NKOTB Race Relations and Allegations

Ok, I thought it was only fitting to do my first blog on the music loves of my life: New Kids on The Block. Now, i know what you're thinking- they're lame. But since their history and quick rise to fame and general taking over the world was before our time, I'd like to share some interesting parts of their history with you.

Of course, their music wasnt always liked, and they barely made it outta Boston. But it was their music producer/song writer/coreographer Maurice Starr, an African American, who had a deep passion for them to succeed.

Now, that passion may have stemmed from the fact that his other start-up band, New Edition, fired him for allegedly stealing a huge cut of their money, and he thought a nice way to get back at them would be to see if he could make a white band have the same success, but still and all, he wanted the boys to succeed.

So, with the help of Starr, NKOTB got signed to the black division of Columbia Records, and had a black tour manager (Johnny Wright who also managed NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys), a black backing band and a black vocal coach. The boys were originally marketed toward R&B radio stations and BET to promote their ballad, "Please Dont Go Girl," after their first record was a commercial flop. And that's when all Hell broke loose.

Instead of that single being embraced by "black" radio and tv, a pop radio station in Florida put it in heavy rotation; and the New Kids mania began. Naturally, when someone so young is making that much money, people wanna bring them down and controversy is born.

Amidst rumors that they lip-synched all their music, NKOTB were also accused of "stealing black music" and being "puppets to Maurice Starr as the Puppeteer." I wouldnt exactly call their first few hits, ("The Right Stuff" and "Step by Step") R&B, but there was definitely some funk in their pop that critics couldnt seem to understand.

Donnie Wahlberg did interview after interview (making frequent appearances on Arsenio Hall) letting people know that yes, they did indeed grow up on the inner city streets of Boston, and yes, they listened to KRS-One and N.W.A on a daily basis. And you know what? I believe them.

But they never caught a break. In 1994, they dropped Starr and released a very musically mature new album, Face The Music with young up-and-coming producer, Teddy Riley, full to the brim of New Jack Swing, a fusion of urban R&B and hip hop made famous by artists like Keith Sweat, Bell Biv Devoe and Boyz II Men. Once again, critics panned them for trying too hard to do "black music," even though it was their most lyrically driven album full of love, loss, and hope with a song evaluating the current state of society where they beg the world for change ("Keepin My Fingers Crossed").

But my question is, "So what?" So what if they wanted to do "black music." What does that mean "black music" now-a-days anyway? I dont understand. Throughout music's history, people have always tried to put a genre and category on music, but really? You want to put a race on it too?

Case in point. Why was it such a big deal that former Hootie and the Blowfish frontman, Darius Rucker, was the first black man to ever win a CMA? Does that imply that country music is only for white people? If you answer no, then why should it matter what race he was when accepting the award? And if you answer yes, then, you have fallen victim to society's over-categorization of things, people, issues, etc..

Or take Rihanna for example. There's nothing rythmic or bluesy (in the traditional sense) about some, not all, of Rihanna's music, and yet, Rihanna will still be nominated by award organizations as an R&B artist, probably becuase of the color of her skin. In reality, her music is just pure pop-catchy, computerized, and chorus driven. In fact, the only new person who has come close to R&B popular music since the great Lauryn Hill has been Jazmin Sullivan or Keisha Cole. I'm sure if Christina Aguilera or Kelly Clarkson did "Umbrella," they would be nominated for VMA's for "Best Pop Song," or "Best Pop Female Video." Same with Beyonce. Most of her music is the musical genre's definition of pure pop. And if "Single Ladies" isn't the widely-accepted definition of a pop song, I dont know what is.

Or even further, how come when other white artisits such as Justin Timberlake or Robin Thicke do R&B, people like to catergorize it as "blue eyed soul." While yes, these two artists in particular do indeed have blue eyes, and Thicke may be more geared toward R&B jams than Timberlake who mostly sings tunes of the pop variety, how come they just cant be seen as what they are- two men who make R&B music. Why you ask? Once again, because of the color of their skin.

I am not by any means trying to take away the accomplishments that these artists, both black and white, have made.

Instead, let's stop putting so much importance on the fact that Robin Thicke is a "white boy with rhythm," and more emphasis on the fact that he makes the sexiest baby making music I ever heard.

Let's jam and booty shake to Rihanna's pop tunes in clubs why dont we!

Let's be glad that Darius Rucker after all these years could even make a comeback in the first place.

And let's not hate on poor boy bands who already have enough flack to take from critics as it is, and just let them do the music they wanna do- whatever that music might be.

When I listen to music, I dont hear a race, therefore, I dont see one either.

And if you've got the right stuff, step by step, you can learn to do the same.

"Power and politics take on the guise of common sense in the record industry too. The most obvious instance of this can be seen in the way the industry as a whole has accepted, or reinforces, the division between black and white music."

-John Street, Rebel Rock: The Politics of Popular Music