While the culture and perception around music is seen to be inclusive and accepting, there are countless instances of exclusion and cultural appropriation within music. Berklee College of Music wrote about cultural appropriation within music, first defining the term as “The adoption of an element or elements of one culture by members of another culture. This can be controversial when members of a dominant culture appropriate from disadvantaged minority cultures” (White, nd).
Elvis Presley, the man titled the ‘King of Rock,’ has a controversial relationship with Black musicians and culture. Presley fully admitted his relationship and admiration with Black music, even stating, “But rock 'n' roll was here a long time before I came along. Nobody can sing that kind of music like colored people” (Ward, 2017). In Presley’s era,which coincided with racial segregation, Black music and its creators would not be given a radio presence or spotlight, and Presley’s recognition and admiration of Black music and culture is something we cannot overlook. Furthermore, Elvis’ Black contemporaries, such as Little Richard and B.B. King, praise Elvis. B.B. King stated that he did not think Elvis ripped off black music, and that “They did not make a mistake when they called him The King” (Young, 2020).
However, we also cannot overlook the fact that Elvis has annual earnings of $2,000,000, while Black contemporary Fats Domino earned $700,000; Elvis himself even admitted that he could not sing like Domino (Ward, 2017). Elvis’ history and relationship to Black culture and musicians was a complicated one, and it is important to view it from all aspects, from his praise toward Black musicians, but also from the income disparity, and we must also acknowledge and recognize the validity of those who say Elvis stole and appropriated Black culture, whether it was intentional or not. It is important to also critically analyze the role of the music industry and executives, as although Elvis may have embraced Black artists, the industry and executives did not. As the gatekeepers of music and popularity, they would not allow Black artists to enjoy the fruits of their labor, instead unfairly gifting them to white artists.
Even in the contemporary era, cultural appropriation has not ceased. There are countless instances across genres, and it would be impossible to note every instance of cultural appropriation in the past decades. Some examples include Iggy Azalea, a white Australian musician, who recorded a music video in an Indian neighborhood, wearing asari, traditional wedding attire, and a bindi, while rapping in a style akin to Black artists in Atlanta (White, nd). Madonna has faced claims of also stealing Indian and Black culture, as well as Latin American and LGBTQ culture (Nittle, 2020). Other artists include Justin Bieber, Robin Thicke, Pharell Williams, Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, and Katy Perry (Kameir, 2020).
As a collective, shared experience, and due to its pervasive impact on culture, it is difficult to say when music is being appreciated and incorporated or when it is being appropriated and stolen. However, when music theory is written from a white and Western perspective, it undermines the validity of other forms of music, such as indigenous, Asian, and African music, and can even give these forms of music an image of inferiority. When a white artist incorporates these forms of music and introduces them to the popular culture, it does a disservice to the societies, communities, and musicians who originally played and created their form of music. Those original artists are instead often shunned or seen as less valid. White artists also have the privilege of profiting from marginalized cultures as they see fit for as long as they want to, in addition to the default white culture. These are luxuries that are not afforded to marginalized artists. Music has the unique ability of uniting people across barriers, but it can also be misused to exclude marginalized people, and further inequalities.
It is suggested that the reader further their own research on the ways in which the music industry is entrenched in structural racism. One possible starting point is the film “The Five Heartbeats,” which explores the experiences of Black musicians and how white executives took advantage of Black musicians and their work, and used them as products for the use of white artists.
