BLACK MUSIC MONTH - PART II: Different But Still The Same

Reweaving The Social Fabric - Comparisons Show Some Progress

As we continue with the celebration of Black Music Month 2008, with this, the second in our four-part series, we find ourselves with an enormously complex mix of music, power and politics.

Obviously, this year's elections promise to bring about the latest in a series of firsts for our nation. It featured the first serious African-American candidate and the first spouse of a former president, who happens to be a female, and even though she suspended her campaign, it marked the first time a woman has sought the presidency.

So along with a look at politics and how they will affect us, we will also examine some of the latest findings and share with you the reasons why we say not only are all men not created equal, they are not connected equally either.

The origins of our entertainment culture can be traced back to the phonograph record and the radio, both of which made possible for the first time the development of a genuinely mass culture. But until very recently, entertainment was a luxury in which we could indulge upon only on occasion. Now it is a daily reality, perhaps a necessity and certainly, in the minds of many of us, an entitlement.

During the coming weeks we will continue to look at those whose lives and futures have been affected by consolidation, downsizing, unemployment, accidents, illness, poverty and misunderstanding. We will also take a special look at gospel music and radio.

We will examine, touch on and recognize some distinguished people and events - from both the radio and the music industries. Primarily we want to look at some of the men and women who have taken the lead in helping to mend the ugly rips in the fabric of society and worked to restore the fragile bonds that so many of us thought we were building. These are people who just by refusing to give up or give in, have given back.

Some of those who we want to recognize this month are people whose efforts and contributions have enriched lives and whose sacrifices might have gone not unnoticed, but unheralded.

Generational History

There is a chance that our generation may reclaim their earlier legacy. They could have a second coming in terms of social idealism and find new ways to contribute that mean something beyond themselves. In some realms this new generation already takes pride in what they have bequeathed. Women, for example, are breaking into many male dominated fields on a broad new scale providing expanded options for those who follow.

This generation didn't invent the genre, but they were the fans and the participants that made it so durable. Even as music remains youth-oriented, today's young music purchasers couldn't escape the feeling that they wanted something more. They now have to admit that both the performers and the times have changed. The explosion of energy that began in the 90's is just a memory.

Although there has been some progress made, even since this time last year we still live in a time and country where many of us continue to be deliberately isolated, racially classified and often systematically deprived, of both the resources and the opportunities to succeed. For too long and despite our obvious talent and gifts, we have been allowed to only assume severely limited roles in our industries.

Black Musical History

Black Music Month allows us to reflect upon the rich history of the music and radio industries that convey from one generation to another its lessons and obligations. Accumulated experiences and sharing of the histories is what Black Music Month is really about. They define our opportunities. It is our hope that by recognizing and identifying some of those people, events and opportunities, we will help to encourage dignity for what they accomplished. And perhaps most importantly, we hope to inspire a future generation with the idea that integrity still matters - which family values still matter - as does respect. It is still our feeling that our industries may be on the verge of a new era - one that is faster, funkier and filled with bold challenges, new opportunities and for a select few, who have honed their skills and developed the callousness to cope, huge rewards.

Despite the struggle and the obstacles, the future looks bright. It's a future that began with a dream and continues by remembering the reason for the dream. That's part of the new reality of June - Black Music Month 2008.

How have the recent changes in our industries really impacted us? For one thing, because of the popularity of our music, and despite a tough economy in 2008, urban and urban AC radio continue to enjoy growth. The result has been tremendous impact and influence on not only music, but also fashion, movies even language and ideas.

One of the decades we can all remember is the one just past - the 90's. That was the decade in which many of the songs, along with the artists, found new homes in the hearts of those who were in love and/or who needed something to reflect that love, that spirit. If rock reflected the energy of the 80's, rap and R&B penetrated the 90's with its energy and originality. This new wave of hip-hop and R&B had been building for years and this was the decade when it could no longer be denied. Blessed with a remarkable talent, collaborative spirit and a stack of infectious beats, the artists of the 90's became pivotal figures in the evolution of mainstream music in the studio, the amphitheaters and on the radio.

