The Real Reparations

 Kaitlin Armstrong 

Jaleesa Harris

ENGL 2016

November 16, 2022

The Real Reparations

My original topic was about reparations and the different types but after researching different songs my opinion about it has changed. Music has been influential on society for generations and more modernly, music has been used to make political statements to people who aren’t as receptive to traditional ways. Many black people across the world agree with reparations and believe that they are deserved by affected families and have their own ideas of people were only counted as three-fifths of a person for purposes of taxes and representation. Historically, black people have always been considered anything but human which explains why many of the low-income communities are mainly populated by black people. Although, welfare and other government aid was offered to low-income families many were able to apply due to the crack epidemic that flooded many neighborhoods. 2pac proclaimed, “cuttin’ taxes, takin’ off welfare we suppose to just sit here, go broke and die?” (“Letter to the president”, 4:31-4:34). Since crack flooded all most of the low-income areas, it became a requirement of drug testing in order to qualify. Since many become addicted, many families weren’t able to afford basic necessities. Black citizens were only afforded the luxury of the bare minimum because of how low we are perceived to be in society. Looking at the bigger picture from this standpoint allowed me to really understand how inhumanely we are treated and subconsciously viewed as.

 In “New Slaves”, Kanye explains how there is “broke n**** racism, that’s that, don’t touch anything in the store and it’s rich n **** racism, that’s that, come in, please buy more” (0:24). This is a representation of how money is unable to excuse your color and at the end of the day your supposed to fail. In Homegoing, a similar instance of this happened when Robert and Willie were in the store and he was denied a job, but eventually he realizes that he could have a much more successful life as white man and lived the remainder of his life as such. Kendrick Lamar’s “Complexion” from To Pimp a Butterfly he states, “Dark as the midnight hour or bright as the sun, brown skinned, but your blue eyes tell me your mama can’t run” (1:09-1:11). The association for lighter skin and superiority comes from the advantages of lighter men and women in slavery days and even today. However, lighter enslaved people were the product of rape and sometimes had better advantages since she was the child of the enslaver. Most would never treat their enslaved baby as well as they would their white children. 

Although brown people are looked down on as a community their constant contribution to society is all profitable for white businesses. In “The Blacker the Berry,” Kendrick Lamar went as far as to protest, “I want you to recognize that I’m a proud monkey you vandalize my perception but can’t take style from me” (1:20-1:23). The world tends to criticize our culture until a one of their trendsetters make it okay. Another way of profiting off of the black community is designer companies targeting rappers that live a glamorous lifestyle until it is bled dry. In “Wesley’s theory”, there is an interpretation of the government talking to Kendrick to get him to spend more money so that he has to pay more taxes. The government then threatens to “Wesley Snipe [his] ass by time he’s thirty-five” (“Wesley’s Theory, 4:05). J. Cole also has a similar interpretation of the conversation between the government and their selves. In “BRACKETS” by J. Cole he’s heard asking “Uncle Sam” how much he needs now that he has his first check, and the becomes upset at the fact that “Uncle Sam” wants half. 

One of the most popular issues we face in our community is the fatal police brutality which is referenced by a number of artists. D smoke, the artist that created “Let Go”, tells the story of a young man who gets killed after getting pulled over for expired tags that he couldn’t afford due to COVID shutdowns. The significance of this story is the leniency of the government with many fees because many people were out of jobs and many non-essential places were shutdown. It is an illustration of targeting people for the color of their skin. 

As said before, money is unable to save people from discrimination, especially when living in America as a black citizen. J. Cole raps about his experience with his house being swatted after moving into a new neighborhood with suspicious neighbors in his song “Neighbors”. In the video for this song, he shows the surveillance of his door getting busted in. Although, his music is loved by many races his color will always come before the influence he has on America. 

America was built off the backs of slaves and it was never intended for us to benefit from it. In “Panther Power,” 2Pac expresses that the “Fathers of country never cared for [him] and Uncle Sam never did a damn thing for [him] except lie about the facts of history” (0:42). This is an example of when the enslavers were trying to scare Christianity upon Equiano and told him lies that would eventually turn into “facts” throughout history. Lupe Fiasco’s “All Black Everything” gives an illusion of a reversed world where slavery didn’t exist and how all the messed up things in America was rooted in the effects of slavery. This song gives an interesting perspective of how things could be if slavery was never a thing.  

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  Although many songs speak about the horrors black people may face going through daily lives, we have songs such as “Glory” by Common and John Legend that will continue to lift the community up. This song is a symbol of endurance in a never-ending battle to be treated as equals. Although many realize this will forever be an issue, the small change of giving us rights that should be birth given is a grand victory. Beyoncé’s “Freedom” is also a powerful song that protests that even though freedom is not quite ours, we must chase after it for the thought of it to be possible. 

 

Link to playlist

https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/english-project/pl.u-2aoqqvYUk9JyWZ