Michael Jackson: The recording industry is racist

[7888]

MJ teaming up wth Johnny Cochran and Al Sharpton to lauch an "Every blackman march on Sony". All blacks should boycott all Sony products. That type of blackmail should net them several million at least. As for Al Sharpton running for president. Sharpton is taking a page from the "Jesse Jackson Handbook".Sharpton is only looking for contributions from the Democratic Nat'l Comm. payable to his "non-profit" organizations. In other words,buy him out so he won't run as a 3rd party spoiler.You do remember how Ross Perot threw the 1992 election to Bill Clinton? In the last presidential election 90+% blacks voted democrat and the republicans still won. Sharpton could pull a few % votes as an Independent and that scares the Democrats. So they'll buy him out the same way they did Jesse J the last 3 cycles. So don't worry it's only money going into the pockets.

[Skip_dup1]

[quote]Originally posted by wildabst@aol.com: [b][b] [quote]Originally posted by StoneKnife: [qb] She didn`t `sever her contract`, she got dropped, like several other artists mentioned above. The big payoff was so that she wouldn`t make a big legal fuss about it. So she gets 27mil-small change for having to sleep with the guy in charge of your label. and what did the guy do? saddled her with a bunch of ballads that sold well with listeners 15 years older than she was (after all so was he), a nonstop touring and promo schedule that fried her brains and a movie that bombed... So now she`s got no label and a possibly ruined career. Suddenly 27 mil doesn`t seem like that much, eh?[/b][/quote]You have your facts wrong. She got the settlement from Virgin. It was negotiated -- she wasn't "dropped". They wanted her off the label and so did she. She was married and in your words, "slept with", the president of Sony, which was prior to the Virgin deal. Two different scenarios. Also, she does have a new multi-album label deal, signed for around $20 million. She'll have hits again and everything will return to normal.[/b][/quote]What I read was that Virgin wanted out because they overinvested in the film and album that went with it. Maybe it was mutual, if so my mistake. Married or no, Tommy Mottola came off loking like the bad guy in their marriage, which sure didn`t last long anyway. I guess some people expected a label president to keep it professional with artists on his label. Whatever. Mottola doesn`t strike me as someone I`d like to deal with.

[Dan South]

I had assumed that Michael Jackson realized that the industry was racist twenty years ago when he decided to turn white. PEOPLE WHO ARE MORE BLACK THAN MICHAEL JACKSON (partial list) Sheena Easton Dolph Lundgren Florence Henderson Johnny Winter (well, he SOUNDS a lot more black) Steve Forbes Dick Clark Vanilla Ice Billy Bob Thornton H. Ross Perot PEOPLE WHO ARE LESS BLACK THAN MICHAEL JACKSON (partial list) Halle Berry PEOPLE WHO HAVE SOLD MORE COPIES OF A RECORDING THAN (supposedly black) MICHAEL JACKSON N/A PEOPLE WHO'VE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY DESPITE AN AFFINITY FOR "PRETTY YOUNG THINGS" Jerry Lee Lewis Roman Polanski Michael Jackson PEOPLE WHO MANAGE MONEY ALMOST AS POORLY AS MICHAEL JACKSON Willie Nelson Mike Tyson (with a lot of creative accounting help from Don King) Ronald Reagan Has all of that "shammoy" weenie-grabbing finally gone to someone's surgically-altered head?

[Dan South]

[quote]Originally posted by Lee Flier: [b]Henry, I didn't actually characterize EWF as disco! But a lot of funk and R&B artists of the 70's had their biggest hits on the coattails of the disco era - like EWF, War, Parliament, etc. There was a lot of crossover there and those acts did get big budgets. [/b][/quote]I have to disagree very strongly here, Lee. Parliament and EWF (and others) were an extension of a longstanding R&B tradition that can be traced from traditional and religious black music up through it's breakthrough years in Motown and later the "Philadelphia Sound." This R&B tradition influenced Elvis, the Beatles, the Stones, The Who, Creedence, etc. Parliament and EWF had NOTHING in common with disco. Disco was a mechanized dance variant that started in gay clubs in Europe, spread in popularity to wider dance audiences globally and then finally to America. Disco was embraced by record companies when the "disco fad" swept the nation, i.e. when WHITE kids started going to discos and buying the records [i]en masse[/i]. Disco's roots have more in common with Kraftwerk than James Brown. Disco headliners included Donna Summer, KC and the Sunshine Band, Gloria Gaynor, etc. Associating R&B acts like EWF or Parliament or the Commodores or Stevie Wonder with disco is inaccurate and unfair. As far as I can recall, I've never heard any disco from Michael Jackson (well, maybe Beat It), but I HAVE heard disco records by Rod Stewart, the Bee Gees, Herbie Mann, Maynard Ferguson and many others who should have known better. Disco was NOT black music, and the black artists of the seventies where NOT disco artists in most cases.

