It's In Our Hands Now

            This is the last blog post for this class, and to be honest I find it bittersweet. I know most people just think of it as an assignment, but I think it is pretty incredible that we all come here every weekend and post our honest opinions on things we have discussed in class. We all have respect for each others thoughts and I also love that we can write these posts as if it were our own blog. I find that makes it a lot more valuable and personal.

            On Monday we discussed the Dixie Chicks and listened to their song “Not Ready to Make Nice.” To be honest, I had completely forgot about this song and I certainly had no comprehension of the meaning of the lyrics when I was younger. A small off topic thought: Amber brought up something that also jogged some childhood memories. There used to be these “toys,” I guess you could call them, but they looked like small speakers and they came with little microchips that you could place in and it would play a portion of a song. Amber was saying how she had this song on one of those little “chips,” and a million memories flooded my head. I miss those things!

Anyways, I think the Dixie Chicks did a fantastic job on this song because they found a way to get their feelings and opinions across in such a way that people could understand and listen to. This song for me, doesn’t only relate to the tribulations that the group faced, but so many other trials that people experience. It shows that they will not be silenced by they cruel words that people say about them. Our discussion in class about what the Dixie Chicks were subjected to was mind boggling. I just don’t understand why, if people don’t like a certain song, why they can’t just turn it off instead of creating a ruckus. Calling someone a name doesn’t solve anything! I think the Dixie Chicks did a great job responding to the harsh words, name calling, and criticism. The result of their response was a beautiful and powerful song.

I am so glad to have rediscovered this song! I can apply it to so many issues in my own life and feel empowered! This class has introduced me to so many beautiful, strong and powerful women. Talented women who have made a lasting impact on women’s culture and the feminist movement. I am so thankful for all of the giant steps forward these women have taken for us, and I hope and pray we can do the same for years to come.

Bush’s Best Friends

This week we had the opportunity to explore two different genres of music.  Country from the Dixie Chicks and rap from Queen Latifah.  The Dixie Chicks aren’t on the top of my everyday music list but the articles we read about them made me learn much more than I knew.  Which isn’t a lot, all I knew was they were country musicians.   The Dixie Chicks were frowned upon after one performance in London.

            I found the severity of measures that followed the comments in London were not particularly right.  Less than two weeks before we invaded Iraq the lead singer of the Dixie Chicks, Natalie Maines, said to everyone in attendance “‘just so you know, we’re ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas.’” These comments were scrutinized by many Americans, and even the President himself commented.  Most things said were not nice comments.  I was thrown of at the reactions because it is her right to freely speak out about whatever she believes.  Yes, the circumstances of being in another country could throw people off.  They were trying to let people know, all Texans are not like the President of the United States and they don’t want to be judged by being from the same place.  I think that because they’re women who spoke out about the President at the time, they were examined further than any male musician would have been.  As touchy as the topic seems to be, if a male band was out of country and said those same exact words it wouldn’t have touched the media for more than a day.  People would’ve probably nodded their heads yes and thrown riots against the President.  Their records probably would’ve sold more.

            The Dixie Chicks took in all the criticism and rode it like a gnarly wave.  They knew it wasn’t going to go away easily but over time people forgive and forget.  They continue making music, some breaking off to play other gigs.  I think they were strong to get past the fact that everyone was out to get them over one comment.  I find it really powerful they could overcome so much, even death threats, and do what they love, play music. 

Blog post #9

            After listening to Queen Latifah’s song “U.N.I.T.Y.” it honestly made me want to go out and spread her message to people with my fist in the air. I wish that we still had women like Queen Latifah from the 90’s to educate people, especially women with their lyrics today because the world and music industry would be a lot different. Stars now a days, particularly men make music that degrades women now than ever, and I feel like that needs to change because it is causing the younger generation to feel like it is okay to do the same. What I like most about the song is that she has multiple messages in it which includes domestic violence, cat calling, and women uniting. I have either experienced, or witnessed all of these in my life, particularly when it comes to cat calling, and I feel like it’s something that really needs to stop because it is a form of disrespect to women. I think that these are important issues that are still going on today and need to be put to an end. The message that Queen Latifah is trying to get across is that society doesn’t have to be that way and instead of trying to tear each other down, (black people mainly) we need to build each other up, as well as have more respect. I personally like her style of music because it’s catchier and just makes people want to listen to what she is trying to convey. If her sound was boring and flat, I don’t think people would give her the time of day. She also uses different scenes in her video to get her message across, for example a man grabbing her butt, arguing with her boyfriend, and a group of men, women, and children uniting as a whole, which was very powerful to see visually. The fact that Queen Latifah is a women too just makes it even more interesting because you would typically see male rappers with powerful messages in their music like the late Tupac Shakur. If Queen Latifah still rapped today, her message would probably be a lot stronger due to the increase of things such as women and their sexual images.

