Favorite Song expressing black culture

Song: Struggle No More
Artist. Anthony Hamilton ft. Jaheim and Musiq Soulchild
Album: Tyler Perry's "Daddy's Little Girls" Soundtrack

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMfA_Q1iezo

Lyrics to Struggle No More :
(feat. Jaheim, Musiq)

Ooh I'm Ooh I'm (sick and tired sick and tired) Ooh I'm
Ooh I'm Ooh I'm (sick and tired sick and tired) Ooh I'm
Ooh I'm Ooh I'm (sick and tired sick and tired) Ooh I'm
Ooh I'm Ooh I'm (sick and tired sick and tired) Ooh I'm

Lately It's been hard times
I'm talking about them
Financial ones aside
And they say when it rains it pours
Well it's running at my door
If it ain't one thang (one thang) it's another
And I'm so glad that we got each other
I'm so sick and tired of being stressed out
Lord please help me from this mess I'm in

Lord lift me over the hurt and pain
Deliver me from the rain
See I don't wanna stress over stress no more
I don't wanna strug-gle no more
So lift me up over the hurt and pain
Deliver me from the rain
See I don't wanna stress over stress no more
I don't wanna strug-gle no more

Every day every night I pray
Lord help me find the way (help me find my way)
To stay strong
And to keep my sanity
So I can provide for myself
And for my family
I'm so glad they believe in me cause the love it gives me energy (said the love gives me energy)
And with out them I couldn't make it no way
So I'ma keep pressing on on and on
Lord lift me over the hurt and pain
Deliver me from the rain
See I don't wanna stress over stress no more
I don't wanna struggle no more
So lift me up over the hurt and pain
Deliver me from the rain
See I don't wanna stress over stress no more
I don't wanna struggle no more

I wanna see my family
Get what they want have what they want get what they need
(I wanna see the finer things like the ???? just reminding me)
I don't wanna strug-struggle no more
I don't wanna live out here broke
(Stay on the scene with the finer things, like the spot that I got that's reminding me)

Lord lift me over the hurt and pain
Deliver me from the rain
See I don't wanna stress over stress no more
I don't wanna struggle no more
So lift me up over the hurt and pain
Deliver me from the rain
See I don't wanna stress over stress no more
I don't wanna struggle no more

No more no more no more
No more no more no more
No more no more no more
No more no more no more

===================================================================

This song is supposedly R&B but the tempo, emphasis on voice, and use of a background choir reveals it to be quite gospel. I think everyone can identify with this song as many of us struggle day to day to pay the rent, groceries, etc and this idea of faith in one's God to aid the righteous is a true reflection of most black Christian faiths. Growing up in the Baptist church, I was exposed to many powerful gospel performances but there times in this song(mainly Anthony Hamilton's ending part) where the singers are literally calling out to God with such conviction that one can not help but get goosebumps. The ferocity with which the men sing the lyrics emphasizes the idea of struggle and adds endless authenticity to the song.

Favorite Song associated black culture and politics...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOgfRCqT7Po
Artist - India Arie
Album - Various Songs
Lyrics - Because I Am A Queen

(oh yeah)
sometimes i shave my legs and sometimes i don'tsometimes i comb my hair and sometimes i won'tdepend on how the wind blows i might even paint my toes it really just depends on whatever feels good in my soul

i'm not the average from your videoand i ain't built like a supermodelbut i learned to love myself unconditionallybecause i am a queeni'm not the average from your videomy worth is not determined by the price of my clothesno matter what i'm wearing i will always be india arie

when i look in the mirror and the only one there is me every freckle on my face is where it's supposed to beand i know my creator didn't make no mistakes on me my feet my thighs my lips my eyes i'm loving what i see

i'm not the average from your videoand i ain't built like a supermodelbut i learned to love myself unconditionallybecause i am a queen (yeah)i'm not the average from your video (woo)my worth is not determined by the price of my clothes (whoa)no matter what i'm wearing i will always beindia arie

am i less of a lady if i don't wear hose my mama said a lady ain't what she wears but what she knows but i've drawn the conclusionit's all an illusion confusion's the name of the game a misconception a vast deception,something's got to change

don't be offended this is all my opinionain't nothing that i'm saying lawthis is a true confessionof a life-learned lessoni was sent here to share with y'allso get in when you fit ingo on and shineclear your mindnow's the timeput your salt on the shelfgo on and love yourself (love yourself)'cause everything's gonna be alright (love yourself)

i'm not the average from your videoand i ain't built like a supermodelbut i learned to love myself unconditionallybecause i am a queen (yeah)i'm not the average from your video (woo)my worth is not determined by the price of my clothes (whoa)no matter what i'm wearing i will always beindia arie

keep your fancy drink and your expensive minksi don't need that to have a good timekeep your expensive carsand your caviarall's i need is my guitarkeep your cristal and your pistoli'd rather have a pretty piece of crystaldon't need your siliconei prefer my ownwhat god gave me is just fine(oh hah hah hah)

i'm not the average from your videoand i ain't built like a supermodelbut i learned to love myself unconditionallybecause i am a queen (yeah)i'm not the average from your video (woo)my worth is not determined by the price of my clothes (whoa)no matter what i'm wearing i will always be india arie

************************************************************************************

This is the first India Arie song I ever heard, and I have always liked the song. She talks about how she is not the average girl, she does things differantly, is a free spirit and does what she wants. India says she is not a girl from a video, she loves herself unconditionally because she does not determine her worth by her clothes. She then goes on to talk about how confusion is used to decieve people and that needs to change.

