Beyonce and country - can anyone ever say a particular genre of music can 'belong' to an ethnicity

[mids2019]

Well I like the new album.

However it did make me ask the question, can any race or demographic legitimately claim a form of music is theirs and it is problematic if someone performs it e.g. Taylor swift doing rap?

@WalkingThroughTreacle

Exactly. It’s all divisive nonsense.

Eminem has a great line about the flack he got:

No, I'm not the first king of controversy
I am the worst thing since Elvis Presley
To do black music so selfishly
And use it to get myself wealthy (Hey)

Didn't jimmi Hendrix also get flack from all sides?

I love seeing black people in metal - metal is universal and there's literally academic research into the connection between economic development and the emergence of metal scenes around the world.

I think gatekeeping is seen in both directions. I have heard black rock and metal fans complain that their communities have given them grief.

That said, there are tons of fantastic fun YouTube videos of "Black People React Too..." rock, metal and country music.

It was the media that segregated music - radio stations that wouldn't play certain races. Entire careers were built on "white guys who can sing like black guys" just to maintain the status quo. I welcome anything that breaks down the divides.

Seems like a way of giving an example of what lots of small minded people talk about as 'cultural appropriation'. Industrial strength pontificating billionaires are in a position to lecture and be ironic. Hope they consider investment into poor white areas of America as well as grassroots black owned business. My issue is it's so American-centric. The roots of these music styles were not in America. Music is for everyone. Monetising any style is showing the power and influence Beyonce and Jay Z have, although they aren't seen pushing the cause of their poor white audience.

Italians love scolding people for making lasagne wrong. I think some of them would prefer we didn't 😄

Jay Z is more than just a multi millionaire, he is worth 2.5 billion and as well being an amazing and ground breaking rap artist (he is the joint most grammy nominated artist in history. Joint with Beyonce) He is also a top entrepreneur, he's founded multiple companies and wrote all of his own songs, as well as writing for dozens of other artists, Beyonce included. Many would argue Jay Z is the more successful of the two by a long way.

Such Italians would probably also prefer not to have it pointed out that the Roman empire once covered most of Europe and large chunks of the Middle East and Africa. So who knows how many supposedly Italian things were actually copied/adapted from other cultures. Pasta is generally considered Italian nowadays but there's evidence the Chinese were making noodles as far back as 3000BC. Other cultures no doubt also figured out how to mix flour and water to make a paste that could be formed into shapes and then cooked.

This is where all this cultural appropriation bollox falls flat on its face IMO. We are a global species and have been trading goods and sharing knowledge since the small group identified as our earliest ancestors migrated out of Africa. It's almost impossible to identify where an idea truly originated and people can often have the same ideas in complete isolation of each other. Music, food, dress, hairstyles, dance or whatever, it doesn't belong to anyone (copyright laws aside) and the people that truly love it want it to be shared and enjoyed. It's only hateful bigots that try and claim ownership to support their own toxic agendas.

It didn't win 'Best Country Song' because it wasn't a country song.

It was a huge hit though - as was her debut album.

I love country music. Mainly because of the lessons, humour, and storytelling behind it.

I like Beyonce's "Texas hold'em" but feel (just my opinion, of course) that the video was a tad unnecessarily sexual than was necessary for a county song.

So for me, it doesn't matter the race of the singer, but would love it if singers crossed over AND maintained the spirit of the genre they are entering.

Do you have a link to the video? I was of the understanding that there isn’t one.

Best ever thing on country music! Says it all 😂😂

She's American; for that alone she's part of American traditional music. And as you posted, it's very well established that country music takes a lot of influence from music from black communities.

I'm actually intrigued to hear the album. I'm not sure I'll like it, but I think I'll find it interesting...that's how I feel about her take on Jolene.

I keep hearing her song Texas Hold’em and was like 😳 that’s Beyoncé?

I must admit to finding it really bizarre considering her last album for instance.

But now you say it op - that she’s doing it to make a point would make sense!

Seriously? Never heard so much whitewashing in my life. Country music is a fusion of American folk music (which has its origins from European settlers) with the BLUES.

I don't think Hendrix got flack - he had to come to the UK to become successful but that was the case for a lot of US musicians in the 60s due to the sclerotic nature of the US commercial radio market. Rock'n'roll was pioneered by black musicians (think Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Fats Domino) and Hendrix was very much in the same vein - he just turned it up to 11. I'm mystified by people who claim that rock is 'white music'.

I don't have a music streaming service anymore, but just adding to the other voices saying Beyonce isn't doing a new thing, just new for her. When I had a streaming service I liked listening to blue grass, americana, gothic country, etc., and there were many black artists.

@WalkingThroughTreacle Oh I totally agree. To be fair to Italians, I actually find it's non-Italian Italophiles who get the most uptight about cream in a carbonara and suchlike. Like genuinely angry about what other people are having for dinner! 😆

I think it's similar with other forms of 'appropriation' - usually at least half the offence is from people who enjoy being offended on other people's behalf because it makes them feel superior.

Erm, there's plenty of reggae artists who piss over Bob Marley. Freddie Mcgregor for one.

My musical preferences tend to be rooted in jazz, blues and R&B and have been since the 70s but I don't think that's cultural appropriation on my part. Just my discerning ear.

You'll also be hard pressed to find a rock guitarist of any ethnicity who doesn't acknowledge Hendrix as a genius and an influence on their own style. Whoever might have criticised him, it wasn't people with a genuine love for rock.

Anyway, I'm now off to google "sclerotic" as my new word of the day.

They'd be absolutely incandescent with rage at my speciality Indian butter chicken lasagne :)

According to Wikipedia, The King of rock, ie. Elvis, took his influences from gospel and African music, amongst others. He was pretty successful with it.

Jimi very much did get flack

www.cnn.com/2014/10/18/showbiz/jimi-hendrix-invisible-legacy/index.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9CBecause%20Jimi%20played%20to%20white,primarily%20white%2C%E2%80%9D%20Cross%20says.

I don’t know why anyone is questioning her doing a country inspired album. She’s from Texas, she’s country. I’m surprised it’s taken her this long. Country is massive here in the US, and she’s Beyoncé, so whenever she’d have done it, it would be big! Her album is still very her, even within the country genre there’s a lot of range of songs.

Rhoti, I always thought of the second part as the voice of bleak resignation. I hadn't considered it might be abusive, just a bit shit; lots of spouses have jobs that 'pay all the bills', but if it's not by mutual agreement, then you're right, it could be considered financial abuse.
For me, it's still about kids taking a chance at emancipation only to find that poverty and lack of opportunity is a trap.