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Noname (black female rapper) may quit music, says she won’t perform for mostly white audiences
- Thread starter nsilvias
- Start date
Exactly. She is writer and a poet first and a rapper just beyond that, and talented in all those aspects. Seriously disappointed to hear this, though I absolutely understand where she's coming from. Not to knock Cardi B. or Nicki before her, but Noname's talent is deeper and has way more substance.
This is a loss.
Perhaps not legally, but I'm sure if she made it known that white people aren't welcome at her shows, most of them would get the message.
It's her choice and if that makes her feel better then it's whatever. But I don't think it's productive to attack your fans just because they don't have enough melanin in them. Maybe discuss with them about not using the N word at your shows.
Don't say the N word if you're a white person. That includes "singing along."
That would essentially be career suicide, considering she is upset that PoC don't go to her shows anyway.
I couldn't imagine barring an entire race from your shows would go over very well, either.
Just a side note, is there a bit of a backlash against Lizzo going on? Particularly in the black community? I'm sorry, I'm out of the loop.
He knows this. Dont waste your time with his 'innocent' observations.
Dumb how? Black musicians shouldn't feel the need to put on an act, caricatured or otherwise, just to please a white audience who has little actual respect for them or their art. At what point does it become a circus act?
This seems strange to me.
Ok, so her art speaks about the black experience. She is attempting to give a voice to something that has been historically ignored. Now, it seems to me that the lesson of understanding the black experience would need to be taught to a generally whiter audience. So, having a whiter audience seems to be the best outcome here....no? Or does her art not try to convey the black experience, and simply seeks to build solidarity among others who live it?
She's an indie artist who's primarily on the festival circuit. Festival tickets cost in the hundreds meaning only white people can usually afford them. Most black indie artists have white fans for these reasons.
Don't know why she brought up DaBaby and Smino when those are two popular mainstream artists who can perform to solely black audiences.
but it costs like 20-30 to see a show, and, as she herself points out, plenty of black people manage to find their way to and can afford concerts by other rappers
No one is asking her to do any of those things. People go to her shows because they enjoy the art that she creates, not for her to be anything you listed.
She is basically saying she doesn't want to perform for people who pay for her shows and I think it's a bad take.
I don't understand why it's so hard for other white people to not say the n word. I manage to not say it 24/7.
It's entirely understandable for anyone to want to quit if they feel they've attracted a toxic fanbase. I can't imagine how awful it would feel to have white "fans" who think it's OK to sing the n-word at you. That shit is beyond racist.
But this part:
kinda seems like she's blaming other POC for not getting into her music.
But this part:
kinda seems like she's blaming other POC for not getting into her music.
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Fr. This could be in response to so many posts in this thread.
All of those rappers are mainstream artists who get played on urban stations. They're not gonna hear about Noname at the pitchfork festival.
But i don't understand, if those white people didn't show up to her shows would no one be there? Or are the white people buying all the tickets before anyone else can?
I think I get where she is coming from but doesn't it seem like it's kinda on her target audience for not showing up?
Edit: oh, is that what she's actually saying? That she's frustrated at the people she wants to support her for not supporting her?
Edit 2: i understand the disconnect and disrespect from the white fans, i just don't understand how one controls or influences crowd composition
I think I get where she is coming from but doesn't it seem like it's kinda on her target audience for not showing up?
Edit: oh, is that what she's actually saying? That she's frustrated at the people she wants to support her for not supporting her?
Edit 2: i understand the disconnect and disrespect from the white fans, i just don't understand how one controls or influences crowd composition
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This looks into the wider issue and is an article worth reading if you're confused at the OP:
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there's a lot of white people out there and she makes the kind of music that speaks more to the indie crowds (like me, she's great), which is even more
predominantly white. it is what it is, that's life.
however a bunch of white people rapping along to the n word is uncomfortable, incredibly so.
predominantly white. it is what it is, that's life.
however a bunch of white people rapping along to the n word is uncomfortable, incredibly so.
Yes. She hates white people. That's it, exactly.
I swear black people need our own version of "ok boomer" to express the frustration of constantly trying to convey points of view to groups of people who go out of their way to avoid understanding us.
User Banned (1 Month): Dismissive commentary in a sensitive thread and history of similar behavior
A ban based on race?
Other artists are jealous of her success.
Some context from an interview earlier in the year
I guess it's different here cause I'm in New Orleans but plenty of black people at her last show here. Im a fan, and this isn't the first time she's talked about quitting. I can imagine those white fans feeling it's their right to say the n word pushed her to this, hope she figures something out cause she not gonna get paid without doing shows
How hard can it be to understand. She raps about her experiences and having a sea of white people there is uncomfortable since most of the bad exepriences as a black person is because of you know, us white people. It's not that hard to understand.
Stop being so thin skinned and listen for once.
Stop being so thin skinned and listen for once.
I think what's happening is that live shows (at least the ones she's playing) are priced for at least somewhat affluent crowds, and a lot of these venues are probably located in gentrified areas.
But if you don't charge X amount for a ticket for your show, it might not make sense to tour, so white audiences are just who end up showing and paying a lot of times.
Setting race aside for a moment, the crowd composition is always gonna tell you something about who you're connecting with as an artist. Nobody trying to make art wants to feel like they're playing at a birthday party or recording an online breakup message for $100.
White audiences singing along to the n-word is a whole other level of problematic, though, and I don't blame anybody for walking right away from that.
...yeah, I don't know what I expected from this thread.
