In the reading "Why does country music sound white? Race and the voice of nostalgia" it is argued that arguments about originalism and cultural authenticity are unnecessary when discussing music and popular culture. Taking into account the fixed relationship between Blackface minstrelsy and country music, slavery and gospel music, Jim Crow and the Blues, and many more is it fair to eliminate the conversation around origins when art's very significance is tied to its historical context? Is it more of a problem of exclusion? In other words, is it the fear of such discussions then making specific genres inaccessible to specific audiences (who in many cases would then be white)? And if so, does recognition of historical racial oppression automatically reinforce oppression or exclusion in contemporary times? In many African traditions there is an emphasis on the acknowledgement of the past: Sankofa. In other words, one must look back in order to move forward, but Geoff Mann argues that looking back will prevent our progress forward. Do you believe this to be true? Does discussion of racial oppression, not just in Black history but racial history at large, serve as a force of division and destruction versus empowerment and motivation?
This is certainly a fruitful way for our discussion to go, particularly if applied to rap music. In what way would our understanding of hiphop change if we took away our historical understanding? (This seems particularly interesting given that many people do just that.)
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