GWSS Blog Post #4

Hello,

I hope everyone is doing well during this time and taking the steps to stay healthy, safe and educated!

As quoted in the chapter "Commercial Stars and Artivistas" of American Sabor: Latinos and Latinas in US Popular Music, "The popularity of Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, and others represented an unprecedented level of commercial success for Latinos. This success came at a price, though, because stars like these are virtually inaccessible to their fans. They rarely play in their fans' home communities, nor do they spend time with their fans offstage. They are the faces of a corporate culture that values spectate over participation." This same reality can be said for many other artists of color. These communities are exploited for the purpose of money and entertainment. They are controlled by their management companies, most often white I would argue, and are silenced from speaking out against issues and straying from the norm of the music canon. This prevents them from being able to perform in their home communities, address issues of injustice within the industry, and participate within the art of their ancestral history. This reminds me of the sports industrial complex I learned about in my Gender and Sports class and the exploitation of black athletes in low income neighborhoods. They are taken away from their communities and used for revenue and entertainment, completely under the power of the big shot institutions paying them and making them sign contracts. This just shows you how deeply rooted systemic issues of power and race are within our society and how powerful it is to have to activist processes in place and people doing work to dismantle these systems. Our culture needs to change and the lives of the marginalized must be prioritized. 

DJ Selections

"Where Is The Love" by the Black Eyed Peas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpYeekQkAdc

"God Bless Amerika" by Lil Wayne
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Nb4EHY_2bI&list=PLAZEcPgunTPKtixp6y5t1IA15JoDeRJwv&index=21

Both of these songs mean so much considering the time we're in. There is a need for change within our societal system, specifically regarding the treatment of black people. Lil Wayne alludes to the disproportionate amount of police violence experienced by black individuals and expresses his fear for his life on the daily. This is unfair and can go on no longer. As the Black Eyed Peas proclaim, "where is the love?" Everyone deserves human rights but how can we focus on this before black lives are centered. We as a society need to recognize our privilege and how our experiences may be different for others. Maybe then there can be more empathy!