- Jun 8, 2004
- 3,210
- 64
I know there are a whole buncha yawl dig classic soul ballads, but yawl so skeered to discuss 'em for fear of being called out as OLD... Don't be shamed of being OLD... The old always brings in the new, and the new should never be allowed to forget that...
Besides, the afore-mentioned groups are clearly BETTER than anything that exists today, and that's not about age, that's about being better skilled - and that's what I'd like to get into here... I don't want us to start doing no song lists, or a whole lotta blue-lights-in da basement reminsciing... I want to examine what it took and takes to BECOME the finished and polished product that afore-mentioned groups and individuals became, and juxtapose that to today...
For example, back in the day, a group or individual had to be taken through a process before they ever stepped to the set as a finished entertainer... Before Berry Gordy established his whole independent corporate finishing school, Black entertainers began their careers in the church - particularly the singers... That was their very first audience, and they learned how to perform in front of that audience from those who came before them... They taught them the finer points of music, of reading, of executing, or emoting, and captivating and engaging the audience... Every move counted toward that end... Later they performed in front of small crowds, and then to some world-famous amateur hour... They took their lumps, and learned, and when they came before us with that hit record, they were so polished they made it all seem so effortless... They went through the process, FIRST...
Today's artists don't go through the finishing process... Their very rawness gives them a level of "credibility..." Street Cred, they call it, and the wilder and more degenerate the artist is, the more he is appreciated... It is made more interesting by the fact that when these artists do something stupid and ridiculous - as many of them do - we oft react like we didn't encourage them to behave as they do... It is why I contend that HipHop artists REALLY need a finishing school that can polish them as PEOPLE, before they become artists... Being an artist is not just about your stage presence, but your presence off the stage... Can I get a witness on that???
Watching the great artists mentioned in the thread title today, I understand that FINISHING the PRODUCT was once very, very important to African American entertainers... They represented OUR COMMUNITY, and wanted to put forth the best image... They dressed uniformly, and with class and sophistication, and they wasted little motion as they dazzled us with the precision dance moves... I don't believe today's artists are nearly as conscious and cognizant of that... Rarely, if ever, back in the day, did we hear foolishness coming from the mouths of our entertainers, and they supported the right causes... Wondering if any of you can tell me why you think this was so, and why it isn't so today... All answers are welcome...
Peace!
Isaiah
Besides, the afore-mentioned groups are clearly BETTER than anything that exists today, and that's not about age, that's about being better skilled - and that's what I'd like to get into here... I don't want us to start doing no song lists, or a whole lotta blue-lights-in da basement reminsciing... I want to examine what it took and takes to BECOME the finished and polished product that afore-mentioned groups and individuals became, and juxtapose that to today...
For example, back in the day, a group or individual had to be taken through a process before they ever stepped to the set as a finished entertainer... Before Berry Gordy established his whole independent corporate finishing school, Black entertainers began their careers in the church - particularly the singers... That was their very first audience, and they learned how to perform in front of that audience from those who came before them... They taught them the finer points of music, of reading, of executing, or emoting, and captivating and engaging the audience... Every move counted toward that end... Later they performed in front of small crowds, and then to some world-famous amateur hour... They took their lumps, and learned, and when they came before us with that hit record, they were so polished they made it all seem so effortless... They went through the process, FIRST...
Today's artists don't go through the finishing process... Their very rawness gives them a level of "credibility..." Street Cred, they call it, and the wilder and more degenerate the artist is, the more he is appreciated... It is made more interesting by the fact that when these artists do something stupid and ridiculous - as many of them do - we oft react like we didn't encourage them to behave as they do... It is why I contend that HipHop artists REALLY need a finishing school that can polish them as PEOPLE, before they become artists... Being an artist is not just about your stage presence, but your presence off the stage... Can I get a witness on that???
Watching the great artists mentioned in the thread title today, I understand that FINISHING the PRODUCT was once very, very important to African American entertainers... They represented OUR COMMUNITY, and wanted to put forth the best image... They dressed uniformly, and with class and sophistication, and they wasted little motion as they dazzled us with the precision dance moves... I don't believe today's artists are nearly as conscious and cognizant of that... Rarely, if ever, back in the day, did we hear foolishness coming from the mouths of our entertainers, and they supported the right causes... Wondering if any of you can tell me why you think this was so, and why it isn't so today... All answers are welcome...
Peace!
Isaiah