My Mind on Music

Music is a universal language. The way we conceptualize music as individuals can show a great deal of our character. The mood from the type of music sets off feeling whether dealing with low-self esteem or uplifting their target audience. The choice of music lies in the power of our own ears. The variety of genres allow for free will, (yes we consider music a godly entity) and predestination. Music can be broken down into parts to create a song. Lyrics tend to persuade the listener to continue to listen to a particular genre. Words construct buildings of imagination and lay a foundation of thought. When rhythm, melody and words are infused, it’s a form of hypnotism and influence. Although we have the choice of which music to listen, we cannot hide from the words entailed. Thus our choice of music has some control over our everyday lives. The lyrics may give a day to day account of the listener.

For the youth, whose mind is very impressionable, the lyrics need to be censored. I am not asking for censorship from freedom of speech, I am asking for stronger vigilance against derogatory and inappropriate language. The creators of the lyrics seem to dismiss their importance of being an influence. What appropriates such carefree attitudes among artists whose voice may be the only constant in the life of a youth? What is the reason behind glorifying the negatives when the positives are somewhat attainable? Who as music lovers are we to hold accountable for the lyrical content without losing the integrity of free speech?

Many questions arise from the struggle to regain the integrity and essence of the art form of music. My focus is music’s impressionable control over the youth. From recent experience with a group of suspended seventh graders, who the majority was black, in the New York City Board of Education system, lyrical content shaped their everyday thinking. The students’ main choice of music was Hip Hop and their favorite artist was a teenager with their same mind state, Chief Keef. The artist’s lyrical content was filled with the glorification of being rich and defying their social norms. The students seemed to think drugs, sex and money is the gateway to successful and comfortable lifestyle. Although once upon a time, Hip Hop music was deeply frowned upon with the emergence of Gangsta Rap , that focused more on societal issues, these days it is more “monkey see, monkey do:” effect. Of course instead of showing true talent, those who are impressionable are more exposed.

The genre of Hip Hop/Rap seems to stray away from talented and well thought out lyrics to focus on the individual with the most exposure. It seems the lines between talent and influence have become gravely separated. There are positive lyrics from the Hip Hop/Rap culture but that has the lowest exposure, if any. These seventh graders were exposed to the genres of R&B, Soul and Pop but Hip Hop/Rap of which they listened to failed to have emotion. “Hate Being Sober” by Chief Keef, a song they replayed over and over glorified the effects of drinking alcohol and the feel better of being inebriated.

As an adolescent we all went through the phase of rebellion and going against the wishes of our parents but in the times of social media, it is magnified. The fruits of labor are shown in abundance but in reality it doesn’t equate to the musician’s finances, especially in Hip-Hop/Rap. The form started as an expression, which it still is, but now there seems to be less art to it. Adding in the country’s state of economy and the rush to preserve wealth or make easy, fast money, many of the urban youth choose the path of becoming rappers because of the glorification they are shown. Instead of being taught to work hard and accumulate wealth the youth would rather live beyond their means just to keep up with the images plastered before them. Ultimately it is their choice; their environments have influenced them in some way.

Being a product of their environment is what has been the underlying reason behind the influx of Hip-Hop’s wealthy lifestyle influence. We just have to wait out the phase and hope that the urban youth understands that there is more than just one type of music and the world has a vast wealth of knowledge. A mentor is always the key to having a positive influence. Exposure to more than one genre of music can lead to exploring many different levels of knowledge. Life itself is a constant learning process and the generation after is always different from the one before. The mistakes made may remain the same and so will the hope of a better future. Ultimately I want the music culture as whole to produce scholars, thinkers and positive influences. We all have emotions and forms of expression, I hope for improvement even if it is slow. Slow and steady does win the race.  

Black Feminism

Feminism as a whole is denounced. Black feminism shouldn’t exist. The latter sentiment is implied to the youth. To be a woman in America today is to be the same second class citizen of yesterday. We have shattered glass ceilings only to have them replaced with something stronger. The challenge is to show strength in numbers, unite and overpower the oppressors. Women have been conditioned to oppose unity and engage in like-minded separation. Audre Lorde wrote, “Without community there is no liberation.” The outlook of solidarity is usually met with non-compliance and impatience. What do we, as women, have to do in order to build an indestructible community?

There are so many factors that can cloud reality such as the capitalistic patriarchy, sexual glorification, watered down educational systems and oppressive propaganda. We need solutions with the hopes of a gradual change. This collectiveness is deemed dangerous and powerful so there are large obstacles to repress it. Women are enticed by what a man can do for them or the need to be independent. Places of employment are dismissing the strength of the matriarchy for the male norm. The evolution of the term, bitch, is used to describe a goal-oriented, motivated woman who exudes the same strengths of her male counterparts. Feminism is treated like profanity and plasters a look of disgust on faces. What can we change about this stigma? These questions come to me as I think of solutions. Questions lead to undiscovered answers and more queries.

Black feminism has a place among other civil rights issues. Religion plays a major role within the Black community. In church, women are told to be submissive and take care of the family. The men provide stability and leadership. Although the majority of Black households are single-parent homes, the woman is left to play both roles. Women cannot teach sons to be a man. Women can only teach a man to respect women. As for raising daughters to become successful and productive beings to society, women have to be positive role models. There are many obstacles raising daughters, the role of woman has become broader. Daughters have to learn the same lessons as sons.

Men tend to have more solidarity among themselves than women. A sisterhood is deemed intimidating. Women are inclined to be combative and steamroll over the weaker link. In some cases women in power have the “look-down” effect. In such “effect” women assume to the role of oppressor. Men from the other countries don’t care for the independence of American women. In a discussion with a male Haitian immigrant, he believed women needed managers. This man believed women weren’t capable of a maintaining a household on their own. His interactions with American women gave him reservations. Women are now seen as competition but inexperienced and unskilled workers. The strength of capable women workers are often dismissed because men are apt to cling to old ideas of gender standards.

Black women have an aggressive prejudice about them that men and other women preconceive. It is as if Black women are emotionless, cold, and heartless human beings. We are all made from the same genetic makeup thus we have emotions. We may not show our emotion publicly but behind closed doors our knees are rug-burned from countless prayers to God. Our eyes are desert dry because of the tears we shed every time our children leave the house. Our backs are hunched from working all day then having to take care of the household. Our pride is tucked in our bras because we have to show the children that being tired doesn’t exist.

Black feminism doesn’t seem to exist because it is eclipsed by the prejudice of aggression of the black woman. Unity between women of color is the elephant in the room of the White feminist. It seems we aren’t woman enough to unite against issues that affect the gender as a whole. We are already born with the stacks against us because we are black women. As black women we need to show that we can come together and fight for a cause. We have to magnify our humanity. Once we are given a platform we must shine brighter than the cameras.

There are a plethora of educated black women who can educate poor women of color to see that they are worth more than their environment. There is a world out there yet to be discovered because of glorified ignorance. The media has an absurd amount of effects on the minds of young women of color. We have to storm the gates of the media and flood it with the positive image of women.

We must learn to put differences and attitudes aside in order to uplift each other. Our unity shouldn’t be defined by affiliation or community. Feminist unity should be defined as a culture. We are a culture of women of color who have to merge as a whole to become an indestructible force.