Is it simply a matter of labels? Are we socialized into reserving the label of *prodigy* for fields that are traditionally held high regard? Or is classical music actually more complicated than rap and rock music, therefore warranting the use of the word *prodigy* to describe any child that excels in it?
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There are some, but less common. Check out guys like Tosin Abasi when he was just out of Berkley, or Chares Berthoud when he was younger. There are probably a lot of other examples.
I hate to say it, but in a society where white reigns supreme, they make the rules for the most part. Classical is heavily geared towards white.
If we were in a society where black reigns supreme, it would be the other way around.
The word prodigy is ascribed to a child who excels in any area, whether that be language, STEM, art, sports – you name it.
[Here](https://youtu.be/zMFWr4eSBQI) is a teenage guitarist prodigy
[Here](https://youtu.be/GJu_lsb2oVQ) is a kid who is largely considered a rap prodigy
[Drummer](https://youtu.be/NKN36aS2uvI)
[Another guitarist](https://youtu.be/q17ER-yee6M) (edit; whoops this is the same kid as above. There’s plenty more though)
They’re everywhere, Google “kid who’s really good at X”
Stevie Wonder got signed at 11, and Wikipedia even refers to him as a child prodigy – not quite “rock”, but not classical. Michael Jackson also became a star quite young with The Jackson 5, of course becoming the most successful of the family.
If a child is of prodigy level musical skill they are most likely to play the most difficult music. And since they usually haven’t developed their own tastes yet it’s natural to go straight into classical music. A true prodigy would be wasting their talents making pop, rap, or most rock.
Rock and Rap *tend to be* simpler genres. Not saying there aren’t exceptions, as there certainly are, but for maybe 80-90% of popular Rock Bands they just play some simple chords, and the vocals are often looser with some distortion that helps mask imperfections. Same with Rap, where there are definitely exceptions, but most keep the backing music and vocals pretty standard.
This results in upcoming child prodigies who are only beginning to learn their instrument of choice getting pushed towards more complex genres (i.e. classical, jazz, etc.) by the adults in their life as a way to both develop their skill and show off their talents.
How young are you thinking? A lot of modern pop singers, especially the women, began their career as young teenagers. They can be considered prodigal.
The word child prodigy in music doesn’t match the dictionary definition of prodigy. It refers to someone who performs well enough to contend with those who have a higher age and much more experience.
Kriss Kross were commercially viable hip-hop artists at the ages of 12 and 13. Lil Bow Wow released his first commercial rap album at 13. I’m sure there are more recent examples.
Is Bow Wow a joke to you?
Not a lot of people want to listen to a child rap or sing because they sound like children. A talented child playing an instrument sounds like a talented adult.
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