Music is not only an industry but an essential element of culture. In some cases, musicians adopt elements from other cultures, which results in cultural appropriation (Crayton 2018). Chaskinakuy is a band of Peruvian natives who want to share the music of people living in mountainous areas of South America. Their music does not feature cultural appropriation because they were born in the same area whose music they are sharing. Although their style is a mix of several genres, no cultural appropriation can be found because they were born and raised in that culture.
Daryl Hall would agree with my view because he believes that any culture is actually a blend of other cultures that had existed previously in history. Therefore, he strongly opposes the notion of cultural appropriation, especially in the United States, which is a country of many nations and cultures. When a musician writes a song, they do not think of whether or not to adopt elements from other cultures. Instead, their song-writing is influenced by the culture they grew up in. In other words, they are members of that culture too, and should not be accused of stealing others’ culture and identity.
I do not think that Daryl Hall and John Oates are appropriating African American soul/R&B. Claiming so would mean that Eminem is stealing African American rap, when in reality, Marshall grew up in this rap culture. Hall’s music represents his life experiences and the culture he is part of. Cultural appropriation is not always wrong – sometimes musicians may want to pay tribute to a specific culture and use some of their elements. Cultural appropriation is not acceptable when it is meant to undermine that culture.
Reference
Crayton, L. A. (2018). Everything You Need to Know About Cultural Appropriation. New York, NY: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.