Break On Through
So I’m black.
(Don’t you love when I open up with that line? It’s like a precursor to some race based observation on something race-related. Like NASCAR. Thank you.)
I had the privelege of growing up in very different circumstances. For instance, during my early years, I was raised by my white mother (as my father, though around, was in another country preparing me for a new family), in a black populated area. Some might call them projects, I choose to call them very low-to-no income housing.
What transpired can only be called a social experiment in whether or not white people can truly raise black kids. While my other black peers were listening to Michael Jackson and Prince, I was listening to Michael Jackson and AC/DC. Or ZZ Top. Or Ratt. Or my personal favorite, Judas Priest.
And you couldn’t tell me nothing about Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath. I was diehard.
At 5.
At age 6, my younger sister and I, heavy metal and motorcycle boots in tow, left my mother’s care in Michigan and moved in with my father in Germany. So you can imagine the culture clash that was little Panama and his new soon-to-be sisters and mother. Have a look see.
Panama’s New Sister-To-Be: I just got that new Janet Jackson!! Controoooooooool!
Porno for Pyro’s Panama: Umm…do you have any Judas Priest? I really like Judas Priest. Or maybe some Ratt.
Panama’s NSTB: What is Judas Priest?!?!!!! Mommy, this new boy that you all brought home just curseded!
(Actually, my sister couldn’t speak English very well at that point since she was going to German school. Little known Panama fact, I taught one of my sisters how to read in English. At age 7. )
PP Panama: *two fingers in the air in Satan/Texas Longhorn salute* Rock on!!!!!
Now this was all a social experiment because my mother’s musical tastes became mine. Kind of like how Kanye said he was very feminine and gay acting in high school because he was raised with his mother. Except not even remotely similar.
With my mother’s musical tastes, I often became the kid that folks didn’t understand. Buying toy bats (of the flying variety) and trying to bite their heads off a la Ozzy will do that to you. However, over time I gained my parents appreciation for “black” music. I started getting into Alexander O’Neal, Michael Jackson (even more), Prince, and of course all the old school soul music my parents had stored up in their record collection. Talk about confusion. It got even worse in middle school. I’d go from listening to Guns ‘N Roses to the Geto Boys in about 3 seconds flat. Skid Row?? Def Leppard?
Homey, pour some sugar on me.
So where is all of this going? Well its going here. My mother’s influence on my early musical tastes have helped me TREMENDOUSLY in life. It allowed me to be way more openminded in my music than a lot of folks I knew growing up. I’d be rocking my Green Day albums while my friends in high school thought I was listening to that “white music” too much.
Dude, they had an album called Dookie. I was like 13. Who couldn’t get behind that?
And it’s amazing that at this point in my life the vast array of music I listen too. I’ll go from listening to the Blackbyrds to listening to the Doors (as I’m doing right now…I think the classic rock song “Light My Fire” might be one of my new favorite songs of all time). I have roughly 900 CD’s at this point (on last count) and you’ll find some of the strangest shit ever in that mix.
I have all of my old school music segregated since I like to consider those albums the gems of my collection. But mixed in with those are my Guns ‘N Roses Apetite for Destruction album, my Doors albums, my Rolling Stones and Beatles albums, though I seriously think the Beatles are WAY overrated.
Yeah I said it!! I’m a gangsta. And I hate Jim Jones.
I often wonder why we, as black folks, are so quick to dismiss rock music (or any other type of music not done by black folks), especially since about 90 percent of the early rock music is just blues music being sung by white boys. Granted, the music was taken and given life by the new white audiences who couldn’t care about the black originators, but alas, if it’s good it’s good. And how many people REALLY don’t listen to rock because of the racism behind it? Not very many. Most folks don’t because it’s “that white shit.” Hell, I used to hate on country music. HARD. That was until I started listening to Johnny Cash. Now I’m hooked.
I don’t know how people listen to solely rap or R&B all day long. It would truly drive me nuts. Especially with all the great jazz out there. Speaking of jazz and obscure R&B, it wasn’t until college and I met one of my boys who probably introduced me to more jazz and 70’s era soul music than you can shake an old cat at, that I even got into jazz. This dude’s knowledge and catalog is extensive but I was open to learning. Now I’m like niggas with Independence Airline tickets…on a whole nother plane.
Get it? Cuz they shut down…
*rimshot*
Aww go to hell.
Bottom line here is that I wrote that long ass post because I really just wanted to say two things:
1) I have like 900 CD’s.
2) “Light My Fire” is my new favorite song.
I’m sexxy.
Thank you.
This pointless drivel has been brought to you by the sexxiest nigga you do or don’t know. Kiss my ass.
Oh yeah, and Pat Robertson is going to Hell. A lot.
January 6th, 2006 11:30
OMG, I loved this post! I promise you when I went to an HBCU after attending boarding school my friends CLOWNED me for my musical taste!
variety is the spice of life…
oh and uhh “buying toy bats and trying to bite their heads off”..you were a weirdo at a young age!
hey wait a minute, is this a veiled attempt to explain away you schizo behavior?
January 6th, 2006 11:37
I too am black and was born and raised in Brownsville, Brooklyn NYC. One of the worst areas if not THEE worst in Brooklyn. Both of my parents and all my siblings are black too. However, that didnt stop me from loving jazz (due to my grandmother), listening and loving WHAM!, The Bangles, (i cant remember the dudes name, red hair “never gona give u up, never gona run around and desert you” and a whole host of other non-R&B and Non-hip hop acts. Today I am an avid listener of cd 101.9 (smooth jazz), R&B, spanish music (not reggaeton) and “white music”. To solely listen to R&B or Rap is insane.
