Kayla Leland
Professor Santos
EN-003
March 25,2016
Blog #8
Tracy Chapman
This week in class we have talked about Tracy Chapman and read an article about her called "Singing for Herself Armed Only With Her Voice, Her Guitar, and Her Conscious" by Richard Stengel. When reading this article it was not until after did I realize what an amazing artist Tracy Chapman is and fell in love her. Tracy Chapman is an urban folk singer who grew up in Cleveland. When reading the article I found it really interesting to learn a little about her life and how she wasn’t big on fame.
Tracy Chapman learned how to play a guitar as a little girl and later became a success. This is an interesting story because when she was younger she originally wanted the drums but her mother said no because they would be too loud so she got the guitar and loved it. I think It is awesome that just at 24 she graduated Tufts University and had some of her songs released. Tracy Chapman was so popular that she became number one pop album and sold ten million copies in which she won three Grammy awards for. Another interesting thing that I did not know about Tracy Chapman was that she had become a cultural icon. She was a singer that chose to sing about issues many people may be dealing with such as homeless in a time where most songs were about motivating people to party. Her songs didn’t fit into black music as it wasn’t played on the "black stations." Chapman claimed that her music wasn’t played because she was too black and how there is a "reverse prejudice in the black community." I found it a little sad how she believed she wasn’t played on these stations because she didn't fit into these formats and were not willing to make space for her. Her own people didn’t appreciate her and as a result she tried to protect what she keeps inside.
I think that it is really interesting and kind of funny that she originally wanted to play the drums but her mother wouldn't let her because they would be too loud. Her music would have been drastically different if that had been the instrument of her choice. I also find it sad that her music wasn't allowed to be play on black radio stations. That must have been tough for her to not feel appreciate by her own people, though she wrote about real issues that anyone could relate to.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is really interesting and kind of funny that she originally wanted to play the drums but her mother wouldn't let her because they would be too loud. Her music would have been drastically different if that had been the instrument of her choice. I also find it sad that her music wasn't allowed to be play on black radio stations. That must have been tough for her to not feel appreciate by her own people, though she wrote about real issues that anyone could relate to.
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