fabien22

[fabien22]

RESEARCH PROJECT

Today I'm going to talk about one of my secondary sources. It is an article called "Black consciousness and popular music in Jamaica in the 1960s and 1970s". It fits my subject well because it is during my time frame, and it helps me undertand how Jamaican music, such as Bob Marley's, became a music that spreads a message, and how his legacy was a contribution for peace and for the rights of Afro Jamaicans.

Source: New West Indian guide, Vol. 61, No. 3/4, 1987, pp. 145-160

https://www.jstor.org/stable/41849293#metadata_info_tab_contents

The article talks about how Jamaican music was at first mainly musics of Love, and didn't carry any meaningful message. But then in the 1940s its musics became more and more personal, talking about serious topics that Afro-Jamaican people were facing. Jamaican songs then started to be used as political tools to go against capitalism and was used by the opposition in the 1950s, and this brought together people based in their race and not on their social class. The Rastafarian religion became more and more relevant for the rights of minorities, but also relevant for ordinary people from the middle class, who started to fight for the same cause: justice and equality for all Black people. Bob Marley was a big figure for the acceptance of the Rastafarian religion and its views, and his songs gave hope for the present and future generations for change. The article also explains that a new culture emerged in the 1970s : the "Culture of Dread". This was a cross class cultural form to fight oppression and racism in the country, and in some way in other parts of the world, and was manifested through music.

I haven't had the time to look for another decent secondary source yet, I was quite busy working for the other exams. So I will have to try and find one during the holidays !

[fabien22]

RESEARCH PROJECT

In today's post I am going to talk about my research project. As a reminder, my subject is about Bob Marley and his social and political activism during his career. I have already listed my primary sources for this subject, which are mainly articles about Bob Marley's works and some of the songs he has made (such as War, One Love and Get Up Stand Up).

My key question was «In what way does Bob Marley's works contribute towards/support black communities Rights and global peace ?». Instead of talking about his works, I will talk about his legacy, has he has done way more than just righting songs.

This research project can be linked to several themes of the Negus:

•audiences: his songs are listened by many different ethnicities around the world.

•politics: he was involved for human rights and global peace.

•geography: he was from Jamaica, performed reggae and was of the Rastafarian religion, which are symbols of the Jamaican culture.

•histories: his music talks about things happening at the time and still today.

Concerning the time frame, I will be looking at his works from the start of his career in 1962 until his death in 1981. But I might expand the time frame to after his death, as his songs are still listened to today. Bob Marley left behind him a huge legacy concerning social and political activism in Jamaica, as problems with human rights still occur there, and all around the world, which shows that his work is still relevant today. Also, many of his songs were covered later by other artists such as his sons, but also by other artists such as the french reggae icon Alpha Blondy.

In terms of methodology, I won't analyse his songs and the articles the same way.

For his songs, I will analyze their lyrics and link them to his social and political activism. For example, in his song War, Bob Marley talks about the impacts war has on our world. The lyrics were directly taken from a speech of Haïlé Sélassié, the Ethiopian emperor in 1964, in front of the United Nation general assembly. This is relevant to my project as this song calls for peace between nations and between races, and was inspired by a peaceful speech asking for actions. The lyrics of his song Get Up Stand Up call for actions against oppression towards black communities and the Rastafarian religion, which again shows Bob Marley's activism.

For the articles about him, I will analyze how Bob Marley's work and reggae in general is put into relation with political themes of the time, as oppression against black communities was an ongoing practice. In most articles, his life is fully detailed from his birth in order to understand the reasons behind his political activism, and the reasons for people to follow him. These articles often talk about the songs I will analyse as my primary sources, so I can put the lyrics and the articles opinions on his songs in relation.

Now concerning my secondary sources, I must still try to find another one, as I am not fully convinced about the one of the two that I have. So I will talk about them next week !

[fabien22]

TRACY CHAPMAN, A SOCIAL ACTIVIST

In today's post I am going to talk about Tracy Chapman, an American singer and songwriter, who started performing in the late 90's. She was black of skin, and because of that she has experienced racial assaults when she was a kid.

She has released a total of 8 albums, but one of them stands out for winning three Grammy Awards: Tracy Chapman, 1988. It contains tracks such as "Fast Car" (was ranked 107th on the Rolling Stones "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list), "Baby Can I Hold You" (charted n°48 on the "Billboard Hot 100") and "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution" (charted n°75 on the "Billboard Hot 100"). These songs are all beautiful, and two of them can be related to the them of politics from the Negus.

