Not A Rock N Roll Nigger

When I first read, “Not A Rock N Roll Nigger”, by Dael Orlandersmith, I had many thoughts on what she had to say, mostly because it was true. It is very stereotypical to assume that African Americans don’t listen to Rock N Roll. This article was very interesting to me because Dael was a black female who had a love and passion for rock n roll, and she didn’t care what anyone else’s thoughts were. She had spoke about the places she grew up and the music that she had been around, which included; R&B, Salsa, Calypso, and Reggae. She had mentioned that other people had teased her for liking this type of music. Dael quoted, “I was teased for liking boy music by relatives and people in my neighborhood. My liking rock n roll (particularly in the sixties, when racial tension was at its height) made me a target and I was made to feel that I was a traitor for liking music other than Black and Latin music. People would say to me “How could you listen to THEM after what they did TO US? (pg. 128)”. Although she had been judged by many people, this didn’t stop her from loving the music that made her feel alive.

Jimi Hendrix was an African American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was born in Seattle, Washington and learned how to play guitar as a teenager. He soon became a rock guitar legend. Having an African American rock star had changed the face of rock n roll. During the sixties, Hendrix music was all over the place. People of black culture also enjoyed listening to it as well. In a way, Hendrix had ignored the stereotype of white men doing rock n roll music and being rock stars, and became one himself. Dael had loved Jimi and the way he conveyed his music. She quoted, “I wondered if there were other Black people that played rock and roll like Hendrix, that played it dangerously like he did (pg. 131)”. She had loved the way she could hear the angst in his music.

What I had really gotten from this article, is to never stereotype people just because of pasts or their interests. Sometimes people say to me, “I can’t picture you liking country music” or “You listen to A$AP Rocky? I would’ve never thought”. It’s because the truth is, I like all kinds of music. One day I might listen to country, and the next day I might listen to rap. It all depends on the mood I’m in. I think that it is a great thing that there are so many types of music out there and all kinds of people listen to it and can share interests with other people of many different nationalities.

Pussy Riot

Pussy Riot was a Russian feminist punk rock band who protested against rape, domestic abuse and other things that women were trying to fight against. I feel like it was great how they would stand up for what they believe in, but there is a time an a place for that and I don't think storming in a church was the right call. People go to church to worship god and taking over the church and singing about what they believed in was uncalled for. There sentence for committing this crime was two years and when I saw that I was shocked. I knew they would go to jail, but I only thought like six months to a year. Plus some of these girls were in early twenties which is crazy for them to go to jail so young.

Pussy Riot also had a song called "I cant breath" and this song was a tribute to a man in New York who was strangled to death by police for selling cigarettes illegally. The man told the police he would stop selling them and to stay away from him but, they kept coming closer than grabbed him. He told the  police to let go because he couldn't breath. I guess they didn't hear him and the man ended up dying. In the music video to the song they show two people getting buried alive. This music video really stood out to me because it was terrifying we had to watch two people being buried alive. Also some of the mans words were in the song which I thought was a good way to show  respect to him.

Pussy Riot


       
                The well known punk rock band Pussy Riot, is a music protest group out of Russia. The

band is known for performing in random places and dressing provocatively. Also they're a feminist

group, who support LGBT rights and extremely do not like Vladimir Putin, Russia's president.

During class we watched a video of them performing in what it looked to be a cathedral. I do think

the performance should have been somewhere else just because people go to pray and be safe. It

being where it was definitely got attention, but I do think as humans, morally we should not only

respect peoples homes, but inside the house of God as well. I do like the group and am glad they

feel so strong about their cause. I do think members shouldn't be imprisoned for expressing

themselves, with charges of "hooliganism". Lets be real...

Racism, Sexism, and Rock and Roll

I read the essay “Not a Rock and Roll Nigger” by Dael Orlandersmith, and I found it to be an emotional piece of writing for her.  To start, she states in the first sentence how she is a black women and loves rock and roll.  This was a foreshadow to lay out all the pieces to her puzzle and make the reader take in the events that happen throughout her story. 

She gives the audience a quick image of where she grew up and what kind of music people around her listened to.  She was different.  “The music that played in the house and on the streets was R&B, Salsa, Calypso, and Reggae.” This black women was in love with “all kinds of music but…specifically moved by rock and roll”.  This made her feel like an outsider because no one else around her felt the same way. 