[Master Zap]

EWF *not* Disco? What planet are you from? The very same EWF that did September, Boogie Wonderland?? I dunno about you US guys, but from a European standpoint, EWF is *definitely* Disco. (Perhaps it's because the only songs they did that was "hits" on this side of the puddle was their disco stuff, I dont know, but to us they are Disco with a little funk thrown in in a corner) /Z

[Dan South]

[quote]Originally posted by Master Zap: [b]EWF *not* Disco? What planet are you from? The very same EWF that did September, Boogie Wonderland?? I dunno about you US guys, but from a European standpoint, EWF is *definitely* Disco. (Perhaps it's because the only songs they did that was "hits" on this side of the puddle was their disco stuff, I dont know, but to us they are Disco with a little funk thrown in in a corner) /Z[/b][/quote]David Bowie's "China Girl" is disco. Does that make Bowie a disco artist?

[Tedly Nightshade]

"P.S. -- I only wish the music business WERE racist, then we wouldn't have to listen to all of that retarded, absolute fucking bullshit rap & hip-hop music they play on MTV. " Take a good look at this statement! Why do you think they push the thuggiest and worst of "black" music? To promote racism. Looks like it's working.

[Lee Flier]

Dan, I think you're still misreading me here... I personally TOTALLY agree with you that disco and funk/R&B have very little in common musically. My point had to do with the BUSINESS, and public perception. That is, during the 70's disco era, it suddenly became "cool" for the white record buying public to get into funk and R&B. The industry tended to promote them as "dance music" along with disco, and play R&B acts in the same clubs and on the same radio stations where disco was played. Ergo, a lot of funk and R&B acts who'd been relatively obscure up to that point, suddenly had some major hits and were able to command big record budgets. Unfortunately when the disco era ended, a lot of the public also lost interest in funk and R&B and a lot of those acts were dropped because the labels and stations didn't know how to mass market them anymore. I'm not saying I agree with any of this or I like it. I was always nuts for 60's and 70's funk and R&B, but I hated disco as much as anybody. BELIEVE me, I know they are not the same thing. Disco is to funk what Kenny G is to jazz. --Lee

[Master Zap]

[quote]David Bowie's "China Girl" is disco[/quote]Okay, apparently we have disparate definitions of "disco". China girl Disco!? Not in my opinion! /Z

[Charlie-brm]

[quote]Originally posted by Ted Nightshade: [b]"P.S. -- I only wish the music business WERE racist, then we wouldn't have to listen to all of that retarded, absolute fucking bullshit rap & hip-hop music they play on MTV. " Take a good look at this statement! Why do you think they push the thuggiest and worst of "black" music? To promote racism. Looks like it's working.[/b][/quote]That's a good point. Play the "black" music, but only use people that support a prejudice. The strategy works on me sometimes. I know my blood pressure goes up when I see humorless videos with tools posing next to their Mercedes Benz and dry humping some girl in hot pants. Don't worry, I do a reality check and move on with the remote control. I just didn't make the connection of the problem being the puppetmasters.

[TAZZ]

"Leave me alone" :cry:

[koolkid]

i think disco music is characterized as basic dance music that purpoasely avoided musical creativity and distraction as its main function was to make you dance, i that regard ewf is by definition not disco

[sbrock1san.rr.com]

[quote]Originally posted by Ted Nightshade: [b]Take a good look at this statement! Why do you think they push the thuggiest and worst of "black" music? To promote racism. Looks like it's working.[/b][/quote]No, I can't agree Ted. The audience that watches rap and hip-hop on MTV are primarily young white and hispanic teens and pre-teens. They don't perceive those images as negative, they look at those artists primarily as men and women that they can identify with. I'll go even farther and say that black musicians on MTV, even if some are gangstas and thugs, have done a lot for race relations and even though I despise many of those videos I applaud MTV for not shying away from them. When I was growing up many groups exploited the fact that they were doing massive amounts of drugs and screwing every groupy in sight. Even though I couldn't relate because I wasn't dabbling in heroin or cocaine and I wasn't having sex yet, my friends and I just loved that outlaw bad-boy image. Rappers are the new rock stars....deal with it.

[-_dup1]

Here's an [url=http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/51968.htm]update[/url] on the Michael Jackson story...

[wildabstaol.com]

I think Michael's really upset because instead of Tommy Motolla calling him a "fat, black, n- - - - -," he only ever called him a skinny, white, bitch!

[sbrock1san.rr.com]

Notice how MJ's allegations and remarks coincided with Al's Summit on Racism in Music that starts tomorrow. hmmmm... He gets the attention for the summit by MJ making outrageous remarks and then distances himself from the gloved one. Looks like Al is becoming the consumate politician.

[Mr. Downchild]

'Invincible': The irony is not lost on me......

