The Black Experience Through The Art of Music

Taylah Waldon

Professor Harris

English 2017 - 64187

27 April 2023

The Black Experience Through The Art of Music

My project is a mixtape, I chose 13 songs that exude the black experience. To me, the “black experience” is black life in America in general, both the good and the bad. The “black experience” is being subprime, dealing with systemic racism, and experiencing redlining. The black experience is also being proud of our culture and what we’ve overcome. The songs I chose range from 1964 to 2021 and they personify the black experience.

The first song on the mixtape is “What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye. This song was released in 1971 and it’s a commentary on society’s status during this time. Gaye sings about the changes and violence escalating within the black community, attempting to bring awareness and change. Song number two is “A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke. This is another older song, released in 1964. Cooke brings awareness to the prejudices black people were and still are facing today. Song number three is “Say It Loud” by James Brown, released in 1968. This song is a bit more positive, Brown sings about uplifting black people and black voices by exclaiming the lyrics, “I’m Black And I’m Proud!” Song number four switches gears a bit as we transition from R&B to the west coast rap of the 80s. “F The Police” by N.W.A is a commentary on the systemic racism black men face at the hands of the police and how sneaky and undermining the police really are. The fifth song is another rap song called “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five. It was released in 1982 and it details the lives of black people living in impoverished cities and how due to this most people end up meeting the same fates: jail, death, or panhandling drug addicts. Song number six is “Fight the Power” by Public Enemy. This song was released in 1990, the group raps about standing up to the government and the prejudices we face as a people. The song is about us coming together as a people and fighting back.

The next song was one that I knew I had to add no matter what. Although this song is tearjerking, it tells the truth about our people and the senseless violence our people faced just because of the difference in skin color. This song is “Strange Fruit” by Billie Holliday. Billie Holliday’s sultry voice really adds to the horror of the situations being discussed. Overall, this is a really heart-touching song. Song number eight is “Changes” by 2 Pac. It was released in 1998 and tells once again of the hardships black people face living in impoverished neighborhoods and how they turn to petty crimes just to get food in their stomachs. Shakur acknowledges how no improvements have been made and he calls for a change to occur.

The next two songs are more eye-opening andself-awaree in my opinion. These songs are “Starships and Rockets” by MJG and 8 Ball and “Cell Therapy” by Goodie Mob. “Cell Therapy” was released in 1995 and the lyrics discuss how the government uses tactics to keep us at a disadvantage and how we as a people oftentimes play into the roles they have created for us and fall into the trap. This song tries to open the listener’s eyes to this in hopes of stopping the cycle.

“Starships and Rockets” was released in 2008 and depicts a man who is tired of playing the role of the “typical black man”... smoking, selling, drug, and gang affiliation. The singer actually apologizes for glorifying that lifestyle and tries to inspire the listener to follow a better path.

The last songs are R&B and often times used in historical movies. “Fight For You” is a song by H.E.R. that was released in 2021 and used in the movie “Judas and the Black Messiah”. H.E.R.’s song is about coming together and fighting for freedom for our people. The next song “Blue Lights” by Jorja Smith is about the countless times unarmed and innocent black people are stereotyped and murdered by the police. This song was released in 2018. The last song on my mixtape is “The Don’t Care About Us” by Michael Jackon. This song depicts, once again, the prejudice experienced by black people. The music video mostly takes place in a jailhouse, providing commentary about the school-to-prison pipeline. This song was released in 1995.

Although the songs are not in chronological order, I provided the dates that each song was released to act as a timeline for how long the mistreatment of black people has occurred. Obviously, it started way before 1964, but it's crazy to see how many artists have made songs on the same topic, begging and pleading for a change. The songs on my mixtape personify the black experience ranging from 1964 to 2021.