Sex, drugs, and segregation: the influence of Black artists and the history of rock ‘n’ roll

To an angsty teenager, nothing is more appealing than music that repulses adults, alludes to sex and drugs, and was at one point, banned in the city of Santa Cruz. Rock music, and what it represents, not only draws mass appeal from youth, but has historically been met with riots, backlash, and critique from the older generations. Obnoxious, loud, and in-your-face, rock has remained a notorious facet of music since its dawn. Intense concerts and wild crowds were a missing piece from the music world, unleashing and releasing aggressive emotions which were rarely expressed in music. The emotional release for the folks of the 1950s was exciting and unprecedented. Though more than just a feeling, the Footloose-esque history of rock and roll is one of integration as well.

Willow Smith in “t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l” performance video on Youtube.

Black artists like Little Richard, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and Chuck Berry were some of the first pioneers of this new genre of music, who merged energetic elements of gospel and R&B–rock and roll was born.

The musical experience of 1950s America was highly segregated–Black and white artists were seldom featured in the same venues or on the same radio stations. Alongside other innovative music genres like country and jazz, rock was only let into mainstream popularity once the genre was given a white image. Famous DJs of the 1950s like Alan Freed were known for the popularization of rock and roll, bringing the sounds to white audiences and therefore, the hegemonic mainstream media industry. Seeking to capitalize on the popularity of African-American music, Elvis Presley’s career was launched. Nicknamed “The King of Rock and Roll” and regarded as one of the most famous music icons of the 20th century, Elvis Presley became the industry’s marketable face of rock. 

From a time of propriety, repression and white picket fences–music that spoke loudly of sex and rebellion was unprecedented and in turn, attracted youthful audiences. Rock music was synonymous with sexuality, and Elvis Presley’s image and stage presence embodied that brand. Rock music is thus characterized by controversy and the recklessness so distinctive to adolescence.

Designed by Nadia Laswi

Unfortunately, names like Little Richard and Chuck Berry never reached the fame of Elvis due to the anti-Black nature of the music and media industries, but rock music remained appealing to a wide audience. To the frustration of the older, conservative generations, the rise of rock music mixed the cultures of white and African-American music. In showings of the controversial 1955 film Blackboard Jungle, featuring an interracial school and a now infamous rock song on its soundtrack, frenzies of teenagers stomped on the theater seats. The teenagers’ vandalism and recklessness incited backlash from concerned parents, in large part due to the portrayal of an interracial school and the discussion of racial and economic inequalities. Public commentary regarding race is either discouraged or attacked, and considering Brown v. Board of Education was decided only a year prior, a film depicting integrated schools garnered especially strong resistance. The film permanently associated rock music with violence and undermining authority; the reputation of the so-called ‘devil’s music’ was solidified. Deemed violent and unbecoming, the film gained notoriety for supporting delinquency and was consequently banned in film festivals and several cities.

With the film alone causing such controversy, it becomes evident why Black rock artists were neglected the credit and attention they deserve. Even in a white-dominated rock industry, white artists were ridiculed for singing what was considered Black music. The public opinion of rock and roll was polarizing, for its rebellious tone but even more so for the racial integration of music which was historically harshly segregated. 

Photo by Addie Briggs

A number of genres branched from rock after its debut, paved by Black artists; Poly Styrene breathed life into the punk-rock genre in the 70s with bold social commentary as the lead singer of X-Ray Spex. Breaking the status quo, Big Joanie is a feminist punk-rock trio known for their energetic and lively shows. Genre-bending and innovative musicians include Bali Baby, known for her mixture of rap and rock, Yves Tumor’s psychedelic and electronic rock, and New Orleans band Special Interest, who fuses elements of rock and disco. Rock and its many subgenres can be difficult to strictly classify, as it’s less defined by any particular musical element but rather, it embodies an attitude.

Despite Black artists’ characterization of rock music, the success of rock musicians was and continues to be largely centered around white artists. The most famous names in rock, both old and new, remain predominantly white. Accredited as the quintessential faces of rock, bands like Pink Floyd, Nirvana and Led Zeppelin received international recognition for their work, while Black artists struggle to sign with labels, publish their work or increase their outreach. 

Today, rock music remains white-dominated, and fails to platform its artists of color. Black and Brown musicians aiming to produce rock, metal or pop-punk are overlooked or shelved by labels who fail to see them as profitable. The anti-Blackness in the industry has a long history of denying opportunities to those it deems unmarketable, which artists like WILLOW actively overcome–releasing alternative and pop-punk albums in homage to the Black rock singers that she grew up listening to. As WILLOW tells The YUNGBLUD Podcast, “I just hope that I can show young Black girls that… despite the fact that people are telling us, ‘We shouldn’t listen to this music, we shouldn’t dress this way, we shouldn’t sing this way,’ we do it and do it to the fullest. And it’s kind of the best that it’s ever been done.”

Words and Design by Nadia Laswi

Photos by Addie Briggs

Willow Smith photographed by Domen and Van de Velde 2022, Yves Tumor by Vitali Gelwich 2017, Sister Rosetta Tharpe photographed by Chris Ware via Getty Images, Little Richard photographed by Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images 1957, Blackboard Jungle by Richard Brooks via Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on Youtube