Music and truth
I think music is a vehicle which can express truth and history in a way the history books cannot convey. We can learn a lot about this region and the general nationwide attitudes of the time through looking at the history of Stax studio and other studios of the time. Stax studio challenged the racial norms in mid century Memphis by allowing anyone to record there, regardless of color. Music has been and continues to be at the front line of social change. Music has the unique capability of reflecting the current state of society and reshaping society.
One of my favorite covers is Hey Jude by Wilson Pickett recorded about 3 hours away from Memphis at FAME studio in Muscle Shoals Alabama. In 1968 Wilson Pickett was recording at FAME studio in Muscle Shoals Alabama and Allman (who later formed the Allman Brothers Band) was a studio guitarist at the time. He suggested they play the recently released “Hey Jude” which Pickett eventually agreed to. Pickett and Allman stayed behind during lunch one day and continued to mess around in the studio because they knew that as a successful black musician and a hippy they would not be well received in rural Alabama in 1968. It was while everyone was at lunch that they recorded ‘Hey Jude’ on the first take. This sparked the rest of the Hey Jude album and some people argue launched southern rock. While this is a great music story it is important to remember the racial realities it was rooted in. This great cover, like much of the entertainment of the time, was a result of the everyday realities of race and racism in the American south. I think this story gives insight into the way music can be a mechanism for social change, connection, and the rawest version of history.
Bringing this to the contemporary moment, the reading for class, “The New Anthems of Resistance: Hip-Hop and Black Lives Matter”, further discussed how music can be a vehicle to talk about social issues. They spoke about how BLM and hip-hop have been able to bring the tensions around racism in this country to the mainstream consciousness. Mainstream artists such as Kendrick Lamar and Beyonce use their platforms to speak to social injustices. Hip-hop is a great vehicle to address controversial issues because it is seen in a different light and context. The ability for hip-hop to address racism and other social issues is particularly important given that white people are the largest purchasers of hip-hop music. Music has history and continues to have the power to elevate issues to a higher platform and start conversations.
Rachel Farley
Hip-Hop and other forms of music are certainly effective ways to broadcast social issues with enormous breadth. However, even avid fans of hip-hop ignore and even reject the ideas and issues that it disseminates. For example, this guy I know, who is white, identifies as a Kendrick Lamar fan and has even been to his concert and claims he loved it. However, when I've had discussions with him about issues of race that Kendrick Lamar explicitly confronts, he claims it's all bogus. So the message can be right in front of you, but if you don't have open ears, you won't hear anything.
ReplyDeleteThat is a great point, if you don't have open ears you won't hear anything! Hip hop can start the conversation but it doesn't mean people will receive the messages.
DeleteHip-Hop and jazz has been able to convey the stories and realities of race and culture over the years. I love listening to all kinds of music, and I think that the message in the songs, when listening to it in the right context can make all the difference. There is so much hidden within a song, that can only be relieved when if you listen to it, in a certain way. Plenty of people listen to Kendrick Lamar for his voice and great music, but they are missing the meaning of the song. How is it that some people are able to hear music with its intended context, but others avoid this because it is an uncomfortable subject for whites, especially songs with the N-word in it. The direction of Kendrick's music has gotten more serious about racial issues, and will this continue from him even though he has seen some backlash for her newest songs.
ReplyDeleteI love this story because it demonstrates how democratic popular music can be. Anyone with talent can share a piece of art that expands the political discussion. Then it takes the discussion into other spaces where it would not otherwise go with its musicality. To get into some of the other points already made here, I think its funny how so many people think gangster rap is bad ass but hate the politics of it. Classic example: "fuck the police" by N.W.A.
ReplyDelete