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Music as a tool of protest and social change
The importance of music within society
The importance of music within society
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J.Cole, the music producer, songwriter and rapper has been awarded multiples of times because the impacts of his raps for example 2015 Billboard Music Award for Top Rap Album and 2013 BET Hip Hop Award for Best Impact Track. He also went platinum with album 2014 Forest Hill Drive which he infact did not have any featurings.As a child, he moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina where he was raised by his mother and stepfather and later on attends and graduate from St. John University. As a young black male, he experienced obstacles of which help him shape his songs with everlasting messages. These event that happened for instance the #blacklivesmatter movement, J.Cole a advocate of this movement uses his song to create awareness and motivates …show more content…
In Fire Squadz, J.Cole emphasis that the system placed in our country not only limit our black youth but forces them into a category making it hard for them to rise for expectations. J.Cole is interviewed by columnist Nia Porter from saintheron.com, about the stories behind singers and rappers like J.Cole, and states in the interview, “The video is really more of a commentary on the need for unity and togetherness more so than it is a comment on racism, because [the black community] knows—we all know about oppression. We’re all aware of that. What we’re not aware of is the dysfunction within our own community. You know what I mean? The fact that there are levels to us economically and because of the different skin colors within our own race. We’re not aware of that. We’re aware of the other shit.”Fire Squadz is a song based on the never ending problem on white supremacy in society. when J. Cole says “there are levels to us economically and because of the different skin colors within our own race. We’re not aware of that. We’re aware of the other shit” show how messed up the whole system because of not only the long lasting stereotypes but because people of color let these …show more content…
In those lyrics J.Cole is trying to awaken black rappers to realize that they are the foundation of Hip Hop and Rap and their thrown is being over taken by white people. He also calls out to those black rapper who fight with each other to see who 's the best rapper because they look childish and aren 't what happening with their genre which are being gentrified. Later on, Macklemore, one of the white names said in the song, agreed with the J.Cole 's statement of hip hop being gentrified and releases White Privilege II where he raps "My success is the product of the same system that let off Darren Wilson guilty, We want to dress like, walk like, talk like, dance like, yet we 2just stand by, We take all we want from black culture, but will we show up for black lives? We want to dress like, walk like, talk like, dance like, yet we just stand by, We take all we want from black culture, but will we show up for black lives?"(). J.Cole song help motivate other rapper speak out against the injustice with in our community. When Macklemore uses the phrase "We take all we want from black culture, but will we show up for black lives?", he acknowledges the effort of not only him
In the second verse, Michael Jackson restates how he, like most of the audience, has fallen victim to taking our privileges for granted “I’ve been a victim of a selfish kinda love/ it’s time that I realize/ there are some with no home/ not a nickel to loan/ could it be really me pretending that they’re not alone”. He has been privileged with a family who has loved him, and has always had enough money to live, and there are others who are not so
In one of the chapters, ‘Where Did Our Love Go?’ the author reveals how blacks in America use the music to express their anger and commitment to emerge as great people in an unfair community. Most songs are written to educate the society on the negative effects of racism. They encourage the society to love one another and embrace unity. The human nature is founded through a social platform where philosophers claim that people were created to love one another and live with peace and unity. Through this book, it is clear that the blacks in the hip-hop generation are money minded. However, this is expected in a world where the economy is tough. The author claims that the youth are the people who are majorly affected by racism. Many of them have been arrested for pity mistakes which are magnified in the courts due to the impression that the society has on the black people. They engage in dirty activities like drug dealings that that put them on the wrong side of the
In Fires in the Mirror, people from different communities in Crown Heights are interviewed on various subjects after the riot that erupted in 1991 between Jewish and Black groups, and in these interviews it is obvious that specific communities develop unique styles of language in order to unite all the members of their particular group. In several of the interviews a poetic form of language, rap, is used between members of the African American community to express feelings and emotions. Monique Matthews (Big Mo), an African American student interviewed in Fires says that she is trying to send out positive messages to the members of her community, and comments that the people who are sending out damaging messages “don’t understand the fundamentals of rap” (Smith 38). For example, in response to a supposed rap song by Big Daddy Kane called “Pimpin’ Ain’t Easy,” Big Mo writes, “Pimpin’ Ain’t Easy, But Whorin’ Ain’t Proper. Respect and Cherish the Original Mother” (Smith 37). With her rap, Big Mo is hoping to cause the men and women in her community to respect themselves and each other. Sonny Carson, another African American interviewed in Fires says that he is able to communicate with the young people in his community because he understands their rap culture. He says, “I understand their language…I speak their language. They don’t even engage in long dialogue anymore, just short words” (Smith 104). Carson’s ability to participate with the young people through rap allows him to have a better perspective on the tensions in Crown Heights. ...
