KDM,
I get what you’re saying. I grew up in a community similar to yours, though I get the impression that you are some years younger than me. I’ve since lived in a number of different places. I remember back in the 80s hearing a black guy saying “I don’t want to hear that cha-cha music” when a Will To Power song came on the local urban radio station (the irony is that his Latina girlfriend or baby mama was there and yes she rolled her eyes when he said that). Honestly, that’s the only derisive comment I can recall hearing (or seeing) from a black person about “freestyle” – the music (I’ve heard some comments about specific songs but there was no deriding of the genre or the singer’s ethnicity).
Unfortunately I’ve heard and especially read both more and worst comments deriding R&B and hip-hop from non-blacks, including having the music referred to as m___y music or m_y_e music n____r music or b___k s__t or of course the ubiquitous label of “crap”. So it goes both ways, and of course the higher the profile of the music, the more prone to attack it is. That is, you’re not prone to talk about music that you don’t hear.
I try not to focus on the negative people. Obviously many people enjoy and/or respect various kinds of music. Or they might have specific tastes and should feel no obligation to like any particular kind of music (but can refrain from trying to defame an entire genre and/or ethnicity in the process).
But if you look at the larger picture, the stereotypes and assumptions people make regarding who is open to what “genre” of music or ethnicity of singers is myopic. That’s why I’ve pointed out when “freestyle” songs or artists have performed well on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts. So to suggest that black people don’t, haven’t, or wouldn’t support these artists is contrary to reality. By the way (because some people need things spelled out), I pointed out the industry event (and the age and ethnicity of the attendees) because these people would very well
know who these “freestyle” artists are versus a random group of people who might not recognize the artists. So when someone says “black people at my HS didn’t dance to freestyle” or black PDs drop non-black artists from their playlists or blacks are in no way receptive to “freestyle” those are assumptions that are not true universally or perhaps not true in the first place.
Similarly, there are plently of non-blacks who enjoy various music including and especially hip-hop/R&B. In my experience at parties thrown by Latinos or Filipinos there is plenty of hip-hop/R&B, and obviously the success of rhythmic CHR amongst these groups and others suggest reception to the music. So, I’d be foolish if I focused solely on the negative comments of people when deciding how and to whom I promote music.
You appear to be doing the right thing by trying to mix similar styles and sounds. Pointing out the commonalities, or what I sometimes the “segue-ability”, of music might help bridge styles that are often deemed incompatible for non-musical reasons. So you can counteract attitudes like this:
freestyle was known as "Latin Hip-Hop". I've always considered that term "fraudulent" to me because while yes, it was a Latin sound, there was NOTHING about it that had anything to do with hip-hop!
…which was how this line of conversation started. And incidentally, if you go back and read the discussion no one has provided any solid argument that “freestyle” had nothing to do with hip-hop.
(And incidentally, I guess “Latin Hip-Hop” was another term that came out of nowhere for no reason at all, yet somehow stuck)
However, I would've preferred to have grown up where the music I loved was during the years it was hot.
Understood, but as I pointed out that was a small window of time. And now I remember why I didn’t think of songs like “LTMP” when trying to find dancey freestyle hits – it wasn’t released within freestyle’s heyday of the late 80s, which was what I was referring to. Plus you heard that song – and “IWIITYH” – anyway.
Keep in mind too, it’s easy to romanticize the past but keep some proper perspective. Things might be different now, but
back then (80s) you might not have enjoyed going to a club that played
only freestyle. Maybe, maybe not, depending on the club, city, clientele, etc.
