Discussion
The MOBOs were set up as a RESPONSE to perceived inequality within the music business.
Alot of replies here seem to suggest that instead of setting it up, the appreciators of black music should have just sat back and waited for mainstream media to eventually become accepting of their music and throw them a bone. Anything else would just be equally racist. Thats a pathetic point of view.
The MOBOs now serve to PROMOTE black music, and I imagine will continue to do so as long as their is a perceived inequality within music labels - something which I guarantee no one here will have any experience of. But ask yourself if you truly think that a group of young rappers getting signed up out of a London block of flats will get an indentical deal to an art-rock band signed right out of Oxford.
And as long as people still look down their noses at hip hop/rap/whatever as musically illegitimate, or until they would seriously consider the dirtiest, grimiest gangster rap song as worthy of as much reward as say... I dunno... the next over-the-top Foo Fighters song, then the MOBOs will continue as a promotional event. And I say fair enough. They are competing against odds most of us on this board will never have to face, and probably won't assist with much in the way of sales.
Alot of replies here seem to suggest that instead of setting it up, the appreciators of black music should have just sat back and waited for mainstream media to eventually become accepting of their music and throw them a bone. Anything else would just be equally racist. Thats a pathetic point of view.
The MOBOs now serve to PROMOTE black music, and I imagine will continue to do so as long as their is a perceived inequality within music labels - something which I guarantee no one here will have any experience of. But ask yourself if you truly think that a group of young rappers getting signed up out of a London block of flats will get an indentical deal to an art-rock band signed right out of Oxford.
And as long as people still look down their noses at hip hop/rap/whatever as musically illegitimate, or until they would seriously consider the dirtiest, grimiest gangster rap song as worthy of as much reward as say... I dunno... the next over-the-top Foo Fighters song, then the MOBOs will continue as a promotional event. And I say fair enough. They are competing against odds most of us on this board will never have to face, and probably won't assist with much in the way of sales.
Since virtually all pop music these days can be defined as having some influence from 'black music' (however that is defined) , the MOBO awards are now nothing more than a fatuous excuse to host yet another pop music awards ceremony.
See this years winners as evidence of this.
Colour and race and origin or the performers are irrelevant.
The use of MOBO in the description of the awards is nothing more than good publicity now.
This award may have served a purpose as some point in the past, but it's been taken over by the usual rich influences and popularised into a advertising and money making exercise.
See this years winners as evidence of this.
Colour and race and origin or the performers are irrelevant.
The use of MOBO in the description of the awards is nothing more than good publicity now.
This award may have served a purpose as some point in the past, but it's been taken over by the usual rich influences and popularised into a advertising and money making exercise.
Wrathalanche said:
The MOBOs now serve to PROMOTE black music,
Rubbish, the MOBO's include non-black artists so the music they are promoting is actually 'urban' music, the colour of the artists skin is irrelevant which is why Sam Smith won.Wrathalanche said:
But ask yourself if you truly think that a group of young rappers getting signed up out of a London block of flats will get an identical deal to an art-rock band signed right out of Oxford.
Again, the colour of the artists skin is irrelevant and you have confirmed that by not suggesting whether the London based rappers are black, white or a mixed group. If the question was whether we think than a group of white rappers from London would get a better recording deal than a group of black rappers then that question is related to race, and I honestly believe that in that situation, the better artist would get the better deal regardless. Your question is more related to whether we think rap music is as credible as rock and that is a whole different animal! Wrathalanche said:
And as long as people still look down their noses at hip hop/rap/whatever as musically illegitimate, or until they would seriously consider the dirtiest, grimiest gangster rap song as worthy of as much reward as say... I dunno... the next over-the-top Foo Fighters song, then the MOBOs will continue as a promotional event. And I say fair enough. They are competing against odds most of us on this board will never have to face, and probably won't assist with much in the way of sales.
Call it 'Music of Urban Origin' then? The OP's question related to the use of 'black' in the event name and its racial connotations, which most people agree doesn't actually exist at this event because it's open to all artists regardless of skin colour. Promote the music, but don't do it under a racist banner.Paul
The Surveyor said:
Stuff
You've kind of lost me and I don't know if a whoosh parrot is necessary. The things you are saying don't actually disagree with what I'm saying. Promoting black music obviously doesn't mean necessarily promoting black artists and that was always my point. I'm in complete agreement there. But where once these awards were set up to recognise a type of music previously un-recognised by the mainstream, that can no longer said to be the case, and the MOBOs are now, from the outside, more just a promotional tool for any music that can be passed under the "black music" category.But what you or I probably have no insight into is if the paying end is actually any different for rappers vs rockers (saying nothing of their race). If the industry is in the habit of ignoring or even ripping off 'urban' youths, then I'd imagine someone within the MOBO network that is aware of this would probably see this as a good reason for further promotion of black music. Again: music, not artists.