Main reason I disagree is that even right here on this forum, this supposed bastion of progressivism, you still get regular posters who come in and try to treat creative works like they can be divorced from politics, that exist only as expressions of aesthetics, and that those aesthetics aren't rooted in ideologies themselves.
I am not going to blame someone for getting demoralized when they are bearing their souls out, illustrating cultural pain, to an audience who won't engage with it beyond "sick beat" or "finally, an excuse to say the n-word".
It was mentioned that she performs mainly on the festival circuit, and those are usually white folks that can afford it.
Could you she do some house shows or small clubs, using social media etc to attract more PoC? Or is the fear that these shows will still only attract mostly white audiences?
Could you she do some house shows or small clubs, using social media etc to attract more PoC? Or is the fear that these shows will still only attract mostly white audiences?
Well, as black person, I think her takes at race are at least troubled, if not downright racist (If the mostly white crowd uses ethnic slurs I could understand her position but is saying "nigga" at a rap concert such a thing? )
Maybe is because I'm not American but things as "generic white guy" or "old white men" sound pretty bad to me, I understand the need to highlight a traditional white dominance in some aspects but leaving race behind in our society should also include being a bit more generous and less bitter with many well intentioned white people, even if their efforts aren't absolutely perfect.
I agree with this. But, then again, I don't think the word should ever be used, by anyone. It's a disgusting term with an abhorrent origin.
however, if you have a club full of people singing along with your song, and a line comes up where everyone goes:
<<WHAT'S AN EYE FOR AN EYE WHEN _______ WON'T LOVE YOU BACK?>>
I'd say that serves to highlight the word more than if the crowd just sang through it.
Then there's the situation where half of the audience says it and half doesn't...which is less jarring aurally, but really serves to widen that divide between races in the audience. Not sure if that's a great thing.
Don't assume. It wasn't an 'innocent' observation....it was an understanding that wasn't readily apparent in the quotes. Because I honestly thought that her audience were yelling racial slurs at her as some sort of 'inside' thing (in an "Anthrax Sucks" sort of way).
Maybe she should do features with other indie artist with a larger PoC audience to increase her exposure to non-Caucasian fans?
The problem is the mainstreaming of black content. White people patronize artists like Noname for very different reason than that artist makes content. For them her performance is less about her personal agency and message but about consuming and participating in a cultural rebellion that is wholly constructed by their white positionality. The resurgence of "Exoticism" as a popular practice is real. Think of why Nat King, Ella Fitzgerald, Diahann Carroll etc. did what they did, and then think of why white people patronized them. She is struggling with the realization that entertainment is largely trending towards this dynamic as class-social-racial lines once again solidify.
And as someone who has lived outside the American bubble, "black exoticism" and "commoditization" is not uniquely an American phenomenon. Though it is especially egregious in the music industry.
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i dont understand, what is she upset about?
In one sentence she says she doesnt like white crowds cause they're still racist but then on the last tweet she says im not gonna put out free music for people who dont support me. Wouldnt people showing up, paying ticket prices for her shows be the essence of supporting her?
In one sentence she says she doesnt like white crowds cause they're still racist but then on the last tweet she says im not gonna put out free music for people who dont support me. Wouldnt people showing up, paying ticket prices for her shows be the essence of supporting her?
I wonder if you can tell from the stage as a musical artist whether people are singing the n word or one of the "n word replacements" like "neighbor"
I'm sure right now most are saying the n word but if they changed would you be able to tell the difference?
I'm sure right now most are saying the n word but if they changed would you be able to tell the difference?
Every time someone posts in disagreement with something, someone always posts "I thought this was supposed to be a progressive forum?!" Isn't the entire purpose of a message board to have discourse on a subject. If everyone came in here posting the same exact thing, what is the point?
Listen, I'm half-black, and I'm having trouble understanding what she wants to happen. I understand she has frustrations about not reaching her intended audience, and she has the right as a performer to choose whether she wants to quit or not. However, to complain about the people who are buying your music and giving you your income is..a little bizarre to me. So maybe she should either perform at non-festival venues or do some self-reflection as to why black people aren't coming to her shows.
That's 100% fair and something that I agree with. I just think it's unfair to label everyone attending her shows in the same blanket even if they are there to empathize with her.
Where did I even imply that she hates white people? I even prefaced it by saying she even calls out PoC for not supporting her in an earlier the post. Not sure where your comment comes from.
that's not her audience though. her audience in pure numbers is likely the indie crowd, the "pitchfork.tv" crowd and while predominantly white, they aren't what you're describing here.
Cool, let someone else who actually appreciates an audience no matter what they look like take your fame and following. I understand her point, but it's not the fault of her audience for....liking her music....and it's not the fault of the people who AREN'T going that they don't like her music. Most musicians who attain any degree of success are just fucking happy that ONE person cares enough to listen, let alone get paid to be an artist lol.
I hope she doesn't even get the choice at this point and her audience (who is apparently mostly white) just bounce out. "Sorry for supporting you?"
I hope she doesn't even get the choice at this point and her audience (who is apparently mostly white) just bounce out. "Sorry for supporting you?"
She obviously doesn't want white people enjoying her music, so I don't see how making that message heard loud and clear would go poorly for her if her desired result is getting fewer white people to attend her shows. Yeah, it probably will mean less money for her, but convictions are more important. Maybe find a way to play at venues that are more accessible to the people she wants to enjoy her music?
Ban was the wrong word to use, since I don't think she could legally get away with that, but making damn sure white people aren't welcome is something she should be within her rights to do.
I'm sure she has a ton of black fans. However, just by being the majority of the overall population, white people will be a big part of any musician reaching mass market appeal.