I think this song is anti-rap and negative black society, and instead has a positive political and social idea to love oneself, and not worry about bodily imperfections. I always just enjoyed India's voice and rythmn and when you read the lyrics it sends a powerful message to love oneself. In her music video for the song, she walks outside with her backside facing the camera and there is a sticker on her jeans saying "love oneself."

India Arie is a positive role model and advocate for the black community and uses her music to be an outlet for that emotion. I think this song gives a great message to love life, and be positive no matter the circumstances and this is why I like this song.

Our Hip-hop Music Samples For This Week

glitter-graphics.com






Hip Hop is dead - Nas


Microphone Fiend - Eric B. & Rakim

Our Blues Musical Examples

We will listen to and deconstruct these songs keeping in mind the emergence and aesthetics of blues music discussed in lecture. Thus, as you listen to these songs, try to identify the following in the lyrics and performance:

Lyrical Context:

• Blues rooted in Black, working-class consciousness
  
• Blues rooted in the politics of gender, sexuality, race, and place
  
• Blues often constitutes a personal narrative and thus may be thought of as auto-musicography
  
• Auto-musicography is an articulation of two things: autobiography and music as narrative
  
• Although blues narratives are decidedly personal, its themes are also universal
  
• Religious struggles of the secular and the profane; the supernatural
  
• Internal psychological struggles, depression, mental anguish
  
• Sexuality, inter-gender relationships
  

Aesthetics:

• Improvisation (riffs, breaks, etc)
  
• Scatting
  
• Talk-singing
  
• Voice as instrument
  
• Baritone voice tone (a sound higher than bass, but lower than tenor), timbre (distinct quality of sound that differentiates itself from other sounds), vibrato (pulsing sound; rapid variation in pitch)
  

Ester Phillips, "Home is Where the Hatred Is"
A junkie walking through the twilight
I'm on my way home
I left three days ago, but noone seems to know i'm gone
Home is where the hatred is
Home is filled with pain and it,
might not be such a bad idea if i never, never went home again

stand as far away from me as you can and ask me why
hang on to your rosary beads
close your eyes to watch me die
you keep saying, kick it, quit it, kick it, quit it
God, but did you ever try
to turn your sick soul inside out
so that the world, so that the world
can watch you die

home is where i live inside my white powder dreams
home was once an empty vacuum that's filled now with my silent screams
home is where the needle marks
try to heal my broken heart
and it might not be such a bad idea if i never, if i never went home again
home again
home again
home again
kick it, quit it
kick it, quit it
kick it, quit it
kick it, can't go home again



Johnny Lee Hooker, "I'm Bad Like Jessie James"
Spoken:
A little thing I'm going to do called
'I'm Bad Like Jesse James'

I'm bad
I'm bad
Like Jesse James, uh-huh

I had a friend one time
Least I thought I did
He come to me
Said, 'Johnny?'
Said, 'What man?'
'I'm outdoor'
I say, 'Yeah?'

I taken the cat in
Get him a place to stay
And I found out
He goin' 'round town
Tellin' ev'rybody that he
He got my wife

Then I gets mad
I goes to the cat
Like a good guy should
I said, 'Look man
'I'm gonna warn, you just one time'
Next time I warn you'
'I'm gonna use my gun'

'Cause I'm mad, I'm bad, like Jesse James

I'm so mad, I'm so mad.
I'm gonna ruin you this mornin'.
I've got three boys
Do my dirty work
Now, you don't see me
I'm the big boss
I do the payin' off
After they take care of you

In their on way
They may shoot you
They may cut you.
They may drown you
I just don't know
I don't care
Long as they take care of you
In their on way

I'm so mad, I'm bad this mornin', like Jesse James.

They gon' take you right down
By the riverside
Now four is goin' down
Ain't but three comin' back
You read between the line
We're gonna have a deal

'Cause I'm mad, I'm bad, like Jesse James.

They gonna tie yo' hands
They gonna tie yo' feet
They gonna gag your throat
Where you can't holler none

An cryin' won't help you none
Set you in the water
Yeah, the bubbles comin' up.
Whoa
Rrrrrrr
Rrrrrrr

Oh yeah, I'm so mad!

Blog Week 8

To me the aspect of African American culture that best embraces the aspect of "African" would be music. The tribes of Africa are very much unique by their select musical customs, most strongly of course is the drum. Dances, ceremonies, and just about any other large gathering can introduce one to spectacular drum beats setting the pace for what is taking place.

In today's stereotypical African American culture the first thing that probably comes to one's mind is Rap music. I don't agree with this being the first thing that comes to mind, but I'll go with it to make things easy. The thing that makes most songs, especially now, famous in this genre are the beats going on in the background. Someone like Soulja Boy can get by with saying almost nothing in his songs, but has a catchy beat that people can dance to so he's popular. The beat is set by a strong Bass (a drum) and the rest is filled in after that. The tone/pace of the song is set by the rhythm, and I think this is the part of "African American culture" today that best demonstrates roots from Africa.

Homework Question #8

Blog 8

Mos Def and Talib Kweli's Hip Hop duo Blackstar best depicts the black/African in American culture in my eyes. These men both stand as two of the most eloquent and authentic MCs in the game and their work together as Blackstar only emphasizes those qualities. Their subject matter and approach to their music is an educated and informative manner of flowing that shatters the steretypical imagery of hip hop music being a game for thugs, drug dealers, and the like. Within these tracks they attack the issues that contemporary African Americans face everyday but they also speak on the history of a culture. In a non-threateneing and poetic fashion, these men cover areas that are quite traumatic to some but they speak with an elegance and a vocabulary that makes these hip hop tracks seem more like spoken word at times. Not only is this an artistic expression but a boisterous shout that hiphop and its artists do not need to feed into steretypes of what many think of African Americans but instead instill pride and lead a people by example.

