Refried Screens

A number of people are scratching their heads over Herbie Hancock’s victory at the Grammy Awards.  They don’t know how an album they never heard of could win the Grammy for Album of the Year.

What they don’t understand is the value of history and reparations.

For decades, white musicians from Elvis to Eminem have enjoyed success mimicking black artists.

Even this year, Amy Winehouse was the darling for her interpretive hybridization of Billie Holiday, 60’s girl group soul, and Joss Stone.

If she swept the awards, Little Richard would’ve pitched a fit.  It’s bad enough they made him play on the same stage as, you guessed it, two white musicians who made careers from mimicking black musicians.

The Grammy Awards needed to set things right.

Enter Herbie Hancock. 

With the 50th Anniversary of the Grammy Awards, his album, which covered Joni Mitchell songs, provided a prime opportunity for reparations.

How often do you have a black musician ripping off a white artist? And not in the Suge Knight/Vanilla Ice gangsta style?

This was the industry’s attempt to correct a wrong and diss Kanye West with one fell swoop.

In other words, it’s a win-win for everybody.

And if you don’t like that, you don’t like justice.

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