As soon as I heard this prompt, I thought of A Tribe Called Quest. They're basically a protest hip-hop group that started in the 80s and went through a revival in the past decade or so. This song, "The Space Program" is kind of a call to action to the black community with the understanding that the achievements by dominant society (ie sending a man to the moon) often don't uplift minority communities.
I feel like that the general understanding of the plight of the black community surrounds violence and poverty and while that's extremely true for a lot of people, I'm in this weird space where I grew up in a suburb in the midwest to a passively ignorant community and never really faced direct violent discrimination. The line: "There ain't a space program for n****s" is a truth I regularly wrestle with today.
I love that you picked A Tribe Called Quest. This track plays with the ideas of Afrofuturism, which I feel is a powerful vessel for equality in the modern world. If you're not already familiar with it, I would check out Clipping's album "Splendor & Misery". It's a really cool concept album with a continuous impactful Afrofuturist narrative that to me embodies the movement's themes very well. Regardless of that, it's also just a really good listen.
ReplyDeleteWow I felt the chills build up when watching that and then when "I Can't Breathe" stood on the screen it all broke and my hair stood up. There's a lot of incredible imagery going on here, from all the different prominent black creators adding their voices to the faceless white man playing chess. Thank you for this watch!
ReplyDeleteA Tribe! I love how many visuals they use, like old commercials with caricature puppets, neon messages on dark screens, old footage from the Civil rights movement. The power of the video's also reinforced by all the cameos of strong artists in the music world, like Janelle Monaé, Erykah Badu, Pharrell and Vince Staples, almost using the ad populum fallacy in a rightful way. It also argues that marginalized communities succeed despite having limited opportunities. RIP Phife <3
ReplyDeleteI had this video cued up for my first-class playlist, but I elected to remove it because I didn't think that in the context of that first class—without laying out discussion guidelines, without knowing each other at all—we'd be ready to talk about "copious use of the n-word" as you eloquently put it. (Thanks for the content warning). But yeah. How brilliant is this? Tribe were my first exposure to hip hop as a kid that I was able to connect with, I think because I was too sheltered to appreciate the more in-your-face approach of NWA et al.
ReplyDeleteI'd argue this song is a direct homage to Gil Scott-Heron's "Whitey On The Moon" (1970). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goh2x_G0ct4 It's pretty amazing how 50 years on, the underlying premise remains largely true. And if folks don't know of Gil Scott-Heron's work, I urge you take the time to check it out.
Tribe has always astonished me with how efficiently they convey such important and heavy topics through their rhymes. This song is a great example of this, and the video is so powerful it gave me chills! The repeated phrase "let's make something happen" really drives the song into a cathartic finish that leaves the listener inspired.
ReplyDeleteI think the repetition within this song and the accompanying visuals is a protest tool in and of itself. It sharpens the call to action that you mention above and makes clear the urgency involved in 'making something happen.' I'm struck by the many gateways in this song/video that give people (specifically of the majority) a way in to understand the loaded feelings within a minority community.
ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting metaphor for the various ways that the United States has continuously and systematically attempted to disadvantage POC. The US hasn't provided housing, hasn't provided sufficient outlets to make money, and hasn't provided ways for people to survive, and has historically kept African Americans out of systems that are supposed to help provide for less fortunate.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing this! I think it's really important point that you make that A Tribe has brought up a stance that is not exactly in the plight of the black community, and I hope that we continue to use opportunities like this class to acknowledge this and from other points of injustice/protest that are not always acknowledged as heavily by the general populous.
ReplyDeleteI must confess I had not heard of A Tribe Called Quest before you shared, so thank you! I am glad you pointed out how this is specifically a call to action to the black community. I think too often we (or perhaps just me) think about protest music as being directed to the causers of injustice. My thoughts for this class have definitely confined to trying to wake people from the privilege, inspire empathy, demand rights, and so on. I keep forgetting to consider how protest music/arts are also for the protesters. Songs like this can speak to a community and help to strengthen and unify it under a common knowledge/goal.
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