A superficial journey through the role of women in african-american music

Blues & Jazz

10s & 20s Underground, marginal, rural blues

1920 First recording 'Crazy Blues', from Mamie Smith and the golden era of blueswomen. The blues is a commercial hit.

Blues & Jazz

Ida Cox' 'One Hour Mamma'

I've always heard that haste makes waste
So I believe in takin' my time
The highest mountain can't be raced
It's something you must slowly climb
I want a slow and easy man
He needn't ever take the lead
Cause I work on that long-time plan
And I ain't a-lookin' for no speedI'm a one hour mama
So no one minute papa
Ain't the kind of man for me
Set your alarm clock papa
One hour, that's proper
Then love me like I like to be

I don't want no imitation
My requirements ain't no joke
Cause I've got pure indignation
For a guy what's lost his stroke

She is not a passive actor inthe relation. Shepresents herImpressions andneeds about sex.

Blues & Jazz

Went out last night, had a great big fightEverything seemed to go on wrongI looked up, to my surpriseThe gal I was with was gone.Where she went, I dont knowI mean to follow everywhere she goes;Folks say Im crooked. I didnt know where she took itI want the whole world to know.They say I do it, aint nobody caught meSure got to prove it on me;Went out last night with a crowd of my friends,They mustve been women, cause I dont like no men.Its true I wear a collar and a tie,[...]

Ma Rainey's 'Prove it on my blues'

Speaking openlyabout going outand about her lesbian condition

Blues & Jazz

40s-50s: Jazz reaches the great audience

Jazz divas are quite different from blues divas Industry starts to define the product.

Target audience: wasp society (white, anglo-saxon, protestant)

Soul & Funk

50s/60s Ceasefire in gender war

Black Middle Class (Wasp model transferred) Black Capitalism Motown

Soul & Funk

I Want a Guy, by The SupremesI want a guy to love meOne who will love me completelyNot like the lastWho's in the pastWho broke my heart and made me cryI wish that he could come and kiss meAnd tell me that he misses meI know somedayHe'll come my wayAnd I'll never be lonely againI don't need riches like diamond rings

As long as he loves me, that's everythingAs long as he holds me tightAs long as he treats me rightI'll never let him out of my sightI want a guy with a love that's trueOne that I can tell my troubles toHe'll be my guyAnd stay by my sideI'd be so glad if I only hadA guy, a guyWhy can't I have a guy?A guy?

Traditional whiteladies outfitThe classical wait for a Princewho shall come and save thedimsel in distress

Woman's life is not fullfilledand happiness is not reachablewithout a man

Soul & Funk

Four Women, by Nina Simone

My skin is blackMy arms are longMy hair is woollyMy back is strongStrong enough to take the painInflicted again and againWhat do they call meMy name is Aunt SarahAunt Sarah

My skin is yellowMy hair is longBetween two worldsI do belongMy father was rich and whiteHe forced my mother late one nightWhat do they call meMy name is Saffronia

My skin is tanMy hair is fineMy hips invite youMy mouth like wineWhose little girl am I?Anyone who has money to buyWhat do they call meMy name is Sweet Thing

My skin is brownAnd my manner is toughI'll kill the first mother I seeMy life has to been roughI'm awfully bitter these daysBecause my parents were slavesWhat do they call meMy name is PEACHES

Soul & Funk

My skin is blackMy arms are longMy hair is woollyMy back is strongStrong enough to take the painInflicted again and againWhat do they call meMy name is Aunt SarahAunt Sarah

My skin is yellowMy hair is longBetween two worldsI do belongMy father was rich and whiteHe forced my mother late one nightWhat do they call meMy name is Saffronia

My skin is tanMy hair is fineMy hips invite youMy mouth like wineWhose little girl am I?Anyone who has money to buyWhat do they call meMy name is Sweet Thing

My skin is brownAnd my manner is toughI'll kill the first mother I seeMy life has to been roughI'm awfully bitter these daysBecause my parents were slavesWhat do they call meMy name is PEACHES

Soul & Funk

So far, black circuit or Black Capitalism avoids to take part in the Civil Rights Movements

Respect, by Aretha Franklin, becomes an unwaited anthem in the movement

Black Pride or Black is Beauty

End of 60s/Beginnings of 70s: Political contents and critical messages are adopted by the Black Capitalism

Soul & Funk

1973 First Black Feminist Association

Black Panther and Black Nationalism Movements

The new style getting more & more success is called FUNK, and the name is James Brown (mysoginist, capitalist, egomaniac, tyrant)

Soul & Funk

It's my thang, by Marva WhitneyIt's my thing, I can do what I want to doYou can't tell me who to stock it to

Think, by Lyn CollinsBut let me tell you something:The sistas aren't going for that no more'cause realize two thingsThat you aren't doing anything for us,We can do better by ourselves

Message from the soul sisters, by Vicki AndersenBros dont feel bad and hide yo face, but if you dont give me what I want, I got to get it some other place.

