African-American music is a living indictment of slavery. How do “white” artists deal with this ? Especially the Rolling Stones.

EDITOR NOTE:

This thread is politically motivated, closed.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026-04-23 14:52 by bv.

i'm not sure i understand your question

tutti frutti and baby got back are living indictments of slavery?

the stones have never really been activists about issues of race but there postion on discrimination against black people isn't to hard to suss out

nor are they in any way fond of slavery i would assume

ridiculous. BV will close this nonsense.

It‘s an important question. You wouldn‘t do it the same way today, hopefully. Compared to other artists I think the Stones always gave a lot of credit to their roots and made it obvious that‘s a lot of their musical elements are appropriated.
But of course there‘s this utter nonsense by Keith saying he is a black „brother“ at heart and in doing so romanticising and essentialising the black experience from a place of utmost privilege. But I guess different times and he wouldn‘t talk like that anymore.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2026-04-22 09:11 by MonkeyMan2000.

There is a song by the Rolling Stones which was released in 1981 on the album "Tattoo You": It is called "Slave" and features a saxophone solo.

"Do you have to be black or white to play the blues? Hell no, man."

Buddy Guy on Rolling Stones playing the blues (from Under the Influence). Enough said really.

Quote
riffcliche69
African-American music is a living indictment of slavery. How do “white” artists deal with this ? Especially the Rolling Stones.

By writing songs like Sweet Black Angel, perhaps?

Yeah ... I got me howl from that Jimmie Rodgers fella ...wwwhhhoooooooo



ROCKMAN

Chuck Berry-Maybellene built
around Bob Wills 1938 song Ida Red .....



ROCKMAN

Quote
riffcliche69
African-American music is a living indictment of slavery. How do “white” artists deal with this ? Especially the Rolling Stones.

I suppose you mean the blues initially (morphing into rock later)?

If it's even considered, which I don't think it probably is, how white artists have dealt with it is by recording and playing it to white audiences, at once co-opting it, while at the same time giving it oxygen and popularizing it internationally.

You can argue whether this was from a place of benevolence, I'm sure it wasn't at least not completely.