The Relation of Spirituals and Black Lives Matter Anthems
"Alright" - Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar's album To Pimp a Butterfly features the song "Alright". First off, the album itself is dedicated to key themes of African American culture, the oppression and racism experienced by African Americans, and how capitalism has destroyed the poor and working class. The album is meant to be an expression of the rage and horror that is felt by people that are being affected in their everyday lives by these things, and the need for freedom and liberty from these struggles. The song "Alright" was not intended to be the powerful song it is deemed today. Sure, this song is an amazing piece of art from Kendrick, but he admits that he didn't intend it to become popular with protesters. What strikes people the most when listening to the song is when he mentions that "We gon' be alright." These words have become the chant of many during Black Lives Matter protests. There are a few similarities between this song and African American spirituals. I noticed Kendrick's pronunciation, tone, and accent are similar to those of a dialect. There are still many dialects found all over the country. Nowadays, the differences may be tinier than what they were before, but they are still differences. There are a lot of uses of the first-person "I" in the song, usually when Kendrick is singing himself. However, there are also a lot of uses of "we", which is used in the chorus when other artists join Kendrick, not to mention the background vocals. I don't think this is a coincidence, and knowing Kendrick's artistic ability and the overall message of the album, I would not be shocked if this is a direct nod toward African American spirituals. One main difference from a general spiritual is the complexity of the song. This song requires a lot of thinking when picking apart the meaning of the bars. Overall, the idea of singing about freedom is the biggest trait this song has with a classic spiritual.
"The Bigger Picture" - Lil Baby
When talking about the "anthems" of the BLM movement, there is no way you can not include "The Bigger Picture" by Lil Baby. Apart from being one of the most popular songs of 2020, "The Bigger Picture" is the most popular protest song in history on the internet. This song is a lot more direct with its message. In the month following the death of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, this song was released and immediately blew up and became an anthem. In the chorus, Lil Baby says, "It's bigger than black and white, It's a problem with the whole way of life, It can't change overnight, But we gotta start somewhere." This is a great way to describe the BLM movement. Lil Baby is not known for his lyricism, so seeing a song like this released in his musical style shocked a lot of people. There are not a lot of comparisons with classic African American spirituals, however, just like with "Alright", the message for freedom is evident and can be compared to spirituals.
Conclusion:
I don't think that historians in the future will see any certain genre as being completely associated with the BLM movement, but it will be known that a lot of the songs about the movement can be found in the Rap/Hip-Hop and R&B genres. However, there are songs about the BLM movement across many different genres. The key in the future will be to look at these songs individually rather than the genres as a whole. There are clear similarities between these songs and African American spirituals, some more transparent than others, that I'm sure will also be compared in the future, just like how we are doing.
Andrew. I enjoyed reading your post. I agree that the chant "We gon' be alright" is a chant for many people in BLM protests. Even though the song is a bit complex I think the chorus is very simple and repetitive like many spirituals that we hear today. Also I was very surprised hearing "Bigger Picture" for the first time too because Lil Baby usually does not rap in that type of way. His lyrics are magnificent with many hidden and deep meanings. Why do you think that in both songs, but especially in "Alright" are there black and white scenes?
ReplyDeleteI had to come read what you had to say after seeing that you also wrote about "The Bigger Picture." I, too, was surprised by Lil Baby's lyricism and versatility on the track and I'm glad its gained lots of attention and recognition. Kendrick Lamar, at least to me, seems like he is always addressing larger issues in his songs and I think you're right to say the same about "Alright." I especially liked reading about the comparison of the different pronouns used in the song and what they could mean.
ReplyDeleteHi Andrew! Your analysis of these two spirituals is truly amazing and brings me to think of things I would not have. I think it is interesting that Kendrick Lamar did not write his song originally for the Black Lives Matter movement, but due to his popularity, it became a common song associated with the movement. His saying, "We gon' be alright" brings about the hope characteristic we have commonly seen within the African American Spirituals. The song, "The Bigger Picture" is an interesting listen, as it includes very complex lyrics, not seen in the Spirituals. However, these two songs bring awareness to the oppression these individuals faced and I believe that these songs will forever be associated with the Black Lives Matter movement.
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