Don't Say I'm Preaching To The Choir (On Miley Cyrus)

Jazz lovers know this, and with Jazz, you can't get more upright, suit-and-tie. But - just as with religion - there's a real musical world, along side the made-up bullshit we're fed:

“The same kinds of dynamics still occur. The general public is unaware of artists of color who are punk, country, alternative, or any other label record companies use to identify them. To some, these artists appear as outsiders.”

And in the current situation, we are. 

Just as with religion, visions of Hell predominate. It doesn't matter they don't believe in Hell, it's the chain-yanking that's important, with blacks as the chain. C'mon, that's Madonna's entire career, and she's been rewarded handsomely for it, by the #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen feminists.

Why shouldn't Miley Cyrus expect the same?

Another question is why didn't anybody expect Miley's shenanigans to begin with? Didn't Jay-Z turn her out on his last album - for civil rights and all that - while taking his work to the high-end galleries?

Miley believes in that. And, pro or con, so does everyone else.

 

They want to, somehow.

Here's a white female Rapper, showing some rhyming potential, but notice the uniform hand gestures - and the uniform itself? Her "homies"? It's all so tired. But there she is, talking about white privilege.

I keep waiting for her head to explode.

 Meanwhile - back in the real world - I told you about Glenn Reynolds missing Kendrick Lamar starting a tidal wave:

Oh, it's on. 

Big Sean's album "Hall of Fame" doesn't drop until August 27, but the rapper already got upstaged on his own track, "Control." The leaked song features contributing verses by Kendrick Lamar and Jay Electronica, but the spotlight is arguably on Lamar. 

Understandably so: Kendrick goes on full blast, crowning himself the "King of New York" (mind you, he hails from Compton) and name-checking several leaders in the game. In a sample lyric, Lamar attests, "I got love for you all but I'm tryna murder you ..." 

The rapper cites celebrities all over the map -- everyone from Phil Jackson to Lindsay Lohan, famous Brits Paul McCartney and Sean Connery, and rappers including Wale, Pusha T, Mac Miller, Drake and Tyler the Creator. 

This competitive challenge hasn't gone unnoticed. Both unmentioned and dissed rappers are posting their responses to the track. Memes are popping up at the speed of light. Some unlikely stars are even throwing in their two cents.

But even those who are aware of the controversy are mostly missing the larger story and it's implications:

Lamar's breakout album, Good Kid/M.A.A.D. City, was about his efforts, as a Christian, to resist temptation - which, I think we can agree, ain't exactly Miley's concern. 

Now he's demanding everyone DO BETTER. A message most would doubt is even being discussed in Rap. Much less, taken seriously, or that it's happening organically, in it's own very Rap/Hip-Hop way, with no input from the outside.

It's like religion, very few want anyone else to know anything else, except for what they tell them. 

 Because that would mean they'd actually have to start talking about other kinds of ideas.

And - it's a fact - there's weirdoes wandering around out there,...