            She fell in love with rock and roll when stumbling upon The Doors and Jimi Hendrix, one after the next, playing on the radio.  This made her binge into rock and roll music.  She then wondered if there were any women doing the damage that Jim Morrison was doing.  Then she heard Patti Smith.  Patti Smith was a big motivational figure in her life.  She even remarked “Patti Smith validated me.”  This was because she saw a women rocking out and she felt close knowing other women were doing this. An “outsider” just like herself.

This was until one night at Patti Smith’s concert, Patti leaned back and started singing “Rock N Roll Nigger”, that’s when she started to turn her back and wonder why.  She was speechless.  I know that this impact was heart wrenching.  I think finding so much passion, motivation, and connection with a person and then having it ripped apart is hard to put into words.  Patti Smith was unaware of the feeling that this black women had when she listened to the music.  This was a turning point. She turns to find more blacks in rock and roll.

The writer finds a way to reflect on this experience and become stronger.    She never stops rocking.  She forgives Patti Smith and wraps up the essay with thanking Patti Smith, and black women in rock and roll.  The story of overcoming racism and sexism throughout her life as a fan of rock and roll music is moving.

Blog Entry #5

Kayla Leland 

Professor Santos 

EN-003 

Blog entry #5 

 Patti Smith 

  

This week in class we have discussed Patti Smith and the women’s movement. One particular reading that stood out to me was an excerpt from “Here she comes now: women in music who have changed our lives. Ed. Jeff Gordinier and Mare Weingarten. Rare bird books; Los Angeles, 2015” called “Not a rock n roll nigger” which was written by Dael Orlandersmith. This was during the time of 1979 when racial tension was high so many blacks were targeted or seen as a traitor if they chose to listen to anything other than that. Patti Smith wasn’t afraid to speak her mind and was fighting against things that were real and current.  

 

Patti Smith was a black female rock and roll artist who many admired and looked up to for that. Patti Smith could be seen as an outsider as she chose to go against what everyone was doing and continued to sing rock n roll. Even though Patti Smith and many other blacks grew up as if they were forced to listen to black music I think it is amazing how Patti Smith detached from her community  and chose to sing what she believed in order to make a change because she wanted to. Similar to what we have previously discussed in class, who gets to judge what genre we listen to. Why should the music industry have such a say and control in what music is played. At the time blacks were forced to listen to black music and Latin music because of the racial tension as "a child of color born in a ghetto must learn fast and hard". This means that if you are black and you don’t learn to like black music at a young age you will be considered an outsider. I find it interesting to imagine how if your favorite artist was seen doing something you were against how you would react. Would you have the guts to tell them to their face what they are doing wrong or would you acknowledge them on their work like everyone else. Patti Smith was different from many other musicians as she chose to be neutral and always sang with such emotion.

Pussy Riot

     From this weeks class what most stuck out to me was when we watched the video of Pussy Riot when they went into a “Punk Prayer”. Five members performed an unplanned performance in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior. This as a result caused a huge scandal by aggressively protesting the connection between church and state in Russia, and I can see why. I disagree with how they went about handling this issue. I get they were trying to make a statement and get the publics attention, and that it was not directly intended for the people at church, but it was video taped for a larger audience to see, I just feel they should of handled it in a different way. I just feel that doing in church, a place where people go to worship was wrong and disrespectful. They are fighting for their own beliefs but at the same time they were disrupting and totally disrespecting others beliefs. As a result security took them out of the cathedral and later the event and video of it gained notoriety and three members were later arrested with felony hooliganism that was motivated by “religious hatred”. 

     On the other hand the video of the song “I Can’t Breath”  that Pussy Riot did as a global political statement for all those who suffer from state terror, specifically for a man named Eric who was chocked to death by police after caught selling blackmarket cigarets that were cheap. This video unlike the other video in the cathedral was in my opinion very moving, it accurately and respectfully made a very powerful point. I feel like this video and song did a much better job getting a point across, I was able to get a deeper meaning of the song. I also liked how the Pussy Riot took the time to recognize a global problem not just things that directly effected them, I feel like that makes them a lot more respectable that the are concerned with global issues and not just their own.

The Riot Grrrl movement was a very powerful movement. All participants made themselves quite well-known by singing about things they believed in. I do believe though, that in several cases they went way too far. The performance that comes to mind when I think about them going too far is when they were singing in the church. I did not understand all of the lyrics because it was not in english but the captions said enough. They went to a church and basically sang a song about how awful Jesus is. I am perfectly okay with them singing about songs discussing your beliefs and whatever,  but going to a church, a place where people go to worship Jesus, and bashing the religion as a whole is terrible. People go to church for many reasons, it is a safe place and a judgement free zone for so many people.

