When I first read,
“Not A Rock N Roll Nigger”, by Dael Orlandersmith, I had many thoughts on what
she had to say, mostly because it was true. It is very stereotypical to assume
that African Americans don’t listen to Rock N Roll. This article was very
interesting to me because Dael was a black female who had a love and passion
for rock n roll, and she didn’t care what anyone else’s thoughts were. She had
spoke about the places she grew up and the music that she had been around,
which included; R&B, Salsa, Calypso, and Reggae. She had mentioned that
other people had teased her for liking this type of music. Dael quoted, “I was
teased for liking boy music by relatives and people in my neighborhood. My
liking rock n roll (particularly in the sixties, when racial tension was at its
height) made me a target and I was made to feel that I was a traitor for liking
music other than Black and Latin music. People would say to me “How could you
listen to THEM after what they did TO US? (pg. 128)”. Although she had been
judged by many people, this didn’t stop her from loving the music that made her
feel alive.
Jimi Hendrix was
an African American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was born in Seattle,
Washington and learned how to play guitar as a teenager. He soon became a rock
guitar legend. Having an African American rock star had changed the face of
rock n roll. During the sixties, Hendrix music was all over the place. People
of black culture also enjoyed listening to it as well. In a way, Hendrix had
ignored the stereotype of white men doing rock n roll music and being rock
stars, and became one himself. Dael had loved Jimi and the way he conveyed his
music. She quoted, “I wondered if there were other Black people that played
rock and roll like Hendrix, that played it dangerously like he did (pg. 131)”.
She had loved the way she could hear the angst in his music.
What I had really
gotten from this article, is to never stereotype people just because of pasts
or their interests. Sometimes people say to me, “I can’t picture you liking
country music” or “You listen to A$AP Rocky? I would’ve never thought”. It’s
because the truth is, I like all kinds of music. One day I might listen to
country, and the next day I might listen to rap. It all depends on the mood I’m
in. I think that it is a great thing that there are so many types of music out
there and all kinds of people listen to it and can share interests with other
people of many different nationalities.
I like how you mentioned Jimi Hendrix and how he changed the face of rock and roll, along with how he ignored the stereotype that white men being rock and roll stars. I also think it's important not to get caught up in stereotypes it is a very narrow minded way of viewing the world.
ReplyDeleteErin, I found that somedays I feel the same about the music selection. Whether I like it or not I'm not one to put it down and depending on my mood I will switch to what I am feeling at that moment. Music plays a large roll in human interaction and sharing the same interests.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was cool that you included an example form your personal life of how people react to the type of music you listen to because I can relate to you all the way. Also I like that you included quotes instead of just paraphrasing what she said to make it more appealing to read.
ReplyDeleteI feel like a lot of people are judged and stereotyped by the genre of music that they listen too. But people shouldn't just be defined by only one specific genre of music. I admire that you listen to all different kinds of music. There a few main genres that I typically listen to, but I find myself jumping around and playing all different types of music when I'm in my car driving around. I agree with you that it is a great thing that there are so many different types of music and it can bring together people of all nationalities.
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