The Dixie Chicks

                  Prior to this week’s class, I had never listened to the Dixie Chicks. However, I had heard of them before but I had a completely wrong vision of who they were and what they sang about. I thought that the Dixie Chicks were an older group of women who sang country that was really about “banjos” and “fiddles. I, myself, am a huge country fan, so I may have heard some of their songs, not realizing it was them. When we started talking about them, I realized that they weren’t as old as I thought they were and when I heard their songs, I became more interested.

                  One thing that I did like about their music was that it was kind of a pop and country mix. Their songs are very catchy too. If someone were to listen to their songs, they may not even realize that they are a country group. The song we listened to in class was, “Not Ready To Make Nice”. This song is very very powerful but there was controversy over it.

                  At one of their concerts, Natalie Maines stated that she was “Ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas”. Following her statement, the Dixie Chicks were dropped off of many playlists and radio stations. They received death threats and were attacked on their character. This caused a major uproar for the Dixie Chicks. Although she had admitted that what she said was meant to be an insult, I think it is very important to watch the things you say when you are in that industry. I’m not saying that I agreed or disagreed with her statement, but when you’re in the public eye, people watch and listen to everything you say and do. The media will always have something to say about you no matter what. Aside from that issue though, I really think the Dixie Chicks are a talented group and I look forward to hearing more of their music.

Dixie Chicks

This week we had read about the Dixie Chicks. I really love listening to the Dixie Chicks and have listened to them many times before. When people hear the music that the Dixie Chicks perform, they do not think that they are really country singers. Their voices are so unique and I personally find their voices very pleasing to listen to.

 In class on Monday I was given the quote, “When a society privileges like-minded mentality, that society fails to take into account how diversity and deliberation shapes the United States” (53). When I was analyzing this quote, I came to the conclusion that the quote was saying that if you only surround yourself with people who are similar to you and share the same values as you, then you really never understand what the world is really like. These people will not have any knowledge of any other cultures or different ways that people live their lives. This country would not be even close to the way it is now if we did not have diversity.

We had also listened to the song “Not Ready to Make Noise”. I absolutely loved this song I found it very catchy and the lyrics were very interesting too. What the Dixie Chicks were basically saying was that they are not going to apologize for what they have said. People expected the group to have the same opinions as everyone else and were taken back when the Dixie Chicks said what they really felt. I think this song got the message across loud and clear that they are not apologizing for anything that they have said. They are sticking to their beliefs and I actually find that very admirable about this group.

Blog #10

Kayla Leland 

EN-003 

Professor Santos 

Blog entry #10 

April 7, 2016 

Queen Latifah 

 

 

This week in class we have read a few readings that talked about the Dixie Chicks and Queen Latifah. Out of these readings the one that really stood out was the readings on Queen Latifah that dealt with feminism in rap and hip hop. I find it interesting that women have been a big part in the evolution of rap music and even hip hop culture itself. It was not until after reading these articles did I realize the key role women played as artists, writers, and performers. Since the beginning "women have influenced rap style and technique" which as a result set the standards for men and women. I think this is interesting to think about because back then there were a lot of female rappers as women have been rapping since 1976. Today there are rarely any female rappers as most are men. As Queen Latifah said "now people see rap as a formula for making lots of money, it's become all about money." Another interesting thing Queen Latifah discussed was how one of the main problems is self esteem and how we need to stop beating ourselves up for every little thing. Latifah later said that whatever you want to do you have to go out there and ignore everyone and just do it. In a way that is just what Queen Latifah did with her music. In her song U.N.I.T.Y. she was calling out women to unite and stand up against one another in solidarity.  These songs of female empowerment attempted to "provide direct messages of support to each other for the many disempowering messages women receive in the dominant discourse." That’s just what Latifah did in her song as she talked about domestic abuse and concerns to men along with providing a forum for discussion. One last purpose of women's rap is to educate women and to motivate or inspire them to be successful with their problems they may face in life. 

Queen Latifah

One of the musicians we focused on this week was Queen Latifah. Prior to reading the article, I didn't realize how much of an advocate for woman's rights and equality that she was. 90's hip hop is so much different than the hip hop and rap created today. If you look at a Kanye West, Rick Ross, or Snoop Dogg, most of their songs are extremely degrading to women. My comment in class had nothing against Beyonce, I was simply saying the way artists seem to address feminism and women having equality has certainly changed over the years. Personally, I love Beyonce's music but female rappers like her, Nicki Minaj, and Iggy Azalea are known for feminism based on the fact that their gender is the minority in the industry, because MOST rappers are men. I certainly see both sides, but I feel their music videos and some song lyrics challenges what Beyonce and other female rappers are advocating for. It takes the attention away from the message.

Watching Queen Latifah's music video for Ladies First was inspiring. The message I got from it was that as women we need to be supporting each other. It calls for equal treatment that shows the need for women to support each other. Essential, I think her message is, if we as a group of women don't even give each other respect, how can we expect men to do it? Her lyrics emphasize the difficulty it is to be a woman, but insists that being a women is great. U.N.I.T.Y.," another song we listened to in class also gives off a positive message of confidence and self-empowerment. She addresses the fact that many rap/ hip hop lyrics called women a "bitch", or "hoe".  Queen Latifah takes a stand in this song and encourages black women, and women in general to respect themselves and not take mistreatment from men who try to put them down. Her messages remain the same in many of her songs. I admire her for taking a stand against many of the men in the industry, and going against the stereotype associated with rap and its degrading lyrics.