Week 8 Blog

I believe that the evolution of Hip Hop music, the artists, and their thoughts best depicts African American culture. Not only has the music changed through time as historical events have occurred, but hip hop music shows so many aspects of African American culture. Hip hop music is historical and political. It is fashionable and contrary to some belief, is not dead and will never die because hip hop music, like other genres, allows artists to speak freely about the life and culture around them.

Homework Question #8

As far as popular culture goes, I’m not quite sure which example I can use but for the main culture, I’d say the sense of community is what best depicts the Black/African in African American Culture. For all the things most people have listed as their examples, (music, dance, sports, etc) all of these things are meant to be and are most enjoyed in group settings.

Because my parents were born in West Africa, I have the ability to bring our in culture and compare and contrast it with the prominent American culture as well as the African-American culture. In class we’ve discussed the melting pot theory and its flaws several times and I agree that this idea is on the right track, but there is still a prominent Western culture present in America. I think that for a country where individualist ideas are so prominent, African-Americans have greatly resisted this and have very much retained a sense of community reminiscent of my own African traditions. Compared to American culture, Black Americans, I feel, are much more likely to dwell in and enjoy group settings, stay very connected with extended family, and to consider friends more as family. Though not a popular culture example, I feel this sense of community is best exemplified through the Black Church. Though not the case with all predominantly Black churches, I think they are much more of a group activity than churches of American cultures. Here, the congregation, choir, and person giving the sermon are all interacting and worshipping together throughout the service rather than as three distinct groups. To recall from my culture again, this type of worshipping greatly mirrors church interactions in West Africa.

Popular Culture Blog

I think basketball is an aspect of popular culture that illustrates African American Culture.  Eventhough basketball is now a very diverse sport, it has strong roots to African American culture before integration.  While watching the sport, spectators are able to witness the individual culture and attitude of each player on the court.  Although they work together as a team, each player has a specific style and role.  Many of the aspects of basketball illustrate black culture through free rhythm and reiterating the idea of black masculinity.  It is important to remember that these qualities do not apply to everyone who plays basketball or to everyone who is African American.

Vincent Grier played basketball for the University of Minnesota after a few years of playing at junior college.  By no means was Minnesota a well renowned team.  Grier brought a presence to the court that was inspiring.  His spirit, rhythm, and determination were contagious.  He quickly became the star by holding true to his identity.  Although he was a great player, Grier's fundamentals were sub par.  His athleticism and determination were what caused his success.  Grier's gestures and spirit on the court represented the newly formed ideas of masculinity.

India Arie as an Image of African American Beauty

I believe that this album cover of India Aire is a great image of Black/African American popular culture. I feel that she embodies the sultry and beauty can be anything appeal. She talks about and at times show through her music and lifestyle how important being who you are and the fundamentals of true beauty can be to women. I think at times the true beauty of African American women get ignored through mainstream media but the images of natural beauty is something that has always been a part of African American culture. The image to me is symbolic of various things I see in African American culture. The bright colors of her dress represents the various hues of African American skin. The visual of her own brown skin smooth and vibrant also makes me connect to the idea of the beauty in the dark brown tint of some African American skin that can be appreciated. She does not have a perm/relaxer showing how beautiful hair can be in its natural state. The artwork in the left hand corner makes a correlation between art imitating life the way it blends into the scenery of the beach. For African Americans much of the artwork produced dealing with racism and oppression imitates the scenes of everyday life that need to be overcome.

I feel passionate about the choice of this image because viewing just this simple album cover allows other culture the opportunity to see more into African American beauty. It gives other cultures the advantage to see more than your typical hip hop appeal to African American culture because there are many sides to view to the culture. I am not sure if I completed this task correctly but I wanted to make sure that I gave my best and honest imagery and ideas about the topic.

Blog 8

I picked an image of Michael Jordan because for me, as I grew up in a predominantly white town, the only contact I had with African American culture was through black athletes.  And like most kids I knew when I was growing up, Jordan was my favorite athlete and my hero.  I think that African-American athletes are a good representation of African-American culture because they are some of the most notable people in pop culture today and because they represent the syncretism that has historically categorized African-American culture.  Although African Americans didn't invent basketball, they developed their own unique style of play that was something all their own.  In addition, since they are so notable, African-American athletes are trend setters not only in African-American culture, but in American culture in general.  This can be seen in this picture as Jordan is holding one of his signature shoes that, over the years, have become wildly popular among all races in America. 

Pop Culture

I believe that music does the best job at depicting African American culture in today's society that focuses so much on pop culture. There are not only a variety of different genre's of African American music, but there are also many different themes to it as well. Music is already a huge part of just American pop culture so it makes sense that it is all around us to begin with. African American artists can also make iconic references in their songs that promote or teach the listener more about their culture. Music can be used to project a resounding message and some African Americans use it in this way to teach of culture.

-Sarah Pergine

Blog #8

I think that music best depicts Black culture in the world today. Hip-hop/R&B/Rap are relatively new styles of music compared to other genres, but they are some of the strongest musically and influentially. The reason I like hip-hop is that artists tell stories about their lives, it's not just writing songs about girls and dissing other artists. My favorite artist is Lupe Fiasco, but Kid Cudi is growing on me too. Lupe is great because he doesn't overuse profanities and the meaning of his songs are really deep. That's the same with Kid Cudi. They both talk about their struggles in life and rap about situations going on today. African American music is really good at telling stories from the past and discussing modern day problems, including social/political/economic issues.