Soul & Funk

I'm gonna run it down to y'allTell them anything you wanna nowI ain't nothin but a nasty gal now hey heyI said you said I was a bitch nowDidn't ya didn't yaYou said I was a witch nowI'm gonna tell them why I'm gonna tellthem whyYou used to love it ooh to ride my broom honeyI used to love it ooh I used to love toRide the range with ya babysing the song sing the songI ain't nothin but a hey heynothin but a hey heyI said you said I was an evil wench ohdidn't ya didn't yaYou said I was an alley catI'm gonna tell them why I'm gonna tell them whyYou used to love it oh when I'd scratch your back babyI used to love it when you did itWhen ya did it to me real goodooh lawd ooh lawdOh you know how you did it to me so good a hey heyI said you went around tellin everybodyYea you just put me down nowYou dragged my name in the mud all over townI'm gonna tell them why

you said I didn't treat you I didn't know youI didn't love you well you know you liedYes you did I used to leave you hangin in the bedby your finger nails screaminTell the truth tell the truthI ain't nothin but a nasty gal nowA hey a hey a heyI said you said I turned you on I turned you inside outI even turned your head around nowYou said I loved you every way but your wayBut if I really did him in I say why he want thisNasty gal back againSo you can finish what you startedAnd I will give it to ya you can have itCome on take it nowWell well well ooh lawdI ain't nothin but a nasty gal now a hey heyI said you said I turn you on I turned youinside you

She enjoyed an egalitarian attitude onthe bedThis attitude isn't proper for a girl, that's why he is damaging herreputation

Hip-hop

Hip-hop influencies every other style: r&b, nu soul, nu funk...

Mainstream hip-hop portrays a radical distance between men & women, a hypermasculinity and a widespread misogyny

Hip-hop

One of the first gods in hip hop was Tupac Shakur

He was misogynist in some songs, and represented a real rapper (violent, rude, risky...)

However, he did some feminist songs, that even brought him some enemies and critics

Keep Ya Head Up (fragment), by Tupac

Time to heal our women, be real to our womenAnd if we dont well have a race of babiesThat will hate the ladies, that make the babiesAnd since a man cant make oneHe has no right to tell a woman when and where to create oneSo will the real men get up

And since we all came from a womanGot our name from a woman and our game from a womanI wonder why we take from our womenWhy we rape our women, do we hate our women?I think its time to kill for our women

If we wouldn't come from a woman,shouldn't we be respectful?Freeabortion!

Current black capitalism

At the beggining of the song:

Now put your hands up
Up in the club, we just broke up
I'm doing my own little thing
Decided to dip but now you wanna trip
Cuz another brother noticed me
I'm up on him, you're up on me
Don't pay him any attention

In the bridge, the summum of the song, the chant of independence is over:Don't treat to these things of this world
I'm not that kind of girl
Your love is what I prefer, what I deserve
He's a man that makes me and takes me
And delivers me to a destiny, to infinity and beyond
Pull me into your arms
Say I'm not the one you own
If you don't, you'll be alone
And like a ghost I'll be gone

Ok, singleladies arefreeBUT

Single ladies are free... to choose her own owner. Then she will act as the Disneyprincess all women have to be

Current non-commercial

Erykah Badu

Jill Scott

Me'Shell Ndegeocello

India.Arie

Rachelle Ferrell

...

Current non-commercial

She always wear tuxedo as a way of protesting against gender roles

Her last song, Q.U.E.E.N. is a direct attack against the attitudes that girls are not approved to adopt for the fact of being girls

Q.U.E.E.N, by Janelle Mnae

Hey brother can you save my soul from the devil?Say is it weird to like the way she wear her tights?And is it rude to wear my shades?Am I a freak because I love watching Mary? (Maybe)Hey sister am I good enough for your heaven?Say will your God accept me in my black and white?Will he approve the way I'm made?Or should I reprogram the programming and get down?Even if it makes others uncomfortableI wanna love who I amEven if it makes other uncomfortableI will love who I am

Current non-commercial

I can't believe I love the things they say about meWalk in the room they throwing shade left to rightThey be like ooh, she's serving faceAnd I just tell em, cut me up, and get down

They call us dirty 'cuz we break all your rules downAnd we just came to act a fool, is that all right They be like Ooh, let them eat cakeBut we eat wings and throw them bones on the ground

Am I a freak for dancing around? (queen)Am I a freak for getting down? (queen)I'm cutting up, don't cut me downYeah I wanna be, wanna be

Is it peculiar that she twerk in the mirror?And am I weird to dance alone late at night?And is it true we're all insane?And I just tell 'em No we ain't" and get down

I heard this life is just a play with no rehearsalI wonder will this be my final act tonightAnd tell me what's the price of fame?Am I a sinner with my skirt on the ground?

Am I a freak for dancing around?Am I a freak for getting down?I'm coming up, don't cut me downYeah I wanna be

Hey brother can you save my soul from the devil?Say is it weird to like the way she wear her tights?And is it rude to wear my shades?Am I a freak because I love watching Mary? (Maybe)

Hey sister am I good enough for your heaven?Say will your God accept me in my black and white?Will he approve the way I'm made?Or should I reprogram the programming and get down?

Even if it makes others uncomfortableI wanna love who I amEven if it makes other uncomfortableI will love who I am

Dance 'til the break of dawnDon't mean a thing, so duhI can't take it no moreBaby, we in tuxedo grooveMonae and E. BaduCrazy in the black and whiteWe got the drums so tightBaby, here comes the freedom songToo strong we moving onBaby there's melodyShow you another wayThis joints for fight unknownCome home and sing your songBut you gotta testifyBecause the booty don't lie

No, no, the booty don't lieOh no, the booty don't lie

YeahYeah, Let's flip itI don't think they understand what I'm trying to say