Post Thanks Giving Introspection On One Of My few Shortcomings

Soooooo…. It is Jimmy Hendrix Birthday! Happy Birthday to one of the great dead, suicidal rock stars. He killed himself before it was really hip. I have always liked Hendrix but never had the passion for him that he obviously deserves. Being a great guitarist and being a black guitarist in the rock genre at that time was a pretty unbelievable thing. Looking back at the fact that he made all that great music with a white rhythm section is even more unbelievable. I really do not know his discography that well and must admit that I prefer the song “Little Wing” by Neil Young to Jimmy’s iconic song of the same name. Still, happy birthday Jimmy… I think you would have been 108 if you had not offed yourself.

Which lead me naturally to consider rap and hip hop. I have long been an old fogey hater of rap and hip hop. I do not even have a good understanding of the distinction between the two. I have tried to wade in occasionally such as when the critical world was ooing and ahhing over Jay-Z’s “Grey Album” but in every case including that one, I didn’t get it. Friends have tried to educate me. They have put what must be good music in my hands but it has never moved me. I have held in particular scorn white rappers (who will remain nameless) and their dreaded and much hated suburban white kids grabbing on to the rap and hip hop culture as it was their own. I found that particularly offensive, that they somehow “related” to the black urban experience that generated songs like “Cop Killer”. I mean seriously, had the man been keeping you down that badly at the mall?

Sadly I am starting to think that I didn’t and don’t “get it” and that the problem is not with the music and those that embrace it but it is indeed with me. It is a great rethinking for someone like myself who knows everything about everything. But seriously, what is more offensive:

1. A pimply faced white kid with a high crown baseball cap with the size tag still on the brim, cocked sideways, with a wife beater and some baggy low hanging cargo jorts and 400 dollar tennis shoes bopping his head to “Money To Blow” by Birdman, featuring Li’l Wayne and Drake (Li’l Wayne by the way has become ubiquitous on Hip Hop and Rock charts almost becoming a self parodying joke) or;
2. A pimply faced white kid with a 100 dollar haircut, American eagle shirt untucked over his long cargo pants and 400 dollar tennis shoes singing along to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” or even worth mouthing the new country, Eagle’s esque pap of Tim Mc Graw?

The first I find obnoxious but the second I pretentiously find totally untenable. What after all is my problem with number 1? Is it any different then white people claiming the blues as their music? Or even Jazz which has always been dominated by black players? Is Eminem being a white rapper any more offensive then Hall and Oates and blue eyed soul?

What brought on all this introspection was a little thing on NPR which was reviewing “The Black Keys” new CD “Black Rock” which is their foray into Hip Hop. The Black Keys are a critically acclaimed blues rock band which once again has never moved me but they went into the studio with “The RZA” and “Mos Def” to blow one out. I know I will likely not pick up the CD or even sample it but Dan Auerbach, their guitarist vocalist said:

“Hip Hop is the future of rock and if you don’t see that your not paying attention”. I thought this pretentious but then he said, “It is really all just American Music”. While not being a nationalist… that sounds about right.

So the bottom line is that I need to get over myself. If I cannot embrace the genre I at least need to acknowledge that it is moving rock music forward. The classic rock format and new country are a retreading of old music which flies in the face of the spirit of rock and roll. I am thinking I need to get a nice shiny white or silver NY Yankees cap to hail my new sensibility. Thoughts?