21st Century Sorrow Songs
In Du Bois “The Sorrow Songs” he discusses the music of enslaved people and its characteristics. He speaks of Negro spirituals as being sought from an enslaved past and classifies it as ancient music passed down of which even children know the meaning of its music. He calls the messages “naturally veiled and half articulate.” Du Bois says the songs deliver messages of storytelling, grief, love, and spirit.
The afterlives of slavery are a brutal daily reality for Black people in modern society. Black people currently face the same dehumanization and “thingification” our enslaved ancestors faced as a byproduct of the political, social, and economic implications of the 400-year institution. Per Sorrett, the ancestral spirit can be understood as something that lives deep within the souls of Black people. It serves as a mystique of sorts and is ingrained into the practices, values, and overall lives of Black Folk. In The Sanctified Church, Hurston refers to the concept of “A Collective Life” when describing Black religious traditions which paints the picture of the ancestral spirit. In other words our ancestors literally live within us, and theoretically, their coping mechanisms do as well.
According to Dr. Anthony Pinn in “Black Bodies in Pain and Ecstasy, “Black people have historically used religious expression and embodiment in the forms of song and dance to cope with and resist various forms of oppression and violence they have faced. How might the ancestral spirit influence Black art today? Where do we see the characteristics of Sorrow Songs in modern Black music?
Lauryn Hill dedicated her song “Black Rage” to police brutality victim Michael Brown Jr. Her song tells the story of intense rage in the Black community born from the immense oppression Black Americans have faced. In her opening line she pays homage to her enslaved ancestors singing, “Black Rage is founded on two-thirds a person. Rapings and beatings and suffering that worsens. Black human packages tied up in strings. Black rage can come from all these kinds of things.” Later in the song Hill refers to the concept of “Spiritual Treason” criticizing the use of Christianity to justify enslavement and the limitation of Black people’s personhood. Hill’s song samples “My Favorite Things” from the Sound of Music (1965). The use of music from a children’s movie reminds me of the characteristic Du Bois assigns the Sorrow Song in its ability to be recognized and understood by children. The song also serves as a story-telling tale as it explains the circumstances of the Black American from their enslaved past to their current state as social outcasts facing oppression in various forms.
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=S_2C0ZX0M84&feature=share
“Ultralight Beam” by Kanye West is a song of deep religious imagery. It discusses keeping your faith in God amidst adversity. In the post-chorus the lyrics state “I’m trynna keep my faith, but I’m looking for more. Somewhere I can feel safe. And end my holy war.” The song calls on God to deliver “us” or Black people serenity, peace, and love because He knows we need it and need Him. Ultralight Beam seemingly serves as a love song between the audience and God. While it references suffering it clings to the idea of faith and hope similarly to many of the hymns of the enslaved.
These songs demonstrate deep ties to the ancestral spirit and Sorrow Songs of our ancestors because they are a reflection of modern Black life as a result of slavery. 21st Century Sorrow Songs keep us close to our history and allow us to honor the ancestors who passed down song and dance as a coping mechanism and form of resistance.