Normani: “Why Does Pop Have To Be So White?”

[⠝⠕⠏⠑]

You just answered your own question here...3/4 of these artists come from the same source,
who by their own admission said that "We wanted to make Pop records, because Black Catalogue doesn't sell as good as Pop" and "sometimes our music could sound 'too pretty'".

Could u elaborate? I know very little about the music industry. Just stuff I observed growing up and a shift I can’t quite put my finger on. I thought blk music was selling hella good.

From Mariah Carey, hell SWV was like 9 weeks at number 1, R. Kelly, Silk, Escape, hell 112 was like 10 weeks #1

So where did this idea that a blk sound couldn’t make money come from. Meanwhile, Ariana music reminds me of nothing but blk R&B.

I be so confused!!!

 

[Mike the Executioner]

Please tell me this ain’t the case. I do remember thinking these groups were imitating black boy bands...didn’t know about blk producers.

Britney and Justin were the first artists to do it, if I'm not mistaken. They both went to the Neptunes. White artists weren't really collaborating with black producers before that, but hip hop, R&B, and rock were the most dominant genres back then so they liked the sound.

It was bound to happen. Pop music was huge in the 1980s but it took a backseat in the 90s to the other three genres. Teen pop brought it back in the late 90s and early 2000s.

 

[⠝⠕⠏⠑]

Oh I see.

I think honestly back then R&B was better, point blank period. It also had more of a crossover appeal between the different pockets of black people, so older and younger could rock to some of the same songs. Mary j, Toni Braxton, Mariah, Maxwell, etc. you felt the songs, they touched you. These days that’s not happening. For instance I don’t think even half of the popular R&B stars crossover or sound memorable enough. I don’t think summer walker is that good for instance. Her voice, sound, etc. yet she’s popular for that younger dem. group.

You have a strange fusion happening where R&B and hip hop are molding together as a sound. For instance Chris brown. His first CD was really the only classic R&B album. The rest is partially him singing, rapping, and talking about the same shyt we hear in rap. That’s another issue happening. A lot of these singers are singing about the same dumb topics that’s being rapped about. R&B used to be about love, heartbreak. Now we hearing R&B songs calling women hoes. No matter how many new R&B artists they introduce they all be sounding the same, lacking emotion and soul, nothing authentic, no real vibe—Reflecting the current generation perfectly.

YES! All of this....where did this shyt COME FROM?!
This depresses me.

 

[Cel 510 kid ados forever]

YES! All of this....where did this shyt COME FROM?!
This depresses me.

I see what u saying.

r and b has had more whites recently

 

[CarmelBarbie]

We've talked about this a bunch times in The Booth over the years. Growing up, I remember in the early 2000's that Hip-Hop/R&B/Urban hits regularly got played on the Pop radio stations. These were usually Hip-Hop/R&B/Urban hits hits that crossovered into pop hits But by the late 2000's, Pop stations no longer played them in favor of EDM music.

A lot of R&B became trash in the mid 2000s. I listen to edm. I don’t listen to R&B that much these days, most of it isn’t memorable enough. I said before put out better artists, but who am I kidding? Everything we see and hear these days is a reflection of our society. They wouldn’t appreciate good music if it were made. Thot rap, bad rap, pop—this is what they want to listen to.

 

[Cel 510 kid ados forever]

A lot of R&B became trash in the mid 2000s. I listen to edm. I don’t listen to R&B that much these days, most of it isn’t memorable enough. I said before put out better artists, but who am I kidding? Everything we see and hear these days is a reflection of our society. They wouldn’t appreciate good music if it were made. Thot rap, bad rap, pop—this is what they want to listen to.

who are edm artist

 

[CarmelBarbie]

YES! All of this....where did this shyt COME FROM?!
This depresses me.

It comes from the trash that is current society.

 

[Wear My Dawg's Hat]

New Kids on the Block..
Were really the first group to be pushed as the white “urban” group..
With Mark Wahlberg racist ass to come soon after..

Maurice Starr, who was behind launching New Edition, was also the mastermind behind New Kids On The Block.

He wanted to create a white version of New Edition..

 

[CarmelBarbie]

who are edm artist

It’s a genre. And it’s house/techno/electric vibe. Even if I named an artist you wouldn’t know who it was. I don’t listen much to mainstream music.

 

[⠝⠕⠏⠑]

I see what u saying.

r and b has had more whites recently

How did we wake up and come to this point?!
I think part of blk artists issues these days is that artists like Normani are forced into these different directions so how the hell do they even find their own sound. And when they do, even if it’s good...if we no longer buying our music and whites won’t...
Once upon a time is was NOT this way...