My favorite Lupe song is Hip-Hop Saved My Life:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4rwye_lupe-fiasco-feat-nikki-jean-hip-hop_music

Popular Culture Blog

Music is the popular culture that I think does the best job of depicting Blacks in African American Culture. There are many different genres in which Blacks create music, which helps show the diversity even among the Black community. It shows that not all are the same, and that many people have differents ways of expressing themselves. Music is very popular in itself because it is the most interesting and expressive form of expression. Most Black artist in at least one of there songs speak about different aspects of their lives or things that they do that are considered ''Black'' or that they would probably expect most Blacks to understand.

Week 8 Blog #2

Oops, I may have answered the question wrong :)
I'm going to try again.

I think that the popular culture example that best depicts the Black/African in African American culture would be music. Today rap and hip-hop have become very mainstream. It not only can be seen through the music being produced, but also in the clothing being worn. One thing that is really interesting about rap and hip-hop in today's culture is that it is not only to entertain, but it is also used to express political/religious/cultural ideas as a form of resistance.
Here's an example of music being used as resistance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hw-4f2udFA
This is Ploylessness by muMs

Week 8 Blog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDkt-7ivp9A

I chose the opening piece "I've been buked" in Revelations by the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre to describe the Black/African in African American culture. I think that this piece really embodies what it means to be black and to have a connection with one's past, as well as move forward with the future. When the dancers lift their arms there is a sense of power and growth. Another reason why I chose this piece is because the company has been performing this dance for years (it is one of their signature pieces). This has meaning because it shows how something old an still have an impact on new viewers and new dancers within the company.

Weekly Blog

The popular culture that I think best depicts the black in african american culture is the clothing attire that they wear. This is a big style and it is a way to express themselves in their daily lives. This is shown throughout the culture whether it be baggy clothes, certain brand named items, or a style of clothing it all is a way to live and fit in with each other and their suroundings.

Professor Whaley Post: 3/11/09 Discussion

Hi Everyone,

I am posting to the blog main points of the reading and our activities for Thursday. I hope we have a fun class. You will get your midterms back after break (reading 32 eight page midterms takes time!). You may also check in with me during office hours about grade. Have a nice Spring break!

045:030: Introduction to African American Culture Discussion

(Whaley)

Catherine M. Cole

“When is African Theater “Black?”

Vocabulary:

• Proscenium-style staging refers to the area between the orchestra and the stage curtain
• Bicameral separation refers to a two part separation between performers and audience
• Spectator refers to viewer or audience of the visual
• Afro-pop is African and Western popular music styles
• Ghanaian concert party is a traveling theater minstrel troupe
• Black cultural traffic refers to the transnational circulation of Black culture
• Ghana Pan African Historical Theater commemorates the devastation of the African slave trade on Africa at Panafest


I. Intent of the Essay:

To examine if Africans identify with a transnational notion of Blackness or is it entirely a localized perception of identity.

II. Major Points of Essay:

• African theater is influenced by the West insofar as it is scripted dramas in English or European languages
• Apartheid in South African affected its theater, especially the divisions among coloured, Black, and White people
• Class continues to affect social relations in South African even in a post apartheid era
• African theater rarely identifies with a unified “Blackness,” rather, it is articulated in terms of ethnicity, gender, seniority and concerns related to national boundaries
• Africans have been fascinated with Black American culture since the 1930s and 1940s and this fascination finds its way into African cultural productions
• Sarafina the only well-known, African modern theater production in America
• Humor is irrational and therefore may be difficult to theorize as a motive for racialization

III. Forms of theater:

• Poetic literary masterpieces written in English (Soyinka)
• Improvised non-scripted shows in indigenous languages
• Traveling melodramas
• Community based skits promoting literacy
• Internationally successful South African productions
• They use fluid spatial dynamics

Discussion Questions:

1. What are the literal and figurative dynamics of space in African theater?
2. How is African theater European, indigenous, and African American?
3. Who is the audience for African theater?
4. How do we make since of the Ghanaian concert party’s minstrelsy aesthetic, that is, its incorporation of American and British Blackface into its theater productions?
5. How is “tranting” a form of “Black cultural traffic?”
6. What meaning does Blackface have in Ghana according Bampoe, that is, what are the multifarious ways it is used?
7. How do other Africans feel about it blackface?
8. Can blackface be both indigenous to African forms and offensive in American forms at the same time, or does its possible African roots in indigenous practices erase its offensiveness in the American context?
9. Given that Africans were transfixed, in some ways, by American blackface imagery, should we take at face value their intents? Can Africans engage in blackface as an excusable social drama because of their “Africaness?”
10. View the clips from a Sarah Silverman episode that airs on comedy central. What do the episodes suggest about the use of blackface and racism? Does the episode help create a dialogue about race, or does it circuitously evade the seriousness of blackface through its caricature? Is this interventionist art, parody for parody sake, post-modern pop art, or problematic? All?

• http://sarahsilverman.comedycentral.com/index.jhtml?c=vc&videoId=118606
• http://sarahsilverman.comedycentral.com/index.jhtml?c=vc&videoId=118604
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz2fhmRzCOA

11. The last Silverman clip suggests that Chapelle caricatured African Americans, and even pokes fun at his disintegration into regret and depression. What do you think she is trying to convey here? Is the aforementioned clip different from the Wayans Brothers caricatures in White Chicks? What are the historical, cultural, and social issues at stake in what all of the comedians are doing? Our article notes that Freud believes humor is a difficult form to weigh for social/political meaning because its motivations are not rationale. Do you agree?

