artsnsociety-blog

[artsnsociety-blog]

Not your mother’s protest songs...

From Strange Fruit to We Shall Overcome, War, and Mississippi Goddamn, the 20th century was the birthplace of many of our parent’s and grandparent’s picket - sign bearing protest songs. But if you’re looking for something a little more modern while you tweet the president, check out this sweet playlist of 21st century tunes -

1 - Pumped Up Kicks, Foster the People

This is the first song that comes to mind when I think of modern day protest music. The song starts off with a funky bass line, and when the singer jumps in his voice is distorted. The singer jumps in and starts telling the story of a angst-y teenager: 

Yeah, he found a six-shooter gun In his dad's closet, in the box of fun things I don't even know what But he's coming for you, yeah, he's coming for you

Released in 2010, this song addresses the issue of school shootings in a way that teenagers can easily access. At first, this song was fun to listen to. After learning the meaning, it became a song that brought a shadow of fear into my mind whenever I heard it. 

2 - This is America, Kendrick Lamar

To get a full understanding of this 2018 song, it is crucial to watch the video. At first, it seems to be a fun hip-hop video featuring a smiling Kendrick Lamar. But as the music video goes on, strange things start happening in the background. By the end of the video, chaos ensues, as Kendrick sings over and over,”This is America.” 

Almost overnight, this video went viral with people trying to decipher the many hidden messages in the song. From police brutality to gang violence, this song focuses on issues that the government seems to forget. The tagline “This is America” shines light on the fact that people seem to forget the systematic issues that go on in this country, focusing solely on the fact that “This is America, and it’s the best!”

Additionally, it shows that people would rather focus on a black man doing a funny dance than fixing the issues in this country. 

3 - Brackets, J. Cole

This song, released on Cole’s 2018 album K.O.D. discusses a lot about money and race. 

Money-hungry company that make guns that circulate the country And then wind up in my hood, making bloody clothes Stray bullet hit a young boy with a snotty nose From the concrete, he was prolly rose

This song is aimed towards young black men, giving them something to relate to, when they see their tax money being sent to white neighborhoods, have only white teachers, being sold guns by companies that profit millions while they remain broke, and more. The artist speaks about how hard it is to be a young black man in America, having to pay for all the same things as a white man but not seeing the benefits from them. 

4 - Picking Cotton, CupcakKe

Posted to CupcakKe’s YouTube channel in 2016, the artist chose to stray from her sex heavy songs to focus on current issues facing blacks in America such as police violence. This song has strong lyrics discussing that even though slavery does not exist anymore, many blacks still feel that they are at the will of white people. Her lyrics are strong and speak for themselves:

But 164 years back they hung us I'm not a slave to the white man Or white woman standing by me I'm not a slave to the record labels bidding how to sign me I am not a slave I am brave video every cop that make us stop Before our body drop and be sure to press save We need that for proof these cops they goof They pull you over and shoot then play it off like oops Intimidated by our presence so he be drawing the weapon Not screaming justice for nothing we not gone keep on failing

This song is important because it comes from an artist with a large white following. It encourages her listeners to become introspective and think about what they could be doing that is contributing to the inequality. 

5 - Where is the Love, Black Eyed Peas (2003)

This is one of the most far reaching protest songs of the modern time. Touching on subjects from terrorism, racism, politics, religion, and the general lack of empathy that people seem to have these days. This is a very catchy R&B/Hip-Hop song, with a repetitive chorus that people can sing along to. It is hard to sing this song without realizing that it is a protest song, because the lyrics are so blunt. I think it is important to have a few songs that address the problems directly, because many seem to go around the topic without actually addressing it. This song has the capability to reach many generations because the Black Eyed Peas are such a well known group. 

6 - Californication, Red Hot Chili Peppers  (2009)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlUKcNNmywk

Californication is a diffterent kind of protest than the ones  I choose before, as it targets more of a white audience. The song discusses America’s obsession with California, and specifically with becoming rich and famous in Hollywood. The song’s target audience is young kids who want to be famous. It’s goal is to make people think about whether the fame is really worth it. 

7 - Born This Way, Lady Gaga

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV1FrqwZyKw

When this song was released, it quickly became an anthem for the LGBT+  community. This song went against the discrimination that was so common for these people. Gaga sang that no matter how people identified, they were born that way, and they should be accepted for what they are. The main audience for this song was the LGBT community but it was aimed towards people who didn’t feel like they belonged. This song is an upbeat pop anthem that is very catchy, which is part of the reason that it became so popular. 

8 - DNA, Kendrick Lamar, 2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLZRYQMLDW4

This whole album, released in 2018, attacks the heavily political hip hop culture of the modern day. This specific song is aimed towards imitators of black culture - specifically I think white rappers. It has many strong words against cultural appropriation:

I got loyalty, got royalty inside my DNA (This is why I say that hip hop has done more damage To young African Americans than racism in recent years) I live a better, fuck your life (5, 4, 3, 2, 1) This is my heritage, all I'm inheritin' Money and power, the makin' of marriages

Hip hop used to be a safe space for black teens, but it modern timed everyone has felt a certain attachment and belonging in hip hop. Kendrick does not approve of this, saying that this culture belongs to him, and can not be changed by others.

[artsnsociety-blog]

We The People...

The United States of America was created for one main reason - to escape the seemingly horrible conditions that people were forced to live under in the colonies. After a few unsuccessful attempts of creating a guideline for the country, the Constitution was created. But the founding fathers quickly realized that they didn’t include some very important ideas. Then came the Bill of Rights. 

This document provided basic human rights for all citizens (white males at first, later expanded to include everyone). The most important right that citizens were granted, and landing the number one spot, was the following

Freedom of Religion.

Freedom of Speech.

Freedom of the Press.

Freedom to Assemble Peaceably.

Freedom to Petition the Government for a Redress of Grievances.

But are these rights really being respected?

 In some cases historically, these rights have been threatened. That’s where art comes in. When people’s rights are being threatened, they find songs and other art forms that represent the ideas that they have. In some cases, artists themselves may even create protest songs if they believe in a cause. 

One of the first protest songs that I ever heard was “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater. Of course, I was very young at the time and did not know that it was a protest song. But after analyzing the lyrics, it is clear that this is a protest song with a political message. 

This song, made during the Vietnam War, had some very strong messages. 

Some folks are born made to wave the flag Ooh they're red, white and blue And when the band plays Hail to the Chief Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord

This specific set of lyrics aims directly at the unconditional patriotism that some Americans feel towards their country. 

It is an undeniable fact that all Americans have been influenced by a protest song, whether they were aware of it or not.