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Where Have All the Black Pop Acts Gone?
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Date: Jan 15, 2001 By J.R. Reynolds Special to BET.com Is rhythm and blues music being bamboozled on the pop charts? While only 5 years ago, Boyz II Men and Jodeci ruled, now Billboard is packed with 98 Degrees, 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys: white acts who often ape the choreography and soulful sounds of Black music. BET.com examines the cause of the shift. Once upon a time, Boyz II Men was considered a superstar act. In the early 1990s, the handsome African American quartet was the toast of the town. Nathan, Michael, Shawn and Wanya regularly blitzed the pop charts with number one singles such as "End of the Road," "I'll Make Love to You" and "On Bended Knee." Today, they're playing catch-up to young white groups who more or less copy their updated doo-wop style. What a difference five years can make. Boy bands have been all the rage ever since Boyz II Men threw down their debut album, "Cooleyhighharmony," way back in '91. And they weren't the only hot Black male act ripping up the pop charts. Jodeci, who released two top five pop albums ("Diary of a Mad Band" in '94 and 1995's classic "The Show, the After-Party, the Hotel"), and a cascade of other R&B groups rafted up and down the Billboard 200 chart throughout most of the decade. Then music turned a corner and found itself in the suburbs. It began in the late '90s. White boy bands singing their version of R&B began creeping into the mix. By 1999, the top male acts got bleached blond and what emerged were immensely popular white guy groups like 98 Degrees, 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys. What happened? Sure a few "brother" groups still made their mark. Minneapolis male trio Next led all comers in 1998, with Boyz II Men also in the mix-though their previously untouchable superstar status had become downgraded. But in terms of selling to the masses, 1995 was the last year when Black male R&B acts-such as the Boyz, Soul IV Real, BLACKstreet, Immature and Jodeci-ruled the pop charts. Those acts all made the Top 20 on Billboard's year-end 1995 singles chart (for duos or groups). BLACKstreet was the lone Black boy band to make it that high on the '99 list. In 2000, while they've continued on cruise control up the R&B charts, Black male groups have been essentially frozen out of the upper echelons of the pop side. Is this some sort of backlash on the part of suburban listeners? Everybody knows the pop record buyer demographic consists mainly of white teenage girls. Have they lost interest in Black male soul acts for legitimate reasons, such as the brothas not bringing it? Or is something darker going on-like retaliation over negative images brought on by bad boys in hip-hop? Bridget, a 16-year-old student of Hamilton High School (sandwiched between posh Beverly Hills and blue-collar Culver City, California), says she can't put her finger on why she prefers groups like 98 Degrees and the Backstreet Boys over African American groups such as Jagged Edge and 112. "It doesn't have anything to do with any kind of backlash," Bridget insists. "I like rap music. I love Eminem. I like Will Smith too." Though their music is in similar vein to her favorite white boy bands, Boyz II Men's latest wasn't on Bridget's Christmas list. "They're okay," she says, "but there's something about them that I just don't like as much as my favorites. It's not because they're Black," the blonde-haired student of the racially-mixed high school quickly adds. "It's just the other guys look better to me. That's how I feel." Standing at a cash register just after lunchtime is Carol, a white twentysomething sales clerk for Birkenstock shoe store in the Old Town section of Alexandria, Virginia. She's drinking from a fast-food cup that features images of the Backstreet Boys. "I can't stand them," she says between gulps, watching for her manager (drinking and eating on the job is forbidden). "They're so fake and phony. I hate them." Carol identifies herself as more of a rocker type, but said she'd purchase a Boyz II Men album before she'd even think about adding 'N Sync or the Backstreet Boys to her collection. "It's not my kind of music, but at least [Boyz II Men] seem more honest about their music," she says. Erin Thompson, a music business management student at Columbia College in Chicago, is more analytical about her boy band preferences. "The success of those white acts is coming off the groundwork of the Black groups," suggests the African American student, who favors blue jeans tattered at the knees. "Groups like 'N Sync are not as uniform in their imaging as Boyz II Men. Record labels seem like they're marketing the white male groups more as individuals rather than a single unit." Thompson reasons that, at some level, backlash against Black males exists. "All the negativity or the perception of it makes a lot of pop music consumers not want Black men in their house," she says. "It's like back in the old days with Chuck Berry and Little Richard-[white] kids liked their music but wouldn't want them in their house." At the creative level, Thompson thinks there are differences that make the white groups more appealing than the Black ones, at least to pop record buyers. "The hooks that 'N Sync use in their songs are really poppy, while their writing team is mostly Black," she says. "So you get the soulful rhythms along with the catchy mainstream beat. The funny thing is, my little sister and her friends all listen to these pop groups, but my friends don't really listen to that music. Then again, I haven't bought as much music as in the past; not since Lauryn Hill's album." In many ways, the measure of popularity among boy bands has begun to fall along racial lines. This phenomenon seemed less apparent in the early '90s; while Boyz was doing its hit thing, Color Me Badd was also slamming the pop charts with "I Wanna Sex You Up" and "I Adore." Interscope pop marketing executive Michelle Thomas is hesitant to play the race card in her explanation for what's going on. Hers is perhaps the most accurate assessment of the boy band backlash phenomenon. "It's more a matter of evolution," says the label executive. "Age may also have something to do with it, at least regarding Boyz II Men, who've been around a relatively long while. I haven't heard their latest album, but I don't think they've fallen off creatively. Record companies are always chasing whoever's making them the biggest dollar, whether they're white or Black." Though racism may not be the leading factor in the disappearance of Black acts from the pop charts, Thomas agrees with observations made by Thompson, the college student. "If you look at things historically, much of the new and inventive forms of music come out of the African American community, from jazz, rap and rock to doo-wop. Back in the day, white kids had to sneak to listen to rock 'n' roll, that is until Elvis did it. Then they didn't have to hide." Thomas suggests that white acts recording (some would say stealing) Black music is simply the American way. "In all sectors, from music to fashion, once it becomes mainstream, it doesn't feel special to us anymore. So African Americans move on to create the next new thing." And just what is the next new music thing? Thomas says if she knew the answer to that question she'd be the next Bill Gates-or at least the new Puffy. "For a minute, I thought it was going to be gospel, but the talent pool wasn't quite there." In any event, when it happens, it's almost certain that young African Americans will have a hand in it. Do you feel the success of pop musical acts using Black choreography and singing styles is a threat to Black acts? Sound off on BET.com's message board here!
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