Pulitzer Prize-winning trumpeter Wynton Marsalis has blasted Hip Hop in a new interview with The Washington Post’s Cape Up podcast. The jazz musician has been critical of rap for years, but he ramped up the ferocity of his criticism by adding an unfavorable comparison to last year’s removal of the Robert E. Lee Monument in his hometown of New Orleans.
“You can’t have a pipeline of filth be your default position, and it’s free,” Marsalis told host Jonathan Capehart. “Now, the nation is entertained by that. It’s not free. Just like the toll the minstrel show took on black folks and on white folks. Now all this ‘nigga’ this, ‘bitch’ that, ‘ho’ that, it’s just a fact at this point.”
He continued, “For me, it was not a default position in the ’80s. Now that it is the default position, how you like me now? You like what it’s yielding? Something is wrong with you, you need your head examined if you like this. And uhh … it’s almost like adults left the room or something.”
Marsalis — who’s also been critical of developments in his own genre such as jazz fusion — bluntly said he doesn’t like rap and noted how long he’s been vocal about his distaste for Hip Hop. He said he views it like “a person who would’ve went along with the minstrel show in 1873 because everybody was looking at it.”
He did call rapping a “creative endeavor” but said most popular Hip Hop isn’t a good “default position” for the majority of culture. Marsalis called it a “mistake” to be so profane.
Later, he brought up Hip Hop in context to the much-publicized removal of the statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee — a process the jazz musician was partly responsible for along with former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu.
“My words are not that powerful,” Marsalis said. “I started saying in 1985 I don’t think we should have a music talking about niggas and bitches and hoes. It had no impact. I’ve said it. I’ve repeated it. I still repeat it. To me, that’s more damaging than a statue of Robert E. Lee … I feel that that’s much more of a racial issue than taking Robert E. Lee’s statue down. There’s more niggas in that than there is in Robert E. Lee’s statue.”
Listen to the entire interview below.
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So?
Does he classify his brother Branford’s contribution to hip hop as vulgar also?
SMH
Doubt he is talking bout Gangstarr. That is quality hip hop. He’s probably talking about all this modern day trash, and all that WORLDSTAR degenerate garbage
He aint far off…. theres always good concious music if you go looking for it but the mainstream shit thats shotgun blasted in peoples faces is atrocious (migos gucci mane lil pump tekashi pedo spic and so on)… drugs violence smacking bitches acting ignorant if you have money your better than everyone else is it really shit you would want your own children being taught?
Hes full of bullshit. Hip hop is the REASON why i fucked with jazz, period. Ask his brother Branford if he feels the same way because he was instrumental in the careers of Gangstarr. Guru and Premier stayed at his Brooklyn brownstone. Some of the old jazz cats are still hating.
I think he’s talkin about the mainstream ratchet garbage, not that true hip hop shit. He’s right, let’s be honest. That shit is what kids are looking up to now.
Somebody in the nursing home get this old nxxga his medicine before I ban him from group scrabble.
Wynton Marsalis is a legend in the music world. He might be old, but he’s not geriatric. The man still has great chops for his age. You might not listen to his music, but that doesn’t mean he sucks. He has the right to an opinion as the respected musician he is. He’s got more respect in the music world than those SoundCloud rappers.
Hmmm do you listen to music or do you just skim through it ???
What he says is true in a lot of ways if you don’t agree your just lying to yourself
Dude is a clown by generalizing and entire genre with his comments! He is entitled to his opinion but jazz hasnt provided like hip hop in our community! Hip Hop has built empires like Def jam, Bad Boy, Rockafella, Cash Money, etc and the list goes on! What has his trumpet done? Blow alot of hot air in comparison to those hip hop labels!
And sir you cannot comprehend his statements…so yours are null and void
Go the history of jazz plz before speaking on clearly you know nothing about
Applaud this man. Personal responsibility will set you free…..
foreword….look at the comments underneath this post and all will be revealed…. all downhill from here
I totally agree with him!!!!!! Rap music and RnB have become the new minstrel shows…..it used to be uplifting en empowering music.
But now it’s just really bad……and the funny thing is we’ve let it become this way.
Parts of me what to agree, as the position of filth seems to set an ever degrading bar for the people who listen to it. Art used to reflect society, but then the ‘cool’ happened, and now society reflects the art. The pendulum swung too far one way, and now instead of coming back, it has broken off in a new direction, society is reflecting art, and art is reflecting society at the same time, like two cracked mirrors aligned against each other and telling tales of the infinite experience. What I mean is. . .Rap and Hip Hop is profane because the rappers who write these songs where indoctrinated by the profane. Profane circumstances through enforced helplessness by a system too big to fix for a kid who is raised by television because a mom has to work two jobs. Yes, they dad could have stayed, but being black is a crime, and dads are taken to prison, forever ‘black’listed from having jobs that could alleviate this. Rap and Hip Hop, for some, needs to be profane at times, but I think it is starting to lose its way. The two mirrors that are art and society are slightly askew and the direction has meandered. I think there is merit to Wynton’s sentiment, and I agree that a higher bar should be set above filth. I often wonder what it would be like to have a rapper talk about life…and it’s stages. Born into ashes, but one can rise up. With rappers spitting bars so much, why not spit bars about raising the bar? They do this at times, but it is lost somewhat in the profanity. I guess Money has won again. Mo’ Money Mo’ problems.
Ignorance aside, the state of rap music is a reflection of the minds behind it. Ever notice how accomplished musicians who criticize rap always speak with a distant contempt? Rap is a language your children speak about themselves. Language is the least of concerns that plague the community… Identify the root problem instead of chastising the current behavior. But where have you text crusaders mentored urban youth lately? You nxxgas heaux will always love Aubrey & Three Amigos. 21.
Wynton is legend. But he’s clearly been blowing on something besides the trumpet with that comment. Black music in any form will never compare by any margin to the institution of slavery or any of its advocates, heroes or sympathizers.
why do they always go after rappers and black single mothers. Its their fault their kids grew up to be rappers. Did anyone else raise them?
It is two kinds of music good music and bad music this dude been on this bullshit dince the 90’s it is a dumb argimrnt because he plays jazz who has some of the greatest creative minds but also some of the biggest drug addicts.
Nah man. Yes there’s negative hip-hop that is destroying communities. But hip-hop I just a form of music. Marsalis doesn’t know people used to call jazz jungle/jiggaboo music before it was accepted?