This song was written by King Ayisoba, the name of the song is “I want to see you my father,” believe it or not, it is in English. I dare everyone to figure out what the meaning is. King Ayisoba is an up and coming artist in western Africa. His songs are mostly folk-like, with story-telling characteristics. His style is very eccentric, and trust me, he is as odd to you and me as he is to most other Africans; but, like me, you fall in love with his songs. Listening to this song takes me back to winter break, when I went to Africa. I remember hearing this song everywhere, all the time, and people laughing whenever they heard it. I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to use it as a blog. Now, that we are talking about Afro-Centric qualities, I couldn’t think of a time better than this. This song has Afro-Centric written all over it. You can notice this with the use of: call and response (”I want to see you my father”); repetition; syncopation, and rhythm. The rhythm, especially, is my favorite. The way he plays that instrument is with pure rhythmic bliss, it keeps the song moving at a swift tempo. Along with this rhythm is the melody that stays stuck in your head hours after listening to it. The various timbres present give the song a very tropical feel. This song reminds me of how good simple songs can be.

            The Harlem Renaissance marked a time for change. It is during this time that African Americans sought out ways to elevate their culture and race.  They used different mediums to accomplish like music, literature, movies, plays, and theories, to accomplish this goal. Some of these revolutionaries were: Duke Ellington; Langston Hughes; Bill Robinson; Bessie Smith; and Booker T. Washington, the Black people “elevators” of the Harlem Renaissance. We can see now, almost a century later, everywhere we look, that their work is paying off. Black people are gaining the respect that they (we) always wanted. However, the struggle is still on. There is still more “Black” to be elevated in the American Society. One man trying to do this is Spike Lee.

            Spike Lee is a director, writer, and actor. Some of his works include films like Bamboozled, Malcolm X, and Do the Right Thing. Most of his movies are centered around civil issues like: gay marriage; racial prejudices; interracial dating; and black on black crime. Some see his films as controversial; others see it as crossing the line between safe and offensive. But none can deny the effectiveness of his themes in conveying strong messages, themes of hope and peace. In his film Do the Right Thing there is a murder in a neighborhood due to racial prejudices. At the end of the film people the neighbors, all of different races and ethnicities, crowd around the dead body. Here we see a reflection among the people of what their hatred has resulted in, a dead body. In this a message for peace is conveyed. Lee has received many awards and is considered one of the best directors in the film industry. As a representative of African Americans his success elevates the Black society, just like the greats of the Harlem Renaissance.

I think hip hop is the closest thing to modern minstrel showsl. In the past minstrel shows were performed by Black people; they, ironically, insulted black people. It made Black people look silly and stereotypically lazy, loud, and abnoxious. Much of today’s hip hop music is just like past minstrel shows. The things that are sung and done in hip hop music don’t necessarily make black people look good. Some examples are hip hop songs that talk about drug dealing and “booty shaking”. These videos only confirm such stereotypes like Black people are violent and have no morals. This, of course, is no way near the case, but sometimes the entertainment industry makes it so.

For me to say all hip hop is like this would be wrong. There are hip hop, or music by Black people, that aren’t satirical. The people who produce these songs are the modern day Dubois. They aim to elevate the Black name in our society. To the musicians like Common, Mos Def, Talib Kwali, John Legend, Anthony Hammilton, Alisha Keys etc, I commend their efforts.

Joan Armatrading is a European artist whose fame peaked during the 1970’s. The soul and emotion she puts into her songs is exceptional; notice “her songs.” Unlike most contemporary music artists, who don’t write (and probably don’t sing) the music they play, but make money from their physical appearances, Joan Armatrading kept it real. She sang and wrote about good stuff; things like love and companionship. The production of her songs is also great. All the components seem to fit perfectly in their positions, whether it is in the middle, when she is expressing a phrase, or the grace notes she uses to emphasize her melodies. This to me is great music, not just for listening but for the soul. And thats exactly what I classify this music as, soul music. I chose to show this video because it included a collage of her personal photos accompanied by one of her soothing songs “Warm Love:” this way you can get a taste of her personality, by her pictures, and musically, by the song.

This song belongs to the family of music we all consider Hip Hop; however, when listening one is graced with a mixture of smooth R&B grooves. This should not be a surprise. Performed by one of Hip Hops earliest groups, A Tribe Called Quest, I have found that their music always sounds the best. From beats that will make your head bop to lyrics that will leave you in deep thought, the band has rightfully secured their position as one of Hip Hops fathers. The band consists of the artists of: Q-tip; Phife Dawg; and Ali Shaheed Muhammed. By choosing not to use curse words in their songs, the band were good remodels. And by being good remodels the band served their community well.

“Bonnita Applebum” is a song about a girl named Bonnita. Sung only by Q- tip, he confesses his love for her when he says things like “Bonnita Applebum, you got it going on.” During the song, there are short instrumental intervals during the verse. This technique seems to give the song a very cool feeling flow. What I like most about this song is that it doesn’t pose any offense to the listener, it doesn’t make me want to cry or get mad. The only word for this song is cool, and when you listen to it, you too, will feel cool.

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