Topic: DID RAP KILL THE MALE BLACK SINGER ? ******** A MUST READ **** CHECK IT OUT
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How many of you know who the best selling Black male singer in the world for 2008 was? I bet you'll never get this right, without a few clues. Well, he's 50 years old, considered washed up and too controversial to sell, plus the majority of his songs are more than 25 years old. It's Michael Jackson, who sold more than Usher, Chris Brown, Ne-yo, John Legend, and Seal. The King of Pop sold nearly as many records worldwide as the #1 best-selling artist in the US regardless of race, Lil Wayne, whose genre of hip hop lost nearly 19.8 percent in sales from the previous year. Michael Jackson's song catalog sold 2.9 million copies with Thriller 25 topping over 2.3 million by itself, plus Michael didn't even promote it and performed nowhere! Shocking isn't it! (Lil Wayne sold nearly 3 million) Before the 1990's, it seemed one could find a million-selling Black male recording artist on other every corner, and, at least, 20 in every Black church. Today, it's becoming more and more difficult to ignore the facts that Black men are headed to the bottom of, yet, another statistical chart. Music, the savior of the Black race, made bearable the horrors of slavery, soothed during Jim Crow racism, and bonded in segregation. This type of Black love and togetherness ushered in the perfectly pitched passion of singers like Smokey Robinson singing countertenor (a male soprano), Michael Jackson a solid tenor, David Ruffin a baritone, and Barry White, the maestro, bass singer. Even now writing this article, name after name of remarkable Black male singers come to mind like Nat King Cole, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Jackie Wilson, Marvin Gaye, Donnie Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, Ronald Isley, Al Green, Teddy Pendergra**, Luther Vandross, Jeffrey Osborne, and singing groups like The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Spinners, Stylistics, Chi-lights, Jackson 5, Earth Wind and Fire, The Moments, The Manhattans, New Edition, and Boys II Men. The list goes on and on. But today, where are the Black male singers that made Black women buy every Right On Magazine and scream with excited hysteria whenever their favorite artists appeared? In today's world of rap music, the last solid genre created in the Black community, seemed to have seduced too many Black men wishing for their spot on the top of music entertainment fame, to speak rhythmic poetry instead of singing the melodies of love and longing. The irony is that while the loving lyrics of Motown dominated the Black airways for decades, Black love was in *la*hm, and so was the growth of the music industry. Now too many Black men in the game of hip hop slop are volunteering to label Black women bitches and hos, promote criminality, excessive spending (bling), and speak of love making as purely a one night stand have contributed to the widespread decline of Black love and progress. It's no coincidence that Black love is down at the same time Black music is at its lowest levels ethically and well as financially. This decline has little to do with the recession because these declines started to manifest 6 years ago, and ringtones along with 99 cent downloads just ain't paying the bills. Could the absence of Black male singers be correlated with the lack of decency taught in rap crap chants? Does it take the desire to love completely and thoroughly to enhance the singing style of Black men? Throughout the history of television, there have been numerous talent shows, such as the competitions at the famed Apollo Theater and Star Search. But the last few seasons of American Idol have not produced one top Black male singer and I think Simon is in shock due to this! Season Eight of American Idol's top 12 doesn't have one Black male singer and only one Black male singer was in the top 36. Season two winner, Reuben Studdard and the like, are now extinct for six straight years. He was the only Black male winner in American Idol history. Black men have lost their way in so many more different categories, such as low high school graduation rates, high incarceration rates, high rates of low self-esteem or undeserved self-gratification, and too many Black men are not in the home taking care of their children and not marrying their baby's mothers. There are simply prices to pay for not loving and respecting your women! Nature just wasn't meant to fail like this! Perhaps, the Black male's continual downfall spiral will be due to too much bad karma. Have Black males lost their singing dominance with their souls and are now out of the emotional loop of wanting to give true love to a Black woman? What happened to lyrics like, "The Way You Do The Things You Do", "Just My Imagination", "Your Precious Love", "Maybe Tomorrow", "Try a Little Tenderness", "Lonely Teardrops", "Isn't She lovely", "Love Ballad", "I Can't Help Myself", "Mighty Love", "Reasons", "Stop, Look, Listen to Your Heart", "Oh Girl" and "Ooh Child". Even later group like Boys II Men released hits like "I'll Make Love to You" and New Edition's "Can You Stand the Rain" seems like those were the last true love song that touched the heart in just the right place to make herds of girls run to the record store and lay out their, many times, strapped money to experience love's possibilities through music. Even, Michael Jackson, the best-selling artist in the world achieved his greatest heights when he was filled with Black pride and surrounded by Black people, especially his Black mother and sisters who lived at the family home with him, because all of his brothers had married and moved away. One might wonder if Michael Jackson still has Black fans. Well, as the owner of one of the largest and most successful Black-themed and Black-owned bookstores in Los Angeles (Eso-Won) told me that Thriller 25 was the best selling product in his store. Remember, the last women the world saw Michael with was a Black woman named Raymone Bain, his spokesperson.
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