The power of our songs: Black music as resistance | News

Since the Africans arrived on the shores of America, they brought with them their genius, creativity and ingenuity. Although they were enslaved, their continued existence was an act of resistance. Perhaps no other art form captures the essence of black resistance just like music. Every genre created by black people, such as spirituals, blues, country, jazz, rock & roll, R&B, and gospel, carries within it the aspirations of black liberation. Music has been the soundtrack of our personal experiences and the freedom movements that have changed America for the better.

In popular culture, black music was given the task of addressing the social realities of living in a dehumanizing, racist society. While themes such as love and romance and capturing the mood at parties were at the heart of the music of the ’50s and ’60s, black artists also began to push the boundaries of their art form. During this era Sam Cook was one of the most famous artists in musicwhich combined silky smooth gospel vocals with a pop sound. He had several hits in his catalog, such as “You Send Me,” “Cupid,” and “What a Wonderful World.” In 1964, he wrote the classic “A Change Gonna Come,” which deviated from his earlier work and built on the blueprint of Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit,” which sheds light on the lynchings of black Americans. Written as a reaction to the social unrest and his own experiences with racism and discriminationCooke’s gospel roots emerged as he advocated for “change” – a better future for black people. Released posthumously after his untimely death, “A Change Gonna Come” became an iconic anthem of the civil rights movement and Cooke’s signature song.

Nina Simone is considered to be the expression of the notion that it is an artist’s duty to reflect the times. She used her art to point out the racial injustices that black people faced. And she did so without hesitation. She combined her classical training with elements of folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B and pop on “Mississippi Goddam,” released in 1964. Her lyrics referenced the murder of NAACP leader Medgar Evers and the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, which killed four young black girls and left another partially blind. In 1969, she released “To Be Young, Gifted and Black,” a song she co-wrote with Weldon Irvine about the beauty of being black. On August 17, 1969, she performed the song in front of 50,000 spectators at the Harlem Cultural Festival, which can be seen in the documentary Summer of the Soul.

Following in Cooke and Simone’s footsteps, the singer/songwriter Curtis Mayfield who would embody the ethos of black resistance music. With his group The impressionsHe composed inspirational anthems of black pride that also served as the soundtrack for the civil rights movement, such as “Keep On Pushing,” “We’re a Winner,” and “Colors of Choice.” Mayfield serves as an example of the growing social consciousness of black musicians. Mayfield continued this path over the next decade as a solo artist with socially critical contributions on “Superfly,” “Freddie’s Dead,” and “Pusherman.”

An anthem to black women empowerment defies sexism

While racism was a huge social obstacle in the late 1960s, patriarchy and sexism were often dismissed by black men. Fortunately, the “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin taught the black community and the whole world about the Intersectionality of race, gender, sexuality and class on “Respect”. Originally composed and released by Otis Redding In 1965, Franklin’s 1967 cover changed the gender of the lyrics as she collaborated with her sisters Erma And I’m Carolyn. “Respect” reached number 1 in the same year.

In an interview with Detroit Free Press, Franklin was asked about her stance on “Respect” and its adoption by the feminist and civil rights movements. “I don’t think it’s bold at all,” Franklin said. “I think it’s natural that we all want respect – and should get it.” The song became an anthem and a declaration of black womanhood.

“The Godfather of Soul” not only redefined and influenced pop music, but James Brown also used his enormous platform as a superstar to speak truth to power. In 1968, Brown co-wrote with bandleader Alfred “Pee-Wee” Ellis, several months after the murder of Martin Luther King. The song accelerated the transition from “Negro” to outright black. Brown addressed the racism and economic exploitation experienced by black Americans. In an interviewChuck D said, “That song was dangerous, aggressive, and political. But I’m 8 years old… All I know is it’s funky, I say the word ‘black’ and we’re not ‘colored’ anymore.” Brown sang, “We’ve been ‘buked’ and we’ve been despised/ We’ve been treated badly, talked about as sure as we were born,” which is borrowed from the spiritual “I’ve Been ‘Buked'” and shows Brown’s connection to the tradition of black resistance music. Brown recorded many songs of black resistance, such as “I Don’t Want Nobody to Give Me Nothing (Open Up the Door, I’ll Get It Myself)” and “Funky President.”

