#afrofuturistmusic

[blkgirlsinthefuture]

Welcome to Black Women & Girls: Future and Digital. 

This is the class of my daydreams and the work of my heart. Fantasy and digital culture, to me, felt interwoven in important ways, but also was established in a way that excluded my Black girlhood growing up. Fortunately, grad school introduced me to a number of (majority) Black women writers, scholars, thinkers, artists, etc. who did swift corrective work on my mind, and now I have the the urgent responsibility to pass along what I’ve learned to those who, like me, probably need it to make sense of themselves and their place in the world.

This blog will be the collective analyses and questions and various engagements of the students in my class (and perhaps, on occasion, me) with the material, both art and scholarship, and with each other. 

My first lesson/project for the students was one that challenged them to consider the ways they already think about Black girlhood, fantasy, and technology, before we even begin our work, by way of contributing at least one song to a thematic class playlist. The goal was to get their intellectual juices flowing while also beginning to feel out what collaboration in this digital space might look like. 

It was meant to be an introductory exercise, that would result in a near instantaneous shareable product, as opposed to this blog which will be a semester long project. It turned into a living archive where they can continue to submit songs throughout the semester, a digital product that has already challenged me three days into the semester. 

It has much of what you might expect of a thematic Black girlhood + fantasy + digital culture playlist: lots of Janelle Monáe, lots of Beyoncé, with a touch of Erykah Badu. But my students have introduced me to a variety of artists: a neo-soul/hip-hop duo out of the DMV, OSHUN; British rapper, Little Simz; Nigerian singer, Tiwa Savage. The thread that connect these musicians for me in this context is that they are representative of the wider African diaspora— and the discovery had me rethinking my syllabus. I tried to cast a wide net on diversity of authors, musicians and creators, but it could use a little bit more of a global perspective. My syllabus skews enormously American. 

I loved this assignment because it reaffirmed for me the beauty of our wide ranging experiences, perspectives and positionalities. 

It’s absolutely wonderful that this playlist is useable for the students to share with their peers, and me with my colleagues, but every time I play it, it reminds me of my duty to honor how each of my students are situated. 

Plus: as a former musician that traded my ivories for monographs, having an excuse to think critically about music again is such a joyful experience for me.

So from now through May, expect weekly contributions from students, who will be commenting on various texts that we cover in class as we do some collective learning and work on what it means to think about Black girlhood and magic in a contemporary moment that is defined by the digital.

—Professor Stringfield 

[worldeaternyc]

The Original Introduction. Incredible special guest vocalists (@nationofwaberia & @marc.the.great and others) Still available on ITunes and Spotify, and many other digital outlets (just search Sweet Fuzzy Itsy Bitsy). Instead of spending on a new iPhone buy a download or two! #sweetfuzzyitsybitsy #worldeaternyc #bedstuyrocknrollas #modernmusic #afrofuturistmusic #punksofcolor #musicproduction #blackwomeninrock #blackmeninrock #guitar #avanthiphop (at New York, New York)

[worldeaternyc]

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.......when the machines start speaking on your behalf. Who wants this for their vmail? 😂 #sweetfuzzyitsybitsy #bedstuyrocknrollas #worldeaternyc #TheDaylight #musicproducer #afrofuturistmusic #producerlife (at World Eater Recordings)