Greg stephens, I beg to differ about Louis Armstron as being the MOST influential misician in the 20th century. My vote goes to Hank Williams who did give credit to being influenced by a black street musician in Montgomery, alabama known as Teetot.

No one has addressed though the issue of the double standard culturally of why it is OK for blacks to insult themselves loudly and in public with the N word. I find this to be a phenomenon that I cannot say that I have ever heard any other culture/racial group do this. That, and to so continuously have their male musical artists so constantly ridicule and demean females in music.

We had for a long time a news anchor who happened to be black and was very articulate. He was really quite well respected. A friend of mine who happens to be black enjoyed telling me that he happened to be a party where this news anchor attended and without any whites present, was hardly recognizable as his speech went completely ebonic.