I remember when "cultural appropriation" was seen as a sign of an inclusive society

[Prism]

141. It was definitely appropriation at the time

But, Elvis existed in a different, more prejudiced world where white and black culture were kept very separate and distinct. With no overlap, Elvis (and more importantly, his producers) were able to cynically capitalize. I don't think we live in that world overly much anymore. With younger people especially, good music is seen as good music. Well, relatively speaking. Look at a young person's spotify list, and you'll generally see a vast mixing of sounds and ethnicity of artists.

Treading very delicately here, I will say one of the lines that still exists in music is whether or not the background resonates with the audience. Hip hop that centers on an inner city aesthetic and experience isn't going to have the same appeal to white suburbanites as, say, a Taylor Swift. But black artists whose aesthetic is more universal or generic like a Beyonce have broader appeal and a wider white audience. That's just a human thing. People are drawn to art that is a reflection of themselves and where their experiences have taken them.

My problem with Iggy Azalea is that she seems to say the most ignorant things in response to the appropriation brouhaha. She honestly seems to have no idea what kinds of experiences the music originated from. The music itself doesn't bother me much There's a hip hop base, but if you listen to a song like "Fancy" there's a lot of Gwen Stefani in there. The video is an homage to Clueless, the whitest of white girl movies. In Black Widow, she's channeling Uma Thurman in Kill Bill and blending hip hop with more of a Beyonce chorus. She's taking a sound and layering it with images and sounds white girls are familiar with. Which I would expect from an Australia who really enjoys the hip hop sound, and it's a little genius from a marketing perspective. Her persona outside of the music performance seems like average Australian - if she put on appropriated African American affectations outside of the songs, I'd have a big problem with her. It's that historical ignorance that's so cringeworthy, and I think at the heart of the ire towards her.