Ray Charles - "Rap is not music"

"I’m the seventh out of seven sons

My pappy was a pistol I’m a son of a gun."

"I’m just average, common too.

Just like him, the same as you.

I’m everybody’s brother and son

I ain’t no different than anyone.

Ain’t no use talkin’ to me

It’s just the same as talkin’ to you!"

All of these taken from memory. Forgive any missteps.

@bdp24 Well, that went well, huh? 🤣 It appears introducing a topic that may inspire a more expansive discussion than just audio nerdery is something Audiogon can’t handle. Sad, to me. That thread had potential to be fruitful and stimulating but a lot of ugliness leading to outright removal ensued. Again, sad.
I obviously have my views on the subject but enjoy such discussions and value and appreciate that you introduced the topic for discussion.

I indeed watched the video yesterday and rewatched several chunks of it.
I think the section from 8:24 to 11:14 is fantastic (what Indian music is and how it - along with any and every form of music on Earth - not only should be taught, but omitting such constitutes an inadequate curriculum)

However, I still feel overall that the statements Ewell makes are dubious in efficacy towards actually achieving what he advocates. I don’t think his self-serving, grandstanding, sweeping and incendiary generalizations are effective in persuading Western academia to adopt more comprehensive curriculums.
Now he’s famous for being the guy who says, “music theory is white supremacy.” Good for him. Whoopee.
I think something far more effective would have been, “Western academia offers inadequate music education when it omits non-Western music from its curriculum.”
Same idea, just far more effective, far less problematic presentation.
We would see educators merely start to incorporate ALL music into their curriculum (what Ewell advocates and what I strongly endorse) without all the incendiary, self-serving grandstanding.

Not a huge fan of rap to be sure.

But I've enjoyed plenty of rap songs and have yet to enjoy anything by Ray Charles.

You can’t be serious! “yet to enjoy”?

Anyway, as far as I’m concerned the opinion of anyone who can sing like this, so connected to the music, deserves to have his opinions on music at least considered.

https://youtu.be/Dr-McSXdFEQ

@frogman The statement, “(I’ve) yet to enjoy anything by Ray Charles” constitutes that of a non-human or a woefully ignorant person.
If even the most popular of Ray Charles music does nothing to you, I don’t know what to say.
This person is either not a human or dreadfully ignorant.