I don’t read Ebony magazine regularly, but I’m buying a copy this month so I can read, “What Does Black Sound Like?,” an article I assume is about diverse music styles and genres among black artists.
Yesterday my brother told me about Miko Marks (click on music tab), a black country-singing woman featured in the article. Her songs sound more like traditional country than Rissi Palmer’s, and she’s been around longer. I’ve added her to my list of artists to interview and meet.
The word “diversity” has been sullied by liberals’ use of it as they obsessively focus on the color of people’s skin at the expense of what really matters, so I hesitate to use it. The connotation is a negative one for this political conservative. The kind of diversity I dig goes deeper than mere skin color. I’m talking about diverse ideas and in this case, diverse musical styles. As many of you already know, black American music extends beyond R&B and rap. I remember when the black hard rock/metal band Living Colour hit the scene back in the 80s. I was crazy about lead singer Corey Glover, thrashing around on stage with multicolored extensions in his hair. The memories.
I admit, however, I was a little shocked when I found out actor Will Smith’s wife Jada fronted a “nu metal” band called Wicked Wisdom. Wild. I don’t like the sound, but I applaud Jada for pushing boundaries and exploring the terrain.
I’ll write more about diversity among black artists on and off the blog. If you know or have heard about black artists in “non-black” music genres (or just want to respond to this post), please leave their names in the comment section.
Rest easy, everybody.
Unrelated Update: It makes no sense that I’m this excited about seeing “Prince Caspian” this afternoon.