Tracy Chapman was a social activist, she advocated for human rights. The song "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution", as it's name suggests, talks about a revolution for human rights, to rise up and stand against injustice. [«Poor People gonna rise up And get their share, Poor People gonna rise up And take what's theirs»]. Tracy Chapman wasn't afraid of standing for certain political views, calling for change. The song "Fast Car" can also be seen as political song, as it talks about the struggles of poverty in America and deprivation [«Just 'cross the border and into the City, You and I can both get jobs, And finally see what it means to be living»]. Life for Afro Americans was much more complicated than for white people. So she knows what she is talking about.

She also showed her political views many times during her carrer. Soon following her first album release, she performed on the worldwide Amnesty International Human Rights Now! Tour in 1988 for the 40th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Also in 1988, she performed at the televised Nelson Mandela 70th birthday tribute concert in Webley stadium. She also stood for AIDS as she performed during the AIDS/LofeCycle event, a charity tour to raise money for AIDS/HIV services and to raise awarness on the subject, as many people weren't properly informed about those diseases. She is also said to be a feminist, advocating for gender equality. And during a Televised performance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, she added the lyrics "go vote" to her "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution song", which clearly stands out as a to be political, asking for people to go and vote to change her countries current system.

Tracy Chapman has a beautiful voice that needs nothing more than a guitare to create a beautiful song. And she uses those to talk about social themes that are relevant in today's society and that need to be treated.

#Youtube

[fabien22]

SNOOP LION'S SONG ABOUT GUN VIOLENCE

In today's post I am going to talk about Snoop Dogg. He is an American hip-hop rapper known worldwide from the West Coast, who started rapping in the 1990's.

But I will not talk about hip hop today. After years and years of performing rap and being good at it, he felt like he had seen everything that Rap had to offer. So in 2012, he took the decision to change his name to Snoop Lion, and his style of music to perform reggae, and created an album called "Reincarnated". He went to Jamaica for a month to be fully immersed in the reggae universe, as it is in Jamaica that reggae first appeared. He knew that going there would be a good experience for his new style of music : he met Bunny Wailer, former artist and founder of the Wailer's band (alongside with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh), who taught him a lot about the Rastafari religion and about reggae roots.

In this album, one song comes out for being quite political : "No Guns Allowed", featuring Drake and Snoop Lion's daughter Cori B. This song talks about the usage of firearms in the world and how devastating they can be. We all know how gun tolerance is in the United States, and how many people, including children, have died because of mass shootings.

The lyrics of this song are quite straightforward: they clairly go against gun usage because of the threat that they create [«Me don't want to see no more innocent blood shed, me don't want to see no more youth dead»], [«bullets do not choose a victim, it is the shooter that picks them»].

This is a subject that shakes the United States and the entire world today, as the Second amendment of the US Constitution allows any Man to be armed as to be able to protect themselves and the society. The people who are armed will always refer to this amendment when the public's opinion wants to ban them, which makes it almost impossible to do something about the usage of firearms.

But the lyrics are not the only political aspects of this song. The video clip is done in black and white, as to make it as sad as possible. There are also audio tracks of people who went through mass shootings, such as the Columbine mass shooting in 1999, where two 12th grade students killed 12 students and 1 teacher. There is also an audio track of a little girl screaming, audio tracks of medias from across the world talking about mass shootings, and an audio track of a gunshot. These things add to the political dimension of the song.

I always feel so sad when listening to it, as mass shootings seem to happen more and more often, without having anything done to prevent them from happening. We are all students, we all go to school, but never would we imagine having to go through this type of massacre. This is the reality of life that Snoop Lion talks about, indirectly calling for actions against firearms and for politicians to do sometimes about it, in order to save lives.

#Youtube

[fabien22]

My research project for this class is about "Bob Marley's activism for human rights". I will be answering this question by looking at the few interviews of him, through many songs that he has made which talk about peace and African-American rights, and with documentaries about his life.

My key question will be "how did Bob Marley's works contribute for human rights and peace ?"

Sources:

•https://wordpress.clarku.edu/musc210-mip/music-and-politics-in-jamaica-during-the-1970s-5/h/

•https://tribunemag.co.uk/2021/08/bob-marleys-fight-for-political-change-in-jamaica#:~:text=In%201978%2C%20Bob%20Marley%20fought,about%20building%20a%20better%20Jamaica.-mip

•https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3vdou2

•https://www.workersliberty.org/story/2012/06/20/marley-artist-and-activist#:~:text=Bob%20Marley%20was%20and%20remains,a%20fighter%20against%20western%20oppression.%20Jamaica.-mipMarley

•music "Get Up Stand Up"

•music "One Love"

•music "War"

[fabien22]

"SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY" BY U2

In today's post, I am going to talk about a song by U2 entitled "Sunday bloody Sunday". It talks about the tragic event that occurred in Derry, England in 1972, after that 14 people were killed after protesting peacefully. It is related to the History chapter in Negus, as it talks about an event that took place in the past.

