Taking or Making?

 The Question of Cultural Appropriation in Music

Ariana Grande came under fire for her 2019 song "7 Rings." The song takes a rap-style approach, something that is pretty different from her normal pop style. The lyrics sound more typical of Nicki Minaj than an artist like Ariana. There is, of course, some debate to be had. There is a difference between taking a style that is "cool" or "in" and adapting a style with your own twist. Ariana has had no shortage of hits throughout her career and certainly has a lot of talent and knowledge of the industry. Perhaps "7 Rings" is an attempt to try out a new genre, as established artists often experimentally do. Some argue, though, that Ariana stole this rap style, ignoring its roots in African American history. 

Cultural appropriation isn't always a clear cut issue. It can be difficult at time to differentiate between a respectful adaptation and ignorant misuse. This has been something that has come to affect African American Spirituals. Spirituals have a history in slavery and injustice against African Americans. At what point does a performance cross the line? It seems as though it is not as much about the performance as it is the context. Keeping the African American Spirituals alive is an important reminder of the pained history of this country, and this cannot be done without performances. If the performance is done by someone who is not African American, however, it must be done with careful consideration to the historical context.

An example of a spiritual performance that I thought was interesting was Johnny Cash's rendition of "Were You There."

Cash is a white man performing an African American spiritual, yet his song was received quite positively from what I could find. There should be cases where African American Spirituals are performed by artists that are not African American. Music should unite - community is one of the main themes of the spirituals. Blindly calling all cases of African American Spirituals being performed by non-African Americans cultural appropriation is dangerous and divisive. Of course there are cases of cultural appropriation in relation to the spirituals, and they should be responded to with calls for apologies and education. Yet other performances are powerful, thoughtful, and unifying, and these should be encouraged. At the end of the day, recognizing and respecting context are the most important aspects when dealing with a historically sensitive body of music such as the spirituals. 

Do you agree with calling Ariana Grande's "7 Rings" cultural appropriation, or was it simply an artist trying a new style? What did you think of Johnny Cash's performance, and why do you think the response was so positive?