I thought our discussions in class regarding self expression versus overall representation were particularly interesting. I was compelled specifically to this in regards to music. Music is one of the most expressive art forms, especially when considering the individual artist. I wanted to explore how music is both individual and collective across a few genres we discussed in class.
Let’s start with blues. In his book Blues People Amiri Baraka claims that blues is a personal genre. He claims that the blues has an “insistence…on the life of the individual.” The early blues singers were singing their own experiences and about their lives. Baraka claims that blues music has such an emphasis on the individual because it “began with the performers themselves.” The blues were never intended to be a general representation of the Black experience, but alternatively a representation of the individual musician.
Hip-hop as a musical genre is often praised for creating a platform that elevates voices. Kendrick Lamar’s music has been used in tandem with the Black Lives Matter movement. It is undeniable that his music resonates with people on a large scale. In his most recent album, Lamar deals with the pressure of being thrust into a leadership role. The album ends with a song titled “Mirror” where Lamar really gets into it. He struggles with the pressure of it, wanting to preserve himself while also understanding the influence he has.
Rapper K.A.A.N. (whom I did my art review on) has written many songs containing lyrics dealing with social and political issues. In an interview with NPR he said “You’ve gotta know what’s going on around you and what situations you’re in…[but] I don’t feel like I speak for anyone. I don’t speak for young black men or black people. I speak for myself.” K.A.A.N. doesn’t see himself as someone speaking for Black people in general because everyone’s experience is different. Instead, his music, similar to Baraka’s claim about the blues, is centered around his perspective. He is telling his story but not trying to claim it as “the” story. He acknowledges the difference between speaking to people and speaking for people.
An artist who exemplifies powerful representation is Beyoncé. Throughout her career she has been celebrated for empowering Black female voices. Beyoncé’s music has been so influential in this way that she herself has become an icon. Her visual album “Lemonade” is a great example of this. “Lemonade” is a conceptual album dealing with complex social and emotional issues including infidelity, sexism, and racism. Even if someone can’t relate to the specifics of the album, they still connect with it. Even though Beyoncé is telling her story, the message resonates with many people.
My overall thoughts from all of this are that Black experience and what it means to be Black is different for everyone, therefore Black influential music cannot be taken as a generalization. Music can be used to represent some people but it should not be thought of as total representation. If that happens then what it means to be Black can be misconstrued into one monolithic experience. In Paul Taylor’s Black is Beautiful he claims that Black culture is not born as a given but rather assembled over time across different branches. I think that Taylor’s claim applies to the issue of representation. Since Black culture has been assembled through so many different events that it becomes impossible to have a perfect representation of it. Through this assembly, there is so much diversity within Black culture that a variety of representation is needed to begin to capture it.