Examples of cultural sharing in modern music

Modern popular western music owes a lot to black folks. Blues, rhythm and blues, jazz, rock and roll and now Hip Hop, from W. C. Handy to Little Richard to Miles Davis to Biggie. It would be very hard to find a musical historian denying the fact that black musicians have been at the forefront of popular music for more than a while now.

Genres like punk and metal, on the other hand, tend to attract young white folks more. One sub-genre that standed a little bit out in the 90s was the much reviled Nu Metal because in essence, it incorporated elements of both, if you will, predominantly "black" and "white" music. However corny some of the bands were, and there was a lot of corn stacked in the genre, Nu Metal finds part of it's origins in legit innovators from the Hip Hop, Alternative Metal, Funk and Punk scene.

Here are five (more or less) forgotten gems that came before the landmark 1994 Korn self-titled debut album, considered by many to be the first mainstream Nu metal album:

1- Anthrax & Public Enemy - Bring the Noise (1991)

One of the most, if not the most, socially and politically conscious Hip Hop group meets one of the leaders of the trash metal scene of the 80s. One of the first collaborations between a metal band and a Hip Hop group. A personal favorite of mine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl1hgXfX5-U

2- Die Toten Hosen & Fab Five Freddy (1983)

A german punk rock band paired with a true Hip Hop pioneer. Fab 5 Freddy appeared in the first "rap" video ever broadcasted on MTV ("Rapture" by Blondie) and went on to become the first video jockey of the first Hip Hop music show on the same network.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVh3xcO7POw

3- The Clash & Futura 2000 (1982)

Punk rock legends meets graffiti legend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR9K2ISCUqg

4- John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) & Afrika Bambaataa (1984)

L'enfant terrible of Sex Pistols fame coupled with a major electro-funk trailblazer. Despite the nasty multiple allegations of child molestation against Bambaataa, this track is still worth listening to (by separating the man's personal life from his artistic output, that should go without saying). The song was featured in season 4 episode 1 of the Sopranos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5S-q1gRxvw

5- Judgment Night soundtrack (1993)

And last but in no way, shape or form least, this incredible very first of it's genre soundtrack. Quite frankly the movie sucks but the album is a must for any early 90s alternative rock, heavy metal and Hip Hop fans. Each song pairs a popular rock or metal band of the era with a rap group counterpart. Slayer with Ice-T, Helmet and House of Pain, Sonic Youth and Cypress Hill, Biohazard and Onyx........the auditory pleasure is endless. Worth mentioning here is a track by Rage Against the Machine and Tool that didn't make the cut but the demo is available on You Tube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_FhUOpXz-c&list=PLq2_OrsJJtCsU_vDRfCulmPcBMYpVPV4Y

So in conclusion, I think it's important for us, especially in this connected and global era we're in, to dive into the past in order to find those kind of examples of cultural sharing and reciprocity. To me, it's positive and necessary. There's so much division in our world and history is often used (sometimes with very good reasons, to be fair) as a cautionary tale of what not to do in the present and future. Collaboration and understanding of one another is definitely something that we won't ever get enough of. Maybe i'm being a little bit cheesy and preachy here, but hey, there's no harm in being corny once in a while. And I did just write a blog post talking about Nu metal so.........

Sources used for this blog post:

- https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/korns-1994-debut-lp-the-oral-history-of-the-most-important-metal-record-of-the-last-20-years-44821/

- https://www.allmusic.com/style/alternative-metal-ma0000012328

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emm0awNqC_I

- Wikipedia pages on Blues, Rythm and blues, Rock'n'Roll, Jazz, Hip Hop, Anthrax, Fab 5 Freddy, Afrika Bambaataa.