Patti Smith

Patti Smith is such an influential person in the Punk Rock Scene. During the 60's she impacted that genre of music because as usual the men in the music industry were the one that had huge success around those Time. If a person is listening to her song such as " people have the power" it's clear she is more of a poet. The way she sings her song it's as if she is performing at an open mic.Her songs are very neutral  and usually, talk about how  we can change the world to make it a better place. She can be seen as a sort of activist. I find interesting that around the time she starting performing that she doesn't like to be identified as a woman but as an "artist.She believes in gender fluidity which is not an a bad thing. I'm sure many women who express the same beliefs as her. She was  inspired to be a certain way. Out of all the individuals, we learned about so far in class Patti Smith is the least likable to me. In her interview with Frickle David, she mentioned how in high school most of her friends were black"My world was so small I didn't  even know there was a civil right"This is very confusing because if she had African American friends I'm sure she overheard stories of inequalities and such. Although Patti Smith's  poem are about  a making positive change in the  world I feel like there are a lot of issues such as racial, gender inequality that she is oblivious too. Patti Smith mentioned how "I grew up not believing in an enemy" This may explain why she opposed to feminist and  is oblivious to  important movement such as  the civil rights movement.I believe she led a privileged childhood. She could have made a better  impact if she supported the feminist movement back in the 60s.She could have paved the way for much more women. In comparison to Nina Simmon Patti smith was not a feminist and did not discuss social injustice as much she was neutral regarding several issues while Nina Simmons it was clear she was a feminist fighting for women's power and her whole career focused on indirect protesting to social injustice 

Pussy Rioting

The nine lives of the Riot Grrrl Revolution

This week, we read a very interesting article that was very different from the recent things that we have been reading lately.  Riot Grrrl was a movement to try and bring awareness to some very important issues such as rape, domestic abuse, women’s health, sexuality, and most importantly, female empowerment. Pussy Riot was a band that we mainly focused on. There we approximately 11 women in total in the group. In 2012, 5 of the members sang a song “Mother of God, put Putin away!”. This song, by itself, was very offensive in my eyes. Religion is something that is very important in my life and I took great offense to those women singing that song in Cathedral in Moscow. I also did not like their style of music either. Kind of screaming out words is not my type of music I like to listen to. Putting on this performance actually put these women in jail for 2 years. I was very surprised to see how much action the police in Moscow took to punish these women for singing. Personally I agree they the most definitely should have gotten some type of punishment but 2 years in prison is quite extreme.

         After reading the lyrics to “Mother of God, put Putin away!” and watching the music video, I had no respect for this “band”. But then when we were introduced to their song “I Can’t Breathe” I was actually very impressed. This song, unlike the other one, had the girl actually singing in it, and their voices were actually pretty good. This song was in dedication of a man in New York City who died from police blocking his airway when trying to arrest him. He had told the policemen several times that he could not breathe but nothing was done and he took his final breaths right there. This song was very powerful and the music video was even more moving. You could clearly see in the music video how hard they were struggling to breathe which gave you a glimpse of what the man in New York was going through when the police were on top of him. I also was shocked that this was Pussy Riot’s first English song too.

Personally, I think Pussy Riot had good intentions for their band but just sent their message the wrong was in Moscow. There was no need to perform that type of song in such a sacred place. I think they should stick to singing the same way they did for “I Can’t Breathe”. “I Can’t Breathe” had such a powerful message that was carried out the right and respectful way. Pussy Riot was definitely a band that I will remember learning about. 

Pussy Riot-Tackling Controversial Issues

In Wednesdays class, we had a discussion about the Riot Grrrl Movement. It was a movement that combined punk music with feminism and politics. Part of our discussion revolved around the Russian punk band, Pussy Riot. They were a group of women ranging in ages 20-33. We watched their performance of "Mother of God, Drive Putin Away” which was the song that led to 3 of the band members arrest and ultimately, two years of incarceration. The song was performed in a Cathedral in Moscow, Russia and the lyrics were very intense. I understand that they wanted to get their point across, however, to perform it in a church where people worship God, was very inconsiderate and upsetting. As a Christian, I feel as though there are plenty of other ways to get your point across. They, as women, feel that their rights are trampled upon, and that sexism is wrong and I’m not saying that I disagree, however, they are trampling on others rights and basically doing the same things that they don't want done to them.

