What’s freedom to you? I mean obviously we live in the land of free, but is everyone within the borders of the United States thriving in the same complete freedom? Of course not. Any of us with a middle school education can speak on the injustices and strife that minorities, particularly African American have faced within America. These familiar issues of racial injustice seem to be at national forefront once again. While several artists are avoiding topics such as race, police killings, and white supremacy, Joey Bada$$ is completely comfortable expressing his perspective on the African American experience in contemporary America. In fact, Joey opens his newest release, with the vary question “What’s freedom to you?”. The opening inquiry foreshadows …show more content…
To convey the message of strife and reflection, Joey departs from heavy usage of punchlines, as previously utilized on B4.Da.$$ (pictured). After the introductory track gives us speaks on the listener needing to “wake up” to and be aware of the treatment America doles out to African Americans, we’re transitioned into “FOR MY PEOPLE”. On this chorus of the song Joey laments “This for my people, tryna stay alive, and just stay peaceful, so hard to survive a world so lethal, who will take a stand and be our hero?”. In these lyrics the plight of African Americans is simplified to an extremely basic level, where African Americans are not seeking large success or gain, but simply the ability to survive their living conditions. This track leads into “TEMPTATION” in which Bada$$ discusses the temptation, in form of vices such as alcohol and marijuana to aid with the stress of being Black in the U.S., and all that implies politically, economically, and socially. The track opens and closes with a speech given by Zianna Oliphant, a 9 year old Charlotte, North Carolina, speaking a council meeting days after police shooting of Keith Scott. “TEMPTATION” is one of the stronger tracks of the albums, because of the juxtaposition of, of upbeat music with serious message. After “TEMPTATION”, “LAND OF THE FREE” plays a track in which mass incarceration, African American History, and Joey’s (pictured) desire to make change going forward. The track contains one of poignant lines from on the album "Sorry, America, but I will not be your soldier. Obama just wasn't enough – I need some more closure”. This is a strong lyric that surmises the larger concept of African American needs remaining unfulfilled. The album’s intensity on the African American experience at large, lessens up until, “SUPER PREDATOR” where Styles
Throughout history, Americans have sought to spread the spirit of equality, which is believed to be the realization of true freedom. Before establishing this freedom, every American had only one question stuck in their head: What is freedom? Our country received it in the year of 1776 from the British through a series of difficulties and wars. African Americans defined it as an escape from slavery, while immigrants defined it as their acceptance into a new society. More yet, women of the women’s suffrage defined their freedom as their recognition into society and for their rights to be equal to that of every other man. These different perceptions of cultures/groups in America tied together to form an American view of freedom. Freedom is something that every American should be willing to do anything in order to maintain. We may have weapons of mass destruction, but when it comes to living in a peaceful, American lifestyle, our freedom is our greatest weapon.
While the formal abolition of slavery, on the 6th of December 1865 freed black Americans from their slave labour, they were still unequal to and discriminated by white Americans for the next century. This ‘freedom’, meant that black Americans ‘felt like a bird out of a cage’ , but this freedom from slavery did not equate to their complete liberty, rather they were kept in destitute through their economic, social, and political state.
"Certain songs might tell you a little something about my upbringing. Certain songs might tell you how I relate to others life experiences. On the album I never get specific on all my dirt because I don't feel I need to talk about that. I want to put the spotlight on Mobile, and give the listeners an idea of what's going on here from a young black mans perspective." Listen up!
Kid cudi trying to argue about how difficult things are growing up with being Oppressed and growing up being black. Songs are one way of expressing feelings and emotion, many artist do this constantly in their music. To some it is why they make music. There are endless signs and verses that hint at many things such as problems, politics, living in racist era’s also places. I chose to focus on one main rapper and his music only.
The interpretation of freedom can sometimes be viewed differently among people, which creates the pursuit of liberty to be much more arduous. Property, the right to vote, and the color of your skin, all contribute to the equality or inequality we face when searching to create a society based on a populations overall needs and whether or not we have a voice in electing our representatives. Freedom is a burdensome idea that is defined differently among society and leads to several areas of conflict and confusion. Even though people have signed petitions and laws to create freedom, several instances have emerged documenting how freedom and equality are harder to gain. In order to eliminate oppression in any environment, it is necessary to level
Freedom is automatically given from birth because everyone is created equal. This can be supported by three different texts: “I Have A Dream” by Martin Luther King Jr., “The Censors” by Luisa Valenzuela, and “The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses” by Bessie Head. People might think that freedom must be demanded, or fought for. But according to the text, this is not true. In “I Have A Dream”, King talks about the difficulties of the African Americans living in segregated states and what he imagines will happen when the American government finally cashes that “check” of freedom and equality for all.