Last Wednesday the class discussed country music artist Dolly Parton. I grew up listening to country music and have heard many of Parton's songs. When I was young I thought Parton was a goddess. The article "Diamond In A Rhinestone World"  by Allison Glock, I learned she came from a poor family and made something of herself, without forgetting her roots. In her music she embraces who she is and doesn't care what others think. Parton's known for her blonde hair, big boobs, and southern smile, but possessing these characteristics have influenced sexist words. Many called her a "Slut" or "Dumb", but she didn't care because at the end of the day she knows who she truly is. I love how family orientated she is because when I think of country music thats what I think of. Married to a hardworking husband and with her music career they were the "ideal" family. Dolly Parton broke all stereotypes thrown her way and never backed down of showing her true self.

July 21, 2015 Nicki Minaj goes off on twitter calling out Taylor Swift.  Nicki Minaj argues that her video Anaconda did not get enough credit it deserved because she had girls with “thick” bodies exposing their nice curves dancing on her music video.  Nicki tweeted” If your video celebrates women with very slim bodies, you will be nominated for vid of the year. Although the music had millions and millions of views and was nominated for best female and best hip hop video of the year, Nicki said her video deserved to be nominated for the Music of the Year award, just like Taylor’s music video Bad Blood was. On her video Taylor Swift along with few other “slim’’ girls like Zendaya, Selena Gomez and Becky G, imposes the girls power showing how strong they are together. Nick Minaj also tweeted” If I was a different "kind" of artist, Anaconda would be nominated for best choreo and vid of the year as well.” Nicki put the MTV on blast after saying that if her and her dancers were white and slim dancers the video would receive more credit. If the nominations were unfair or not, the public divides opinions.  Some think Nicki’s video deserved not just to be nominated for the Music of the Year but it also should’ve won.  However on the other side, even people that were Nicki’s fan did not agree.  They believe the music video was a little unappropriated and argued that she should not feel like it is okay to influence young girls to show off their bodies in order to show their strength.  Other people even say Nicki’s song had little or no rhythm compared to Taylor’s music video and they believe Taylor didn’t just get nominated because she was slim and white but she was talented enough to put together a great music video. 

Kyla Hullum

Professor Santos

30 March 2016

            In the article Diamond in a Rhinestone World by Alison Glock, she talks about Dolly Parton and her life before and after fame. I personally don’t like country music, and I don’t plan on listening to it on my own time, but I did enjoy reading about Dolly Parton’s life. I liked that they talked about how she basically came from nothing, was poor, and lived a tough life in general, but she incorporated that into who she is today. The fact that she embraces who she was and who she still is into her music makes her a great artist because it shows she is real. Throughout her career, she stood up for herself and her looks not caring what people thought or judged her on. I particularly liked her quote, “I don’t mind being called a dumb blonde…because I know I’m not dumb and I know I’m not blonde.”(Page 12) She did not care what people said because at the end of the day she knew who she was and what she was capable of. I have respect for Dolly just because she is comfortable of what she wears, her body, and her huge hair, considering most people would say she’s revealing too much or looks like a slut. She didn’t need her appearance to make people like her, but her personality and goofiness attracted the crowd. I think every woman should have the right to wear what makes them feel comfortable and not be judged on it because clothes do not make up who you are and your personality. If there were more people like Dolly in the world, there would be less slut shaming and more standing up for woman’s rights. The fact that she is a feminist too makes her an even better person because she isn’t afraid to tell it like it is. Something else that stood out to me was when Alison mentions towards the end of the article that Dolly never got involved with drugs, alcohol, and men that didn’t treat her right, which was very interesting because I feel like almost every female artist has dealt with either one or all of those situations. It’s sad to think that these kind of issues do happen with women, but at the end of the day we are all human and make mistakes so I don’t think female artist should be judged on that. Dolly Parton sets a good example for other female artist and proves that you don’t need to use your body to get famous, just use your personality and work hard to reach your dreams.

Dolly Parton

This is one of many artist that we have learned about that I actually know. When I was in high school I took a class called History Through Music. In this class Dolly Parton was referenced because during the time when women would work in factories they would have terrible working conditions and long hours. This song was made to spread awareness to get women better rights and who better to do that than Dolly Parton.

Dolly Parton was another women that grew up very poor and became very successful through her hard work. When she moved to Nashville her career began to take off because it was where she had her first successful song. She is portrayed as dumb blonde but she embraces that which is a very good quality to have. She doesn't care what people think about her. Another thing I enjoy about her is she is very loyal to her home town she puts them before the fame and fortune. Men went crazy over her because she was the perfect women tight around the waist and a big chest. She wanted to look that way because she says to do what makes you happy and that is a great saying. Dolly Parton is a very inspirational person and she sticks up for what she believes in and I thinks thats why she became so successful.