An example of a project that I support them in doing, is the song “I Can’t Breathe” which was written in memory of Eric Garner who was killed by police in New York City in 2014. The song and music video display an accurate depiction of his story and what it is like to be suffocated. I think this song and the music video did a fantastic job of getting his story out there and making bold statement. They didn't have to swear or say offensive things like they did in the cathedral, but their lyrics were still taken very seriously. In my opinion, “I Can’t Breathe” was ten times more powerful than their performance of “Mother of God, Drive Putin Away.” I am in no way against punk music or feminism, however I think it all goes back to the golden rule: treat others the way you want to be treated. There is no use fighting fire with fire, but I am not sure this world will ever come to that realization.

Riot Grrrl Movement Response

The Riot Grrrl Movement started in the spring of 1991 when members of the all, girl punk band, Bratsmobile, and Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill started organizing weekly meetings that they called Riot Grrrl. "In their attempt to realize a feminist politics of everyday life, the members of Riot Grrrl sought to construct an organic, non-hierarchical community that was responsive to the subjective needs of its participants" (319). They left the definition of Riot Grrrl opened, members of the movement stated, "We want the definition of Riot Grrrl to be whatever anyone who wants to use the term wants it to be. We feel that over-organization would cost us the individuality we spend too much of the time fighting the rest of the world for" (319). They brought important issues to the surface including, "sexual identity, self-preservation, racism awareness, surviving, and sexual abuse" (319). One of the things that stood out to me the most was when they wrong "bitch" and "slut" over their bodies at a concert. It was so powerful. I think their mindset was intended to draw attention to publicize issues like sexual abuse and rape that were largely ignored by the media. I think what they did was very moving, and overlooked. But at times I think they went a little over the top. We discussed in class, and watched a video of the protests that they did in front of a church in Russia. I found it incredibly disrespectful. I completely understand they wanted to raise awareness of the on-going issue, and good for them for being so bold about it, but if anything, I feel like it made them look childish. It gives people the wrong impression. 

Riot Grrrl Movement

“Riot Grrrl DC held a national convention, which brought girls from all over the country together to discuss issues central to the movement at the time: sexual identity, self-preservation, racism awareness, surviving sexual abuse and whether Riot Grrrls fit or don’t fit into the punk com- munity”. Riot Grrrl movement , is a feminist punk movement which is all about women rights and equality. “With this whole Riot Grrrl thing, we are not trying to make money or get famous; we’re trying to do something important, to network with grrrls all over, to make changes in our lives and the lives of other grrrls”. While reading this article, both of these quotes stood out to me the most because it really explains and give many details of what the Riot Grrrls movement is about. The goal of the riot girrrls was to raise awareness, which I believe they did even though there are still issues associated with feminism today. During class, we had watched a video on the Russian Riot Girrrl protest, which made me feel uncomfortable, and found it disrespectful. Even though I support that they were trying to raise awareness, I do not think a church was a good place to protest.

Not a Rock and Roll nigger response

Kyla Hullum

Professor Santos

25 February 2016

Not a Rock and Roll nigger response

                I honestly found this reading to be very potent, and daring. I like that Orlandersmith starts off the story how she first got into rock and roll music, and the genre’s she grew up around that were the complete opposite of it. It’s very rare that you see black individuals, especially women who are into rock and roll and punk, so I thought it was fascinating to hear what she saw in the music and how it made her feel.

                One thing that stood out to me was Orlandersmith reaction to Pattie Smith at a music festival when she came onstage and started to repeat the word “Nigger” and the crowd filled with white people started chanting “I’m a nigger, a rock and roll nigger.” The way her and the other two black teens looked at each other and just stood in silence stated how they felt about what she just said, because she used a word to name everyone, a word that has been used to put down blacks. There looks at each other stated enough that what she was saying was messed up and how the crowd just followed along with her as if it was never a racist term. I see why Orlandersmith was debating whether or not to keep supporting her because the word “Nigger” should not be used by any white person to be turned into a positive phrase to represent outsiders.

                I understand why Orlandersmith tried to use the term into something positive because she can relate to being an outcast from white society, just like black people. On the other hand, I don’t think she had a right to use that word at all because it’s been used as the ultimate put down word for blacks, and has a negative vibe to it that you can never turn that word into something confident. I have respect for Pattie Smith for trying to make a change, but using the word “Nigger” was not the proper way to go about it because not everybody is going to easily support her, especially blacks in my opinion.