This song takes us back to 1972 when the event took place, and makes us see what happened there. This song, that can be seen as a hate song against the Irish army, is in fact a song that calls for peace and for human rights. The lyrics used by the singer Bono ask for peace, and ask for this hate to stop: "how long must we sing this song ?".

The original song comes from David Howell Evans, also known as The Edge, who was apart of the band U2. While writing this song, U2 changed the lyrics written by David Howell a bit in order to make it more peaceful. This was seen by some people as a way of being close to the Irish army, but it was just a way to protect the band from any debates. The band has played this song more than 600 times live, always waving a white flag for peace. But it also relates to other events for the band, such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts and the attack in Paris on the 13 of novembre 2015.

This song is a way to not forget what happened in the past, as it is part of today's history. This is needed in the popular music industry, as bands like U2 have the power to say out loud what many wouldn't want to say. The rolling stone magazine has ranked this song at the 248th place of the "500 greatest song of all time."

#Youtube

[fabien22]

Eminem's growth in an industry of Afro-American rap.

Marshall Bruce Matters, better known as Eminem, is a rap artist and producer, born in 1972 in Missouri United-States. He then moved out with his mom to go and live in Detroit. His style of music is considered as a Hip-Hop kind of Rap, as he was influenced by big American rappers such as Nas or AZ while growing up.

In the 90's, Rap was quite dominant in America and mostly in neighborhoods, where their were many Afro-American communities. Rappers such as Jay-Z, Tupac or The Notorious B.I.G. came from that period of time. There weren't a lot of white rappers though. The big majority of them were Afro-Americans, and it was quite hard to be successful and respected as a white rapper. However, Eminem is an exception. At one point, in his song "Yellow Brick Road", he says [I had told him to stop by and check this out sometime, he looked at me like I'm out my mind, shook his head, like, "white boys don't know how to rhyme"] talking about the time he met Sproof, an Afro-American rapper and friend of his. It show that whites were not seen as being capable of rapping.

Eminem was a white dude from a broken down family, and was raised by his mother only. At the age of 8 at his high school in Missouri, he was bullied by other kids, and even got into a coma for a few days after that they hit his head on a bathroom's urinal (he talks about this episode in one of his songs "Brain Damage"). For a few years time, his mom and him moved out around 20 times, which resulted in him having to change schools about 3 times per year. This is difficult for anybody, but was even more difficult for Eminem as he was the bully everywhere he went too, as the cohabitation between white and black people wasn't at it's best.

Even though he was white, he managed to prove his talent and take the identity of Afro-American rap in his own way. After doing many rap battles in his school and starting to be noticed by music production companies, he created a group in 1995 called "D12" with Proof, the artist I talked about earlier in this post. This made him grow on the black Rap scene.

After getting a 2nd place in the 1997 Rap Olympics in Los Angeles, he got noticed by Dr.Dre, one of the biggest Rap producer of the time in America, who signed Eminem on his music label. He then created albums that were pretty much all hit albums. To attract more attention, he created a new character of himself in his songs, Slim Shady, a character that talks about sexe, rape, drug, and mental illnesses. He found his own style that made him be different from other rappers. His third album "The Marshall Matters LP" sold 1.76 million copies, beating Snoop Dogg's "Doggystyle" number of sold album's record, and even beating the record of the highest copies sold of an album by a solo artist from all kind of styles of music, held by Britney Spear's album "Baby One More Time"

This goes to show how much popularity Eminem managed to get. In the period and place he lived in, it was quite difficult if you were white. But he still managed to find his path and integrate the rap scene, even though being white. Partially thanks to Dr.Dre, Eminem became a worldwide known artist and sold millions and millions of albums. As of today, he has become a big influence in rap, and is even called by the Rolling Stones magazine "the king of hip-hop".

Dr.Dre, Snoop Dog, Ice Cube and Eminem

[fabien22]

THE IMPORTANCE OF LYRICS IN SONGS

In today's post I want to talk about the importance of lyrics in songs. Many songs aren't listened to correctly, as we don't always focus on the lyrics. Either because we just want to vibe on the music, or because we maybe don't understand the lyrics, such as in some American rap musics where the rappers don't articulate, or foreign language musics.

