I think a large part of the answer depends on how you define “real” or “true” hiphop, jazz, or blues.
If one were to define “real” hiphop/jazz/blues as dependent on the condition of growing up and experiencing the world as a black person, which is still very different than that of a white person today, then its impossible for a white man to create “true” h/j/b.
If you think about is, blues originated as a form of expression in black-only clubs, largely in the south. It was an expression of these individuals’ lives, based on there personal experience, and sharing at least one thing in common - the color of their skin.
The same argument can be made regarding jazz and hophop.
This is in no way racism, however. “True” forms of these styles of music are created based on the experience of having darker skin, not having dark skin itself.
The white man has taken “the black man’s music” (if a race can “own” any type of music) and institutionalized it. It’s no longer by feel, it’s lost spontaneity. Its been broken down into chords and scales, analyzed, and taught in a classroom. Just like classical music.
This isn’t to say that “white man’s jazz” isn’t music. It’s music played in a particular style (hiphop, jazz, or blues), but isn’t the “true” form of that style. In the same way that modern painters can paint in the impressionist style but cannot duplicate the paintings of Monet or Degas, modern white musicians cannot play true hiphop, jazz or blues. Thus, their compositions and performances could be regarded as bordering on “kitsch” in the music world.
Though honestly, I still don’t know if I totally agree with my argument. I think it might be too anal. You know, from those “purists” who hate everything but the absolute original.
Just something to think about, I guess. This is a topic I’ve thought about here and there, and never really arrived at a definite conclusion. I’m interested to see what you guys think.
Note: I would have put this in the hiphop discussion thread, but it seemed too much like a threadjack.
