How do you like YOUR Coffey??? Black or in denial?

On Monday nights there is nothing good on tv. Case in point the country version of American Idol called Nashville Star hosted by Billy Ray Cyrus. I am not a country fan, but occasionally I can bear it. I can get into artists like Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, and the Dixie Chicks. For the most part though,
country music strikes me as too twangy, pseudo Christian, or nauseatingly patriotic. So in a way I don't really have the background or right to critique country music, but I am going to anyway.

Tonight I saw a contestant who certainly challenged the stereotypical look of a country singer. Coffey, (pronounced coff-AY, emphasis on the second syllable)is the first young black man to sing country music that I have ever seen. He is very attractive and by appearance fits that younger, hot, country music scene. I mean who wouldn't get a little weak in the knees over any strapping young buck in a pair of wrangler jeans and a cowboy hat...HAWT DAMN! Anyway, a black man singing country music, as you can imagine, is rare. Intrigued, I continued to watch, in hopes of being wooed, pleasantly surprised, or at the very least, entertained.

Wow. Not only did Coffey shatter my hopes of what could be, he sang an original song that almost made my dinner come up.

His entire song sounded like a mixture of rap and country, and he didn't seem to do either genre justice. The timing was forced, and the words were cliche'. The worst part was that he was asserting himself as a "country boy" by denouncing things often associated with hip-hop. Now let me clarify, some of my favorite artists criticize (constructively and creatively so) hip-hop: The Roots, Common, Lauryn Hill, and Kanye West for example, but the thing is, they are GOOD at it, and they are not just throwing some bandwagon rhetoric around in order to degrade an art form that is often misunderstood or downright disregarded most of the time. On the contrary, I think that their critique, paired with their music strives to preserve lyricism, creativity, and beats that inspire a range of emotion, thus validating a true American art form.

Part of the reason they pull off their critique, besides the quality and brilliance behind their craft, is because they ARE hip-hop artists. But Coffey was not good at criticizing the more materialistic side of rap culture because he has not "earned the right to be heard." I suspect that Coffey has probably spent the better part of his life fighting off prejudice and stereotypes that he felt did not relate to him which is understandable, but it doesn't excuse crappy country rap.

To make matters worse, this song was an effort for Coffey to express who he is as a "Southern Man." He criticizes "bling," & "Escalades," and proudly boasted of his "pick up truck with the horns on the hood."

I too am turned off by "bling, Tims, and Rims" kind of stuff, but Coffey singing about it like he did reminded me of how when I was little I could fight my brother all I wanted, but if someone not related to us picked on him, oh hell no, I was not having that. In the same regard, Common, The Roots, etc have a more legitimate point of departure that gives them license to criticize hip hop/rap culture that doesn't have much depth. Coffey? Hmmm, I don't think so.

I think it is great when people get to a place where they realize that he or she is not bound by a stereotype. But it really seemed that Coffey not only wanted to battle the stereotype, he wanted to blast those who fit it, and associate with those who more likely than not, want nothing to do with him.

Honestly, I feel for this guy, I really do. If he makes it in this competition (which I don't think he will because he just isn't that great of a singer) what audience does he plan to reach? What radio station is going to play his music? Are there black people out there who are interested in joining in on the black bashing? Or does Coffey hope to attract country folk looking for a black country singer who will make them feel justified in their prejudice mindsets. I guess time will tell.

Maybe this whole experience will be a good lesson for Coffey, which I prefer black, with a little sugar ;-.)