urban music just to sell records and not taking the initiative to understand and study the culture of it. But it shows how fucked up the music industry has been through the years. Great article Trent!!=)

@ThatBoyLuke

He’s not bashing white artists who take on urban sounds. If that was the case he’d be bashing Adele, Amy Winehouse, and Eminem. But in those cases, it’s obvious that urban music is near and dear to the hearts of those people. They grew up loving it. But in the cases of the people exemplified, they do abuse urban culture. Christina’s entire Stripped look was a total farce. She got a tan, she started using ebonics, she had these weird mechanisms that she would do. And the same goes for Timberlake and Bieber. It comes off as extremely insincere.
Also, in the case of black artists ripping off white artists by doing pop/dance music, that’s also false. The dance sound was inspired disco and house music which was also a creation of black people.

@Steven Ike debuted with Tina in the 1960s but he was making records with his band since the 1940s. I think Trent did a Music Minute about that before or something.

I agree with Trent on this article. I do love me some JT though

Won’t be supporting this blog anymore after this story.

Firstly Justin Timberlake grew up listening to soul records and was raised in Memphis

Secondly Justin Bieber does not make decisions himself,he is signed to a black mans label so if anything blame Usher and the people who manage him for supposedly exploiting hip hop culture

Thirdly the most successful of Bieber’s records was a pop record so what sense would it be him for to draw from hip hop for bigger sales? especially as dance and country sell more than hip hop,wouldn’t it make more sense for him to draw from those genres for increased sales?

Fourthly R kelly happily wrote records for Celine Dion,Britney spears and Frankie j,two of those can be accused of borrowing from urban culture without having having a proper understanding of it,could it be that R kelly saw Timberlake as a threat to his position on the charts?

Lastly Pharrell and Timberland are responsible for some of the better r’n’b records of the last twenty years and were happy to work with Timberlake

I have been saying this and refusing to support the offending artists for several years. It does not stop at urban culture its the gay dollar/Pound/Euro/Yen……etc. and Obama is not immune to it. The likes of Aubrey “Auberella” O’Day, Christina, even Adele 1st came out talking bout “she only dated black me” which is bull. Kim Ktrash and many more will attach themselves to all things black because they know how easily impressed we are by anyone who’ll go so far as to learn our “lingo” and be down for the brown. Its so sad that we don’t see through it because the second they make the mainstream the image (and partners) will and must change to appeal to the masses.

The people who really do embrace the culture are the ones who don’t run around wearing it as a badge. The ones doing work in Haiti, N.O and Africa without making it a publicity stunt.

Yaaas Trent! I was fanning and yelling like a church mother while reading this article.

I think some people are misunderstanding the article. There are artists who appreciate and love making R&B music who happen to be white such as Jon B, Robin Thicke, Jojo, etc and then there are others who just sing it for “hood appeal” ie Beiber, Timberlake, etc. It’s such a shame that these artists who “abuse” the culture have so much success while artists such as Robin Thicke, Jon B, Omarion, Lloyd, Melanie Fiona, etc don’t get a sliver of that success.

@olly_tei umm, and when did you hear a euro-pop Beyoncé song? *blank stare*

…I just don’t want to hear or see Justin Bieber growling the word “swagg” on tv or radio anymore. I don’t care what genre they sing in.

I enjoy Justin Timberlake’s voice and music but i don’t quite think people understand how illegitimate his “urban” appeal is by the number of defenders he has on here. Justin started going urban with NSYNC towards the end of their run. The Girlfriend video is a clear example, especially the remix with Nelly. I remember Nsync was even making appearances on 106 and park and they had neverr tried to make any black connections like that before,they were strictly pop. As JT morphed into a solo artist, he shaved his hair into a real low fade like a black man, made more appearances on BET, went on the Soul Train Awards and what not. He and his team chose to seek out urban producers like the Neptunes and Timbaland for a more hip hop edge so he could be accepted by black folks. But tell me right after he caught all that flack for Nipplegate when he let Janet out there to take the heat alone, black people saw his true ways and he left all that “urban” ishh behind him. After that black ppl felt a certain type of way about him and for his second album he didn’t try to be as urban. He danced less, went for a more scruff look, dropped the tan and wasn’t all up on Vibe magazine, BET or the Soul Train Awards like before.

For all those saying black artist venturing into dance music is the same, that’s incorrect. Dance music (starting with disco and the other forms that morphed later) was an “underground” scene that existed

I read the article, I read the comments…
i agree with @Steven who said that music is an art form that brings people together, not a division amongst green, blue, black, white or who knows.
I want to tell @olly_tei that house / dance music originated from Chicago Illinois again from.. black djs… don’t be fooled. It reached Europe several years later and then they started making the so called euro pop.

