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A Candid Conversation on Race and Music

July 23, 2017

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Panelists at A Candid Conversation on Race and Music, left to right: Pete Rhodes, Andre McNeal, Derrick Stevens, Mahmoud El-Kati, Sarah White, PaviElle.Ashley Rick/St. Paul Photo Co.

Throughout the history of popular music, African American artists have faced challenges unknown to their white peers in the music industry. Even though many people in Minnesota may mean well, the state is no exception to this. This summer, The Current brought together some of the Twin Cities' well-known scholars, radio personalities and musicians to present a conversation centering on race and music in Minnesota.

Vocalist, singer-songwriter and spoken word artist, PaviElle, started the conversation by acknowledging the fact that the lack of diversity in the Twin Cities can often put black artists at a disadvantage.

"The black community is very small, in regard to the full spectrum of it. Between Northside and Rondo, it's very small," she said. "It's very 'three degrees of separation,' and so we are put into this bubble by the outside, which makes us have to compete with each other for grants, for spots, for clubs, for gigs, for everything just by design, just because the system is designed to do that to us. White artists don't have to compete in the way that black artists have to compete."

One of the problems the panel agreed on is that it can be difficult for black musicians in the Twin Cities to get radio program directors to listen to their music and to give them a chance to be heard by others. Derrick Stevens, Production Manager at The Current, spoke to how it can be difficult for artists to get radio stations to give them a chance.

"I think as the artists have pointed out today, it's always that extra step for black artists to get your stuff heard on the radio, to get program directors to even listen to your music," Stevens said. "There's an extra step you have to take in Minnesota and it's very unfortunate because black artists are trying to do the same thing that white artists are doing, which is delve into their craft, get better at it and get a following for their music."

Andre McNeal, a promoter who has been creating platforms for African American artists to perform in the Twin Cities and to connect with one another, also says one of the biggest problems he faces is working with club owners who have preconceived notions of the black artists he brings in, and who require more "restrictions" — like extra security — for their shows.

"Loyalty is a hard thing to come by in this industry, and it's even harder for a brother or a sister of color to go in, tell them you've got a hot idea and then worry about if they are going to try and steal it," McNeal said. "Sometimes a contract doesn't mean a thing because they had the wherewithal to run you through court, through court, through court, through court and wear you out. Luckily I've been able to withstand that. I've been able to use my email list to say, 'I'll close you down before I let you take 50 percent of my door,' and I'll send an email out and now two days later, that night that's been poppin' for two months is dead. So it's hard, and it continues to be."

That's something Stevens, and the other members of the panel, hope will change as the conversation on race and music in the Twin Cities continues and more people are made aware of the hurdles African American musicians face every day.

"It's very difficult for black artists in Minnesota to take that next step," Stevens says, "so I think that by us having this conversation today and MPR willing to open up the conversation, hopefully we can figure out some ways that promoters, such as Andre can go into a club and say, 'I've got a local artist here from Minnesota. We want to have a show here,' and they're going to actually put their money where their mouth is and let a promoter come in and promote an artist from here."

You can listen to the entire conversation along with performances from Eric Gravatt's "Source Code" and PaviElle using the audio player above. The program will also be broadcast on Sunday, July 23, at 10 p.m.

About the Panelists

Pete Rhodes has been involved in broadcasting for over 30 years, specifically with the Urban Community. He founded the MN Black Music Awards, the cable channel BMA, aka Black Music America, and is President of the Urban Mass Media Group (UMMG) is a leading urban media service-reaching households through digital cable and new media networks. His mission has always been to connect people with Black music, arts and culture.

Mahmoud El-Kati is a lecturer, writer, and commentator on the African American experience. He holds the title Professor Emeritus of history at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota which has established the Mahmoud El-Kati Distinguished Lectureship in American Studies in recognition of his scholarly and community work. Mr. El-Kati has written articles, essays, and reviews have appeared in several newspapers and publications including the New York Times, St. Paul Pioneer Press, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Insight News, The MN Spokesman-Recorder, and The Nigerian Times. He is a frequent commentator through a variety of mass media outlets locally and nationally; a regular columnist for Insight News, commentator for KFAI and KMOJ, and hosts a weekly public affairs radio show called "Reflections and Connections" on KMOJ radio in the Northside of Minneapolis. He also moderates a monthly viewing and discussion on various Black classic films at the Fourth Fridays at the Movies held at Golden Thyme Cafe in St. Paul.

Sarah White is a South Minneapolis-born musician and has performed internationally, sharing stages and collaborating with talented artists including Yasiin Bey, K-OS, Macy Gray, King Britt, J*Davey, and M.anifest. Sarah offers versatility with multitude of experience including live band performances & DJ sets to vocal soundscapes & acoustic candlelit harmonies. She has independently released 2 solo albums and her voice is featured on record label releases from the Midwest to Tokyo. She won Scion's Best Electronic Vocalist Competition while living in New York City. The EP from her most recent solo effort "Laughing at Ghosts" was released March 2016.

PaviElle has taken the stage professionally as a vocalist, singer songwriter and spoken word artist, working with Khalil Queen, Everyday People, and as an early member of EduPoetic Enterbrainment, a group integrating spoken word, R&B, jazz, reggae and hip-hop. PaviElle hails from St Paul's Rondo neighborhood, growing up in a family steeped in music. Her album "Fear Not" was released in January 2015 to high critical acclaim.

Derrick Stevens is the Production Manager at The Current, where he has worked since the station's founding in 2005. A longtime radio veteran, Stevens has worked at various stations, including KMOJ and at the former B96. Stevens has also enjoyed a career as a professional musician; among his achievements is his performance as the rapping MC Skat Kat in Paula Abdul's hit single, "Opposites Attract." Originally from New York, Stevens is a pioneer of the Twin Cities hip hop scene and was one of the first rappers to perform at First Avenue.

Andre McNeal is an entrepreneur, music promoter and the CEO of Bachelor Boy Entertainment. Along with his work creating, arranging and promoting entertainment and events in the Twin Cities, McNeal is a social activist who operates a nonprofit organization, Den Brothers and the Doorstep Foundation, which provide a mentoring program for young African American men in Minneapolis by developing leadership skills and promoting academic success.

Eric Gravatt is a jazz drummer currently living in Minneapolis. He has played with many of the greatest musicians and bands of jazz including Woody Shaw, Howard Roberts, Albert Ayler, Sonny Fortune, Kenny Dorham, Gary Batz and more. Gravatt's career attracted worldwide attention while he played with Weather Report, beginning with 1972's I Sing The Body Electric. In 2004, he toured with McCoy Tyner's big band and moved to Philadelphia where he worked in a trio with Tyner and Charnett Moffett, garnering rave reviews and performing at prestigious festivals in the USA and overseas. Gravatt currently runs a recording studio, directs a group "Source Code" and a publishing company, 1619 Music.