Breakout band The Paradox lands first #1 on the Billboard charts

The FBA (Foundational Black Americans) created rock and roll. Though it’s quiet, the Oscar-nominated film Sinners shows the evolution of popular music throughout the decades with a single, now famous scene. Pop-punk band The Paradox has shown it's also cool for black performers to hold guitars.

As they hail from Atlanta, a hotbed for rap acts, the collective has forged new possibilities for up and coming acts. Their high-energy and simple lyrics gel well with their expert instrumentation. In a world where most young blacks are looking forward to becoming rap stars, this band has remained true to the idea that they’re showing themselves as not pioneers or architects but something completely new.

When they scored their first number one single on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart, they felt elated at the idea that they opened for Green Day and now they’re in conversation alongside the venerated band.

If they continue on this route, other black bands might surface and create a renaissance of black bands holding guitars. Their innovative and melodic tunes bring to the fore the idea that people of darker hues can return to their roots.

Blues is actually the root of all popular music today. The Paradox represent the thought there are so many avenues for young black men and women to take in the music business. With the power of their chords and the might of their vocals, this band has cleared out a space for themselves and others. While there may be a novelty element to them, there’s also a thorough, genuine strain running through their music.

The task is to ascertain whether they will be giants on the wasteland like the aforementioned Green Day or burn out or fade away. In a way, they’ve already made history so they have that to hang on the shelf. Eric Dangerfield’s hot licks from his guitar and full-throated screeches elevate the band’s stature as a punk group which appears to the pop crowd. Rayman/Donald’s bass is consistent and thought-provoking with his chord changes. Xelan’s lead guitar and vocals also propel this group’s vehicle to deliver on the promise that there’s a reason why two vocalists had to be part of the equation. PC3’s drumming takes the band to new heights with precision and excellent timing.

For this band to get together and make it on the level of a grand scale is a testament to all the black bands like Bad Brains and others. Their sound is distinctive and Dangerfield almost sounds like Lil Uzi Vert. That energy that rappers have displayed in heavy metal and rock acts shows their capacity for being welcome in hip hop circles.

All of their tools at their disposal have created something in them that demonstrates the ability to be provocative and on the bleeding edge of the technological sphere in which they find themselves. In this era of streams and downloads, there is a specificity that they channel through their songs. They know the way to achieve economic success is to concentrate on their skills as bonafide musicians.

Though their name is on the covers of other bands, once one talks about what the band consists of, it’s possible to distinguish all of them. So, they made history. Let this just be a stepping stone on their way to rock glory. It will be something to hear one day on classic rock radio an all-black band. But that shouldn’t be the draw. The idea of their exceptional talent should drive the minds of listeners, never mind their skin color. As they continue to blaze their own trail, it’s a wonder to see this band continue to perform feats thought impossible.