In the beginning, when black people created music, all was good and right in the world.
And the people separated music into two forms: Rock & Roll, and R & B.
Each of these forms of music would be a different approach, a different path.
One of these paths would lead to all that is good and right in music: Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and finally, the Redding Brothers.
The other path would lead to all that is wrong with music: Nelly, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, and Flava Flav.
The Evil Path was not content with simply co-existing. Instead, it wanted everything it could grasp. And so it took the radio, the airwaves, the pop charts, and finally Rob Thomas; all of them fell under its trance. And then it turned and co-opted the glory of the Good Path, sampling and perverting the truly good songs into sappy, brutish forms of noise.
The pop stars were the first to go: Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, the resurrected Backstreet Boys. Those who would not convert were simply brushed aside. But eventually the sheer power involved would sway even the most classic rock stars, and divert their energies.
What can save us from this malady that has overtaken the world?
Only a return to Rock & Roll, a recapturing of the original spirit of independence and expression, can wake the world from the stupor thrown on it by the plague of R&B.
This answer cannot come from the record companies. It cannot come from Hollywood. It must come from someone outside the system, someone who can dig deeply and recapture that original spirit. Only someone who has truly tasted the freedom of Rock & Roll has this power to change the world.
Who is that someone?