                Another part that stood out to me was on page 139, when Orlandersmith described the encounter she had with Pattie Smith on the street, and how she confronted her about the song saying, “I like your work…But I have problems with the song rock and roll nigger.” I kind of laughed internally. My reason is because of the way Pattie Smith than told her to have a nice day and walked away but then kept looking back at her as if she made her rethink if it was a good idea to write that song.

                I can also relate to how rock and roll music opened Orlandersmith’s eyes to a scene where she felt like she fit in because that is how I felt when I first listened to Soca music. I grew up around reggae, but didn’t really start listening to Soca until middle school and I feel like that changed my view on music a lot because it gave me energetic sensation in a way and had lots of good vibes. When I listen to Soca music it feels as if it is taking me to another place where I can express myself by dancing to it, just like when Orlandersmith goes to Rock concerts, she feels like it is where she belongs.

                In all, I think it was a really good article because she expressed what it was like growing up as a black rock and roll lover and how her views of it almost changed because of one song that had a racial slur in it.

 The lyrics of Beyoncé’s song Formation hold very political meanings behind them.  This political influence has created controversy all over the world. Beyoncé presents her love for black pride through this song.  The chorus “I like my baby heir with baby hair and afros, I like my negro nose with Jackson Five Nostrils” shows how she is proud of and not ashamed of her culture.  I believe that in the video for this song, Beyoncé includes her daughter with her hair in afro to stand up against the people who shunned her for keeping her daughter’s hair in that way.  It is a statement to say that black woman are beautiful naturally as they are. In the music video it explores black culture by taking place in New Orleans and having a little boy dancing in front of cops, which elutes to Trevon Martin.  The part of the music video when the boy stands before cops and the words “Stop shooting us” really stood out to me.

    Choosing to put that scene in the music video was a very political decision on Beyoncé’s part.  I can see how people may think that is disrespectful towards cops but in this scene I believe that she is trying to gain sympathy for her cause by using a youthful figure pleading for his life. It was also a huge political statement for Beyoncé to place herself on a cop car sinking under water.

Also in this song Beyoncé displays her strong sense of girl power.  “I slay” represents that woman that need to go out and take what’s theirs, and need to get the job done.  The lyrics “Okay, ladies, now let’s get in formation” is a call out to all the woman of the world to come together and take the roles necessary to gain equal gender rights.  In the song she mentions that she’ll take her man to Reb Lobster, take him on her flight chopper, take him to the mall, and get his song played on the radio station. Those lyrics represent that she doesn’t need a man to support her that she makes her own way and can actually support him.   I love that she takes dominance in this song over a male figure. 

            I loved every second of both Beyoncé’s “Formation” video, and super bowl performance. I think that she had a lot of guts to do what she did and make a statement that black lives matter too. She didn’t just have one message in her music video, but multiple including women empowerment, self-love, and end police brutality. I know a lot of people who are ashamed of their skin color, and features, so I think this song really helps black people accept who they are and love themselves more. I also liked how they included clips of the sunken houses from hurricane Katrina that are still visible till this day because it showed how much that town is still suffering.

             I don’t think that it’s not fair people are saying she’s being racist because she just wants to empower her people and show that she is proud of her southern roots, and if it was the other way around it wouldn’t have been a problem. At first, I did not really pay attention to the background male voices in the song, until we talked about the article in class of Messy Mya and how he was killed last year. I see why some people may have been upset about it because Beyoncé did not get permission to mention his voice, but at the same time I think she wanted people to know who he was and what he stood for.

            Beyoncé’s super bowl performance was even powerful than the song itself because she had her background dancers dressed as the black panther party to celebrate their anniversary, which just so happen to fall on the same day as the game. I have a lot of respect for her doing that because she knew was going to get criticized by it but still went on with the show. The fact that people compared her to the KKK really upset me because they were a hate group that set out to destroy black people, whereas the black panther party were fighting for equal rights, and used violence when necessary. Violence is never the answer, but at least they were fighting for a good cause.

          I think that some people just can’t handle what Beyoncé is putting out there, and it makes them feel uncomfortable, but in my opinion is a good thing because it's raising awareness.  Beyoncé did a great job with the performance and the song as well, and people need to accept that.