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Urban is the new black: Wet Bar, Part Two
Feb. 19th, 2006 12:56 pmSeasoned observers of the Brit Awards will have noticed that there was an award this year for "British Urban Act". Now, call me cynical, but I don't see The Streets. The Arctic Monkeys or Goldie Looking Chain ever snatching this award, despite the fact that all three are undeniably "urban". What they aren't is, well, what they aren't, is black.
Just in case you thought that this award (won by Lemar, awarded by Jamelia, ahead of four other nominees who were also black, with the possible exception of Craig David, who might just have a bit of a tan) was a one-off, I noticed that 1Extra (the self-proclaimed "black music station" from the BBC) featured an evening of "urban classic" tracks (trax?).
I'm not really bothered whether this term has been hi-jacked by black listeners or foisted upon them by white middle-class liberals. Let's face it, if the best pop act is James Blunt (award presented by Harry Hill), then we might be in need of some alternatives (although Lemar would not be my choice). What does bother me is that it is resoundingly inaccurate. This harks back to the 1950s in the US when you had "R&B" charts (i.e., "black"). What it also does is assign the black population to a role in the UK which just goes to show that racist attitudes haven't died; they've just shifted. ("Yes, we love black people, but you couldn't imagine them going for walks in the countryside, could you?")
I've long been of the belief that perhaps the worst type of racist is the guilt-ridden liberal. At least with white working-class Millwall supporters you know where you are. Is this what the race relations act and 50 years of gradual integration (in the cities, at least) have achieved? An acceptance that "black" is now the new "urban"? Perhaps we should go the whole hog and call it ghetto music instead.
Once again, the problem is that, by assigning the phrase "urban music" to "black music", you need to come up with another phrase (necessarily equally misleading) to describe urban music -- that is, the music of the city, ireespective of colour.
Some of you older people might recall the emergence of The Specials and UB40 in the early 80s -- bands of black and white people playing a great fusion of black and white music (Ska with white working-class overtones). Where would the Specials of today be placed? Well, bloody nowhere, because they wouldn't get any kind of deal, or airplay. Ironic, really, when you can hear how much influence The Specials (and Madness) are having on today's new acts.
Just in case you thought that this award (won by Lemar, awarded by Jamelia, ahead of four other nominees who were also black, with the possible exception of Craig David, who might just have a bit of a tan) was a one-off, I noticed that 1Extra (the self-proclaimed "black music station" from the BBC) featured an evening of "urban classic" tracks (trax?).
I'm not really bothered whether this term has been hi-jacked by black listeners or foisted upon them by white middle-class liberals. Let's face it, if the best pop act is James Blunt (award presented by Harry Hill), then we might be in need of some alternatives (although Lemar would not be my choice). What does bother me is that it is resoundingly inaccurate. This harks back to the 1950s in the US when you had "R&B" charts (i.e., "black"). What it also does is assign the black population to a role in the UK which just goes to show that racist attitudes haven't died; they've just shifted. ("Yes, we love black people, but you couldn't imagine them going for walks in the countryside, could you?")
I've long been of the belief that perhaps the worst type of racist is the guilt-ridden liberal. At least with white working-class Millwall supporters you know where you are. Is this what the race relations act and 50 years of gradual integration (in the cities, at least) have achieved? An acceptance that "black" is now the new "urban"? Perhaps we should go the whole hog and call it ghetto music instead.
Once again, the problem is that, by assigning the phrase "urban music" to "black music", you need to come up with another phrase (necessarily equally misleading) to describe urban music -- that is, the music of the city, ireespective of colour.
Some of you older people might recall the emergence of The Specials and UB40 in the early 80s -- bands of black and white people playing a great fusion of black and white music (Ska with white working-class overtones). Where would the Specials of today be placed? Well, bloody nowhere, because they wouldn't get any kind of deal, or airplay. Ironic, really, when you can hear how much influence The Specials (and Madness) are having on today's new acts.