The music video of “Crooked Smile” by J. Cole illustrates a story that not most people see. The music video reenacts the incident that involved the slain of Aiyana Jones. Although the music video portrays a tragic event, the lyrics of the music video tell a different story. The lyrics tell a message to people, especially females, to love themselves and to not worry what others think of them. In the music video “Crooked Smile,” Cole illustrates the war between the government, drugs, and the innocent victims who are caught in between them. With the song and music video combined, the message to its viewers is to find change and peace not only in the community, but also in our minds.
He points out that “When I dance”, I burse people to fight. Because black men are under the spotlight and things related to them attracts peoples’ attentions. Then he writes, “as I cross/ the street unlooking.” This shows the change in his attitude that he careless about causing another disruption. In this line, “I know all/ a movie needs/ is me/…”, he portrays himself causing troubles as most people presumed and wanting to be at the center of attention.
He describes the sensation of “measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity” (2). West tackles double- consciousness in a lot of his songs, but more so I “Gorgeous” and “Power”. He does have slight elements in “Monster”, however. In “Gorgeous”, West is straight-forward in his approach, voicing his frustrations about appearing to fit in with the majority of popular artists (namely the white ones), yet when he does something stereotypically black he gets massive media attention and is berated for his actions. It is even in his clothes: if he is wearing the right clothing he is accepted, but is automatically perceived as ghetto when he is wearing sneakers and a white t-shirt. “As long as I’m in Polo’s smiling they think they got me/But they would try to crack me if they ever see a black me” (Lyrics On Demand). In “Power”, he discusses issues with fame and general concept of power, as well as being a minority with limited options. He talks about how education is limited and that minority children are eventually doomed to prison. “The system broken, the schools closed, the prison’s open” (Lyrics On Demand). His lyrics speak of how the world around him in controlled by the majority, and how minorities are forced to conform to the standards of the rest of the world. In “Monster”, the biggest hint at double- consciousness is the inclusion of Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, a white indie folk musician. Vernon’s appearance on such a quintessential rap track is impressive and jaw-dropping considering these types of songs (posse cuts”) are notorious for featuring all- black artists. His presence plays to the double-consciousness West expresses, by mixing black and white artists together for
In the article “ From Fly to Bitches and Hoes” by Joan Morgan, she often speaks about the positive and negative ideas associated with hip-hop music. Black men display their manhood with full on violence, crime, hidden guilt, and secret escapes through drugs and alcohol. Joan Morgan’s article views the root causes of the advantage of misogyny in rap music lyrics. In the beginning of the incitement her desires shift to focus on from rap culture condemnation to a deeper analysis of the root causes. She shows the hidden causes of unpleasant sexism in rap music and argues that we need to look deeper into understanding misogyny. I agree with Joan Morgan with the stance that black men show their emotions in a different way that is seen a different perspective.
...atching MTV music shows or any music channel on television. As we continue to watch these programs, we will then notice that almost all the rap and hip-hop artists being shown are African-Americans. It is the particular lifestyle, and behaviour that is connected to what particular artists chose to vocalize about. This usually can harm the image of African-Americans due to the fact that many artists aid in the misconceptions of their particular race such as the example provided with 50 Cent’s song entitled P.I.M.P. These lyrics and song titles simply reinforce the negative image some individuals may have of both Caucasian’s and people of colour. Rap and hip-hop is one of the most intimate, personal, legitimate and important art form. Instead of perpetuating injustice, and prejudice artists should be addressing these different issues in a different matter.
