An MSNBC guest claimed on Monday that white people had stolen every form of music in existence — with the exception of classical music — from black people.
“The Daily Show” correspondent Dulce Sloan weighed in on the topic, responding to critics who had suggested Beyonce’s upcoming country album — after a lengthy career in hip hop and pop music — was a step outside her proscribed lane.
WATCH:
MSNBC guest: "If White people hated cultural appropriation, then they shouldn't have created music. Because every form of music in America was stolen from Black people." pic.twitter.com/wysQqDTLaf
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) February 19, 2024
The host of the show joked that the conservatives complaining about Beyonce’s foray into country were just proving that people on the Right actually were not in favor of “cultural appropriation.”
“But black people have always been a part of folk and country music,” he continued, turning the question over to Sloan. “You want to weigh in on that?”
“If white people hated cultural appropriation, then they shouldn’t have created music,” Sloan said. “Because every form of music in America was stolen from black people: rock’n’roll, jazz, blues, country, pop music. So if you have a problem with cultural appropriation — y’all created classical music, y’all could have stuck with that …”
“Roll the piano into this concert,” Sloan continued in mocking tones, claiming that white people — and conservatives — only had an issue with cultural appropriation when the thing being appropriated was something they liked or wanted to be associated with.
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“As dumb as this is, let’s just say she’s right,” one person responded via X. “Fine. We’ll give up performing rock & roll and she can give up indoor plumbing, the printed word, cell phones, and wheeled transportation.”
As dumb as this is, let’s just say she’s right.
Fine. We’ll give up performing rock & roll and she can give up
indoor plumbing, the printed word, cell phones, and wheeled transportation. https://t.co/9rqnNdxkth— Tandy (@dantypo) February 20, 2024
“Here’s the issue with this. They take something that is an irrefutable fact (the foundations of American popular music comes from Black Americans) and then mix it with some bulls*** (every form of music in America was ‘stolen’). I can’t believe I have to say this in 2024 but ITS NOT A BAD THING THAT WHITE PEOPLE CONSUME OUR CONTENT,” Darvio Morrow commented.
“Yes there have been issues with the music industry robbing Black artists, obscenely so during the Rock and Roll era. And I’ve already laid out how the INDUSTRY stole rock music from Black folks. But you can’t blame the whole country for the practices of the entertainment industry. That was the industry, not the people,” he continued. “The audience never stopped loving our music. I view our immense contributions to American popular music and culture as a point of pride. The number one genre of music in the country TODAY is Black music (Hip-Hop/R&B). To take something we should celebrate and bash the country with it is so stupid and counterproductive.”
Here’s the issue with this. They take something that is an irrefutable fact (the foundations of American popular music comes from Black Americans) and then mix it with some bullsh*t (every form of music in America was “stolen”). I can’t believe I have to say this in 2024 but ITS… https://t.co/MSt3No1xKC
— Darvio Morrow (@DTheKingpin) February 20, 2024
Despite the furor, Beyonce’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” — a single released during the Super Bowl alongside “16 Carriages,” both from her upcoming album — has already rocketed to the top of the Billboard Country chart, making the Destiny’s Child alum the first black woman to have a number 1 single on the country chart.
As for the roots of American country music? According to John McEuen of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, it camae from everywhere: “Country music wasn’t called that yet, but it was music of the country. It was a combination of the Irish; the recently freed slaves, bringing the banjo into the world; the Spanish effects of the vaqueros down in Texas; the Germans bringing over the ‘oom-pah’ of polka music, all converging.”