 

[Street Knowledge]

Tell her to do that r&b instead of tryna compete with ariana grande & that camilla chick.

She gotta get acquainted with a black audience.

I think motivation was an Ariana track

 

[Sccit]

LOOKS LIKE SHE HAS SOME GOOD VAGINA

 

[⠝⠕⠏⠑]

We've talked about this a bunch times in The Booth over the years. Growing up, I remember in the early 2000's that Hip-Hop/R&B/Urban hits regularly got played on the Pop radio stations. These were usually Hip-Hop/R&B/Urban hits hits that crossovered into pop hits But by the late 2000's, Pop stations no longer played them in favor of EDM music.

It’s terrifying b/c it was so friggin gradual.

Look at this shyt dude!
List of artists who reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart - Wikipedia
From 1989 to 1997

• Atlantic Starr (1 week)
• Babyface (2 weeks)
• Anita Baker (1 week)
• Regina Belle (1 week)
• Chuckii Booker (1 week)
• The Boys (1 week)
• Bobby Brown (2 weeks)
• Peabo Bryson (1 week)
• Natalie Cole (1 week)
• De La Soul (1 week)
• Roberta Flack (1 week)
• Eric Gable (1 week)
• The Gap Band (2 weeks)
• Miki Howard (1 week)
• Janet Jackson (2 weeks)
• Jermaine Jackson (1 week)
• Levert (1 week)
• Maze feat. Frankie Beverly (2 weeks)
• Stephanie Mills (2 weeks)
• New Edition (2 weeks)
• The O'Jays (2 weeks)
• Prince (1 week)
• Teddy Riley feat. Guy (1 week)
• Skyy (2 weeks)
• Soul II Soul (3 weeks)
• Surface (5 weeks)
• Today (1 week)
• Luther Vandross (2 weeks)
• Jody Watley (1 week)
• Karyn White (5 weeks)
• Vanessa Williams (2 weeks)

1993

• After 7 (3 weeks)
• Al B. Sure! (2 weeks, inc. 1 week with Quincy Jones)
• Babyface (1 week)
• Bell Biv DeVoe (3 weeks)
• Regina Belle (1 week)
• The Boys (1 week)
• Mariah Carey (3 weeks)
• En Vogue (3 weeks)
• Johnny Gill (5 weeks, inc. 2 weeks with Stacy Lattisaw)
• Whitney Houston (2 weeks)
• Janet Jackson (2 weeks)
• Quincy Jones (4 weeks, inc. 2 weeks with Ray Charles and Chaka Khan; 1 week with Al B. Sure!, James Ingram, El DeBarge and Barry White; 1 week with Tevin Campbell)
• Stacy Lattisaw with Johnny Gill (2 weeks)
• M.C. Hammer (1 week)
• Pebbles (3 weeks)
• Prince (1 week)
• Samuelle (2 weeks)
• Skyy (1 week)
• Lisa Stansfield (3 weeks)
• Keith Sweat (1 week)
• The Time (1 week)
• Tony! Toni! Tone! (6 weeks)
• Ralph Tresvant (1 week)
• Troop (3 weeks)
• Ruby Turner (1 week)

1997

• En Vogue (1 week)
• Mariah Carey (3 weeks)
• Erykah Badu (2 weeks)
• Dru Hill (3 weeks)
• Puff Daddy (14 weeks)
• The Notorious B.I.G. (3 weeks)
• Changing Faces (7 weeks)
• Mase (6 weeks with Puff Daddy)
• Faith Evans (8 weeks with Puff Daddy)
• Usher (11 weeks)
• LSG (7 weeks)
• Boyz II Men (2 weeks)
• 112 (8 weeks with Puff Daddy)

Now hell we barely even see blks in #1 on the charts.

 

[⠝⠕⠏⠑]

White America can’t erase us, but they can make strides towards the erasure of our cultural impact, given they control the mediums through which that influence is channeled. Most black artists would rather get a check from white daddy, along with the seeming acceptance by white people that accompanies it, rather than build their own economy that facilitates the ownership of what they create.

But don’t people see how powerful our sound was...no sell out needed.

 

[Cel 510 kid ados forever]

How did we wake up and come to this point?!
I think part of blk artists issues these days is that artists like Normani are forced into these different directions so how the hell do they even find their own sound. And when they do, even if it’s good...if we no longer buying our music and whites won’t...
Once upon a time is was NOT this way...

yea they trying to force everyone into hip hop