Contemporary Music & Political Commentary

by Neve Walker & Riona Carrington

Edited by Kavya Gurunath & Manushri Bapat, layout by Inchara J, Art by Sahithi Lingampalli

Disclaimer:

This article comprises mostly of the author(s) own interpretation and opinions.

This is America:

This is America, by Childish Gambino, takes a stance on the political system in America, and the systematic racism that takes place in this country. In his music video, he guns down a church choir, and while chaos surrounds him, Gambino continues dancing. This could signify how many black churches are victims of hate crimes, and even while this happens, nobody does anything to stop this from happening. This can also signify that hate crimes happen so often that he is desentized to the violences and discrimination that come with being black in America. After he guns down the church choir, he walks away past a police car. This symbolizes the racial prejudice that allows white people to get away with more crimes, or get a lesser sentence, even with hate crimes.

Throughout the chaos and violent atmosphere, kids dressed in school uniforms dance with Gambino. This could mean many things. The kids’ dancing acts as a distraction from what is really going on.

This represents that although police brutality and racism still exists, we are distracted from it. This represents that although police brutality and racism still exists, we are distracted from it. A lot of people aren't affected by the systematic racism in America, and because it doesn't affect them, they don't feel a need to do anything about it. Another way the school kids dance could be interpreted as is how violence and guns have surrounded the kids for so long, that they don't even notice it any more. They are so numb to the chaos and violence that they continue dancing even after being gunned down.

In the last few minutes of the music video, Gambino runs away from people in a dark hallway. During this scene, the line “You just a Black man in this world / You just a barcode, ayy” is sung. This symbolizes him running from people that want to kill him. Throughout history in America, racism has been prevalent. With past incidents of slavery, segregation, and the KKK, and events of the present,, African American people still fear facing discrimination. Just this month, a 15 year old boy was killed because of his race; he was a victim of lynching.

Wap:

In modern society, music is a part of daily life. That’s why what we listen to is so important, because it not only affects how we view ourselves but how we view the world. Hence, there is a lot of backlash regarding different genres and certain artists for their portrayal in media. The topic of discussion is the popular song ‘WAP’ by Cardi B. The song was made to empower women and showcase female talent within the industry. Honestly, though, the song is just a vulgar illustration of women.

Parents should be concerned if their child listens to music like that. The song speaks about female genitalia in a derogatory and degrading manner. It makes people see women as just sexual objects to be used. A feminist may say otherwise, but empowerment of the mind has nothing to do with depicting sexuality as something that can only be attained if you are being explicit and obscene. The song merely makes women out to be objects, and if I could get something that is cheap, why would I pay more for it, right? This message will lead to young girls associating power with being sexual and not focusing on their education.

Without an education, you can only hope that someone will take care of you, but if you have one, no one can take advantage of you. I like music too, but the meaning of the song should be epitomized before liking a song. Understand what this person stands for and if it makes a correlation to their work. Hence, you can isolate the good from the bad and decide what you want to let guide your mindset.

In conclusion, we must be mindful of things we let into our lives. Music is good, but making sure that the lyrics are positive should be most important.