After hundreds of years of slavery in the western world, the end of the American Civil War brought forth a new age of questions which debated what rights qualifed as unalienable civil and human rights, and who should be afforded them. Whether it be the right to marry, the right to own land, the right to work, the right to vote, or the right to be a citizen, African Americans had to fight for and prove that these were rights that could not be denied to them as freedmen in America. After the Civil War and the abolishment of slavery, there was a great split in opinion between white and black Americans about what American freedom entailed and whether or not African Americans had fair access to it.
The underlying message was shown using these methods as well as by expressing it through the language in the lyrics. Examples include Doug E. Fresh saying, “This is all about, no doubt, to stop violence.” (Self Destruction) which very clearly states the important message that was being portrayed. Another example is when Ms. Melodie says, “The violence in rap must cease and seckle.” (Self Destruction) This lyric points out the violent culture that exists in the rap community and how it can be detrimental to society. Many modern hip-hop and rap songs with messages get dismissed either due to the harsh language or because many people do not want to hear the harsh realities of the African American struggle. Another unique aspect of this song that appeals to the audience is the point of focus. “Self Destruction” focuses on an internal view of the issues and relies on self-examination in order to solve these issues. This aspect makes the song unique because it does not lay blame on others. Instead of pleading for help from others, the songwriters decide to take the approach of rebuilding their own communities from the inside. This aspect really makes the song stand out amongst many other similar songs. This song truly is able to appeal to the reader in a fresh and interesting way by using logical, ethical, and emotional
Rap is about giving voice to a black community otherwise underrepresented, if not silent, in the mass media. It has always been and remains … directly connected to the streets from which it came. (144)
According to the book the series of creative responses to the suffering of black American are not so complex. Perry’s polemic is open for discussion because it is inevitably connected with selection and interpretation. For example the constant discussion of rascally, when doing break dance, outlaw gangstas misses during the earlier days of hip-hop, graffiti and also electric boogaloo developed a space for Afro-American recognition. It was perhaps more concerning about pure hedonism than knowingly discussing on the deadlock of race relations. Creating imagery for the genre was essential hence the need for the use of metaphor in hip-hop plays on the black slaves looking for freedom as well as the hip hop
American freedom has faced many tribulations, especially throughout the slavery, segregation, and women’s suffrage eras. However, the ideological belief of individual freedom has always triumphed. From when the first Pilgrim stepped onto American soil to the present day America has been run by a democracy and the freedom that system of government allows its peoples to have. “Americans share a common identity grounded in the freedom — consistent always with respecting the freedom of others — to live as they choose” (Friedman).
Throughout history freedom has had many different meanings and definitions; based on race, gender, and ethnicity. According to the dictionary freedom means the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint (“freedom” def. 1). Freedom may seem like something given to everyone however it was something workers had to fight for. Not everyone believed that workers’ rights needed to be changed, which led to a long battle between workers, employers and the government. To the working class people freedom meant making higher wages, having regulated hours, workable conditions and the right to free speech.
Perhaps the most exclusive aspect of American freedom is stated directly in the Declaration of Independence. It states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" (Jefferson). This well-known statement truly incorporates all facets of what it means to be free in America. The citizens of this country have the right to live. They have the right to be free of restriction and control, to do what they please. And they have the right to be happy in whatever way that might be. These rights are...
Freedom is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. In America there is numerous of choices that someone may make on a daily basis. If someone were allowed to make their own choices and were being told what to do; then they would not be free. When someone is allowed to speak when they want to, and say what they want; such as their opinion or view of something. Being allowed to have a right to speak is one of the most important characteristics of being an American. Thinking and stating your opinion in any predicament it a strong part in being a citizen because people in the United States are known for being able to think in their own ways. Freedom can stretch too many things such as being able to do as they please, they are not forced into doing anything that someone may want. The citizens of the United States are not made to do anything that one may not want to do; like
The United States rests upon a foundation of freedom, where its citizens can enjoy many civil liberties as the result of decades of colonial struggles. However, African Americans did not achieve freedom concurrently with whites, revealing a contradiction within the “nation of liberty”. It has been stated that "For whites, freedom, no matter how defined, was a given, a birthright to be defended. For African Americans, it was an open-ended process, a transformation of every aspect of their lives and of the society and culture that had sustained slavery in the first place." African Americans gained freedom through the changing economic nature of slavery and historical events like the Haitian Revolution policies, whereas whites received freedom