Do Black folk appreciate White music as much as White folk appreciate Black music?

I wasn’t aware that music had a color.

I am a fan of all music. I dont consider any form of music to be black white asian or otherwise. Its all just music to me.

Lets go to the data. These figures are based on the General Social Survey from 2008.

10.4% of whites feel positively about rap music, whereas 32% of blacks feel positively about it. On the other end, 71% of whites dislike rap, but only 41% of blacks dislike rap.

Let’s look at newage music. 17.4 percent of white like newage, but only 10.7% of blacks do. 60% of whites dislike newage music. Blacks dislike it a little more. 69.8% of blacks don’t like newage music.

Blacks and whites like and dislike classical music at about the same rates.

Whites are a little more favorable to folk music than blacks, and blacks dislike it a bit more than whites.

More than 90% of blacks like gospel music. 54% of whites like gospel. 20% of whites dislike gospel, but only 3% of blacks dislike it.

I think the answer to your question is yes. Blacks tend to like white music as much as whites like black music. The classical music score was fairly surprising to me, but is indicative of my analysis.

Based on these data, you’d have to say that @psychocandy and @YoBob are right. On average, music has no color. However, if you look at individual styles of music, it is a very different story.

I agree with @psychocandy.

@YoBob As do I.

Ah yes, Russian-American weddings lol – I had one like that…I think the younger generation has no problem dancing to it all, it’s just the older generation that likes what they like but it’s not about race to them. And since there are more white music artists than black music artists (if I’m wrong, can someone correct me?), I think it’s actually more likely that black people end up listening to music produced by white people than the other way around…but, then again, that’s not exactly what you meant…

Your right Simone. The Russians actually had two different types of music, one being DJ Dance stuff and the younger ones liked that. But all the Russians hit the dance floor when the classic stuff hit. I don’t know what to call it, but we’ve all heard it. They know how to tear up a dance floor!

This “black people like this and white people like that” business with regard to music is only in the United States. In my travels, I have found that life isn’t nearly as “racialized” (or is racialized much differently) in other parts of the world. Only in the US does group solidarity mean that a type of music is disliked because of the skin colour of the performers. And the deal with the bass is something that is taught. I’ll bet if you put babies in a room where no one could influence them, most all would gravitate to similar sounds, no matter where they came from, just like all babies smile at people with pleasing, synchronous, average features.

I absolutely love the Blues and especially Delta Blues and that is music that was created and played AFAICT by all black musicians.

“The Blues are the essence of the African American laborer, whose spirit is wed to these songs, reflecting his inner soul to all who will listen. Rhythm and Blues, is the cornerstone of all forms of African American music.”

@psychocandy I wasn’t aware that music had a color, sorry but that is such a liberal, wishy washy platitude.

My simple answer:
It all depends on the person who is listening. Similar to the old cliche “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
When sound moves a person inside, it is irrelevant what color the person’s skin is that is creating it.

@mammal As is your critique.

Not sure what you mean @mammal. Exactly how do you define the difference between black music and white music?

As for me, before deciding I needed to get a degree in something I could make a living at, I spent several years as a music major at one of the top music schools in the country and never in that experience could I determine the color (or gender for that matter) of a composer just by listening to a composition.

I just sent a mixed cd of oldie goldies to a Southern, middle-aged black woman, who is a dear friend of mine (I’m white). It had alot of classic Motown I’ll admit (who doesn’t like Motown?), but after she’d listened she called me to request more….. Janis Joplin.

@YoBob Do you think it’s racist, or that I’m a closet racist because I do hear the different cultural influences in music? That’s what I’m getting from a few responses here. Correct me if I’m wrong, but if there is an implication that I should be aware of then please make it clear.

Like I said, I also like acoustic Iranian guitar. It doesn’t typically come from white or black people. It comes from tan people, traditionally. And if a white person played it, he would be foolish to suggest that it is from a white heritage.

I have an anime that I’m very fond of. It is full of background soundtrack with Asian influences which is very spiritually moving to me. I’m confident that its heritage is not from black people, white people, or tan people.

I never said that music had “a color” @psychocandy. I’m not sure how you got that from the OP. But I think that is a fine way to describe its nuances, its flavor so to speak. Just as ice cream has different colors to represent different flavors. One no better than the next, but I would be foolish to claim they are all the same for the sake of political correctness.

@MrsDufresne -Well said :)

@mama_cakes I noticed a Sex Pistols T-shirt sporting on your avatar. What color do you suppose that style of music might be?

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies Sure one can say there are certain cultural influences that will effect how the composition is put together in some cases IE music from Africa has a very different sound than music composed in Japan, but to say its “black music” or “white music” or whatever is just wrong IMO because you’re implying the music is made strictly for black, whites, etc.

There is no “black people like this music” and “white people like this music” that is inherent in human beings. That’s the important distinction to make here. However, trying to disregard the obvious differences in musical tastes within a society is silly – because they do exist and they exist for reasons. That is not to say ”all black people like this kind of music” and ”all white people like this kind of music”, but these differences in musical tastes exist for many varying reasons. The American society, as a whole, is, well… Not a whole. There are micro-societies within it, that take shape based on many things. Age, race, gender – just to name a few. All of these micro-societies function the same way the overall American society would. They have rules and ideals, ways to behave and not behave. When you look at it that way, it makes sense that there might be a difference in musical tastes among many black and white people.