From Ethnic Notions: The emergence of minstrelsy:

Week 8 Blog

I think that music depicts African-American culture best. Hip Hop and R&B are very distinct forms of music. It differentiates itself from other forms of music with its rhythm and words. Hip Hop began as a way for African-Americans to branch out and tell their stories of struggle. I feel that it has a sound that cannot be imitated and is true to itself. Although Hip Hop has changed throughout time, the basis that it is founded on remains the same. Its a culture outlet, a way to express thoughts rhythmically and creatively.

There are multiple examples of African American culture in popular culture. A few to name are music/dance, fashion and food. Many popular dance moves and steps in the current and past American cultures were constructed and orginated within African Amerian culture. The movements are like no other movements that other cultures have used. African American culture has made its place in popular music as well, from R&B to Rap, Hip Hop to Blues and many other musical genres. Rap and Hip Hop, for example, were meant to talk about the struggles African Americans had to endure and the challenges they faced. Rap and Hip Hop lyrics were also meant to speak on the struggles and lives of African Americans before them. African American food has also had an impact on popular culture; bringing an array of foods, spices and flavors to popular culture.

Popular Culture Icon

There are many things in popular culture that depicts African American Culture well. This includes hip hop/R&B music, sports, movies/television, as well as literature and poetry. The thing that I am focusing on is movies and television. I chose Tyler Perry (director, actor, and movie producer) as someone who I think represents African American Culture well and brings many positives to it. He is someone who is inspirational and very talented in the creative aspect of making films and plays portraying family and conflict, as well as bringing comedy to the screen. Some of the films/plays that he has created include "Diary of a Mad Black Woman", "Why did I get Married?", "Meet the Browns", and his newest film "Madea Goes to Jail". He is inspirational in the African American community as someone who is determined to succeed and is successful in what he does. His plays and films have real life morals to take away, which promote success, independence, and love in family and in relationships with others. He has given a new vision to other African American aspiring film producers and directors, that if they put their minds and hardwork into what they do, they can achieve success just like him. I really like the fact that he doesn't let anything hold him back and really portrays the African American family and culture in its truest forms in his films and plays. I think that is what makes them so fun and interesting to watch.

Here is the youtube clip url that I found talking about his newest film "Madea goes to Jail"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2akKKSNYyZA

African American Culture example

African American Culture to me is many things including family, religion, food, music, sports, and fashion. The most obvious to me being music family and sports. The examples I run into most often include sports, and music so I will use music as my example of depicting African American culture.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soP-qtKhZxI&feature=related The Kanye West video about his song, "Hey Mama," this is a live performance of this song, and Kanye unfortunatly lost his mother suddenly and this is his tribute to her. Kanye suffered a great loss and he expressed this through his music and showed his emotions during difficult performances of the song. He was able to express his sadness and grief through the song and used it as a form of expression.

African American culture to me incorporates differant aspects of music and family to express themselves and this performance shows how the culture values family, and other cultures can relate to the loss and suffering. Music is an everyday way to express thoughts and feelings and it can be a powerful tool to show ones culture.

Sports and religion are other major cultural expressions but to me this video really relates family and music of the Black culture and gives an insight of the feelings and emotions to that relationship.

Popular African American Culture

In African American popular culture, the thing that stands out to me the most is music, dance, and rhythm. African American music has evolved a great deal and has become one of the most popular types of music today. Hip hop and R & B are my favorite types of music and the beat and rhythm in these genres are just fun to listen to and dance to. They give off a happy vibe and make it so you can sing along or even bob your head with the beats. Dancing is one of my favorite things to do as a hobby and I find it that popular dancing shows such as Americas Next Dance Crew is centered around very successful African American dance crews. It just amazes me to watch their flow and fast paced moves to the music. Hip hop dancing evolved from hip hop music and hip hop dancing is so fascinating to me. The intricate moves look so hard to learn but when performed, they look outstanding. Dancing is so pretty to watch and the emergence of hip hop and different types of dance has become a big part of African American popular culture.

Example of Black Culture

I really don't have a strong foundation of experience with the culture to answer this question well.  I really enjoyed reading about basketball's roots stemming from Afro-American culture in Caponi.  From what I see in the media, Nelly (and rapping) and America's Best Dance Crew (hip hop dancing) are the demonstrations of black culture I'm most exposed to via the radio and TV.  I know Nelly is a little outdated, but he had a strong attitude even if his lyrics weren't always G-rated.  The musical aesthetic of rap and his music in particular showed this strength.  For example, it's relatively fast-paced with strong beats intermixed.  The dance show presents part of the culture through movement and many of the groups spotlight one member in each routine.  This is consistent with Caponi's observation of dance in Black culture.  I asked my Dad this same question and he thought the Cosby show could be an example of Black culture from the 70s.  It's a little less idealized than the Fresh Prince and was a popular show when it was still airing.  These are just a few examples of what I would associate with Black culture.

Weekly Blog #8

African American Culture

When I think of popular African Americans (besides our current president) majority of names that come to my head are athletes. That also could be because I follow sports pretty close and find them more enjoyable to write about than theatre (the reading), or music or other cultural aspects. Therefore, athletics I think is a very good example of popular African American culture. I couldn't find a more recent percentage but in year 2000 approx. 13% of our population was of African descent. Going off that, 65% of the NFL is black, nearly 80% of the NBA is black, and about 70% of the WNBA is black. There are also many Africans in other professional sports as well. Those numbers show that athletics is an important cultural aspect.

Also, when you think of most professional sports the "best" players are usually African. For example, this picture shows Michael Jordan who is arguably the best player to play. And currently LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and many other Africans dominate the NBA. So I don't know I could say that athletics "best" depicts the Black/African culture but it at least plays a huge role and is a good example.

