Week 6 Boo: What's Going On??

Last week, we discussed artists who use music lyrics to comment on the social problems of their times. You learned that this was a carry-over from the Black Arts Movement, during which writers, musicians, and artists used their talents to protest and to create a unique American that centered on African Americans. For this book, I’d like you to apply those ideas to today’s times. This boo has two parts: PART ONE: In the first part, I’d like you to imagine that you are writing an essay in which you argue that musicians in the last ten years also use music to expose or to comment upon social issues. Choose one song that does that. Then, tell me a) the title of the song. b) the name of the artist performing the song, c) and the year the song was released. Then, I also want you to tell me what social issue is being discussed, and give me some of the lyrics from the song. If you want to play us a little excerpt, you can do that, too. There is just one caveat. You cannot duplicate what someone else has already listed. Therefore, make sure you listen to what your classmates have posted before you post your response.

PART TWO: In the second part, I’d like to you to tell me one of the social issues in the nation, or in the state, or even specifically in Milwaukee that is serious and needs to be addressed. To put it another way, Marvin Gaye looked out at the brutality and poverty around him and asked, “What’s going on?” When you think about your world, what is one of the issues that concerns you? If Marvin Gaye came back to life and did a remake, what do you think he would sing about?