Black Popular Music

Required Readings:
BPC1700, Chapter 8, “Arts,” pp. 123-145; Appendix C: Rap Music, pp. 199-212; Figures and Tables, pp. 4 (Tab. 1), 8-10 (Figs. 1-3)

Samuel A. Floyd, “Black American Music and Aesthetic Communication,” Black Music Research Journal (1980)

Text:

BPC1700
Black Popular Culture
(Nelson)
ISBN # 9781121070172

Required Websites and/or Video Screening(s):

Visit two or three websites that feature the African American musician or group or band you selected for the discussion topic.

Discussion Topic:

Black Popular Music: Select one sound recording (CD, record album, cassette tape, etc.) by an African American musician or group or band representing any style or time period of black popular music you prefer. Listen to and analyze the lyrics of 2 of their songs. (a) Clearly indicate the musicians, title of the album, and songs selected and the year that the songs were released. (b) Discuss the music and musicians in terms of black popular culture. That is, briefly explore the texts, textures, and/or contexts of your selection. This may include an interpretation of the dominant themes in the lyrics chosen, black male-female relationships in United States, artistic textures and/or repertoire components in the music, significant icons or personas in the songs, etc.

Then I need you to respond to these two students responses (Positively Only) to the same question that I provided for you separately in 100 words each for your response to their response to the question.

(Student #1, Erin Hoyt):

The two songs that I have decided to discuss are by Monica, from her 1998 Boy is Mine cd.  I was a big fan of Monica so I remember this cd well.  The two songs that I am analyzing and comparing by Monica, off of this cd, are the hit duet of the time with singer Brandy The Boy is Mine and Take Him Back. Both of these songs, being sung by a young African American woman, have to do with relationships and a girl fighting for or deciding whether or not to fight for a male.  Both of these songs give the idea that African-American men tend to cheat and treat their girlfriends poorly, assuming that she is speaking about a same-race relationship.  However, we can’t really assume that. The Boy is Mine is a song where two African American females are fighting over the same guy.  In the video this male is a black male, so does this clear the assumption? Even if the video doesn’t speak the truth, that is what is being portrayed and both of these songs are speaking about an unfaithful boyfriend.  However, in one song the girls are fighting over the guy and in the other, she is trying to decide if she should even take him back.  It is interesting what type of a message a simple love/relationship from 1998 can portray.

(Student #2, Jade McCray):

The African American musician that I will be discussing for this week is Michael Jackson. He may seem like a very obvious choice, but I think that he’s very important in terms of early music being recorded and released by African Americans. Michael Jackson essentially broke down racial barriers when he was featured on MTV in the early 1980s, and his Thriller album broke record sales. Michael Jackson was a young, working-class African American boy from a rural town in Indiana who worked his way up to “The King of Pop”. The first song that I chose to listen to is “Man in the Mirror” which was released on his 1988 album entitled “Bad”. This particular song really focuses on the fact that society is not always correct, and that sometimes you have to be the one to change in order to see a bigger change in the world. Although this song isn’t necessarily aimed at any one community, I do think it was important that it was coming from somebody who was so admired in the Black community at the time. The second song that I chose is “Black or White” off of his 1991 album “Dangerous”. This particular song is about equality and the idea that skin color shouldn’t matter when it comes down to it. Although Michael Jackson faced a lot of controversy in his later life, I think that what he did for music, specifically in the African American community, is huge. He fought for equal rights and the idea of living as one, which is not something that everybody was doing at the time.

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