“Pornographic filth.” What generation of teenagers hasn’t heard their favorite musical genre described in those words (or something close) by their parents? From jazz, bebop, swing, rock, protest, political and now rap music, artists, their producers, managers, and marketers have all had to deal with the trade off between talent and the demands of the marketplace. According to Alan Kurtz, author of Stereotypes in Black Music: The African-American Crossover Compromise, “showmanship trumped mus More...