Year: 2019

Hadeel Abuhamda

English 1101

May 5, 2019

Queen Bey

Everyone knows who Beyoncé is A.KA “Queen Bey.” Unlike many, I have a very unpopular opinion about her and well, I believe she’s a bit overrated. She dropped an album on April 23, 2016 called “Lemonade” and everyone went wild about it. It turned out to be a Grammy winning album. To be specific, this album earned her sixth consecutive number-one album on the charts. As of December 2016, it sold over 1.5 million copies in the United States, which made it the third best selling album of the year. (Wikipedia) All over these songs, she battles through heartbreak, betrayal, and infidelity. When I first heard about it, I wasn’t very interested in actually listening to it. Once again, I just thought it was everyone doing the usual of worshipping everything that she does. But, I have to give it to her. She really did do her thing on this album. And that’s coming from a person who doesn’t necessarily like her.

I will say, Beyoncé seems to be the one artist, in whose voice people find their own stories. With this album, you can tell she poured her everything into it. A dozen songs plus a sixty minute movie that is more than just advertisement for the music, but an important partner that supplies context and deepens the understanding. It’s apparent that this album is her most accomplished and cohesive work yet. This album is more than just music and play for pop supremacy. It is the work of an artist who is trying her best to know herself better and deeper for better or worse and letting the listeners in on the sometimes brutal self inspection. Lemonade bristles with anger, vengeance dreams, political disappointment, internal turned inquiries and commotion.

If you ever been cheated on by someone who you thought you can trust and who thought you would be too stupid to notice, the first half of Lemonade is for you. At first we might have thought that Beyonce is only using the album to tell the world about her experiences with Jay-Z’s un-loyal self. Probably for publicity reasons. But then again, it’s Beyoncé does she really need any more buzz? This was probably what caused it to get so much attention because everyone viewed this couple as “goals.” That just shows that we never know what goes on behind closed doors. But, in the second half of the album we start to realize they actually have a happy ending and that this isn’t the only theme she’s going for in her album.

This album is so much more than Jay-Z and to be completely honest I feel like a lot of people missed that… Actually, I know a lot of people missed that. Apart from marital infidelity, the album is structured around feminism, the black lives matter movement, black identity, and more. People might have missed these concepts if they didn’t see the visual part of the album. The visual album in itself is a sixty minute long celebration of black culture and more importantly, black women celebrating themselves. For example, in “Sorry” the women are in tribal clothing, tribal paint, and tribal hairstyles. Then we see Beyoncé sitting on a throne with Serena Williams beside her. This scene is set to represent two powerful, successful, and influential women. Then there’s the song itself that represents women no longer putting up with infidelity. But, it also goes way deeper than that. Take the song “Forward” for instance, Beyoncé brings Trayvon Martin’s and Michael Brown’s mothers to shift the focus from her internal issues to those that are occurring on the outside. This one seems to encourage a form a collective healing. “Formation” makes a bold political statement on both police brutality and black feminism. She filled the video with images that read “Stop Shooting Us.” She also stood on top of a sunken police car to let everyone know where she stood on these issues. Although the song itself might be just another catchy Beyoncé track, the video does make some powerful statements.

Lemonade is more than I ever thought it could be. Although I previously said I’m not a fan of hers, I would never deny the fact that she is indeed talented. After Lemonade, I answered my own question as to why it is that she’s so successful. We all know Beyonce sings with her usual soul and irreplaceable skills. But, her passion, representation, and creativity is what I believe that has gotten her to where she is today. The point is even if you don’t like Beyoncé, like myself, the fact that she is using her platform to get this out to thousands of people that might not be aware of these issues is actually brilliant. Sometimes it takes people like Beyoncé to get people talking, thinking, and understanding these issues. My advice to you would be, listen to Lemonade and dedicate some of your time to watch the visuals. The visual album provides a whole other level of understanding of this narrative. Beyoncé really outdid herself with this one. And once again, this is coming from someone who isn’t a big fan of hers.

Works Cited :

• Dam, Freja. “Beyoncé’s ‘Lemonade’: A Visual Tale of Grief, Resurrection, and Black Female Empowerment.” Spin, 26 Apr. 2016,
• www.spin.com/2016/04/beyonce-lemonade-hbo-album-film-analysis/

 

• https://g.co/kgs/x9ghav

Jessica Garcia

Professor Hall

Eng 1101

April, 27, 2019

Suicide is described to be a very difficult topic but it is important and necessary to talk about.  According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States”, some problems that often contribute to suicide are related to relationships, substance use, physical health, job conditons, abuse, trauma or housing stress. After the tragedy of losing a loved one due to suicide it is devastating for family and friends. Therapist Mark Redwood explained “that for someone in grief they may experience feelings of guilt which is very common” (Redwood). Guilt comes from the belief that we should have, or could have done something to prevent that person from turning to suicide. Learning more about what might lead to suicide may help prevent further tragedies from happening but if it couldn’t be prevented, you are always informed.

