Soulsville’s director Parker thinks ‘Get Over Rap, it has NO SOUL’

Roots go farther than the days of rap and soul but if we were to spend all our time trying to stay with our roots and no time trying to develop our roots then we would all still be ‘butt-naked in the garden of eden’ and would never develop into something greater.

Well some people evidently don’t think so!

In a recent report, Deanie Parker, president and executive director of the Soulsville non-profit project in association with Stax was quoted sayin “We know what music can do for children, they just have to get past the rap and find their roots. The kids have no idea (about the past); they are a generation apart.”

Well I’m not sure what Parker meant by this, but I am here to say rap has played a very important part in past generations and rap remains to play a very important part in kids’ lives today! Maybe if others would first recognize then focus on the influence that rap plays on kids today then maybe we can began to utilize this very strong influence into a positive benefit for not only kids but for everyone. But first we must refrain from making statements referring to rap as something kids should avoid.

Roots go farther than the days of rap and soul but if we were to spend all our time trying to stay with our roots and no time trying to develop our roots then we would all still be ‘butt-naked in the garden of eden’ and would never develop into something greater. Quote me when I say “Rap isn’t going anywhere; It is here today, was here yesterday and we’ll be here tomorrow.” In a way, rap was born from the wounds of soul, so let’s embrace it as we would embrace a child born from the wounds of it’s mother because if you deny the ‘created’ then you also deny it’s ‘creator’.

Deanie Parker 1963A little about Deanie Parker ~ Born in Mississippi, Deanie first came to the Mc Lemore ave. studio in 1963, after winning a local talent contest, the first prize of which was an audition with Stax Records! Deanie stayed there until the end and did everything from singer and composer to secretary, liner notes writer, photographer, editor, publicist, press correspondent, documentalist and a wonderful pen pal for Stax fans from all over the world.