Rock bands with people of color are pretty rare.

[Ice That Jaw]

I don't subscribe to the diversity is strength mentality but I always find it quite sad that rock type music is mostly abandoned by non-whites in favor of catchy but mostly derivative pop/rap music.

A few notable exceptions exist of couse... Are there any more that exist?


Animals as Leaders (fyi, the most talented band you've never heard of, trust me)



God Forbid



Sevendust

 

[MoneyGun]

Not much use for a bunch of yeahs, ughs, or yo yo yo’s in a rock band.

 

[Ice That Jaw]

Not much use for a bunch of yeahs, ughs, or yo yo yo’s in a rock band.

Did you listen to the Animals as Leaders vid? Black and Latino dudes have the propensity to be among the best ever. It's just outside of their culture sadly. Has been since the 50s.

 

[MoneyGun]

Did you listen to the Animals as Leaders vid? Black and Latino dudes have the propensity to be among the best ever. It's just outside of their culture sadly. Has been since the 50s.

Nope, sure didn’t.

 

[Ice That Jaw]

Nope, sure didn’t.

Ignorance is bliss I guess.

 

[Steve-French]

I don't subscribe to the diversity is strength mentality but I always find it quite sad that rock type music is mostly abandoned by non-whites in favor of catchy but mostly derivative pop/rap music.

A few notable exceptions exist of couse... Are there any more that exist?


Animals as Leaders (fyi, the most talented band you've never heard of, trust me)



God Forbid



Sevendust

That Tosin Abasi dude is insane playing that 10 string guitar.

I feel that Thin Lizzy and Hendrix should be brought up though.

 

[LATEXXX COMMANDO]

Suffocation

 

[HereticBD]

I guess. I mean, it's just as rare as a white rapper.

What's your point? Ultimately, talent will shine through. Talent is colorblind.

 

[Graves The Elder]

lead singer Perry is half Brazilian, half Portagee
does that count

 

[Philo-Publius]

I don't subscribe to the diversity is strength mentality but I always find it quite sad that rock type music is mostly abandoned by non-whites in favor of catchy but mostly derivative pop/rap music.

A few notable exceptions exist of couse... Are there any more that exist?


Animals as Leaders (fyi, the most talented band you've never heard of, trust me)



God Forbid



Sevendust

Jimi Hendrix, Lenny Kravitz, and Living Color are probably the three most notable black rock acts. But, if you look back at the history, there are a lot of early black Blues and Doo Wop legends that helped build the foundation for "rock and roll."

 

[spin]

You can all play with My Ding a Ling

 

[eworden78]

Are we talking the whole band, or the front man, or just an artist in a rock band?

Tom Morello, Robert Trujillo, Kim Thayil, Zack de la Rocha, Vernon Reed, Freddy Mercury, dude from Thin Lizzy, Hendrix, Prince, the guys from Fishbone, Dudes from Seven dust, The Roots, Baby Metal, The Hu, Sepultura, Hootie and the Blowfish, just off the top of my head.

 

[rikwebb]

 

[tonni]

More experimental rock than classic rock though.

 

[Winter-John]

If your a blues or jazz player why would you lower your standards to play rock? If your a rapper why would you engage in a genre that hasn't advanced or done anything new since the 90s?

 

[fijuviju]

Dead Kennedys, Death, Urban Dance Squad, Candiria, Suicidal Tendencies ...

 

[HUGHPHUG]

Black Merda need a mention, though they were not straight up rock a lot of their music was as rock infused as it was funk/jazz/soul

 

[SoberAwakening]

Y'all realize Slash is biracial, right? Like Lenny Kravitz biracial. Like Phil Lynott biracial. Like Tom Morrello biracial.

 

[The Gooch]

In the end, it's all a wash anyway since rock and roll came directly from and was inspired by "colored" music from the 40s and 50s. Robert Johnson, BB King, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and the like were the catalysts for Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, Bobby Darin, etc. I've heard numerous interviews about how Led Zeppelin and The Beatles listened to black artists growing up and found inspiration from them.

Now as we move further into the future, it does seem like the music of the cultures bifurcated in the late 70s when rap became mainstream. I'd be curious if this is cultural or something deeper that might be tied to history and preference (if there's any difference between the two). What I guess I mean to say is that in musicology there are epicenters of instrument family focus, and this separation between rock and rap could stem from something as simple as drums being a heavy influence in Africa and strings being a heavy influence in Europe.

Of course, to assert this in this day and age is probably considered racist so I won't assert or pretend to believe anything in the previous paragraph. As a 45 year old man living in Huntington Beach, California, I'll go on record that the only thing I hear blasting out of every high school and college age car is trap rap. It is everywhere with no signs of slowing down.

 

[Satanical Eve]

If your a blues or jazz player why would you lower your standards to play rock? If your a rapper why would you engage in a genre that hasn't advanced or done anything new since the 90s?

Rock has advanced and if you took the time to actually look you'll find a ton of bands who have helped to push the genre into new directions.