Black People & Hard Rock Music Why Are Some Of Us Afraid To Come Out Loving Rock?

I remember when I was high school, I was teased  by my classmates because I wore a Metallica T shirt to night school.  I didn’t understand at the time that I was “violating” some important social rule about blackness. I was ridiculed because I told my classmates that I don’t listen to rap music.

Of course, now that I am an adult I think it is ludicrous that people stereotype and generalize about certain racial groups like a particular kind of music.

I wonder if people are aware that African-Americans such as Little Richard and Chuck Berry in the 1950s started Rock & Roll music!

Lenny Kravitz is a popular black American rock singer and he has fans all over the world.

However, when I was in high school a black kid is “supposed” to like rap & R&B music.  I now appreciate some R&B artists I like Jill Scott, Mary J Blige, Erykah Badu, Usher, and Angie Stone.

I  am resistant to hip hop for a variety of reasons.  First, I hate misogynist and homophobic rap music. Why would I listen to hip hop that degrades black women and gay men? I am cognizant that not “all” rap music is anti gay or anti women.  I know some conscious rappers such as Common and Talib Kweli have important social messages in their music.

when I was a teenager, my best friend Ryan introduced me to Morrissey.  I immediately fell in love with Morrissey because he is attractive, British, his voice is just wonderful and I loved his  thought-provoking lyrics.

Some of my favorite Morrissey songs are Everyday Is Like Sunday, The more you ignore me the closer I get, Alsatian Cousin, and Suedehead.

My friend Ryan told me I probably would like other British artists such as PJ Harvey and Skunk Anansie. Of course Ryan was right, I just loved the passion of PJ Harvey and Skunk Anansie. I also started to listen to rock artists such as Marilyn Manson, Hole, Garbage, Fiona Apple.  Ryan also introduced me to the bisexual and lesbian  folk singers Ani Difranco and Tracy Chapman. I still listen to all of these alternative folk and rock artists.

However, it is strange that even now if I  mention to people who I  listen to Marilyn Manson they give me strange glances. I am cognizant that Marilyn Manson is not as popular as he was in the 1990s.  Marilyn Manson is an incendiary artist but  there is also a lot of intelligence to his lyrics.  A lot of Marilyn Manson’s songs deal with the government corruption, unrequited love, and depression.