Here is my take:
bottom line, Trent wouldn’t have to come to these conclusions if the music industry throughout history had shown fairness to black people who are indeed the true originators of most music genres, including rock and dance/ house…. ad fashion to that .
We start, white people want to participate, we let them, they kick us out… how.. because they control the most powerful medias and the resources, so many times.. if a white artist can do something like a black artist, he is a shooting star straight to fame, but when you are black, you have to do soooo much more. Before civil rights.. white people would just rip off song written by black artist and perform them on tv…
Black people are music and sun beings so the argument that we bring music to this planet has to stop here…. there is no denying.

… it’s not that people are racist but really, who ever here is arguing that its only by pure talent that some people are on top.. and not because of color struck, self hating, racists and blind music execs… are hypocrites and liars.
on another end.. black people are just as responsible because they are so full of shit and self hate that they push things in that direction.

All jokes aside…I have nothing against any artist doing their thing.

#noracism #justwhatis.

Like you stated in the article, with the amount of black artists making electro-pop records JUST for the sake of getting a hit (and not because they actually love the genre), I think it would be highly hypocritical to tell white people that they’re “abusing” the Urban culture because they want to branch off and try different things.

Justin Timberlake, for example, grew up in Memphis, in the Baptist church where his grandfather was over the choir. He listened to Gospel, Folk and Country growing up. If anything, that bubblegum Pop music he made in *NSYNC wasn’t the “real” him. But people automatically assume it is because he’s white. And I do think some of his actions, especially while promoting the “Justified” record, were questionable, it’s not easy getting a new crowd to accept you. And I think he transitioned well. But like others have said, he didn’t try so hard with “FutureSex/LoveSounds,” and he ended up getting his biggest R&B hit from that album, “Until the End of Time.”

True…Elvis, Madonna (who I like), Vanilla Ice/Snow, Britney (who I like), New Kids on the block, Justin timberlake (who I tolerate), Justin Bieber and Xtina during her dirrty days all took from urban culture…some more than others. It’s entertainment so it all is a wash in the end.

Maybe i came across too negative, I understand exactly what Trent is saying. It’s just his criticism is so damning, yet there are double standards. He ties it so strongly to race, when its simply the way in which the industry operates, for everyone. Look at I Am Sasha Fierce , look at Kings of Leon and their last 2 albums, both a sonic and visual movent towards a more “pop” inspired image. However looking at the antics of Christina during “Stripped” or Justin in “Justified”, he’s correct in pointing out their forced personas.

@V the dance/house music popularised in europe is not the same as your reference, It may have derived from it but its ultimately a different beast. Europop, borrows from electronica but again its considered its own genre, this is the nature of music, new sounds are always built upon something which came before it. Just as rock is not the same as rock and roll. Also your analysis of justin is confused, the music of N-sync was clearly pushed by the record label, read about his childhood and listen to Future sex love sounds, he draws inspiration from prince/janet and blends it with Timberlands work. during Justified they made a forced effort to penetrate the urban market, but the music was genuine. Its seems everyone took nipple gate far too personally. For his last tour his band were 90% black an this is the era he supposedly turned his back on urban music (until the end of time!).

@m2derr
Sweet dreams, Radio

@olly_tei Well everything is derived from .. someone who started it. So don’t go around spreading the idea that euro pop or whatever that is is a genre that was just started out of the blue by some creative minds in Europe when you know where it came from that’s all..no matter how the form evolved today, you should be respectful of that fact. This is exactly why people get pissed off because white people “borrow”a lot then flood the media which gives the impression that they are the only one doing it. #wrong
I guarantee you that it is possible that 30 years from now, some ignorant kids somewhere might believe that white people started hip hop, thankfully there are not many successful white rapers but if there was…forget it. And if yo want to know good electronic music… and please don’t take Guetta as a reference… again… you are only seeing the popular white face of diluted electronic music and you say “yes//white people created this” #misguided
Take the music, be inspired but just give credit where credit is due. that’s all.

PS: There are sooo many other artists out there.. why is everyone stuck in 2004? I don’t know. Peace

Speaking of your precious Adele, she herself has been very inspired by Christina’s “Stripped”.

Do you hate Adele now? Because I mean surely, Adele and Christina don’t really like soul music, they are only pretending of course.