Blog Week 8

I have posted a picture of an exceptional slam dunk at a slam dunking contest. As we talked about in lecture on Tuesday, this is one example where a black aesthetic has changed American culture. The slam dunk is now one of the most exciting parts of the game of basketball and originated from black players of the game. While this display is definately a show of individual athletic ability, it also serves another purpose. Caponi writes about a slam dunk saying it also is a communal activity. After studying about jazz with its improvistaion and call and response, I understand what Caponi is saying. A slam dunk in a basketball game always illicits a response from the spectators and/or the other players. This is the purpose of the call and response. The slam dunk not only changes the tempo of the game by changing the normal rhythm, it is also an act of defiance. When a slam dunk takes place, it usually means there has been a disruption in defense or player mistake. This provides an opportune time for reaction. Then along with the spectators, the players and refs find themselves watching the action as if they are outside the game. In that particular time and space the game is changed and the spectators are energized!

Culture Blog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7c2lC9JlJo


I believe that Aretha Franklin is one of the best popular icons in African American culture. The "Queen of Soul" is an expert in jazz, R & B, rock, blues, pop, and gospel music. She has a very powerful, loud voice, which is associated with black culture. Her hit songs such as "Respect" and "Think" helped lead her to where she is today. She performed in the Grammies with Beyonce, who is the new pop icon that little girls look up to today. She also sang at Barak Obama's Inaugeration. To me, she was the perfect person to sing such a beautiful song on such an important day in history. She has sang in many different musical styles that helped frame black culture througout the years, and she continues to remain one of the greatest vocalists in the world.

Professor Whaley Post: Media Examples for Tuesday, 3/10/09

So here we are, now, having finished the first half of the class. What's next? Your midterm evaluations, and culture, culture, culture! To get us started, here is our jumpstart discussion clips from the Wiz and the Wizard of Oz. Think through how the juxtaposition points to the what is this "Black" in Black popular, expressive, and performance culture:





Cheers!

Blog Question for Week 8

This midterm paper was challenging because it seemed like a very broad topic. I could have written eight pages on each of the time periods which I talked about, so I struggled when thinking about what information to include and exclude. Another problem I ran into was how to separate my paragraphs. I know some teachers want each paragraph to tie to a separate part of the thesis, but for this essay, the topics were very long. I had to break my paper in my paragraphs because they began to run on and seem too long. I enjoyed the topic because I thought that it is very important topic to think about, but I would have rather liked the option to choose one time period and write about it instead of four or five time periods.

Blog Question for Week 8

Writing the midterm paper was both challenging and rewarding for me. Some of the challenges included figuring out how I would organize my thoughts (the outline provided in class helped me so much). I also struggled with connecting my paragraphs and providing smooth transitions. Most of my challenges involved the structure of my paper. What I found most rewarding though was the material. I really enjoyed re-learning about all the ways blacks have resisted oppression and actually felt inspired by their actions. I really liked this assignment because it also was a really good review over the material that we have learned so-far this semester.

Homework Question #7

Writing this paper wasn't a very difficult process for me. I really enjoyed the topic but did have a somewhat tough time trying to incorporate only the most important facts into a small amount of text. The most difficulty I encountered involved which information was the most important and how much i had to talk about it. I also encountered difficulty that resulted in not starting on time..big mistake.

Weekly Blog

For me the hardest part to getting the paper started was getting the information together and figuiring out how to compile it so that it flowed nicely. There was alot of information and sometimes I felt flustered because we had many reading assignments and I didn't understand them. Because of this I struggled and had to go back several times and try to reread to understand the concepts. In the end the outline that you gave us helped a lot and It came much easier to get the paper flowing the way I wanted it to.

Essay Challenge

The hardest thing for me was finding a way to construct and organize the paper in a way that made since because everything in my head sounded good but as far as getting it down on paper, I was having a bit more difficulty in that area. I had a hard time trying to figure out what to and what not to include in the paper as far as evidence and events that happen to support my claim. I also had another paper due today so being able to split the time to get them both done was another huge challenge for me.

Midterm Response

I think the hardest part about the midterm was the broad topic. I could've written a six to eight page paper on one time period between the 17th century and now. With that being said, it was a bit challenging to find the proper balance between too broad and too much information. Also because the topics were spanning such a large time gap, it was a bit challenging to use the outside sources as effectively as I would've liked.
With all that being said, it was rewarding at the end to look back at a summary of the struggle of a group of people chronicled over the history of our country.

Midterm Response

I thought the hardest part of writing this essay was going back through the book and through the readings and finding quotes to support our argument. I feel as if most of my quotations came from Painter and the lectures, because most of the readings didn't talk about how African Americans resisted oppression and created a transformed culture. I thought the majority of them were focused on how the field on African American studies came about, so it was harder to pull quotes out from readings than I thought it would be. Overall, I thought that it was an interesting and engaging paper to write. I ended up liking this paper more than some of the papers I have written in the past.

Response to Paper

I think the most challenging part of the paper was organizing all the information. We have learned to much in both lecture and the readings, so I thought it was really difficult to harness all of the information and organize it to a way that fit with my thesis. I thought creating a thesis was very challenging as well, since the topic was so broad. I'm very happy to finally have my paper done; It was definitely a challenge! 

Midterm Paper Response

I thought the Midterm was a very effective way to evaluate our understanding of the course material beyond memorizing the historical facts.  The paper challenged me to analyze the historical context and understand African American response.  I found it difficult to cover such an extreme amount of history in 6-8 pages.  I did the best I could to emphasize the important aspects.  Overall I appreciated the assignment.

