This makes me sad, because this brother is uber talented and lives up to everything he believes he is. He is one of my favorite male vocalists/producers. It makes me even sadder because what he says is true. His sentiments mirror how Ive felt about the state of the music industry for a long time. That mood is the precisely one of the reasons why my forthcoming indie album is titled, Code Blue. Real music is dying a slow, painful death – not because it left and not even because there arent artists out here pushing it. Its because labels and the general public dont buy into it anymore -- and least not urban music. White artists can look forward to long, prosperous careers and sell-out crowds into their 70s. Seasoned black artists become a gimmick -- being reduced to singing songs their grandchildren should be singing, performing exclusively in small dinner halls, being forced to appear on reality TV shows just to earn a check and/or on episodes of Where Are They Now? or UnSung because their careers arent preserved and appreciated like their white counterparts. Its really sad, man. These people are ready, willing and able to sing their hearts out, but no one wants to listen. Ive never been a gimmicky artist. Im not concerned with doing whats out or whats hot. I love grammar. I dont want to have to throw slang and BS into my music just so you will listen. I dont care if you cant twerk to my music. In fact, I dont WANT you to twerk to my music. I want you to connect to it; to digest it and be moved by it. And if you cant, I need to at least know that I can. IM AN ARTIST. I want to create MY ART... to showcase to the world what IVE drawn musically; not draw the lines that some exec thinks looks better. The few times Ive tried to go with the flow of the industry, I ended up with a product I couldnt believe in myself because it didnt sound or feel authentic to ME. Yet, in maintaining my own integrity, I have to accept the fact that some industry exec will tell me I dont have a hit, or I may suffer from low sales. In the end, we (urban artists) who love the heart of real musicianship are left to sing to ourselves. I hope this brother will continue to put out music from his soul and let it resonate within HIM, whether anyone buys it or not. Easier said than done. #CodeBlue
Posted on: Fri, 19 Dec 2014 22:58:36 +0000
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