[Tedly Nightshade]

"Originally posted by Ted Nightshade: Take a good look at this statement! Why do you think they push the thuggiest and worst of "black" music? To promote racism. Looks like it's working. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ No, I can't agree Ted. The audience that watches rap and hip-hop on MTV are primarily young white and hispanic teens and pre-teens. They don't perceive those images as negative, they look at those artists primarily as men and women that they can identify with. I'll go even farther and say that black musicians on MTV, even if some are gangstas and thugs, have done a lot for race relations and even though I despise many of those videos I applaud MTV for not shying away from them. When I was growing up many groups exploited the fact that they were doing massive amounts of drugs and screwing every groupy in sight. Even though I couldn't relate because I wasn't dabbling in heroin or cocaine and I wasn't having sex yet, my friends and I just loved that outlaw bad-boy image. Rappers are the new rock stars....deal with it. " ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I really find that the targeted industry rap audience you describe is racist, sexist, and various other forms of kneejerk. It's a hell of lot different than pushing Marvin Gaye on those folks. I think Eminem only underscores this thug/violence lowest-common-denominator element.

[Tedly Nightshade]

To clarify: The targeted rap audience has a scary kneejerk streak that is being fostered by the industry. The rest of us have a scary kneejerk streak that is being intentionally inflamed by the industry.

[meccajay]

I saw an excert from an interview with Michael Jackson after his lil press conference, and he did call Mattolla a racist while saying that the industry was NOT racist, just Tommy etc. Regardless of what Matolla's track record is with black "music", if behind closed doors MJ has heard him refer to black or hispanic artists in a racist manner then it makes Tommy somewhat racist....simple! His good treatment of black artist's has nothing to do with it--he was profiting from them, of course he was fair, and nice, and "opened doors" etc. These doors led to his pockets! As for AL Sharpton's agenda, Johnnie Cochran, the race "card", the state of Mariah Carey's career, none of that really matters. Beside's Cochran's been representing Jackson for years, even before OJ. Most people would be surprised if they saw the people(white and black) that Cochran's represented, but again that doesnt really matter. The startaling part of the interview that no one mentioned is when the reporter asked Michael if he was doing this merely because of his finacial troubles, and what his financial state he was in etc, Michael replied that his finacial state was beautiful, and that he'd just written someone a check for $500 million dollars.. Yes, that's $500,000,000!!! Did anywne else catch this?? Who was that check made out to, and what was it for?? I never did buy MJ being broke, after all, he ownes the damn Beatles catalogue, who would be broke owning that thing?! He also own the Michael Jackson catalogue, that's gotta be worth a couple dollars too huh?!

[sbrock1san.rr.com]

[quote]Originally posted by Ted Nightshade: [b]To clarify: The targeted rap audience has a scary kneejerk streak that is being fostered by the industry. The rest of us have a scary kneejerk streak that is being intentionally inflamed by the industry.[/b][/quote]Ted- I understand exactly what you are saying now and I agree with most of it especially how it relates to MTV and BET.

[RonB]

ignore

[rebonn]

There's probably more white artists than black artists that have gotten bad record deals.

[RonB]

MasterZap, checkout some early EWF like (Head to the Sky)EWF started out as a jazz influenced group, little known fact,as well as Kool and the Gang.

[Dan South]

Lee, yes, I misunderstood your point. I agree with your comments on the business aspects. Sorry for the confusion.

[Tedly Nightshade]

I go round with everyone over this "disco" label. I really love some blatant disco, like "Boogie Nights" by Heat Wave (I was into Boogie Nights before it was cool!), and Rod Stewart's truly awesome "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" (OK, the vox are absurd, but goddamn that band COOKS and I love the arrangement). I also despise a lot of funk, for instance the great mass of Parliament leaves me cold, although there are some killer tracks (which sound more Funkadelic to me). I don't draw the line disco=bad, funk=good. The idea as ever was to pull them in with a radio hit and then show 'em what you really dig, which for EW&F included a huge range of amazing music.

[loudist]

There is a color barrier in the music biz.... GREEN. They barricade it to keep it from you. Wait until Hip Hop/ rap/ r&b falls out of favor/fashion. Then the dropped artists raceist howl will be loud and strong, not because there is really any, but because the business has moved on. Bad treatment... sure. Racially motivated... probably not. Motivated by the money... Bingo!

[meccajay]

Actually Loudist, I can't wait til they drop 95% of the so called Hip Hop/R&B and Rap.... Cause 95% of it sucks!! C'mon, Nelly?! Get real! I say drop 95% of the crap were hearing on the radio AND drop 100% of the label A&R idiot's and get a whole new crop of folks! Let people with vision sign artists with vision....and talent! Hasn't been a whole lot of that hard on the radio lately... We need more Rakim's, Public Enemy's and Common's in the mix!

[henryrobinett]

97% of everything I hear on the radio sucks, regardless of genre.

[Lee Flier]

AMEN to that, Henry & Jay.