Zep crosses ethnicity lines

[pinky]

Rap and hip hop musicians like Jay-Z, 50 Cent (I cringe by thinking of him), Tupac, Biggie and such are inner city pieces of scum that teach people how to be like them. Many people don't seem to realize how much music affects society, I don't know how it is in the rest of the world but in America kids (the future) are being influenced by two things. Musicians and celebrities the musicians are in two forms they either sing about useless bull crap or hate (or something equally depressing), the celebrities only care about self gain not the world. We are supposed to make this planet a better place not leave it in darkness. And if you are to say I hate Rap because I don't give it a chance well I gave everything a chance and I know what I like and don't like.

[Aquamarine]

But that doesn't have anything to do with the thread topic.

[Joao]

Rap and hip hop musicians like Jay-Z, 50 Cent (I cringe by thinking of him), Tupac, Biggie and such are inner city pieces of scum that teach people how to be like them. Many people don't seem to realize how much music affects society, I don't know how it is in the rest of the world but in America kids (the future) are being influenced by two things. Musicians and celebrities the musicians are in two forms they either sing about useless bull crap or hate (or something equally depressing), the celebrities only care about self gain not the world. We are supposed to make this planet a better place not leave it in darkness. And if you are to say I hate Rap because I don't give it a chance well I gave everything a chance and I know what I like and don't like.

That seems a bit too dramatic I think, the whole music influencing society and make the world a better place thing.

Music is a wonderful thing and it comes in various forms and there will always be ppl with different tastes than ours, but I'm getting off topic...

I guess when a band becomes really big it's bound to cross ethnicity lines, countries, cultures and so on...

[Aquamarine]

That seems a bit too dramatic I think, the whole music influencing society and make the world a better place thing.

Music is a wonderful thing and it comes in various forms and there will always be ppl with different tastes than ours, but I'm getting off topic...

I guess when a band becomes really big it's bound to cross ethnicity lines, countries, cultures and so on...

That's the part I'm interested in, and to what extent that's true of Zep's audiences, not the degree to which rap does or doesn't suck!

[ninelives]

That's the part I'm interested in, and to what extent that's true of Zep's audiences, not the degree to which rap does or doesn't suck!

Me too! I suppose given that there are many members here from all over the world, I'd say Zep's fans are pretty widespread from parts far and near which I think is great.

[ally]

That's the part I'm interested in, and to what extent that's true of Zep's audiences, not the degree to which rap does or doesn't suck!

No question Zeppelin crossed many a divide. I think The Beatles and other's tried to do it with limited success but TBH, I think so much of that was tied into the 60's happening and was not fully appreciated. Zeppelin continued the idea and because they maintained the honest approach and having the benefit of 70's media attention, they hit a nerve. People started to listen and the spirit of songs like Kashmir started to make sence

[ninelives]

No question Zeppelin crossed many a divide. I think The Beatles and other's tried to do it with limited success but TBH, I think so much of that was tied into the 60's happening and was not fully appreciated. Zeppelin continued the idea and because they maintained the honest approach and having the benefit of 70's media attention, they hit a nerve. People started to listen and the spirit of songs like Kashmir started to make sence

That's a good point Ally. Robert and Jimmy did much traveling and no denying their music subsequently reflected that. I also think from the git go, they were interested in not being pigeonholed as anything specific because each album you can cite so many different influences happening.

[zepyep]

Hi all,

I am a 37 yr old black man. I can relate to Zep way over rap anyday of the week. I wonder what Zep's music has over the Rap/hiphop. There is some sort of ingreedient in the music that speaks to me. I have only been listening to Zep for 20yrs.

Could it be that zep captured my attention in my youth. Or hip hop is a weaker form of music that has no longevity.Mc7

Mc7,let me ask you this:who is the best guitar/bass/keyboard players in rap?

Or is it someone who can put words together?

A DJ who can -sample- what others play?

Or hot broads dancing like hell?

I'm not starting any flame war,but can someone answer those questions?

They already crossed those lines,like many bands.

KB(rock on,brother!)

