My thing is I absolutely love the US (and I’m making a distinction from the Americas… South and Canada… love those people too!), African American music has shaped the landscape here as has the likes of Steve Earl. Hank Williams, Public Enemy. Hendrix and so on. Cross cultural influences speaking politics through music is one thing the US has embraced over the recent decades.
As an Australian I believe that if African American music never existed then ACDC would never have existed. The Rolling Stones would certainly never have existed. Elvis Presley sang Black songs beautifully but unwittingly profited off of another culture!
Yes I’m confused about how to think about what the hell “US image” even means. Think it is an important discussion between those inside and outside of the ‘States’.