Some songs have an aim to talk about important matters. It is often seen in rap musics, where rappers talk about important topics that are at stake.

For example, Kendrick Lamar's song "Auntie Diaries" talks about his transgender uncle and how he got bullied at school because of it, which is a topic that isn't mentioned by a lot rappers but is quite important in today's society. These songs can give confidence to the audience who relate to that topic, knowing that a worldwide rapper talks about it. Topics like this are important in the music industry, as music isn't only about meaningless lyrics. Artists have the power, due to their huge influence, to change the vision of people on some ideas and to explain what they can be going through.

Another example is Santan Dave, an English rapper, who performed one of his song "Black" as the opening of the Brits Award in 2020. This song talks about the life of a Black person in today's society, and the way they are treated. He even added a verse to his song while performing it live, which was aimed at Boris, the previous Prime Minister of England, calling him a racist. The lyrics of this song are quite strong and harsh to listen to, and this is the aim of some artists: to change people's perspective on some topics. ["If he's white, you give him a chance he's ill and confused, if he's black, he's probably armed you see him and shoot" Dave - "Black"]

You can listen to a song for it's vibes and melody, but sometimes it's good to sit down and try to understand the lyrics. Many songs have a message in them that is aimed at problems in today's society, and we must acknowledge the importance of these messages. Kendrick, Dave, and many other artists have proven that while being known worldwide, they can use their influence to talk about topics that need to be spoken about.

#Youtube

[fabien22]

THE INFLUENCE OF MUSIC ON THE AUDIENCE

I believe that music can have an influence on the audience that is listening to it. Either by the video clips being violent, or by the lyrics promoting violence. Let's take the exemple of Drill, a style of rap that is quite dominant in England nowadays. This style of rap comes from America, where rappers try to describe what the everyday life is like in city neighborhoods. To do so, the lyrics are most of the time violent, and the clips can have violence in them. Gang activities, money, drugs and guns are present in almost every video clip. This can lead the audience to think that it is normal to walk with lethal weapons and use them, as the rappers that they listen to talk about it in all of their songs. In between 2017 and 2018 alone, there were 285 deaths in England reported due to knife attacks.

Drill music is seen as dangerous for the society, so dangerous that in 2015, the police forces in London tried to make the style disappear from internet, by having it removed from YouTube or other streaming platforms. Still today they are trying to prevent Drill from being listened. Even if nothing has yet to be done to prevent rappers from performing Drill, we can clearly see that the English authorities don't like this style at all. In a music videos ("John Wick") from M24, an English rapper, he begins the clip by saying that he isn't involved in gang activities nor doesn't have any illegal weapons, and that the lyrics are for entertainment purposes only. This proves the fact that Drillers are connoted as "criminals" by many.

I think we can say that music can have an impact on the way some people act, but mostly on the young audience. But I don't think you can say that it has an impact on adults, as they are old enough to know what they can/cannot do.

#Youtube

[fabien22]

PINK FLOYD'S IMITATION

Many of you will know who the Pink Floyd are. They have created so many hits that have traveled in time, making you feel as flying in the air when listening to them, thanks to their psychedelic vibes. Go listen to their song "Pig"- sit down, relax, and you will understand what I mean !

They created a new style of music, a sort or experimental and psychedelic rock, which barely had been done before them. The band met a huge success, releasing many hit albums : Animals in 1977, Wish You Were Here in 1975, and The Wall in 1979 which even got a cinematographic adaptation in 1982.

After Pink Floyd's success, many bands were formed to try and imitate Pink Floyd's style. But only one of them were near perfect imitation : the Australian Pink Floyd Show, which was formed in 1988. They were even valued by the Pink Floyd's themselves for sounding extremely similar and for creating the same universe. The Times magazine said that they were the "absolute reference and gold standard" when talking about imitating the original band's style. They were so good that they even played at David Gilmour's 50th anniversary party !

Pink Floyd's concert were a big must to see, with many things going making it a show : they had giant inflatables and many lights and lasers on scene. The Australian Pink Floyd Show managed to recreate their shows perfectly, giving the audience a glimpse of what it was to see the band when it was still active. They have made many shows all around the world, and they recently came to the Zenith of Strasbourg in March 2022 to perform at it.

The Australian Pink Floyd Show is a great success. They have sold over four million tickets in 35 different countries, proof of the talent that they have in recreating Pink Floyd's sound. I have personally seen them play live, and was left speechless as I could close my eyes and not hear a difference with the original musics ! If you are a fan of Pink Floyd and have the opportunity to see the Australian Pink Floyd Show, don't sleep on the occasion ! It is worth every single penny of it.