Mar 26, 2018 Talking about the general public here...obviously there are white people who enjoy hiphop culture (probably several on this website rn), but in general there is still a very real stigma when it comes to white people unabashedly listening to rap music in particularly black artists. This subtle racism is still prevalent even though hip hop is now the most popular genre in the United States for the first time...Even the most popular black artists would have a shockingly low white fanbase in ratio to overall popularity if studies were done. As I said, this is not just a thing of the past-- even in the 2010 decade I point to modern white rap artists like Mackelmore or Logic, who are blowing up and swamping the fame of otherwise moderately successful black artists who have spent years (sometimes decades) churning out well-known music. Even black artists who supposedly maintain (or at some point maintained) a consistent white fanbase are 99% of the time genre/culture transcending entities and/or those of which who purposely attract the white crowd or appeal to a specific gender. I'm talking about Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Drake. Imagine if Pitbull was black...would white people be so inclined to listen to him so much? From my experience the black artist is consistently shunned or not taken seriously, sometimes considered no more than a nostalgia act or serving one-off radio song or fun club hit, whereas the white artist will get a pass and attract an actual following from said white person and innately assumed to be a serious artist or given the benefit of the doubt from a non-rap listener, just from this subtle racism that I mentioned. Why is this? Will it ever change? Obviously more white people probably listen to black artists in big cities but the magnetic attraction of white listeners by white artists hints at a significant phenomena across the entire United States. Disagree? Thoughts? Experiences you can share?
Mar 26, 2018 I don't think so, people will always be attracted to musicians with the same skin color as them because they feel like they can relate more because of it
Mar 26, 2018 Or because they're racist I'm not saying will black rap artists be more listened to by the white person than pop or rock music...but I feel the ratio is drastically weighted incorrectly at the moment and always has been
Mar 26, 2018 Sure it'll never be listened to as much by white culture as "white music" but there is definitely more cultural rejection of black rap artists than there theoretically should be.
Mar 26, 2018 I mean, Drake is the biggest rapper out. We're a shade darker than Eminem rn. Getting there.
Mar 26, 2018 Was my format okay?? I tried following the section eighty essay guidelines but couldn't find the syllabus on the Internet
Mar 26, 2018 I agree with OP though, the "I hate rap but I like Eminem/Macklemore/Lil Dicky" crowd is the worst
Mar 26, 2018 Skin color has nothing to do with relatability, culture does. Unfortunately, racial prejudice has formed cultural barriers among groups of similar color.
Mar 26, 2018 Ive personally never met someone who hates music because of the color of the artists skin. Tbh I tend to hate a lot of white rappers, but thats a common feeling among rap fans Im 100% positive its out there, but everyone I know just listens to music they like. For artists like Logic and Vince Staples, for example, I believe it comes more down to subject matter than race. Most white people can relate to Logic and his lyrics than a majority of Vince or Joey Badass. Songs like Logics suicide hotline song are pushed more by radio stations and s--- because it has a corny message thats positive. Logic is nowhere near as good as Vince. I do feel like there are a lot of people that listen to and defend a lot of logic because he is a white rapper, which is a generally black culture, so they do feel they can relate, like "d--- that white boy can rap". But everyone I personally know who isnt a hip hop fan listens to both black and white rap artists, and basically whatever is popular, whether thats Humble, Mask Off, 1-800-whatever, or a macklemore song
Mar 26, 2018 So no one has outright told you they hate rap music because it's a black genre, but you've never met someone who avoids rap or is dismissive of black rappers as artists yet cling to a white rap artist or at least give them the benefit of the doubt of being a respectable artist, moreso than a black counterpart? I've seen this personally too many times to count
Mar 26, 2018 I feel like white people already do listen to mostly black rappers. There are a lot of white people and a lot of black rappers. Hip-hop is the most popular genre in the USA. Edit: white people, say, 35 and under. Any generation that grew up with rap being popular.
Mar 26, 2018 idk I think there's a line between white rap fans and the average white American. The average white guy probably hears more black rappers through virtue of it being the biggest genre in the country, but given the choice most of them will gravitate toward the artists who look like them. Can't think of any other explanation for trash like Macklemore's success.
Mar 26, 2018 I mean it's bound to happen just because of the pure numbers that you stated. But it must be where you're from because this is very prevalent where I'm at. White people will refuse to accept black artists and cling to Logic
Mar 26, 2018 The most popular artists are black (Drake, Kendrick, Cole, Chance, etc) so I'd assume most white people already do. There will always be that niche that only listens to Token, NF, Eminem, and Lil Dicky
