AFRAM Blog Post #2

Caroline Roe 

Blog Post #2

AFRAM 337

One thing I have learned through Tuesday 3/28 class discussion, as well as through the course readings is that history is seldom all encompassing. By this I mean, that often parts of history are stolen, overshadowed, or not documented in the same way that other important stories that create history are. In Daphne Brooks' piece, she highlights the idea of 'love and theft.' Brooks' is quoted, "The sexed-up, necrophilic dalliances of white (musical) masters and the (always) black, (most often) men that they admire and desire, consume and cannibalize continue to hold center stage in critical imaginaries of performance studies of rock music histories alike" (Brooks 55). Essentially, some artists (mostly white) and often without intent, stole the talent, sounds, and spotlight from black artists. It is described as 'love and theft' because it wasn't malicious, but it was extremely detreimental in allow black artists to shine, it stole the stage. I think it is easier to look back at history and take note of this stolen light that disrupted black rock and roll history, however what about the current time period we are living in? Theresa Riley's article Still Fighting the Power, interviews Jeff Chang, the author of Can't Stop Won't Stop. Within this, Chang showcases the, in his words, "revolution" that is on the table now because of the previous stolen stage. In the article Chang discusses the shift in racial re-coding of genres that occurred in the 80s, but he highlights that, "I think it’s still happening. You still hear it in the music of, say people like Rebel Diaz, or you hear it coming from places that you’d never expect. You hear rappers like DAM from Palestine talking about life under occupation. You hear it expressed in artistically fascinating and hilarious ways with groups like Das Racist" (Riley). This reality of rap being stolen by races is still alive, and, yes, the conversation is on the table, but nothing is solved. Brooks and Riley and Chang all recognize this injustice within the music world, and thanks to them and others, the conversation is at the table and can be further digested to generate equity. 

Formation by Beyonce highlights her black history in this song.

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

Fast Car Tracy Chapman highlights starting from zero and having nothing to prove. This music wasn't made solely for others it was her own.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKcEYNYnv0Qnto the woods with Kurt and Leadbelly.