Expanding horizons

Is music appreciation linked in some way to good character? I think so! Being able to listen to (without drowning out the sound with complaints and belly-aching as my students do) and perhaps even enjoy music of genres outside of the mainstream- mainstream as in rap and r & b, specifically- is quite similar to respecting people who are different from the mainstream and different from oneself. While the works of artists representing the best of hip hop clearly show the influence of artists and genres other than hip hop/rap, my students are so resistant to hearing and feeling other music. The familiar booming bass, melodic hooks, and references to pop culture stereotypes- Dollar Bills, Extra Expensive Car, Clothes, and House, and Club Scenes- lull them into a secure narrow mindedness, the kind that creates and perpetuates glass ceilings and is indignant about how far in the past one might find nooses hanging from trees...

Here are some artists who provide important lessons both in music and in character while integrating their wide array of interests, experiences and (musical) influences.

Disclaimer: This list is by no means exhaustive. The artists are not all rappers and some could be considered "mainstream." The key is that they exhibit the talent and creativity to be fully integrative (and they are some of my favorites!).


Outkast
Anthony Hamilton
Alicia Keys
Kanye West
India Arie
Jill Scott
Soulive
Gang Starr
A Tribe Called Quest
Queen Latifah
The Roots
Common
Talib Kweli
Mos Def
De La Soul
Public Enemy