Adele is blowing up. There is absolutely no denying it. Literally, it seems like everywhere you turn, her song “Hello” is playing. I admit, I do like Adele a lot, especially her very distinct, deep raspy voice.
However, something I’ve been thinking about lately is the face in this new rise of soul and R&B. You can argue that the two most mainstream artists in that genre right now are Sam Smith and Adele. Even GQ magazine named Sam Smith “The New Face of Soul.” However, the question that I am asking is why does it seem like the most mainstream faces of soul are Caucasian?
If you look at the history of soul music, it started out as a mixture of gospel doowop, and was predominantly African American. It also did become an outlet for civil rights, such as in Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” and Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come.” In other words, soul music is a significant part of black culture, with writer Portia K. Maultsby even saying that the term “soul” is defined as “black nationalism.” But if you look at the “soul singers” of the past century who have received the most acclaim, it is Sam Smith, Adele, and Amy Winehouse. Some even put Robin Thicke and Justin Timberlake in the soul genre, since they have received acclaim on the R&B Billboard charts. But what do they have in common? They are all Caucasian.
So, the question I’m asking is why does it seem that the most successful artists of a significantly African American genre aren’t African American? This could be another reminder of the significant racism in the music industry. Even though there has been a rise in more African American artists, such as Beyonce, Rihanna, and Nicki Minaj, if you look at the Billboard Hot 100 (as of the week of January 16, 2016), there are only a few African American artists. Furthermore, if you look at the R&B charts, the only artists who are really having crossover success on the pop charts are Drake, the Weeknd, and Alessia Cara. To further my point, if you look at the number one spot on the Billboard 200, it is Adele.
This brings up an issue that has been plaguing my mind for a while: the issue of cultural appropriation vs. influence in music. There are arguments on both side of the table that state that Adele and Sam Smith have taken soul music and all it represents and used their privilege to have more success than their black counterparts. For example, last year, D’Angelo released the album “Black Messiah” (an album I highly recommend). It did have critical success, and even reached Number 5 on the Billboard Hot 200 for one week. However, if you look at Sam Smith, “In the Lonely Hour” reached number 4 on the Billboard charts, and was on there for 4 weeks (and is still on there). Also, one writer argues that because Adele is white, she can be marketed to audiences who have never heard of other soul artists such as Jazmine Sullivan.
But, there are also arguments that state that neither artist is at fault. If you look at the definition of appropriation, it means to steal something without giving the source credit. There is no evidence that either star has ripped off from an African American artist. Also, writer Derrick Clifton argues that Sam Smith and Adele have acknowledged their influence of African American singers, therefore giving credit where it is due. Also, one could argue that their music is much more “pop”, especially since they have mainly succeeded on the pop charts and have been nominated in the pop categories at the Grammys. Therefore, their success could come from being much more palatable to a wider audience
In the end, I am not attacking Sam Smith or Adele. I think they are both exceptional artists, and I personally think the music is great. However, their success is a reminder that the music industry is still pretty white-washed. Although we shouldn’t bash their success, we should start paying attention to more African American artists, because they also have some amazing (maybe even better) music to offer.
