Tracy Chapman, Luke Combs and the complicated response to ‘Fast Car’

https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2023/07/13/tracy-chapman-luke-combs-fast-car-cover/

Combs’s remake of Chapman’s 1988 hit now dominates the country charts, renewing difficult conversations about diversity in Nashville. Although many are thrilled to see “Fast Car” back in the spotlight and a new generation discovering Chapman’s work, it’s clouded by the fact that, as a Black queer woman, Chapman, 59, would have almost zero chance of that achievement herself in country music.

13 points · 5 comments · view on lemmy.world

5 Comments

Pistcow@lemm.ee · 5 pts · 3y

Its like if Thomas Kinkade painted over the Sistine Chapel.

Nero@kbin.social · 4 pts · 3y (3 replies)

How is this even an article? She did have success, in 1988 no less, with her song. So what is this, "She couldn't make it nowadays" Mumbo jumbo?

idk maybe I am missing the point here

exohuman@programming.dev · 12 pts · 3y

The point is she would not have had this success as a black LGBTQ country artist in the last few decades. She found success in the past as a rock artist (who we all knew was folk) but notably not on the country charts:

Original Fast Car charts: US Billboard Hot 100 6 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) 7 US Mainstream Rock (Billboard) 19 US Cash Box Top 100[29] 4

YoBuckStopsHere@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 3y (1 reply)

The article is about why she in particular was largely blacklisted from the country music community.

flossdaily@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 3y

Could it be because she sang blues, rich, soul, folk, and not country?

Was she also blacklisted by the gangsta rap community?