Black Radio

There’s a reason why I, as a black man, do not listen to so-called “black” radio these days: I don’t like what I hear.

I grew up listening to music as diverse as George Benson and Parliament/Funkadelic, and what passes for soul music these days (with the exception of Anita Baker, Jonathan Butler and a few others) is the same old tired, pseudo-disco, booming-bass-mix Pablum that redefines the term “lowest common denominator.”

How ironic that an AOR station like KLOS will play Robert Cray when the “black” stations won’t give him a chance. You can’t say that Cray doesn’t sell records--his “Strong Persuader” LP was certainly a commercial success.

How ironic that a man who plays a form of music, originated by blacks in this country, can’t get airplay. What do these people want? Should he add a drum machine on his next album?

How ironic that what started as an adventurous, unorthodox musical avenue--rap--has become a litany of monotonous, strutting, deffer-than-thou drivel. Only Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s “The Message” stands out in the last couple of years.

TERRY DICKERSON

Palmdale