[ally]

That's a good point Ally. Robert and Jimmy did much traveling and no denying their music subsequently reflected that. I also think from the git go, they were interested in not being pigeonholed as anything specific because each album you can cite so many different influences happening.

True enough ! The influences with Jimmy clearly where there for all to see with the Yardbirds , not to mention the rock a 'billy and the blues. Even going as far as The Crunge ( a studio song that I really had no time for ) there was a huge R&B influence between Bonham and Jones that was present right from the outset of Led Zeppelin. The fusion of all those influences along with Robert's west coast and blues made without doubt an elegant chapter in music history. It's a brilliant time capsule

[MadScreamingGallery]

I agree that this is a very interesting thread.

With regard to the audiences at Zep concerts I attended in the early to mid 70s, based on my own experiences, I think that the fans were ethnically but not racially diverse. Like Ally, I also come from a cosmopolitan and ethnically diverse city and I and many of my friends who were Zep fans and attended Zep concerts together reflected that diversity. I think that Zep fans and audiences were – and still are – inaccurately identified as being largely working class white males.

Like me, my friends from my Zep years were kids from immigrant families and our family backgrounds included: Spanish, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Greek, Pakistani, Jamaican, Chinese, Indian, Italian, Irish, Native American, Lebanese, etc. Because many of us came from backgrounds that were a mixture of two or more of these cultures, you couldn't always tell just by looking at photos or old footage of an audience, what our backgrounds were and how ethnically diverse we were.

In my school and neighborhood, while the “ethnic” lines were fairly blurred, the lines between the races – black and white – were sharper. As far as race, during my Zep years, most of the African American/black students at my school were primarily fans of funk and soul music. While they were listening to “black-oriented” radio stations such as WBLS, we were listening to WNEW. I don't think that situation was any reflection on Zep or their music - from my perspective it was a different time and place and, unfortunately, that's how it was and that's all that any of us, in the small world of our school and our neighborhood, knew or saw or experienced.

It wasn't until the late 70s, when I was in college and had an internship at a large company that I acquired close black friends - other interns who I worked closely with during the day and socialized with after work. We'd often talk about music - rock, funk, blues, soul, reggae - and go together to hear jazz played live north of 125th street in clubs where the audiences were a mix of blacks and whites.

[Aquamarine]

Interesting.

Of course, my perspective on Zep audiences and fans comes from the other side of the pond. And I didn't acquire close friends of another race until after my college years, in fact. Still, back in those days (and this is partly because Britain at the time wasn't as ethnically diverse as it is now), the Zep fans I knew were all white, and I don't think I saw a single non-white face at Bath, although obviously I didn't see eveyone who was there! (And I'm not counting the people on-stage, either.) I'm willing to bet the same is true of 99.9% of those faces in the Albert Hall audience. My point just being that it's a shame, because the band's music certainly blurred ethnic lines in ground-breaking ways. It sounds as if things were more diverse in the US at the time (which would be true of the population as a whole, too).

[bigledzepfan1963]

led zeppelin's music was influenced by everybody.bonzo's fave entertainers were chuck berry and james brown,jonesy fancied martha and the vandelas.

[jimmie ray]

I am a 37 yr old black man. I can relate to Zep way over rap anyday of the week. I wonder what Zep's music has over the Rap/hiphop. There is some sort of ingreedient in the music that speaks to me. I have only been listening to Zep for 20yrs.

Could it be that zep captured my attention in my youth. Or hip hop is a weaker form of music that has no longevity.

Mc7

Good for you, man! I do wonder why I don't see any black people at blues related shows anymore, and most of the discussions here gave me the feeling there were no black members. I can't relate to any forms of rap or even newer rock music, and feel the absense of black musicians is destroying any hope for enjoyable music for the future.

[Aquamarine]

led zeppelin's music was influenced by everybody.bonzo's fave entertainers were chuck berry and james brown,jonesy fancied martha and the vandelas.

Yes, but we were talking about the ethnicity of their audiences.

[jimmie ray]

Yes, but we were talking about the ethnicity of their audiences.

Do white rappers get a big turnout of non-white audiences? If so, why would this be more appealing than blues based music?? Are the blues too submissive in emotion???