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Billboardgiveth, andBillboardtaketh away.
Rhythm and blues is a trap.
But not everyone made it across.
R&B charts showcase black talent, but they also box and isolate it, historically.
These omissions seem egregious.
(This still doesnt answer the question of what made Eminem more viable for rock radio than OutKast.
It certainly isnt composition.)
Do familiarity and friendship trigger the country charts?
This isShania Twains impact.
Processing pieces of Man!
and Any Man of Mine.
1 two weeks shy of a calendar year.Keen writing and production deserve credit.
We covered Taylor Swift, Thomas Rhett, and Florida Georgia Line.
Since 2001, Georgia hip-hop vet Bubba Sparxxx trekked from rap to country and back.
When these artists mix and match genres, the reflexiveness of their art is mirrored in their chart placements.
and Shanias Youre Still the One, for that matter.)
Heed great voices like War and Treaty, Yola, and Valerie June.
Support emerging mainstream acts like Mickey Guyton and Milton Patton.
- to greater heights.
In the case of Lil Nas X and Old Town Road, the work is being done.
Rural teens and hip-hop fans love it.
ButBillboardneeds to be more transparent about its processes.
Traditions are valuable, but theyre also restrictive.
The old logic says women deserveless spaceon the radio than men.
The old ways make talented black country performers like Kane Brownfeellike their own base doesnt love them.
Take a cue from hip-hop.
Disputes over the future of the music have been raging for the last 25 years.
Life is too short.
Music is changing, always.
Culture only moves forward.
We can follow it where it goes, or we can stay behind and eat its dust.
