Gladys Knight Addresses 'Vulgar,' Non Elevating Music
Date: 09/18/09 | Newsroom
Filed under: R&B News, Gladys Knight
Legendary entertainer Gladys Knight says Hip Hop has become "vulgar" and non elevating.
"It's been bad, in my opinion, as far as the quality of the music and
the stories that they tell. It's one thing to be raw about your
history, but they took it to another level and it became vulgar,"
Knight told Black News while promoting Tyler Perry's "I Can Do Bad All By Myself" recently.
According to Knight, who is known widely for classic songs like "If I Were Your Woman" and "Neither One of Us," today's music is no longer about elevating the community as it might have been yesteryear. Instead, Knight says performers are lowering self-esteem with their performances.
"It definitely has not elevated us as African-Americans, because we
show disrespect for our partners, men and women. I
believe we have lowered our self-esteem with these performances and
presentations."
Knight appears as Wilma in Tyler Perry's Box Office topping hit 'I Can Do Bad All By Myself'.
Is Gladys Knight right about Hip Hop and does this apply to R&B too ?
RSS Feeds
Technology makes this an E-Z fix: create better quality, market it directly to the consumer by going outside the box and NEVER STOP!! It's cheaper than ever now...let's go!!
Agree 200% with Ms. Knight regarding the low quality and disturbing, vulgar, meaningless lyrics in today's hip-hop! Thought it was supposed to be toned down! Guess the Industry decides, talent(s) no longer counts, it's all about sales! It is all about that "mean green", and nothing more! While some say they wish to help our youth, while at the same time selling this garbage, planting it into their innocent minds, is totally contradictary, mixed signals and very sad. Practice what U Preach Hip-Hop Artists! We need stronger messages and better role models for our youth today. Back in the day, you gained fame because of your great talents; today, however, you gain fame, if you have BIG BUCKS and you're better abled to promote! Some undiscovered artists can't measure up to the "BIG BUCKS". Don't listen to regular radio; it's the same songs by only a select few artists, everyday. Radio is boring, because you already know who is going to be played!!!!
I think Galdys is right. And further more,if I were an artist out here the material that she is referring to I would be REALLY embarrassed. That's why I only listen to R&B like Tank, Jazmine Sullivan and Syleena Johnson. They STAY in rotation and I hate the radio because it's garbage too. I read somewhere that Syleena Johnson's Sister is coming out with a book about the music industry and all that REALLY goes on in it. Something like the dichotomy of black music or something. That should be interesting seeing that her sister is HIGHLY underrated. Im gonna see what that's about. I miss real R&B
Real music moves you to do postive things are to even take notes of your mistakes, but now music is promoting so much volience and degrating messages that it is so harmful to our society.
I feel what she is sayin but she just needs to hold on cause things will change eventually...trust me...music never stays the same.
yes she is ;;; i don't understand why these videos an lyrics have to be sexual. to sell a song.. it really make the black race look bad.. it seems like that is the only thing on our mind.. an that's not true; but it seems that way;;;;;;;;;;
TO HEAR GOOD MUSIC GO TO MYSPACE.COM/1234KEEM