What’s gonna happen when whites can’t bite from black folks anymore?

Of course, nothing emerges from a vacuum. Everything in American society is a pastiche of influences, a merging of cultural textures, but most people in touch with reality know that usually, the artistic bounty within the black community rarely translates to material gains within the black community.

Where there are still black communities, that is. More and more, as our country grows towards some sort of uni-ethnicity (Prediction #1: In the Future, we will all be Latino!) there are fewer and fewer pockets of actual “black community”. What does that term mean in the mainstream, Po(Lit)ically correct society?

As more of “us” get “out there” and online, and move away from traditionally black communities, and stop attending historically black colleges, the fabric of the black community is slowly becoming threadbare. What kinds of things come from communities? A common aesthetic certainly, hence a common art. Like Jazz. Like Blues. Like Rock and Roll. Like Hip-Hop.

Now, the face of Hip Hop is the emo kid at Atmosphere shows. At least in the perfect marketing scheme. More kids now know who Dianna Krall is then Dinah Washington. And nobody does Blues like Eric Clapton, right? The same can be said for Rock and Roll and the Rolling Stones.

The voices, as in the case of nubile newbie Joss Stone, are black – tho Joss does have the pipes, the inflections and attitude are mostly Betty Wright, baby, who coached young Joss in the studio, perfecting all the requisite, grunty Yeahs, Baby’s and Uh-huhs I suppose. But the faces are always white. Or always almost white, as in the case of the ever lightning-as-if-no-one-would-notice stars like Beyonce or Lil Kim. Or even J-Lo.

Speaking of the formerly raven haired Ms. Lopez, there is nothing like good ol’ racism when it comes to boosting sales. Look at Clairol. Peep the rising number of blond (and sometimes tragically orange) headed Asians and Latinas.

Alas, this is an old argument, with no new sides, only two sides. Black, and green. The omnipresent white contingent needs no representation. When it comes to black talent, it’s obvious who benefits the most. But in the process of “black community purging” that is going on, for lack of a better term right now, the music, and other cultural artifacts of “blackness” are fading. No more “black culture” to bank off of, then what will whites do? Prediction #2: African music will be the next wave. Why? It’s the last place where there are still rampant numbers of seriously oppressed and clumped together blacks making black music that whites and undercover bougies like Damon Dash can listen to so they can fantasize about being “hard”. Except for the prison system. I bet if Russell Simmons could establish a prison label he would. Def Jam “Big House”. They would keep it real! Just like Def Jam South! Whatever.

Seriously tho…this issue of the depleting “black” cultural reserve is something to consider. Notice: we’ve gone from Rock and Roll to just Rock. Hip-Hop was the shit now it’s just Hip.