And finally, I totally disagree with the 'urban' classification. The use of 'Urban' is pretty much just a way of distancing yourself from saying 'disadvantaged inner city music', as if it means the same thing as 'black'. Well, here's where BB King was born.
Doesn't look very 'urban' to me.
Wrathalanche said:
And as long as people still look down their noses at hip hop/rap/whatever as musically illegitimate, or until they would seriously consider the dirtiest, grimiest gangster rap song as worthy of as much reward as say... I dunno... the next over-the-top Foo Fighters song, then the MOBOs will continue as a promotional event. And I say fair enough. They are competing against odds most of us on this board will never have to face, and probably won't assist with much in the way of sales.
Perhaps it would get a bit more respect if they didn't just keep promoting artists who do nothing but the tired guns b
hes and bling routines? Or middle class kids who pretend to be bad ass gansters (e.g. Drake)Oh, and when Jessie J gets and award Taylor Swift is using your genre in her songs, I really don't think your struggling against The Man to have it acceptedWrathalanche][b said:
The MOBOs were set up as a RESPONSE to perceived inequality within the music business.
[/b]
Alot of replies here seem to suggest that instead of setting it up, the appreciators of black music should have just sat back and waited for mainstream media to eventually become accepting of their music and throw them a bone. Anything else would just be equally racist. Thats a pathetic point of view.
The MOBOs now serve to PROMOTE black music, and I imagine will continue to do so as long as their is a perceived inequality within music labels - something which I guarantee no one here will have any experience of. But ask yourself if you truly think that a group of young rappers getting signed up out of a London block of flats will get an indentical deal to an art-rock band signed right out of Oxford.
And as long as people still look down their noses at hip hop/rap/whatever as musically illegitimate, or until they would seriously consider the dirtiest, grimiest gangster rap song as worthy of as much reward as say... I dunno... the next over-the-top Foo Fighters song, then the MOBOs will continue as a promotional event. And I say fair enough. They are competing against odds most of us on this board will never have to face, and probably won't assist with much in the way of sales.
Yet paradoxically what they do above all else is promote the idea of inequality.[/b]
Alot of replies here seem to suggest that instead of setting it up, the appreciators of black music should have just sat back and waited for mainstream media to eventually become accepting of their music and throw them a bone. Anything else would just be equally racist. Thats a pathetic point of view.
The MOBOs now serve to PROMOTE black music, and I imagine will continue to do so as long as their is a perceived inequality within music labels - something which I guarantee no one here will have any experience of. But ask yourself if you truly think that a group of young rappers getting signed up out of a London block of flats will get an indentical deal to an art-rock band signed right out of Oxford.
And as long as people still look down their noses at hip hop/rap/whatever as musically illegitimate, or until they would seriously consider the dirtiest, grimiest gangster rap song as worthy of as much reward as say... I dunno... the next over-the-top Foo Fighters song, then the MOBOs will continue as a promotional event. And I say fair enough. They are competing against odds most of us on this board will never have to face, and probably won't assist with much in the way of sales.
Loads of black musicians have been massively sucessfull before the mobo, loads of musicians making or performing MWOBC (music without obvious black credentials) are on struggle street, to observe the music industry and see only the black-origin-artists needing support is amazingly blinkered.
Negative Creep said:
Perhaps it would get a bit more respect if they didn't just keep promoting artists who do nothing but the tired guns bhes and bling routines? Or middle class kids who pretend to be bad ass gansters (e.g. Drake)
But isn't that the point? The MOBOs formed so that they didn't NEED to change their routine. They can do the same old shes and bling routines? Or middle class kids who pretend to be bad ass gansters (e.g. Drake)t, not alienate the appreciators of that sort of thing, and still hand out rewards.Of course, what has actually happened is time has seen a major watering down of those influences, which is why if you look at last night winners, its mainly just mainstream pop artist like you've said. But I'd just argue that wasn't what it was started for, and moreso what it has become.
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