On February 22, 2015, John Legend and Common marked a significant event in African American history, performing their Academy Award winning song “Glory” at the ceremonies. A moving anthem from the movie Selma, “Glory” brought people to tears through its powerful lyrics and performance. “Glory” tells its audience how far the nation has come, but also how much more there is to go. It represents a troubled story of black oppression and uplift for African Americans. It is not simply a song, but it is a message of the conditions black Americans have faced and are continuing to face. “Glory” is a complex song with a powerful message that resonates through music. It represents a troubled story of black oppression and the struggle of black inclusion
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Craig Watkins, Gaye Theresa Johnson, and Robin D.G. Kelley to understand why music is such an inclusive and meaningful expression for African Americans. This paper will attempt to understand how black music came to be, the urban situations that created a need for music, how hip hop, rap, and rock ‘n’ roll demonstrated blacks representation of urban situations, and how blacks represent problems facing African Americans in society and in cities. In order to understand why music, and hip hop more specifically, is heralded as a uniquely black form of expression, it is important to understand the construction of city life that awoke a desire for self and cultural expression through the art of music. This paper will link social and urban conditions that created unique circumstances, like increased violence and crime, and suburbanization, for the birth of hip hop culture. This paper will examine several important themes of hip hop: how it was formed, what hip hop culture is, patterns in rock ‘n’ roll, deconstruction of the urban environment, hip hop politics, and whiteness. These themes represent the formation and persistence and ability to provide African Americans with an outlet for inclusion in …show more content…
Cities, like the Bronx, Harlem, Detroit and others went through a period of decline in the post war era that left many African Americans abandoned in cities. An underclass was created that left blacks without a voice until hip hop and rap created opportunities to express their anger and oppressive status in society. Hip hop was not just music, but a political voice for repressed black society. Over the years it has grown from being an urban black genre to an international phenomenon. Urban America inspired the growth and creation of African American music, like hip hop and rap, which characterized black social and political exclusion and inclusion in American society. Hip hop was the voice, and continues to be the voice for urban black communities and beyond as its popularity continues to grow and
Craig Watkins, Gaye Theresa Johnson, and Robin D.G. Kelley to understand why music is such an inclusive and meaningful expression for African Americans. This paper will attempt to understand how black music came to be, the urban situations that created a need for music, how hip hop, rap, and rock ‘n’ roll demonstrated blacks representation of urban situations, and how blacks represent problems facing African Americans in society and in cities. In order to understand why music, and hip hop more specifically, is heralded as a uniquely black form of expression, it is important to understand the construction of city life that awoke a desire for self and cultural expression through the art of music. This paper will link social and urban conditions that created unique circumstances, like increased violence and crime, and suburbanization, for the birth of hip hop culture. This paper will examine several important themes of hip hop: how it was formed, what hip hop culture is, patterns in rock ‘n’ roll, deconstruction of the urban environment, hip hop politics, and whiteness. These themes represent the formation and persistence and ability to provide African Americans with an outlet for inclusion in …show more content…
Cities, like the Bronx, Harlem, Detroit and others went through a period of decline in the post war era that left many African Americans abandoned in cities. An underclass was created that left blacks without a voice until hip hop and rap created opportunities to express their anger and oppressive status in society. Hip hop was not just music, but a political voice for repressed black society. Over the years it has grown from being an urban black genre to an international phenomenon. Urban America inspired the growth and creation of African American music, like hip hop and rap, which characterized black social and political exclusion and inclusion in American society. Hip hop was the voice, and continues to be the voice for urban black communities and beyond as its popularity continues to grow and