Hip-hip and R&B dominated the charts and radio airplay during the 90's. One of the reasons obviously, was the splintering of formats. Black radio split into mainstream, which played all the hits and appealed to teens and young adults, while their parents finally had their own station, usually called "kiss" or "magic-something." Although there were some songs and some artists that overlapped, the separation usually started with adult urban stations refusing to play any rap songs or artists, while the mainstream stations cut way back on ballads. The 90's also saw the emergence of the so-called "smooth jazz" stations whose play lists contained up to 70% black artists. In the beginning, some of these stations were called "Kenny G" jazz stations because he was often the core artist most played and identified with that type of station. It was during the decade of the 90's the even white AC and Hot AC stations, joined with Top-40 in playing black artists that their audience research showed, grew up with and preferred this music.

Quite naturally, from a radio standpoint, in the competitive world of pop music, the 90's really was also the decade of heightened research. Someone once asked in a primarily white focus group, "How do you explain your feeling for some of these R&B songs and artists that scored so high on your list of favorites?" The response, over and over, and in various forms was "These songs make me feel good. I feel part of a special time." "I can relate to this music, these artists." "I remember what I was dong when this record first came out." And it didn't matter that Marvin Gaye, The Isley Brothers, Stevie Wonder, Barry White, Michael Jackson and "his royal purpleness" - Prince, were African-Americans."

The nineties was also a decade of collaborations. One in which artists took genuine pride in one another's work and often made appearances on one another's record, from a creative community, which was in some ways, reminiscent of the old Motown. This interchange was virtually unheard of in earlier decades because labels resisted having their artists going into the studio with those from other labels because they didn't want to split royalties or help boost other artists' careers.

These careers had been colliding and overlapping since the decade of the sixties when Bob Dylan sang about the times-a-changing in 1964. Beginning back then, rock and roll and rhythm and blues were still very much the rallying cry of the counterculture. Over the past four decades the times have gone right on changing. As for this generation and their children, second generation hip-hop and R&B fans - they rule the roost economically. And the rebellious attitude that once made this generation a threat to the status quo now belongs to the new Generation X, or Generation Y or Generation Jones.

Because for so long we have been forced to come from behind, before many of us can get in step, we've got to get in line. Unfortunately, the line usually starts at the rear

Despite the obstacles and the struggles, which are nothing new for most of us, we have an obligation to get and stay in step. That doesn't mean getting rid of any of the formulas and systems that have been part of our success. For those of us in radio, it means changing our show prep to include some brief information bits that may just spark the interest of some to change. This is an important election year and we need to encourage all of our listeners, young and old, to stay up on the issues that affect them and then turn out, register and vote.

Those who are in charge must begin paying more attention to our public affairs shows, many of which still run on the weekends, especially early Sunday morning. It means a mention of our musical history that reflects our achievements, not only to preserve the legacy of hundreds of years of struggle, but also to provide a bridge across adversity to a better life.

While we as African-Americans may remain an underrepresented segment within the mainstream, urban radio and its music have come to mean more than ever before. There are always some who are out front. There have been radio stations who have become leaders in many cities and hopefully, there will be even more as markets with smaller minority populations discover the influence our stations still have in our communities. All of this serves to prove that we really don't need quotas to succeed, just opportunity.

There are still opportunities for us to refinance the future and redistribute the wealth and the knowledge. But the only way for us to do this is through change. Change in attitude and change in responsibility. We as African-American communicators must become more aware and more committed to the use of our skills and talents for a purpose greater than ourselves. We must be ready and willing to take full advantage of some earlier lessons learned in the 90's. We must develop an ear of responsibility - one that owes a great deal to the lessons learned in the era of excess.

The past decade produced uneven black economic development, but also provided several lessons. For one thing, human capital investment pays off in higher earnings. And second, income and employment gains alone do not produce economic equality. And finally, even in a crucial and divided economy, we are all connected.

Regardless of which generation you represent, we hope you will continue to enjoy our Black Music Month series. And we leave you this week with this thought. It is a hope of those of us who want America to fulfill her true promise of equality, and who want all of America's children of all colors, to share in the promise of the American dream. We hope that the music that brings us all together will help to forge a future that looks so different, but one that is equally bright, equally promising and equally capable of reflecting the true American dream.

We must never forget that we are all connected. We are capable of inspiring confidence and trust. This year, 2008 is a good time to wake up to our connections. If you need proof that we are all connected, look into your own heart.

Word.

(Next Week - The Roots of Gospel)