Music has always been known to push boundaries and be on the forefront of cultural changes. Some might even argue that music is the spark that brings on shifts in the social norm.
Two ladies are stirring quite a buzz in music today, and for a similar reason. With one, I join the masses in being shocked and somewhat disturbed by her antics but secretly listen to her songs on repeat when I work out. The other one is an up-and-coming artist who I like to brag in that hipster-humblebrag way that I was a fan of “before she made it big.”
While the numbers of records sold show that a vast majority of people like their music and music critics praise their albums, they have both received criticism over their choice in style of music. Namely, that they are young white girls who are trying to emerge in the rap genre.
Before you start throwing stones at me for defending this artist, please understand that I agree with a lot of criticism that comes her way, but I do defend her music in some aspects. I’m sure you’ve concluded my now that I’m referring to the one and only Miley Cyrus.
Her antics might be a bit, well extremely, over-the-top, but to call her “clumsy white appropriation of black culture” like Jon Caramancia did in the New York Times might be a bit much. When grilled in interviews about why she is trying to make a name for herself in rap music and what statement she is trying to make, she simply responds with that is the music she listens to and the style she likes.
The other artist is a much more media-reserved female who has equally received flack for her music siding more towards rap than pop. The singer Lorde is a young white girl from New Zealand who reached popularity with her song “Royals.”
The song speaks about rap culture and how although she loves the music the lyrics do not line up with her actual life. Her songs have caused some in the music critic circles to label her as a racist. Her reply is in line with Cyrus, this is just the music that she likes and she writes about how she feels.
As quoted in an interview with NPR, Lorde said, “I’ve always loved hip-hop, but as a fan of hip-hop, I’ve always had to kind of suspend disbelief because, obviously, I don’t have a Bentley.“
While you can pick apart the merits of the criticisms against each artist, it simply boils down to the point that some feel a white girl has no business in rap. They belong on the pop charts, exclusively.
We see this in other genres, like when African-American country singers get more attention for the color of their skin in that industry than the merits of their music.
Perhaps the music industry is starting to finally reach the color-blind, melting pot that society has constantly struggled to reach.
Artists produce music they like not because the color of their skin dictates what kind of music they are “supposed” to make. Artists write lyrics that apply to their life and how they feel about the world around them not the preconceived notions of what their life and past “should be” because of the pigment they were born with.
Perhaps we can learn a lesson from this growing trend in music that the color of your skin does not have to dictate the kind of music you like. Likewise, it certainly does not need to dictate the person you are and should never dictate how others perceive or judge you.
Anna Rush is a law student from Hattiesburg. She graduated from Mississippi State University in 2011