But again, this difference is not inherent. If you took a black and white baby, as someone else suggested, and put them in a room together – they would both inherently gravitate toward music in general. Rap (for instance) was music that stemmed, originally, from struggle. How hard life was. Which is to this day, typically, something that many black people understand better than white people in this country – because white people still hold the most power. They enjoyed it because it was a part of their culture, something that they could identify with. Now if we look at some rock in a similar light – maybe so many white people seem to enjoy it because it’s expressive and angry – something that, typically, can not be expressed in “polite” company in white culture. Essentially, both rap and rock catered to the individual cultures and gave people an outlet for shared feelings.

As time goes on and people begin to mesh more and more, you will see these obvious differences (based on race) in taste dissolve. People will no longer be restricted within their own cultures – no longer subjected to the limitations placed on them by society in general. Everyone has different life experiences, and those experiences shape who we are/become. Right now, because we live in a society where the things we experience are unfortunately based on “race”, our experiences will typically differ.

Now… A reason that white people might be seen to express more interest in “black” music (in overly-simplified terms for the sake of length) is because, as stated above, white people still have more power. We aren’t as limited in what is and isn’t “okay” to be interested in – because white people, for the most part, still make the “rules”. Also, with a lot of (especially) younger generations… This divide between the “races” is disappearing. They haven’t grown up, as much, with such a clear division between black and white people, so they are completely comfortable stepping outside of what was once “normal” for their race. This may seem especially weird to some black people, who might think “what the hell does a white person know about this kind of life?” – not because that black person is racist, but simply because that black person is more aware of the fact that that white kid is generally provided with more opportunity in this society.

I’m being way too much of an anthropologist right now. To end: It is strictly societal – not inherently based on “race” (no such thing, but that’s another topic for another time). If the roles were reversed exactly as they are now, something similar would have happened.

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies

“Do you think it’s racist, or that I’m a closet racist because I do hear the different cultural influences in music?”

There is a huge difference between cultural influences within various musical styles and the notion that individual musical styles are unique one particular race, especially when racial lines are becoming quite blurry.

I think @DrasticDreamer sums it up pretty well.

“to say its “black music” or “white music” or whatever is just wrong IMO because you’re implying the music is made strictly for black, whites, etc”

Has anyone here ever had Chinese Food?

again, your confusing food coming from a culture instead of being just specifically for said culture.

Have you ever ate some nice italian pasta? Where do you think that originates from btw?

Point being that just because I said Black Music, in no way meant that I intended it as something only for Black People… It’s from, and not necessarily only for.

You assumed I meant that when I didn’t.

My friend Craig is black, and enjoys most rock songs. Not the beach boys or the bee gees tho.
I don’t even know white people that listen to that shit.

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies but what makes it “black music” ? Its a bit different if we’re talking on a world music level like traditional african music. But here in america, what is “black music” music with a black artist or are certain genres labled as “black music” or “white music” in your mind?

The same thing that makes it French Toast. I’m American, and I love French Toast, and I can even make a really great batch of French Toast, perhaps even better than most Frenchmen. But I will never deny that French Toast is a product of the French.

The Delta Blues is not African Music. It is Black American Music.

are certain genres labled as “black music” or “white music”

You know the Dave Matthews Band?

Not. Black. Music.

Well because some genres of music are associated with some ethnic groups, and actually that helps define themselves and restore confidence, so to deny that, is liberal and wishy washy, what don’t you get? what is stupid about that critique, now stop being irritating and insensitive.

@jaytkay but why? what are the qualities music needs to have to make it black?

I cannot find one White recording artist on that link for Delta Blues. It is music made specifically by a particular race of people in a particular circumstance in life.

it was first recorded in the late 1920s, when record companies realized the potential African American market in Race records.

It lead to other things, such a Skiffle, but even that article attributes the evolution to Black Music The origins of skiffle are obscure, but are generally thought to lie in African-American musical culture in the early twentieth century.

so what makes rap black music?

I cannot say for certain, but I believe it is considered to be the modern day ghetto equivalent to historical blues. Again, it was born out of a particular race in a particular condition. The music is used to express that condition to the world. Not unlike the comfy white music that came out of the rich Crooners. Again, a particular race in a particular condition using music to express themselves to the world.

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies but there are plenty of white rappers? How do we explain that?

All I know is that I’m black and I don’t like most rap or hip-hop.
I like indie and undiscovered artists in the alternative genre.

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies Is this song by heath mcnease white or black music?
im not really sure could you clarify it for me ?

Sure @uberbatman there are also white blues singers and black rockers now. But the heritage of the music is unique to the original circumstances that birthed it, like French Toast.

@uberbatman

Is Chinese food cooked by an Italian person not Chinese food?

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies, Ever here of Jerry Lee Lewis?