After black artists laid the foundation in the 1960s, a variety of artists reached their creative peak in the 1970s with albums designed as artistic statements and songs that embodied the essence of black resistance. There was Mayfield’s Curtis And Superfly, Parts of a man from Gil Scot-Heron, There is an uprising from Sly and the Stone familyFranklin’s Young, talented and blackand Simone’s Black gold to name a few.

One of the milestones of black resistance music was Marvin Gaye’s What’s up. Gaye was released on May 21, 1971, breaking free from Motown assembly line of music production and created one of the best albums of all time. Inspired by the social injustice in America and his brother Frankie’s three-year deployment as a soldier in Vietnam, fought Motown founder Berry Gordy released a collection of protest songs as a concept LP. One of the songs was the title track, which he wrote together with Al Cleveland And Renaldo “Obie” Benson of Four tops. Benson wrote the lyrics to “What’s Going On” after experiencing an incident in which Berkeley police beat protesters in People’s ParkThe four peaks rejected Benson passed the song on to Gaye, who reworked it. The revised version was intended to inspire social change. Gaye’s artistic instincts proved correct. “What’s Going On” shot to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Gaye was also ahead of his time, addressing environmental issues in “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” and even the oppressive tax system in “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler).” In the same vein, Gaye released Trouble Man The following year, a soundtrack album for the blaxploitation film of the same name.

Stevie Wonders, another Motown superstar, took his cue from Gaye and developed into an artist who wanted to express his views on the plight of black people in America. During his classic album period from 1972 to 1976, he released Audiobook, Innervisions, The first finale of fulfillment, and song In the Key of Life, which earned him three Grammys for Album of the Year. He wrote songs full of political commentary such as “He’s Misstra Know-It-All” and “You Haven’t Done Nothin,” in which he criticized the government of President Richard Nixon. Also, Wonders “Happy Birthday” instrumental to establish a national holiday in honor of Martin Luther King.

Rap Music – Become a voice for the voiceless

In the 1980s, a growing cultural phenomenon called hip-hop was spreading rapidly. Originally originating in the Bronx, New York, rap music was the emerging genre at the time. While The ““King Tim III (Personality Jock)” was the first rap song recorded on the label and The Sugarhill Gang landed the first rap hit with “Rapper’s Delight”, the true art of rap music resistance was first demonstrated on “The Message” by Grandmaster Five and The Furious Five.

Released on July 1, 1982, The Message was a social commentary on black life in New York City, addressing issues such as poverty, crime, suicide, and the prison industrial complex. Written by Mel Mel And Duke ankle bootswas originally a reaction to the New York City Transit Strike 1980 as the song goes. Melle Mel sums up the existential reality of many black New Yorkers when he raps: “Don’t push me ’cause I’m close to the edge/I’m trying not to lose my head/Ah-huh-huh-huh-huh/Sometimes it’s like a jungle/I wonder how I don’t go under.”

Enemy of the Stateone of the most respected and revolutionary acts in rap history, is the touchstone of black resistance music in 1980s hip hop. With their philosophy of black nationalism, Afrocentric imagery, and politically charged lyrics, Chuck D. Flavor Flav, the S1Ws and the production of The Bomb disposal squad were uncompromisingly black. Their songs “Rebel Without a Pause,” “Bring the Noise,” “Night of the Living Baseheads,” and “911 Is as a Joke” set them apart from many of their contemporaries, as they bravely challenged white supremacy with each hard-hitting song. The crème de la crème of their black resistance ethos was “Fight the Power.” Released on July 4, 1989 and taken from a Isley Brothers The song “Fight the Power” became the group’s signature song and mission statement. Chuck D rapped: “Now that you’ve realized that pride has arrived / We gotta pump that stuff to make us hard / From the heart / It’s a start, a work of art / To revolutionize.”

Black resistance music today

Black Americans are still battling the realities of racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, and income inequality. Just like their forebears, Black artists have spoken to our lived experiences. As protests and demonstrations in response to the deaths of George Floyd, Sandra Bland, Breonna TaylorAnd Michael BrownThe music of black resistance spoke to our pain and suffering. Kendrick Lamar’s “In order”, Your “I can not breath”, Lil Baby’s “The big picture” and Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” is one of the songs that Black Lives Matters movement and the pursuit of justice throughout the country.

As long as we live in the Maya Angelou Described as “the future United States of America,” there will always be visionary artists making music that reflects our dreams, our longings, our pain and our struggles.