David Hatch says the ‘pop music has always depended on interactions towards white and black traditions’. It is hard to say what black and white music is, as there will always be a mix of traditions. An example being rap music, it may be predominantly black, but there are and will always be white artists who are successful in that genre such as Eminem, Asher Roth and the Beastie Boys. Longhurst says that ‘rap creates a form of interracial dialogue’ it’s about the love of the music not the colour of your skin, therefore blackness and whiteness isn’t necessarily a valid concept when looking at music, compared to the upbringing or general lifestyle of an artist, which doesn’t always come down to race. When defining music solely by whiteness and blackness, this excludes a number of other races and cultures, who aren’t black and white. If we categorise music that simply, where does Asian, Latin or Bhangra fit in?
Well written, relevant references and intelligently argued.
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