Midterm Paper

This paper has been the most thought provoking paper that I have had to write. It could be that I did not fully grasp the concept behind the question. That I over thought the question that I was being asked. Or the way in which I had to form my thoughts was not as accurate as I thought. The midterm took me more time than I had perceived. I had to take the time and think thoroughly about what I needed to do within this paper and how would I react to the knowledge that I was presenting. One thing that I hope to have done through my midterm is to ensure that I communicated my thoughts and concepts effectively to convey my point.

MidTerm Paper Blog

The most rewarding thing about this paper was finally getting it done. It was the toughest assignment I have been assigned all year so it was definitely nice to just get it done. The thing that was difficult about it was figuring out how to organize it and what all I should ad about each topic because there is so much. Overall, I think that the paper had a good level of difficulty for being a mid-term paper. I feel accomplished now that I have finished it because it was pretty difficult and time consuming.

Blog 7

I'll probably echo a lot of the other people in class, but the most challenging part of writing this paper for me was fitting all of the information in 6-8 pages.  I feel like I could have written more than 8 pages on each era I wrote about.  As a result, I feel like I left out a lot of information.  Also, I found this paper challenging simply for the fact that I have so much other stuff due this and next week.  At the same time, however, I felt this paper was greatly rewarding in that it put African-American culture in a perspective I hadn't thought of before.  I had never realized the transformed and distinct nature of the culture.  Ultimately, it really is a relief to have this paper finally finished.

 

Midterm Paper Blog

I found this paper to be one of the most challenging papers I've had this semester. I am so glad that I am done with it. The most challenging thing about the paper is the fact that there is so much history to write about and trying to make sure that I put the right things in the paper. At first I thought that writing 6-8 pages was going to be impossible, but I guess when I got going it was okay. The small outline that you provided for us was very helpful. At the end, I did find myself getting a little discouraged because I didn't feel like it was flowing together and I felt like I was summarizing instead of arguing. I guess I will find out when I get the paper back if I did the assignment right.

Blog #7

MIDTERM Paper

When writing this paper I found it really hard to pick and choose what information to include in my paper. I feel that if I would have included everything on my outline it would have taken up ten plus pages. So it was hard for me to condense everything because I felt like I wasn't going into enough detail on certain points to support my argument. All in all though, i feel like it was a good assignment and that everything i incorperated into this paper was a review of everything since day one of class. Alot of information went into this paper, and like i said above, i could have written the 6-8 page limit all about slavery and reconstruction alone. It was a tough assignment and took forever to finalize it all but it feels so good to be done now!!!

Midterm paper

Being finished with the midterm paper makes me feel so good! I worked really hard on it but I found some difficulties while writing it. I found it hard to cut down all of the information into 8 pages and condense it. There is so much information on each subject that I wrote on like slavery, reconstruction, migration, and social movements. It was a challenge to write minimal information on these topics but I spent time correcting and looking over it so I made sure there was not too much information on each subject. I enjoyed writing this paper because I like learning about a different culture than mine and the details that African Americans went through from the seventeenth century to the present day. I find it really interesting and it was a challenge to compile this information together but it was worth it because I learned a lot in this process!!

Midterm paper blog

The hardest part of writing this paper for me was starting it. When i started to write it i was lost. There is such a wide variety of things that African Americans have faced and i was unsure where to start and what to say. To be honest i thought 6 pages was a lot at first but as i started to write i realized there is so much to write about that 6 pages was easily obtainable. I had to make sure that i didnt begin to ramble about each topic and i got to the point as well

Midterm Paper

 I am so relieved that I finished my midterm paper! This assignment was challenging, but I'm very excited about how my paper turned out. The most challenging thing for me was just getting started. I am a huge procrastinator, so I starting doing an outline early to get all my thoughts out on paper. I also had trouble putting all my thoughts together because of all the information and time that I wanted to cover. I also agree with some of my classmates that it was very difficult to produce a good thesis. Overall, I learned more from writing my midterm paper then I thought I would, and it was a very positive experience. 

Professor Whaley Post: Midterm Due Thursday, March 5th! Plus Thursdays Activities

Of course, the midterm is due today!!! (in class, no emails or faxes--sorry!). I will collect midterms top of the hour, so make sure you arrive on time. We will discuss your blogs, and then we will discuss two of the autobiographies we did not get to that were assigned for Tuesday (Amira Baraka and Malcolm X).

In class discussion pieces:

"Ka'Ba" by Amiri Baraka

A closed window looks down
on a dirty courtyard, and Black people
call across or scream across or walk across
defying physics in the stream of their will.

Our world is full of sound
Our world is more lovely than anyone's
tho we suffer, and kill each other
and sometimes fail to walk the air.

We are beautiful people
With African imaginations
full of masks and dances and swelling chants
with African eyes, and noses, and arms
tho we sprawl in gray chains in a place
full of winters, when what we want is sun.

We have been captured,
and we labor to make our getaway, into
the ancient image; into a new

Correspondence with ourselves
and our Black family. We need magic
now we need the spells, to raise up
return, destroy,and create. What will be

the sacred word?

Baraka Discussion:

In the above poem, what connection does Baraka make between history and identity? Now that you have read the Jay David book, can you make comparisons and connections between the poem's meaning and the "work" of autobiography?

Malcolm X Clips:

1. This first clip discusses X's childhood, issues of objectivity, the shaping of religion on his world-view, and what he describes as the "race problem." In the clip, the discussants question his objectivity. Can African Americans be objective concerning issues of race? At the end he quotes JFK. What would Kennedy or X say is the problem of the 21st century and why? Would they see things similarly? Why/why not?



