Lenny Kravitz is one of the biggest rock artists of the late 1990s and 2000s, cranking out hit after hit and making a name for himself as one of the genre's main commercial exponents of the time. However, in his view, there was always one blind spot when it came to his appeal. Moreover, the superstar musician recently spoke in an interview cover story on how Black media like BET or The Source Awards doesn't give him his due flowers despite his accolades from other organizations and his art as a whole. It's very hard to pinpoint why this could be the case, but it's nevertheless an interesting and important conversation to have.
"To this day, I have not been invited to a BET thing or a Source Awards thing," Lenny Kravitz expressed. "And it’s like, here is a Black artist who has reintroduced many Black art forms, who has broken down barriers. Just like those that came before me broke down. That is positive. And they don’t have anything to say about it?" On social media, many users debated as to why this is, bringing up other examples and using different forms of analyses. It's also worth noting that he has no shortage of collaborations with other Black artists.
Lenny Kravitz Speaks Out About Black Media Recognition
For example, many pointed out that Prince did not have this issue despite falling into the rock realm that Lenny Kravitz inhabits. In addition, folks debated whether rock music is considered a Black art form in the 21st century, with many rightfully pointing out that the genre owes its existence to African Americans. Furthermore, they posited this as a reason as to why maybe these outlets haven't given him his due recognition, even with his recent work that can fall on the shoulders of his legacy. Others called into question the 59-year-old's quality of output over the years, and the theory that he never really presented himself as an artist for Black media to celebrate in the first place.
On that last note, some people believe that Kravitz always aimed for a white audience, but he became too big of an artist that is still relevant today for this to truly be the case. As such, this is still up for debate and perhaps we will never truly know why. For now, though, we can use this as a learning example, especially when genre blends are more commonplace than ever in the industry. With that in mind, check back in with HNHH for more news and updates on Lenny Kravitz.