Understanding the definition and the power dynamics involved in cultural appropriation is the key to understanding the concept. And yes, black people can be cultural appropriators. In fact, I am often accused of cultural appropriation. But when it comes to music and art, cultural appropriation is a tricky thing to decipher. Anyone making popular music in is—by definition—making black music, regardless of their color.
To be honest, it is incumbent on white artists to acknowledge that, even if it seems unfair. Some might call it a double standard or reverse racism to demand that Swift and other white artists give a nod to borrowing from black music and culture while not requiring the same of black artists.
However, being black means you are born into the legacy of the culture. You cannot. Being a part of a culture—whether one is born into it or not—also comes with the responsibility of being a caretaker of it. Every so often, the cultural discourse resets itself, and accusations of appropriation are launched or relaunched at a different target. He wrote a mea culpa about his white privilege , Iggy retreated from rap, and Miley went country. But is the issue so black and white?
What does appropriation look like when the accused appropriator and those being appropriated are both people of color, but do not share the same racial or ethnic background? Can there be a cultural exchange between two minority cultures that exists without offense?
In a sequel to their conversation on appropriation , New York music critic Craig Jenkins and Vulture music columnist Frank Guan attempt to untangle the mess. If cultural appropriation is thought of as the theft of a minority culture by an oppressor, usually with malicious intent, how do we loosen the definition when people of color take from each other?
And how do the rules apply to a multiracial person like Bruno Mars? Craig Jenkins: I feel like the answer to this question sits at the dawn of hip-hop, which was set in motion by a Jamaican immigrant in a community of black and Latin Americans and patronized early on by artsy downtown white folk. Was Latin funk appropriation? More Videos Bruno Mars accused of cultural appropriation Here's the two-minute video that started it all:. Read More. He is not black, at all, and he plays up his racial ambiguity to cross genres," writer and activist Seren Sensei said in a clip for "The Grapevine," a web series that explores African-American issues.
He's a karaoke singer, he's a wedding singer, he's the person you hire to do Michael Jackson and Prince covers. Some agreed with Sensei. Bruno Mars as an example is an awkward one because he has paid homage but that doesn't discredit that he can still benefit from the ambiguity," one Twitter user wrote. Charlamagne asked if the cultural appropriation accusations ever upset him, to which he replied, "It comes with the gig.
And there's real merit to what people are saying about Black entertainers not getting their flowers, and I'm championing with that, I'm with that. Around this time in , writer and activist Seren Sensei criticized Bruno on social media, which then sparked a debate about the musician. He is not Black, at all, and he plays up his racial ambiguity to cross genres," Serena said in a video for The Grapevine.
He's a karaoke singer, he's a wedding singer, he's the person you hire to do Michael Jackson and Prince covers.
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