When Christina says she used to listen to soul music to help her cope with the domestic violence at home, as a little girl, she was lying. How dare Christina sing soul or R&B. Someone should send her to jail.

Rolling my eyes.

Some people like hip hop some people like country.
Some people have beige skin others have brown or taupe or purple skin even, depending on the type of dermatological thing they have going on.
Some people have brown or blue or green eyes or hair.
Some people like apples while some others prefer broccoli.
Some people cut their nails every day, other cut them once every 2 months.
Some people have one ethnicity while others have many mixtures of different things.
Some people have one accent from a specific place or city while others have a customized accent.
There are 7 billion people on this planet, we are all extremely unique and different and all have our own epic uniqueness and our own reasons for being or doing what we do.
Can everybody STFU already now and stop complaining about who should sing what and how and when.

The racial thing is over. I mean, saying white ppl can’t rap is like saying there can’t be no black players in death metal bands.

This article contains some good points, but alot off it is off bases. There are many that would/could argue with your very own comments. But about Christina and Justin, both of them had admitted to being influenced by r&b artist and the genre itself. They both still mention this. I think that Christina’s nose piercing thing was moreor lss about her branching out from her labels image of what she was supposed to be and look like. Since when is getting a piercing mean that you are trying to be black? Thats ignorant trent, you should know better. Furhermore, Justin Bieber has mentioned on numerous ocassions that Mariah & Boys ll Men are acts that have inspired him. Who are you to say what he has/has not studied. You are making alot of baseless statements. It could easily be argued that Justin throwing some hiphop influence into the mix is just another form od him trying to expand his audence. Now, the clothing thing is a little forced. But he probably likes hiphop/r&b as much as he does pop music. He has always noted that Usher is someone that inspired him.

Music is not a white or black thing. It’s universal. The bigger picture is that more blac artists should get more credit for music that they naturally do, versus caucasions getting so much success off of so called “black music”. I totally get that. But some artists just have a certain style of music that they prefer.

Moreover, Justin’s music was/is still r&b/hip-hop influenced. Even after the Janet thing r&b stations were playing his songs, and “My Love” with T.i. was of ther&b/hiphop genre in itself. Certain artists just go with the flow. It just all depends. Mixing genre’s is just another form of broadening your audiences. You said that r&b audiences should expand their sund, so why can’t othrs that appreciate a certain genre. When you are new to certain things, you do what you gotta do until you know better. That may perhaps be or have been Bieber’s case.

I agree 100%! Especially Justin Timberlake! He is a phony! I notice it early on that he was using us black people to get what he wanted. But as soon as that Janet Jackson nipple slip happened he was out! He left her out there by herself to dry! He used to be talking about how he loves black women “Halle Berry” and how sexy they are. Bull****! He back to his white roots now with his white girlfriend, hanging with his white friends.

TRUUUTH!

U either LOVE and Are Obssesed with Christina Aguilera…… Or u never had the Dream came true of meeting her…. Cause the only thing u do here is talking about her… GOD… Get a life!!!!!

I agree on some levels..Some people are naturally urban, and some people force themselves to be something they aren’t…Just like people accused Whitney of acting too white when she release IWDWS…This article is a bit ignorant…So everybody who does urban has to be black and ghetto?…Vice versa everybody who does POP has be white and smuck?

You’re a big Mariah fan…Mariah (as you already know) is multi-racial..She’s black, Irish and Venezuelan..Mariah has done both Pop and R&B, but she’s hardly ever embraced her Latin culture and who says she has to just because she is of Latin descent?…

And honestly, it’s funny how you talk about “white” (pop) artist trying to convert, but you forget to mention there are plenty of “black” urban artist who converted..

TLC, Aaliyah, Toni Braxton, MARIAH CAREY, WHITNEY HOUSTON, MICHAEL JACKSON, Beyonce, Kelly Rowland, Usher, Chris Brown, etc…so are they trying to be white bc it’s a fact they want to appeal to a wider audience?

Racist. Whites and Blacks are both racists. Whatever. Just let them do their thing.

Wow @Jane…. your post was probably one of the best and realest ever. You’ve hit it on the nail. It’s so sad that people don’t see how mainstream is trying to slowly but surely dictate who and what we listen to.

The color of your skin should not determine what kind of music you can sing. Sing whatever you want as long as you feel comfortable. And I will appreciate it if you’ll do a good job. And at least to me, Christina Aguilera did. “Can’t hold us down” is a really nice song.

