“Understanding Black American Aspects to Hip Hop CINEMA” by Tani Sanchez

“Understanding Black American Aspects to Hip Hop CINEMA” by Tani Sanchez

Music and other forms of art have long been used by the oppressed and movements to pursue social change and justice. This was particularly practical and true in the 1950s-60s when African-American musicians openly addressed their daily issues using music as a tool. There are also popular white singers who used their talents and resources to advocate for the agenda of the Civil Rights Movement. Musicians like Joan Baez and Bob Dylan helped their African-American counterparts to air their grievances through their works of art. For a matter of fact, music long assisted those who worked towards the civil rights for the oppressed blacks in America. Most of the freedom songs were developed using the three-step processes of the blues as well as that of the gospel. This means that they were adapted music of the black Christianity that also played a significant role in bolstering inspiration, courage and fostering a sense of association.  From the song “How We Gonna Make the Black Nation Rise” by Brother D, and Collective effort seem to be advocating for the rights of the African-American community.  The artists claim that if they can dare to struggle, then they can also win against oppression.

In the first chapter of Tani Sanchez’s book, “Understanding Black American Aspects to Hip Hop CINEMA,” she talks about the difficulties faced by the minority African-Americans in the US. Even after the civil war, the Africans Americans still faced challenges as a result of their inferiority. The author asserts that the African-Americans were exploited and denied equal opportunities by the majority of whites to access better social, financial and political prospects (Sanchez 6). Despite the challenges, the minority African-Americans still pushed through to come up with their culture. One of the significant aspects of their culture is how they made and played music with clear messages. For instance, their gospel and blues music was formulated using three essential steps. Basing our explanation on the song “How We Gonna Make the Black Nation Rise” by Brother D and Collective Effort, African-Americans show how they were entrenched in tough experiences and how their dare to struggle would help them overcome the challenges.

In the first step of making their blues music, Sanchez believes that the production of a song should have reflections of the cruel experiences the African-Americans had been through. This is as a result of the tough times they faced when blues music was being created. As she points out, blues music was created during a period of racial persecutions and ethnic restriction deaths which comprised of offensive public execution (Sanchez 7). In the song, Brother D and Collective Effort show how society was made up of unequal social opportunities and economic injustices.

In the second step of the process, the song shows how the creation of the blues entails both tragic and comical experiences of the African-Americans.  The author illustrates this explaining that blues should present both the challenges experienced and the opportunities accorded to the African-Americans.  To illustrate times of misery and happiness, the lyrics “We can brag, and we can boast, Producin’ neither bread nor butter for our breakfast toast” shows that even in times of challenges, they have the opportunity to blow their own horns while there is nothing much they can do.

In the last step of reaffirming their existence, Sanchez thinks that blues music should have messages that aim expressing strength rather than weakness. For instance in the lyric “Remember the so-called Indian? Look what they did to him, Maybe they’ll do that to us, Dare to struggle. Dare to win”, shows the African-Americans refusal to show weakness even when they know they are inferior.

From the song and the book by Tana Sanchez, it can be noted that the African-American Culture played a significant role in pushing for their social and political significance. This correlates with the first part of chapter one of Craig Watkins reading “Social Conservatism and the Culture Wars. According to the reading, African-Americans and their struggle for social justice and civil rights came up a force. It is through this social or political force that they hoped of creating a new society or even raise their populations to a level of civilization. This could not be achieved without putting their culture into consideration. One of the best ways the Blacks created a cultural force is through the composition of music. The blues and gospel music played an essential role in advocating for social justice and their civil rights as an American minority group (Watkins 17). Through music, the African-Americans found ways of creating organizing cores of a variety of new conceptions. Through conceptions, ideologies were formulated and put into practice by cultural practices like the creation of songs of struggle during oppression.

In conclusion, the struggle for civility and social justice by the African-Americans in the US was much facilitated by music. Musicians from both divides who advocated for civil rights became vocal in the 1950s-60s by openly addressing the challenges faced by African-Americans. Even though their aim was achieved after a long struggle, the African-American culture of music should be recognized for their endeavors.

 
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