Black Protest Music Analysis

Our presentation starts with the black protest music of the 1960s, which was a rather turbulent time in terms of social issues. While the various issues gained speed and support, the Civil Rights Movement especially grew during this time. There were many approaches taken in attempt to tackle civil rights, such as protests and marches, but by far the most integral part of the movement was the creation of protest music by various black artists. These songs were able to bring hope to black people in such troubling times, like with Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come,” as well as capture the pain and anger they bore, like with Nina Simone’s “Mississippi Goddam.” The contrasting approaches of these two artists are perfectly summarized with a quote from the Lynskey text: “Cooke’s is midnight blue, slow and stately, full of hope and healing. Simone’s flashes hot red: it is tart and frantic, ragged with impatient fury” (72). With these two songs, I personally prefer Simone’s aggressive approach …show more content…
In this period, the “typical, run down ghetto” fantasy theme emerges. This theme is further emphasized with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s “The Message.” In the first verse of the song, he raps, “Broken glass everywhere / People pissing on the stairs, you know they just don't care I can’t take the smell, can’t take the noise.”
In these few lines, he is able to paint the picture of the typical ghetto as well as voice his discontent with living there. Identifying that Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were criticizing the city in which they lived in, we decided to parallel this song with Chance the Rapper’s 2013 song, “Paranoia.” In this song, he raps, “Down here, it’s easier to find a gun than it is to find a fucking parking spot / No love for the opposition, specifically a cop position / ‘Cause they’ve never been in our