For this weeks focus on lyrical representation of segregation I decided to focus on Beyonce’s 2015 grammy performance. Here she performs Take My Hand, Precious Lord; a gospel song dating back to the 1800s, which was also during the the civil rights movement. In her performance, Beyonce stands at the center of all black male choir positioned in an…[Read more]

The lyrics I am choosing are from J. Cole’s “1985 (Intro to “The Fall Off”)”. This song in general is both a response to younger rappers and a commentary on hip-hop and what it is like to be a black man in the music industry. A few lines really stand out to me that I would like to unpack.

“They wanna see you dab, they wanna see you pop a…[Read more]

For this week’s image, I chose the lyrics from “Oh Freedom”.  I chose this song because it truly expresses the post desegregation attitude against jim crow era segregation.  The lyrics displays that no matter the outcome of fighting segregation, freedom will eventually be brought.

Source:  Golden Gospel Singers

Date:  1997

This song is titled “Casket Pretty” by Noname. Noname addresses police brutality and how it has affected her daily life and that of so many others in the black community. The lyrics “Don’t hold me, don’t hold me when n***** is dying and dying / And I’m afraid of the dark, blue and the white / Badges and pistols rejoice in the night” point to the…[Read more]

For this weeks theme I chose a excerpt of lyrics from the song Chains by Usher. I first heard this song when watching the documentary 13th, and I felt like it really showed how people have been experiencing and fighting against these forms of segregation before larger society was seriously talking about it. The movie 13th is all about segregation…[Read more]

This week I wanted to share the lyrics from the song titled Changes by Tupack, who is a famous rapper. The song expresses the injustices that African American people would have to live on a daily and how some issues are related to one another. In the song he mentions the issue on how based on the color of your skin you can tell if you are poor and…[Read more]

For this week’s theme, I choose to use the song “Freedom” by Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar. I also chose to include pictures of her performing this song at the 2016 BET Awards. Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar illustrate the black community’s everlasting cry to complete freedom within the lyrics. “Freedom, Freedom where are you? Cause I need freedom too. I…[Read more]

Hip hop grew from America’s war on drugs in the 20th century. Many artists used this genre to speak out against the oppression held again the black community, and often incorporated their feelings into their music. One well known artist who did this was KRS one and his song “sound of the police.” He used this song to speak out against the growi…[Read more]

For this final photoshare, I decided to share a part of Sam Cooke’s song, “A Change is Gonna Come”. This is already a personal favorite but after reflecting upon it, I realized that it is a song that goes with this week’s theme perfectly. It was released in 1964 on one of Sam Cooke’s albums. Looking further into the history behind this song, it is…[Read more]

For this weeks photo share I decided to share a screen shot of a poem by Arga Gra called “Are you calling me Colored.” I was trying at first to find a French poem like this that was written by an African who was enslaved and taken to France; but both however go over poetics of racist whom self elevate themselves in thinking their physical features…[Read more]

I choose these photos because of several reasons; the first being is that BEYONCE IS A QUEEN!!!! I love how unapologetic she always is as a black womxn. I also love and appreciate how she used her platform to uplift the voices of black folks as well as revive the spirit of black powerful movements such as Black Panther through the clothing and…[Read more]

The picture I chose for this week’s photo share is from Childish Gambino’s music video for his song “This is America”. The song/video contains a multitude of hidden messages about the state of America today discussing media, racism, gun violence, etc. The photo I chose depicts Childish Gambino in a position that has been noted to share…[Read more]

The lyrical representation of segregation I chose for this week is the song “They Don’t Care About Us” by Michael Jackson. Although the song was controversial at the time of its release and accused of being anti-Semitic, I still believe some of the lyrics to this song relate to the topics we discuss in class. The song is about racism and declaring…[Read more]

In addition to it’s lyrical genius, Kendrick Lamar’s live performance of “The Blacker the Berry” at the 2016 Grammy’s also tells a very impactful story. With his background dancers taking the stage bonded together in a chain gang, and his band behind literal bars, Lamar made the direction of his performance very clear. Lamar and the eventually…[Read more]

today I’m sharing the poem “Why You Talk So White” by Maya Wegerif. rightfully so she gets aggravated at the question “why you talk so white?” her frustration on her use of the english language in the correct way, she in the poem she re-asks the question to herself “Why do I talk so white?” correcting the grammar in the question. in my…[Read more]

I chose the song “Hold you Down” by Childish Gambino for this week’s theme.  There is a portion of the song where he goes into how there is a ‘one size fits all’ mentality when it comes to the criminalization of black youth.  White kids are given the right of individuality and personality while black kids are all seen as one type (criminals). I t…[Read more]

For my weekly share this week I wanted to use the song VRY BLK by Jamila Woods which is a song about modern issues that Black folks are facing at this time. I wanted to use the first verse of this line because it speaks about our Blackness and the beauty in it but also the different trials and tribulations that we face.  This song brings emphasis…[Read more]

I am sharing the song “We the People….” by A Tribe Called Quest, from their final album We got it from Here… Thank You 4 Your service (2016). Watch the full video here.
As the title alludes to the opening line of the Constitution, so too does the opening line of the song; it counters the political rhetoric of democracy-for-all and bridges the…[Read more]

For this week’s topic, I am looking at the song “Don’t Shoot” which is performed by The Game and includes many other famous musical artists like 2 Chainz and Rick Ross. The message behind this song directly relates to the title, as it was written as a response to the horrific shooting that occurred in Ferguson that resulted in the murder of…[Read more]

For this week’s topic on lyrical representation of segregation, I chose a segment of a song by Lupe Fiasco called “Hurt Me Soul”.  In this song, he touches on welfare and health care policies, which have all been, in some way, shaped by the institution of racism. He also mentions other outside systemic forces that create a culture of poverty and…[Read more]