However, that is not the case. White artists are taking the styles and genres of African Americans and turning them into a mockery, and on top of all that, they are being rewarded for it. When said they turn these styles into mockery, it means that they change up the style into something completely different than what it originally was. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are prime examples of artists appropriating hip-hop. “During the 2013 MTV’s Video Music Award, artists Macklemore and Ryan Lewis won an award for best hip-hop video, beating popular African American hip hop artists. Two white men won an award for appropriating hip-hop. Hip hop originated from African Americans, and having a two white artists win an award for misusing our culture’s music is not acceptable” (Cadet). In hip hop, African American artists talked about their plight as African American men and about the struggles growing up. However, these white artists won an award for just taking the style and talking about anything important. They do not talk about their plight because they do not have one comparable to African Americans. They do like musicians did in the past: take the music from African Americans, and then take away the color. “But we cannot blame individual white artists for the inequitable way they are received by the American public—the way their performance of black cultures is
With poetry coming in many different styles today, writing comes easy for some. One way that poetry is written today is in the form of rap. The artist known as "J Cole" is one of the best rappers of the 21st century. J Cole went double platinum with top hits such as "Wet Dreamz" and "Love Yourz". In both of these songs Cole connects the listener's with relatable stories and scenarios. Both of these songs are forms of poetry somehow.
To begin with, black people are victimized by prejudice. Society shows prejudice by having a tainted, preconceived notion of what a black person is—dangerous. This is shown when a young woman runs away from Cole after getting off the bus. This situation elicits a feeling of defence from Cole: “I resisted the urge to call out in my own defence” (Cole, 2015, par. 20). Prejudice is also shown when Cole campaigns door-to-door. On one of the houses, a teenage girl opens
Hip hop has multiple branches of style and is a culture of these. This essay will examine Hip Hop from the point of view of the following three popular music scholars, Johnson, Jeffries and Smitherman. It will delve deeper into their understanding of what hip hop is and its relation to the different people that identify with its message and contents. It will also identify the history of Hip hop and its transition into popular music. In particular this essay will focus on what hip hop represents in the black community and how it can be used as a social movement against inequalities faced by them. This will then open up the discussion for the how this has influenced society, and the impact it has had in terms of race issues which hip hop itself often represents through music.
The music video for J.Cole’s 2013 Crooked Smile is an expressive, and powerful production. It reveals itself as a short film commemorating seven-year-old Aiyana Stanley – Jones who was killed by an officer during a 2010 raid in Michigan. The video was nominated for the MTV Video Music Award for Best Video With a Social Message (Kaufman, 2014). It begins with an inconspicuous frame of J. Cole solemnly looking though a window appearing to have been arrested. The video then reverts backwards to show a comparison of two men leading similar lives earlier in the day. It is then revealed these men, although similar, are identified as binary opposites through ideological representation. Throughout the video a repertoire is built showing a white man, and a black man (J. Cole) living their natural lives. They then interact as the white DEA officer enters the home of the black drug dealer during a raid. With guns
At its core, black protest music is characterized by the expression of resistance and the articulation of the heartache and pain that Blacks have endured throughout history. Likewise, Shakur as a social critic conveys through his music the despair, anger, and resentment that resonates with many African Americans” (2005). Just as in, the song “Changes” where he illuminates social oppression that affect the African American population. For example, just within the first stanza, Tupac makes reference to poverty and welfare, issues of substance abuse, and racism. Tupac stated “I'm tired of bein' poor and even worse I'm black” making the correlation between his skin color and the poverty in which he grew up. He goes on to reinforce this connection further by stating, and “My stomach hurts, so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch.” He also illustrates the relationship between police brutality and race by declaring, “Cops give a damn about a negro? Pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he's a
Cole’s musical idols, which greatly influenced his musical style. His style captures the attention from younger generations and the adolescent population, whom also came from an uneasy childhood and along the way lost motivation. “I 'm here to spread a message of hope. Follow your heart. Don 't follow what you 've been told you 're supposed to do.” (Music times, 2014) Through this message, J. Cole constantly portrays to be an ambition seeking activist. He hopes to project hope in those who are struggling by sharing his life challenges and voicing how he overcame