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I used to play in a death metal band with a guy who is black. There are tons of black metal musicians from all over.
If blacks can be pigeonholed with hip-hop, I really feel sorry for them. Thats like saying white people only like top 40.
Hey, some Black folks were rocking Body Count and Living Color on the low and I think the Rock genre has been pigeonholed, if I dare say hijacked, into being marketed to particular segments. This is in spite of obvious Black musical contributions to the genre.
Eh, I think the OP definition of a black mecca is that person's personal view as such.
I don't think that there is a such thing as a "black mecca."
And FWIW, I lived in Atlanta for a long time and never got the whole fascination with people thinking that Atlanta was so much better than any other place.
I think people make up hype and they buy into the hype and convince themselves that certain areas are just "better" when that really depends on the person and what their goals are in a particular location.
I do think Atlanta has a diversified economy and a culture of re-development and re-vitalization and that this culture started at a time when in other parts of the country, people weren't investing as much into urban areas as Atlanta was.
NYC is always re-inventing and reinvesting in itself as is Chicago and LA and other larger cities. Atlanta started doing so in the 1990s and that coupled with the Olympics and the AUC conglomerate of black colleges made it a more exciting place it seems for blacks.
But as stated, I don't believe there is a such thing as a black mecca. I think black people move places where they feel they will have an economic gain in one way or another. Many college educated black people came to Atlanta believing it was easier to get lucrative employment. I attest that in the 1990s and early 2000s it was easier there than it is now as there was a lot less highly qualified people for specific employment. Now that more people are educated and Atlanta now has this reputation as a "black mecca" people move there thinking the same thing - that they will be able to easily get a good job and then they find out that that is not so anymore. I think the constant pushing of Atlanta in particular as a "black mecca" now only serves to grow the poverty population within the city. I worked in the city of Atlanta for many years and Atlanta has one of the highest poverty rates in the country. Black poverty last I saw was also very high.
Many black Americans today are moving to TX versus Atlanta. TX has a much smaller black population versus other southern states. Black people are moving to TX for the same reasons they moved initially to Atlanta - for better economic opportunity.
Economic situations are what define what will be the next "black mecca" if you want to call it that. Not HBCUs, not radio stations, and not clubs/nightlife. Black people create radio stations and clubs/nightlife and other superficial "black" things wherever we go. HBCUs are all over the south and some are in the north as well and I don't think they have anything to do with a city being a "black mecca" since historically other cities, such as Chicago and Detroit have drawn huge amounts of black residents without an HBCU in the midst.
Best, most truthful post in this entire thread yet. You can pretty much close this thread after that.
I don't like when Blacks are pigeonholed. I'm Black and I like classical music, just as I like old school R&B.
Agreed. Love me some Hip Hop, but I'm also a fan of Punk, House, R&B, Alternative, Techno, Drum & Bass, Electronica, Reggae, Dancehall, World, Trance, UK Garage, Funk, EDM, Salsa, Calypso, Reggae Fusion, Jazz, etc.
I don't like when Blacks are pigeonholed. I'm Black and I like classical music, just as I like old school R&B.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ckhthankgod
Hey, some Black folks were rocking Body Count and Living Color on the low and I think the Rock genre has been pigeonholed, if I dare say hijacked, into being marketed to particular segments. This is in spite of obvious Black musical contributions to the genre.
I've often wondered why Black folks, who pioneered rock 'n roll, seemed to have abandon the genre. It's an interesting phenomenon.
But yeah, the criterium about four hip-hop stations put entirely too much weight on that one genre. As I stated, a better one would be multiple Black-owned radio stations in general, regardless of the genre of music they primarily play. Bonus points if it's something besides hip-hop, R&B, or Gospel.
I've often wondered why Black folks, who pioneered rock 'n roll, seemed to have abandon the genre. It's an interesting phenomenon.
But yeah, the criterium about four hip-hop stations put entirely too much weight on that one genre. As I stated, a better one would be multiple Black-owned radio stations in general, regardless of the genre of music they primarily play. Bonus points if it's something besides hip-hop, R&B, or Gospel.
Blues is another genre as well.
I did notice that some stations that are Black owned did play Blues or Jazz in certain states. This is one such station and it is in the Mississippi Delta: 104.3 WGNL-FM - Home
I've often wondered why Black folks, who pioneered rock 'n roll, seemed to have abandon the genre. It's an interesting phenomenon.
But yeah, the criterium about four hip-hop stations put entirely too much weight on that one genre. As I stated, a better one would be multiple Black-owned radio stations in general, regardless of the genre of music they primarily play. Bonus points if it's something besides hip-hop, R&B, or Gospel.
I think we still have a lock on that genre for the most part, but it's not as popular as it once was. That's a good thing there is that it keeps it somewhat "pure," but you don't want it to be stagnant and die out either.
I agree that the criteria was too skewed towards Atlanta and DC, but broadening them beyond those narrow parameters, you can see a clearer picture emerge.
The Atlanta-based reality shows is more of a function of the entertainment industry based there combined with the media presence. I see it for what it is first and foremost: entertainment. It goes hand in hand with Atlanta's rising profile when it comes to TV and film in general, but it's too bad that people allow media to shape their perceptions of what a city is like in its entirety, for better or for worse.
i've heard educated black people say stuff like dont date men in atlanta because most of them are down-low.
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