The level of a musician’s articulation is determined by that artist’s ability to communicate to and with the community that they are aiming their art toward, as well as their individual need to be truthful to themselves.
For generations, the Black community reinforced relating to the lyrics and musings of our artists with evolving colloquial phrases. Whether it’s Smokey Robinson’s writing, “My smile is my make-up I wear since my break-up,” or Inspectah Deck spitting, “Socrates’ philosophies and hypotheses can’t define how I be droppin’ these mockeries,” fans give feedback of approval ranging from “That’s deep,” “Preach,” to “That’s a bar.”
Unfortunately, our communicative executions between each other have been relegated as uncouth, low-brow, or even ignorant by perpetrators or subscribers to the doctrine that props whiteness and white language as superior.
Enter Jann Wenner.
Wenner, co-founder of Rolling Stone magazine, recently spoke with The New York Times about his new book, “The Masters,” a collection of extensive interviews he did with seven legendary rock musicians — Bono (U2), Mick Jagger (The Rolling Stones), Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead), John Lennon (The Beatles), Pete Townshend (The Who), and Bruce Springsteen.
The interviewer, David Marchese, addressed a passage in the intro of “The Masters” in which Wenner stated that he didn’t include any Black or female subjects because they didn’t fit into his “zeitgeist.” When Marchese asked him to elaborate, Wenner replied that Black and female artists were not as articulate and philosophical when it came to describing their life and artistry.
“I read interviews with them. I listen to their music,” Wenner said. “I mean, look at what Pete Townshend was writing about, or Jagger, or any of them. They were deep things about a particular generation, a particular spirit, and a…
Read the full article here