Man fuck all yall’s shit! You guys fuckin dumb… Yeah Bieber, ain’t that great, but FUCK R.KELLY! He sucks soo much. Last time he had a hit was “I Believe I can fly”. That song sucks so much… When I pretent to be a faggot that’s the song I sing… Justin Timberlake is a SMART artist. He’s always loved Urban. In fact, the dude ain’t even urban. He’s pop. He has an urban producer, difference. What about Eminem? Nobody complains about him. Bieber is the only one who is doing for attention, but who cares, he wants sales. People like this give up their lives, they are satisfying the audience. Don’t make up shit like this. All yall can fuck yourselves. Tell me the next time you go platinum. R. Kelly don’t got any good music. At least these white artist don’t piss on girls… Color don’t matter, its what they like! Dumb fucks… burn in hell.

@jane

What about Nicki Minaj being forced down your throat, what about Rihanna being forced down your throat? Its simple marketing, justin bieber is marketable as is the above.

Your Chris Brown analogy is just ridiculous, you call it a “teenage altercation”, I call it abuse. But his talent is undeniable and people are willing to forgive, hence why he is back in the charts.

In earlier era’s they were adamant to purge black people of all talent and credit, but this was before equal rights, this was before they joined the rank of “consumer”. Now everyone is faire game, its about whether your marketable and who you are marketable to. Naturally black/white acts are going to be an easier sell to their respective demographics.

How the fuck we get from the topic of the article to Chris Brown and Rihanna? What do they have to do with anything…anyways I agree to a certain extent with this article. You forgot to mention Chuck Berry when talking about Elvis. Chuck Berry is considered by most (ie: John Lennon, Keith Richards, Allman Brothers, etc) as the founding father of rock n roll music. Elvis came along and imitated such men as Chuck, James Brown, and Little Richard was made out to be this rock god. As far as Justin Timberlake, I don’t think he was abusing urban culture for his own good. Justified was a good mix of pop and r&b. FSLS was a bit more on the urban side but I don’t believe that he was doing it to gain success. As for aguilera and biebs, I do believe they did it to gain a bigger audience which only worked for five seconds. CA went back to her pop while biebs turned from this cookie cutter teeny bopper to urban culture that he looks ridiculous and uncomfortable doing. Think about it: Jawan Harris should be more successful. He can sing, dance. But because JB is white he will appeal more to a larger audience and getting him to immulate urban culture while keeping his already 12 year old fan base will be “good marketing”

This article is SO ignorant and biased, ANYONE agreeing with it does not know the background! I have no qualms with someone disliking an artist because of a specific reason, but to throw around labels and bogus accusations without substantiating is really ridiculous! I never discuss football, for example, with someone because I don’t know how the game works. I don’t talk about anything (especially so boldly), or agree with a statement unless I did my research.

Christina Aguilera’s done urban music since her first album, right up until her most recent project! I don’t know why she spoke in Ebonics during the Stripped era, I’m assuming it’s because she was young and yes, it WAS cool at the time I suppose, but that has nothing to do with her music. As far as music is concerned she never did the in-thing (intentionally).

All Justin Timberlake’s solo albums are mostly urban…must be a LONG phase then, because since his departure from his band he’s basically done nothing else.

Justin Bieber cited Boyz II Men as major influences growing up, as well as a list of hardcore hip hop rappers. All his albums have mostly R&B (and lately hip hop) tracks. And if he’s trying to “emulate his peers” for popularity then why isn’t he jumping on the dance-pop band wagon NOW. That’s what most ‘artists’ are doing…

What about Nelly Furtado and Gwen Stefani, who started out doing Folk and Rock respectively? Or moving over to the other side: Usher’s ‘calling’ seemed to be R&B…until Euro-dance/Electro-pop sky-rocketed that is. Chris Brown used to be urban, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj etc. Even rappers are crossing over smh. None of the above-mentioned artists, who you label ‘pop’, have even collaborated with David Guetta, but Usher, Chris Brown, Kelly Rowland and Lil Wayne have, but there’s nothing wrong with that right, despite his popularity at the moment.

At the end of the day I ain’t even mad, in fact It’s good to know that there are artists who’re keeping the genre alive, regardless of their skin color (Beyoncé, Trey Songz, Miguel, Drake, JoJo and yes, Christina and JB), whilst those to whom it rightfully ‘belongs’, are deserting it for (temporary) greener pastures…and that right there, is the irony of this article.

Madona is a phony for sure. Remember she did rap when rap was popular? Then she spoke in fake English accent when she was married to an English director, now her American accent is back after she got divorced.