Silk Sonic: Appropriation or Celebration?

Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak's collaboration celebrates soul's survival

When Rick Rubin signed the Beastie Boys to Def Jam and Russell Simmons booked them to open to for both Public Enemy and Madonna in the late ‘80s they took a risk by putting a white rap group before two very different audiences — one comfortable with black nationalist rhetoric, the other in thrall to a female pop idol. Through those very different experi…