2. This second clip represents X's transformation after leaving and denouncing the Nation of Islam. Many issues brought up in this clip exist today, such as red lining districts and segregation (New York City). X ends by saying as long as one African American person does not have freedom/respect, that he is not truly free. What does he mean by this? In other words, why do you think he makes the distinction between individual and group success? Does such an idea about freedom seem naive in contemporary times? Do his comments assume a perpetual victimhood status? Should individuals advocate based on group status? Is individual freedom and respect a more achievable and/or desirable goal? Why/why not?

Midterm Paper Blog 6

This paper was a challenge and I am happy to be finished, and feel good about what I have put together.

To start I created a thesis and introduction, then talked with you about my ideas, in which you gave me a very helpful outline of a better way to organize my ideas. I then used this structure to work through each moment, and assemble my argument. I think I did a good job of putting together facts, ideas, and experiences to get my point across.

I think I did a great job putting it all together, and there can always be a better way to explain, but within the circumstances I did the best I could do.

Thank you for helping with an outline, and I look forward to knowing how I did, and I hope my ideas and thoughts come together how I see them.

Midterm Response

I found this paper to be one of the most difficult ones I have been assigned. Purely for the reason that my knowledge about the subject going into the class was very little. Therefore I felt that I was needing to site a lot because the course material is where my knowledge about the subject has come from. I also had trouble figuring out my thesis. I just felt that I couldn't get a detailed enough one to cover the topic question.

The most challenging part of my writing process lay in crafting a broad enough thesis to encompass the aspects of the question. Furthermore, sifting through all of the course material in order to find proper evidence to back up my claims proved to be quite the challenge. However, these challenges also proved to be rewarding because it forced me to truly apply myself in a fashion I had never done before.

Response on Midterm Paper

Before I started this midterm paper I was overwhelmed on which historical things in the 4 centuries of African American Culture I was going to talk about and focus in on. I decided to choose the ones that made a difference to many's lifes and beliefs. I also chose moments that seemed to redefine human character as well as show the reality of hatred and racism that was present in America. While writing about these as well as the ways African Americans resisted them, it gave me a deeper understanding of how all these things were connected and the history behind each one. I felt that the paper assignment was clear and the way to set it up, by historical periods, really made writing it alot easier. Although I did enjoy writing it, I am glad to be done!!! I feel like I learned alot through analyzing each of these periods and really interpreting how African Americans understood many of the things going on around them at those specific times. I gained a deeper understanding of the culture behind the history, and how both can intertwine and influence one another.

Blog #7

In writing my midterm I found it quite difficult to compose all of my thoughts and supporting evidence into 8 pages. While this may seem like gloating, I simply mean to say that I wanted a neat and precise paper without being too verbose. The issue with this is that there were so many potential points of discussion/analysis that could be covered for each potential historical era and response.
This was a blessing and a curse as in looking over all of the material I was able to 1. Review and gain some new perspectives on all of the material and 2. Really organize and define each era with its points of oppression and resistance and 3. Watch the steps in the development of an African American culture. I find myself very well versed in the subject matter until now and my grasp on the course and the material has never been firmer. Yay for midterm papers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Midterm Paper Response

I found this paper assignment to be one of the most challenging papers that I have ever been asked to write. The only thing that I found that I was good at was organizing the paper and the different eras that I was going to discuss. It was extremely hard to fit so much history (pretty much the entire history of Africans living in America) into one paper. It was hard for me to decide on what was important to make sure that I included and what details or information were not as important that I could kinda skip over. I also found it very hard to choose what specific events and people that I was going to included in my analysis of each era, because every event that occured helped to shape history in some way. I did find that outline that Professor Whaley made us very helpful in organizing my thoughts a little more. I also think that after completing this paper I have a better understanding of African American history than I did before and I think that it will be easier for me to remember some of this new information on quizzes and exams. So that aspect of the paper was rewarding as well as just finishing the paper in its entirety. I am not the best at conveying my thoughts especially when it involves interpreting and citing a lot of history so this paper was certainly a big challenge for me. However, hopefully, future papers that I may be assigned that are similar to this one will be a little easier for me to complete.

-Sarah Pergine

Week 7 Writing the midterm

I found it very challenging to write the midterm paper. Trying to organize 400 years of history and deciding which forms of resistance to write about was the most difficult. I only had room in my paper to use 1-2 responses for each historical period to the types of oppression black Americans survived. I don't know if I have written about the most important ones, but I chose the responses that spoke the most to me of human strength and perseverence. I really enjoyed reading the Painter book. I have had some African-American history before, such as about slavery and the Civil Rights Movement. But this book gave a very complete picture of the history. Which is why I found it harder than I thought it would be to only write 8 pages. The most rewarding part was finishing it(!) and gaining a clearer understanding, not only how black resistance affected African American culture, but also American culture for all.

Midterm paper

I found several things challenging about writing the midterm paper.  Mostly, I've struggled to find a way to add all the information I think is necessary or beneficial to my argument in 8 pages.  It's tough to cover 4 centuries in 8 pages.  I could almost write an 8 page paper just on the resistance to oppression through social movements.  I also had a difficult time working art into my paper.  I'm not used to critically analyzing literature or using it to support an argument.  This paper did show me, however, that I have learned a considerable amount in this course thus far.  It was neat to be pushed to look at the art I wrote about from a different perspective and actually look for meaning in it; especially considering I'm used to just identifying whether a picture is "pretty" or not.  All in all, the paper has helped pushed me in a direction academically that I haven't experienced in a few years since I'm in a scientific field.