January 6th, 2006 11:52
Jim Jones does suck. Did you see him on that roundtable special on MTV? He reeks of ignorance.
January 6th, 2006 12:37
Variety is the spice of life. Folks always assume and are quite amazed at the different genres I have in my CD collection and on my iPod.
January 6th, 2006 13:09
Okay, so I hadn’t read the post from 1/4 and it is obvious you did see the roundtable special on MTV. I hate Jim Jones too.
January 6th, 2006 13:12
We’ve had this talk countless times, so I shouldn’t even comment… but yes, my taste too runs the gamut. My CD collection includes Fleetwood Mac, Billy Joel (OMG who doesn’t just LOVE HIM? LOL), The Eagles, The Average White Band (okay that’s kinda cheating since they sing Soul music LOL), Boz Scaggs and God knows who else I can think of that’s “out of the norm,” supposedly.
As you know, I was an 80’s damn New Wave JUNKIE and in the 90’s, I LOVED me some GNR, Nirvana (I know you’re not a fan - though that is SUCH the shame), Green Day, Toad the Wet Sprocket, OMG the list goes on and on…
I love MUSIC, the color of the person singing it has no bearing.
Here’s a little-known X-fact… it’s in anectode form so read and share with your friends at your next party. LOL
When I was 19 or so, I had a subscription to Columbia House - you know where you get like 12 CDs for a penny or whatever… yeah well when I subscribed, they sent me the catalog so I could order the rest of the CDs I was obligated to purchase. When perusing through said catalog, I came across the category “Black Music” and was perplexed. “What the hell is Black Music?” I wondered, is it what Jimi Hendrix played, or what Teena Marie sings? Does Charlie Pride sing Black Music? Surely he must… And then if so, then what does Jon B. sing? I’m sure you see the rub that lies therein… so I sat down and wondered on a sheet of paper directly to Columbia House, I wrote the most ELOQUENT letter about music and it’s colorless-ness and how color can’t be ascribed to music. Well, I thought my letter would be all but ignored, if not just thrown in the trash… but Columbia House wrote me BACK!!! And not only did they write me, but they wrote an equally eloquent letter responding to each of my points and explaining how they came to use that category. I read the letter and was disappointed that they were justifying the use of it, but was OVERJOYED that they responded and in such a well-thought-out and PERSONAL (as opposed to form-letter) and complimentary way!!!
You may wonder, why this story is significant. Well… about 3 months after my letter, and after their response… when I got my catalog - lo and behold… no more Black Music Category. The Category was changed to R&B/Soul. I think it has changed again since then to just R&B or something… but when I got the catalog, I was SHOCKED, and while I won’t take full credit for the category change, I like to delude myself into thinking I might have had a little something to do with it. Music is clearly universal.
Why did I tell you this story? Well… suffice to say - it’s clear that I’m sexxier than you. YEAH THAT’S RIGHT, WITH TWO X’s WHAT????!!!
January 6th, 2006 14:52
I’ve neer seen X NOT want to take full credit for something. She must still be sick.
January 6th, 2006 15:15
Next think you know, she’s gonna tell us she’s the reason that Jimi Hendrix took up the guitar…oh wait, that was Pepsi.
January 6th, 2006 16:57
What turned me on to countless non-rap or R&B acts were their videos. Some of those rock videos really took music videos to a whole nother level that the black artists weren’t doing at the time (and still not doing).
Rock on dude!!
January 6th, 2006 16:58
I just want Panama and the world to know that I too am black and I love Heavy Metal, Hip-Hop, Classical music and everything else in between.
EXCEPT country. Johnny Cash doesn’t count as country. I see him more like Leonard Cohen (alternative folk).
January 6th, 2006 18:36
yeah, music at Maverick’s was definitely a learning experience. if you didn’t leave outta his room with a newly developed appreciation of Stevie, Donny, Heatwave, Bob James, Ahmad Jamal or, hell, any 70s jazz for that matter, then your ears couldn’t have been workin’. LOL!
January 7th, 2006 20:13
Yeah, i can dig “white” music too……currenty feeling “dance dance” by the Fallout boys…..and i don’t care what anyone says, country music is all that and a bag of skins…if u can get past the twang, the messages are really great!
January 8th, 2006 01:19
Wow, you are too funny. I would say that I’m one of those people who only listen to R&B and Hip Hop. Thing is, I do sometimes jam to the dixie chicks, fefe dobson, no doubt, kelly klarkson, ya know the “white stuff”, but I never play it too loud in my car for fear of being though of as “an oreo” or having my friends tell me “TURN THAT WHITE SH** OFF”.
Hey, I didn’t make any new year’s resolutions, so this will be one of the first (that I may or may not break), so I’m going to be more open minded when it comes to music. I have a feeling I’m missing out on a lot.
Peace
January 8th, 2006 12:15
Fucking hate Jim Jones, my goodness. Sadly, I believe the best album of 2005 is Confessions of a Dance Floor by Madonna. I think that’s the only album that I’ve bought in the last 2 years that I listen to everyday. Hell, I beleive that’s the only album I’ve bought in 2 years.
January 8th, 2006 21:00
I’m definitely not a fan of white people music. I used to be back in middle school, for about 5 weeks, but I got over it. Even now, I have to skip past WPM on my last.fm channel.
Nice blog. I’ll visit more often.
January 9th, 2006 14:40
Very interesting. I find that I like a lot more than I buy. I end up buying ’safe’ stuff a lot, which ends up being stuff by folks like Floetry, Stevie, Outkast, etc., but I occassionally step out and buy Natalie Imbruglia, Clint Black, Matchbox 20, etc. I sometimes surprise myself by how much I like the other stuff.
I was raised strictly on gospel, so all of it is relatively new to me.