'Idol' Banter: The Chikezie Conundrum

Why does it feel like this year's "Idol" family is getting whiter and whiter? Chikezie going home tonight is a big blow to the Top 10's overall energy and fun quotient and to fans of the R&B-based pop that's well served so many previous finalists. Who's left to provide us with our weekly dose of melismatic testifying? Not Sayesha -- despite her recent spate of emotiveness, she's made for Diane Warren-style ballads, not Aretha jams.

Yet Chikezie's departure, especially after he dipped back into Luther Vandross' catalog this week, was no surprise. Aside from Ruben Studdard, the Velvet Exception who proves the rule, black male singers have a tough time on "Idol," hanging out on its bottom tiers. Brandon Rogers, Anwar Robinson, Gedeon McKinney and Rickey Smith all lost their spots before the end of March. Only George Huff lasted into May, and that was after Simon used a wild card to reinstate him.

     Does this shock you? Take a look at the Billboard charts. Last year's 20 best-selling albums  (topped by Daughtry, the whole reason this season's "rocking" so hard) included not one traditional soul man. R. Kelly, who's ruled that position for years, topped out at No.  50 with his album "Double Up." Skinny pretenders Justin Timberlake and Robin Thicke both did much better.

    R&B crooners still have a place in pop, but it's increasingly marginalized. Marvin Gaye spoke for his generation when he recorded "What's Goin' On," and Stevie Wonder managed to be both proudly Afrocentric and universally minded on his great 1970s albums.

But since the 1980s, when Prince and Michael Jackson broke every barrier, R&B's biggest crossovers have almost always been women. (The exceptions appeal to teens:  Usher, for example.) The men who do thrive find support from the same fans who've made Tyler Perry a massive mogul: women of color and their swoon-tolerant partners.

     The reasons for this are complex and go beyond music itself (and, really, the scope of tonight's post). The "urban music" business operates at a remove from other aspects of the music industry, with different promoters, publicists and marketing teams selling its artists to a pre-ordained audience. What's more troubling is white America's seeming reluctance to universally embrace a strong black male voice, unless it belongs to a rapper selling blaxploitation fantasies to teens.

      If you hate armchair sociology, please stop reading right now. I gotta ask --  is it a coincidence that during the same period R&B's men got shoved into a corner, a stunning number of African-American males were incarcerated? Or that, according to a 2006 study, the rate of unemployment for black men was twice as high as for men of other ethnic groups? Sorry to be a total bummer, but according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, such men also have the lowest life expectancy  of any ethnic group.

      As daily life goes, so goes pop. Female artists tend to be more chameleon, and less categorized by their race; white homeboys like Timberlake channel black style without being burdened by negative stereotypes. Teen artists like Chris Brown seem to be able to break down these divides; hope lies with the kids, as usual. More mature-seeming R&B lovemen, like Chikezie, have trouble crossing audience lines.

     So did racism do in Chikezie? That seems too harsh a statement during a season that's actually more diverse than usual. Contenders like David Archuleta and Jason Castro rep for the new style of teen idol, whose biracial beauty matters as much as puppy-boy cuddle appeal. Biracial Syesha Mercado and Filipino Ramiele Mulabay contribute to a roster that looks a lot like America (not to mention a certain Democratic presidential candidate).

    Still, I'm sad that we've lost this season's one true soul singer, and one of the program's most charismatic black male contestants. Chikezie worked his Luther vibe a little too hard in the end, solidifying his stance in a way that mainstream America couldn't support.

    He should have taken a cue from the black male singer to find the greatest recent success -- Akon, who almost beat Daughtry for last year's top spot.  Like Chikezie, Akon has African roots, and he's used his immigrant voice to shake up preconceived notions of what a soul singer should sound like. Chikezie kept talking about "Nigerian cultural music" during his interviews; he should have incorporated some into this performances. Maybe then he wouldn't have been Konvicted  tonight.

-- Ann Powers

(photo courtesy of Fox)

Comments

[Chicago48]

Interesting comment. and you know -- Chikezie could have added a reggae flavor to that song and it wouldn't have done him in. Like Randy said, it sounded "old" and it was old, Luther was the last of the great black balladeers, and who knows if Luther were alive today -- would he be selling millions of albums? I doubt it.

A little slow reggae bounce to that song would have kept him in the game.

[mike]

Congrats on a great season Chikezie!! We're gonna miss you. A group card has been started for Chikezie... stop by and leave a personal message!

http://www.squidnote.com/c/XL30D4mXXL8

[mac]

speak the truth ann powers. YOU SPEAK THE TRUTH!

[sloanish]

I usually enjoy this column but this week it's fairly ridiculous. You're really going to try to bring in race? After the success that African-Americans have had on the show? After a black male already won?

And white audiences not supporting a strong black voice in the marketplace... Are young black audiences? Are white audiences looking for a strong white voice? Wait, there's none? Strong voices aren't important in the pop marketplace, that's why.

This is clearly an age issue. Young people do not like Luther Vandross. It is boring music to them. And me. Young people vote for American Idol. Kids (as evidenced by many of the contestants) aren't interested in old music like the Beatles. Why would they be interested in Chikezie's old brand.

[jb]

yeah, it racism is the only possible answer. it certainly couldn't be anything to do with the collapse of songwriting in r&b.

[D Mooew]

This is a stunning display of ignorance (FYI it means lake of knowledge not rudeness as some seem to want to use it) First music popularity goes in cycles. I remember when “rock” was dead and then two days later Nirvana burst into the public consciousness. Brands and genres get stale, and either get reinvented or die out. Punk, country, hip-hop, metal, rock, salsa…whatever; is my taste in music dictated by racial animus or just what seems pleasing to me personally? Someone could be a very talented opera singer, but if I do not like Opera, I am not buying it. Are black men who do not listen to country music racist against whites, or simple self selecting the musical styles they find most pleasing? Further; seriously, incarceration statistics? Who is committing crimes and therefore getting arrested and incarcerated is an important subject for discussion, but is completely unrelated to the current state of pop music. It may be tough to break through the po-mo narrative which your professors weaved around your brain in college, but the majority of the population is not obsessed with racially motivated grievance politics and ethnic fraternalism. Other then a few activists, and of course the purveyors of “white guilt” most of us are just paying our bills and enjoying whatever music, sports or activities we find pleasing.

[Gayle Lecus]

Middle America does "run the show" and "Middle America" do not like someone of color. Simple as that. They rather hear someone singing country music than hear creative sounds...

[Zzzzzzzzzzzz]

Oh come on Ann, you're really reaching here don't you think? I'd say the more likely reason is that our most popular African-American singers right now among younger listeners are rappers. And rap just isn't featured on Idol. That might provide better grounds for a story. Perhaps if Chikezie were as a good a rapper as he is a straight-up R&B singer he could've pulled off a performance that mixed the two styles and might've appealed better to Idol's viewers.

[PJ]

It's that G** D*** Amerikkka at work again!