My father always played Harry Belafonte on vinyl when I was young. Back then I couldn’t picture the face that belonged to that voice. Nor did I comprehend that it was Belafonte who sang both Scarlett Ribbons and Banana Boat Song. I later learnt by watching a documentary that Belafonte was instrumental in the civil rights movement. Here is a book that elaborates on that.
Another reason why Belafonte came to mind before and during and after class was a discussion I had with a friend about Jay-Z’s lyrics,
“I'm just trying to find common ground
'fore Mr. Belafonte come and chop a nigga down
Mr. Day O, major fail
Respect these youngins boy, it's my time now
Hublot homie, two door homie
You don't know all the shit I do for the homies” (source)
'fore Mr. Belafonte come and chop a nigga down
Mr. Day O, major fail
Respect these youngins boy, it's my time now
Hublot homie, two door homie
You don't know all the shit I do for the homies” (source)
These lyrics were Jay-Z’s response to Belafonte’s comment during an interview about the social responsibility of celebrities where he said, “They have not told the history of our people, nothing of who we are. We are still looking. ... And I think one of the great abuses of this modern time is that we should have had such high-profile artists, powerful celebrities. But they have turned their back on social responsibility. That goes for Jay-Z and Beyonce, for example. Give me Bruce Springsteen, and now you're talking. I really think he is black” (Source). Jay-Z later said, “I'm offended by that because first of all, and this is going to sound arrogant, but my presence is charity. Just who I am. Just like Obama's is. Obama provides hope. Whether he does anything, the hope that he provides for a nation, and outside of America is enough. Just being who he is. You're the first black president. If he speaks on any issue or anything he should be left alone. ... I felt Belafonte ... just went about it wrong. Like the way he did it in the media, and then he bigged up Bruce Springsteen or somebody. And it was like, 'whoa,' you just sent the wrong message all the way around. ... Bruce Springsteen is a great guy. You're this civil rights activist and you just bigged up the white guy against me in the white media. And I'm not saying that in a racial way. I'm just saying what it is. The fact of what it was. And that was just the wrong way to go about it.”
What do you think about this? How does this argument reflect the state of social responsibility and celebrity culture?
When I look at the images of Belafonte distributed by RCA records, it seems similar to exotica records of the time. Did Belafonte use enigma and sex appeal in order to fight against segregation? I’m curious of how the power dynamic and social responsibility has shifted from artists of the 1960’s to artists of our present day? During the 1950’s and 60’s, Belafonte covertly integrated the upper east side of Manhattan and then ran an informal civil rights office out of it (pg.77). Belafonte is interesting in that he both exploited Jamaican culture and appropriated it, but then used the clout he gained to raise funds for Martin Luther King Jr. (pg.76) All of these dynamics are complex and I wonder how the media’s relationship to social justice has changed as censorship has apparently been lifted. It seems like a recurring tactic that art that has a mobilizing element is often suppressed by its opposers. What do you think?
I happened to go to the movies on the weekend to see a film that a friend of mine worked on. It’s called Rumble and it’s playing at Cinema du Parc for another week or so. The film looks at how indigenous cultures have had an unacknowledged influence on rock, hip hop and blues. This made me wonder how social movements and revolutions are dependant on rhythm as a call to action. And what happens when this rhythm is appropriated or silenced? How would a movement that exploits and popularizes a foreign sound detract from any social message of “equality”//”injustice”. For instance, as Martin Denny’s records gained traction as hip cocktail music, I wonder if Belafonte’s music seemed like more of the same - harmless and fun. Is there an insidious social message lurking deep in the melodies? Other artists that would be interesting to analyze through this lens would be Yma Sumac, Dorothy Ashby, Mildred Bailey and Link Wray and Redbone.
This is such an important question: "This made me wonder how social movements and revolutions are dependant on rhythm as a call to action."
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ReplyDeleteinsert long tangents on Tropicalia .... which is far from the only example... but musicians were arrested, exiled, even put in psychiatric wards, never to be seen again - for the threat their music was perceived to hold towards both ends of the political spectrum in 1960s/70s Brazil. By mixing samba with experimental guitar and noise, concrete poetry and avante-garde approaches - cannibalising (their words) many rock/western influences, they shocked and unsettled the sanitized and culturally void aesthetics of state-sanctioned idea of Brazilian culture - not just its music.
ReplyDeletethere are so many examples current and in the past. this is just one. nothing agitates faster then rhythm. i'm just convinced. it's why they ban certain musical styles, rather then certain songs or artists. their are social movements, carries of culture. it works faster then lyrics, or most. lyrics land, and help concretize social movements of study... but rhythm, and obviously the break.... that's the surplus that doesn't end or begin persists and extends into the everyday... beyond the edges of a song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xEz2uva_ZE
thank you for the link!
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