It's Bigger than Black and White
Spirituals of the Black Lives Matter Movement
Is it wrong to call modern songs spirituals even if they don't fit the traditional definition? Rolling Stone notes that anthems of the Black Lives Matter movement have emerged as a new type of spiritual. Just as people, society, and culture have changed, so too can our definitions. Perhaps a differentiation should be made between songs written by slaves and those written in more modern times, but there is no denying the parallels in their message and power. Rolling Stone provides a list of examples of these modern spirituals. Although their list provides a good place to start, it is in no way comprehensive of all songs that have become associated with the movement.
Take for example Lil Baby's performance of "The Bigger Picture" at the 2021 Grammy's.
The performance is an edited version of the song dispersed with acting sequences and spoken word. The song confronts the police violence that is being committed against African Americans. It opens with a man being arrested at a traffic stop, before running away and being shot. It is a tragedy that we have seen time and time again - an African American unnecessarily shot by police. In addition to the visual aspects, the lyrics tackle similar issues as well. Lil Baby raps, "I find it crazy the police'll shoot you and know that you dead/But still tell you to freeze." He also confronts mass incarceration saying, "Throw us in cages like dogs and hyenas." The aspect that I like most about this song, though, is its attempts to unite over these struggles. The movement has become a source of divisiveness, but Baby wants it to bring people together. He uses the wordplay of "It's bigger than black and white" to say that while issue is complex it will require everyone to stand up to injustice. In Tamika Mallory's spoken word she says that "we don't need allies...we need accomplices." Thoughts and prayers are not enough - we need real change, real action
The Rolling Stone Article provides a great start to a collection of modern spirituals of the BLM movement that continues to grow. They share the themes of community, unity, and standing up to injustice. What other modern spirituals have you identified beyond the article? Do you believe the term "spiritual" or "modern spiritual" is appropriate? If not, is there another term we can use to relate these new songs to historical spirituals?
The performance is an edited version of the song dispersed with acting sequences and spoken word. The song confronts the police violence that is being committed against African Americans. It opens with a man being arrested at a traffic stop, before running away and being shot. It is a tragedy that we have seen time and time again - an African American unnecessarily shot by police. In addition to the visual aspects, the lyrics tackle similar issues as well. Lil Baby raps, "I find it crazy the police'll shoot you and know that you dead/But still tell you to freeze." He also confronts mass incarceration saying, "Throw us in cages like dogs and hyenas." The aspect that I like most about this song, though, is its attempts to unite over these struggles. The movement has become a source of divisiveness, but Baby wants it to bring people together. He uses the wordplay of "It's bigger than black and white" to say that while issue is complex it will require everyone to stand up to injustice. In Tamika Mallory's spoken word she says that "we don't need allies...we need accomplices." Thoughts and prayers are not enough - we need real change, real action
The Rolling Stone Article provides a great start to a collection of modern spirituals of the BLM movement that continues to grow. They share the themes of community, unity, and standing up to injustice. What other modern spirituals have you identified beyond the article? Do you believe the term "spiritual" or "modern spiritual" is appropriate? If not, is there another term we can use to relate these new songs to historical spirituals?
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ReplyDeleteHey Griffin, I really enjoyed reading your blogpost because the information was presented in a visually appealing way. I think the term “modern spiritual” is a great way to describe the songs within the Black Lives Matter movement because it acknowledges the similarities between traditional spirituals and modern protest songs. Both types of songs are used to express the struggles of a people and to call for justice and change. The term “modern spiritual” also acknowledges the fact that these songs are often used to express the frustrations and anger of those who are fighting for social justice.
ReplyDeleteThe performance of Lil Baby’s song “The Bigger Picture” that you choose is a great example of a modern spiritual. The song speaks to the current state of the world and Lil Baby’s delivery of the lyrics is both passionate and heartfelt. The lyrics of these songs often reflect the struggles and experiences of those who are fighting for justice, and the music can be used to create a sense of solidarity and community. The visuals that accompany these songs can also be used to further emphasize the message and create a powerful visual representation of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Hey Griffin, I thought the term "modern spiritual" was really interesting and I have not thought about it that way. Using "spiritual" as a way to define a song based on its message and power is a very interesting concept. I also used "The Bigger Picture" in my post, and I'm not surprised we both thought of the same song considering how popular it is and the message it produces. The emotion that Lil Baby produces while performing and the emotion that the listeners experience both make it a good candidate for it to be classified as a modern spiritual.
ReplyDeleteHi, Griffin, I really liked your use of modernity when discussing spirituals, adding to the idea that they are the same foundations now as they were then. I also loved the recording you provided, it was really moving. Your blog is very pleasing visually and I really enjoyed reading it, I feel like my knowledge was expanded by reading this.
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