Who Stole The Soul? (Revisited) Elvis Presley Ain't Got No Soul, Little Richard Is Rock & Roll‏

Who Stole The Soul? (Revisited) Elvis Presley Ain't Got No Soul, Little Richard Is Rock & Roll‏

Labels: Who Stole the Soul?

I just wanted to clarify something, if you grew up listening to real soul music, that R&B that had that something extra to it, then you know what I'm talking about. Because I know someone is going to say that I'm hating, or I'm wrong, Alicia Keys album is soulful. I'm talking about if you know that love and happiness will make you do wrong and make you do right. If you remember where you were when you heard Marvin Gaye was shot, Teddy Pendergrass was paralyzed or know Gregory Abbott's "Shake You Down" word for word. Then you're missing the music.

It's not a secret that I've grown up on hip-hop and it has shaped my life in many ways, but R&B (Soul music) has been the yin to hip-hops yang in my life. I'm not knocking the way anyone is making their money (even Tyler Perry), but I just hate to see something sacrificed at our cost for their crossover success. Too many top tier stars have abandoned that soul sound because records just aren't selling like they used to. Remember when you first heard Alicia Keys' "Fallin"? She sang her heart in that song.

Justin Timberlake and Robin Thicke have slid in and they call it "Blue-eyed Soul". Laying claim to something once again that we gave birth to. I could care less about Rock & Roll, but I know Elvis Presley and The Rolling Stones simply took what they learned watching Little Richard, Jimi Hendrix, Chuck Berry and others, made millions, made history and continue to be successful. In thirty years when Justin Timberlake is on tour and John Legend is singing at the local bar, will he remember when he gave up soul music?