Music can be so powerful sometimes.
If we strip away the sex, the romance, the gibberish refrains…what is left of today's music?
“I like my baby heir with baby hair and afros
I like my negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils
Earned all this money but they never take the country out me
I got a hot sauce in my bag, swag
(…)
Okay, ladies, now let's get in formation
You know you that bitch when you cause all this conversation
Always stay gracious, best revenge is your paper”
“I'm African-American, I'm African
I'm black as the moon, heritage of a small village
Pardon my residence
Came from the bottom of mankind
My hair is nappy, my dick is big, my nose is round and wide
You hate me don't you?
You hate my people, your plan is to terminate my culture
You're fuckin' evil I want you to recognize that I'm a proud monkey
You vandalize my perception but can't take style from me
And this is more than confession
I mean I might press the button just so you know my discretion
I'm guardin' my feelings, I know that you feel it
You sabotage my community, makin' a killin'
You made me a killer, emancipation of a real nigga”
Some people say they were irritated by these lyrics, some even say they were offended by Beyoncé Super Bowl’s performance, or that Kendrick’s performance at the Grammys was to “black-ish”...
Is this the beginning of a re-education about black history in music?
This is absolutely not a racist “wannabe” article, but I personally think we should be more conscious of the real issues of our society: equality, respect and tolerance.
History books should have provided us with enough examples of injustices to educate us all for the better, but sometimes it looks like society would never learn from its past mistakes.
History books should have provided us with enough examples of injustices to educate us all for the better, but sometimes it looks like society would never learn from its past mistakes.
As a proud black man I say that it was about time that black musicians/artists started paying attention to the importance of black history in all of its forms.
Indeed it seems like there is still a feud for black people: even if we cast away the violent episodes we heard in the news, we are aware of how harder it is for a black person to reach a remarkable position in the society. Take for example what is happening in Hollywood, with the lack of roles for black actors, or in the fashion industry, with the lack of diversity on the runways.
Therefore we need famous artists, like the ones mentioned above, to use their craft to convey a much larger message of hope and not violence, a message aimed to empower young people about their identity, in order to prevent them from being ashamed of who they are.
I say “BLACK LIVES MATTER”.
Peace.
written by: Leslie Sackey
