Ray Charles - "Rap is not music"

I LOVE Ray Charles…well, some of his music except for the shameless, over orchestrated covers but hey, he had to make a living.

I don’t take financial advice from Ray Charles.

I don’t take marital advice from Ray Charles.

I don’t take advice from Mr. Charles on virtually any topic other than “here is how I kicked heroin”.

Mr. Charles, if he was alive today, would be begging Kendrick Lamar or Anderson .Pak to record with them. Heck, for the last 20 years of his career, Sinatra could have been classified as a rapper. Leonard Cohen had a quarter-octave vocal range on a good day so he could be classified as a rapper.

Some people here need to add the following phrase to their tombstones “Get off my lawn”

@itsjustme 

I'm surprised at Ray' comment. I wonder what the context was.

Well, for starters, Mr. Charles passed away almost 20 years ago. Mr. Charles was also a product of his generation....big band, blues, covers. Rap/Hip hop was different back then...heck, alot of musicians who cut their teeth during the Count Basie/Duke Ellington songbook had a problem with the Woodstock/summer of love genre...until it came time to get paid. Then, get out of the way because the covers are coming! Anyone ever see the SInatra special where he was singing along with the Fifth Dimension??? OMG...every generation has a problem with the next generation....until they don't.

Luckily those who are horrified by new ideas and change in general don't get to decide do they? They are typically older, set in their ways, light complected and the beautiful thing about time and actuarial realities, it will take care of itself while the complainers are yelling at people to get off their lawn. I had a younger co-worker ask me the other day if I had ever heard of the Clash...absolutely loved it....it was a great day and there is hope for tomorrow!