Robert Bryson Hall II some may know him as Logic, grew up in poverty in suburban Maryland. In his album Everybody released on May 5, 2017 , he confronts the challenges with identity that he experienced growing up and announces it as a piece about race in America that is explored through the lens of Logic’s biracial identity. His father is an African-American, while his mother is Caucasian but he lived a troubled childhood because both of his parents were alcoholic and addicted to drugs. Ahead of the release he explained,  “It’s about me being black and white, seeing life from two sides, and about that cultural evolution and how you can go from the darkest of skin to the lightest of skin” (Logic), he focuses on issues and the importance of privilege, equality or racism in America. In Logic’s interview discussing anxiety, depression and education his famous motto is “The fight for everyone regardless of race, religion, color and sexual orientation and against racism, oppression, discrimination, and sexual orientation” but in his music he also touches on depression, anxiety and suicide. You may remember from your history class the quote “All men are created equal”, stated on the Declaration Of Independence that regardless of race or ethnicity we must be held to be equal. It’s important to point out the issue that although we may be born equal we are not being treated equally therefore there must be change.
Throughout his album he discusses his race and experiences because he is proud of who he is but he also seems to be rapping from different perspectives. Logic focuses on “the fight for equality” because in society we aren’t treated equally. One of the songs in his album that I believe had most impact would be “ 1-800-273-8255”, that has in fact saved many people’s lives. It is clear that there is a transition from “ I don’t wanna be alive” to “ I finally wanna be alive”. The name of the song is the number of The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. He raps from the perspective of a gay man who is struggling with his sexuality and is trying to find acceptance within himself specifically but he is scared about coming out to this family.

In the music video it took a dark turn when the truth comes out, the boy’s father finds out that he is gay and the boy runs away from home. His dad doesn’t accept the way his son identifies himself leading to the phrase “ I don’t wanna be alive” while the boy is calling the hotline. In school he is bullied adding on top of the fact that his own dad doesn’t support him. In the phrase “ I know I’m hurting deep down but can’t show it “, the idea of isolating yourself and putting on a fake smile to fool others that you are okay when in reality you aren’t. He is shown sleeping in a small corner even sleeping through classes, his track coach reaches to his dad because he notices that he is not getting any sleep even buys him food. The only one noticing that the boy isn’t okay is the track coach. The phrase also lets the listener feel connected, having the power to inspire the listener to call the hotline because they feel exactly the same. Later on the boy is shown running home to get the gun, crying because he realizes what he is going to leave behind, the love for track and his family but is also overwhelmed with his surroundings. The ending of the song delivers a message of hope, “You don’t gotta die, I want you to be alive,” told from the perspective of the person offering emotional support, the operator giving the reasons to why he should live.  At the end it fast forwards to the future where the young boy is a man marrying the love of his life and says “ I finally wanna be alive, I don’t wanna die today”, calling the hotline had saved his life and allowed him to experience what his life had in store for him, learning to make the most of the present.

On April 28, 2017, the day the song was released, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline received 4,573 calls. It was the second-highest total in the organization’s history, after the day Robin Williams died. Logic wanted to reach out to those that are struggling, depressed or  have suicidal thoughts. Reaching out to the public letting them know that if they relate and feel the same way that help does exist because their life is worth living.

In the 2017 VMAs, he performed “1-800” and used his platform to send out a positive message and let others know about the truth even if it hurts because in reality there are people struggling and feel alone. According to the director of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, giving phone numbers where help is available is an important first step because media and public figures are big influencers. The tone is serious because on one hand he is talking about suicide which should be taken seriously but he also wants to spread awareness. During his performance he is joined by suicide survivors and individuals who lost loved ones due to suicide wearing shirts with the hotline number and “ You are not alone”  making the message clear. Psychiatrist Jeffery Barenstein stated “Silence can have tragic results but knowledge can save lives” (Barenstein). It’s important to let people know that if you’re in crisis, there are options available to help you cope and help you find a way out when you feel trapped.

Works Cited 

“Who Is Logic? Everything You Need to Know.” Logic (Sir Robert Bryson Hall) Biography – Facts, Childhood, Family Life & Achievements of Rapper

“Home.” Lifeline

“Why Guilt Is so Common after a Bereavement.” Counselling Directory

Saalik Jackson

 

                    Vic Mensa rage

Rage,a song titled by Vic Mensa, greatly represents what it means to ascend from a darker place. The visual for this song perfectly conveys this theme that Vic Mensa attempts to present. The video begins with Vic casually riding in an airplane. As he stares out the window everything seems fine. While looking out the window he sings the opening lines of the song. These first few lines are actually contradicting to this thought. “Command we’ve lost control, the engine’s bound to crash, the lightning strikes went bright, do not go gently”. This serves as a warning to what’s about to happen in the video . As Vic is singing he then sees lightning flash from outside the plane. Shortly after that the plane then experiences a strong turbulence. He then frantically rushes over to what looks like drugs and alcohol. He starts to indulge in them as if they are giving him comfort during this stress inducing situation. He then sees a great flash that leave a puzzled look on his face.

Then suddenly the plane starts to bust open and break apart. The entire inside of the plain is left in in shambles. Metal can be seen flying off of the plane. The turbulence is so strong that Vic is seen being yanked around in the plane. The turbulence only proves to worsen showing sparks,metal, and various objects flying around. As the plane spirals out of control Vic raps about external struggles. “They say home is where the hate is I’m from where they kill they own”said Vic during the first verse.“Tired of chasing pills that I’m tired of taking,” he proclaims over booming drums and synth strings. “Tired of court cases, tired of judges. Tired of saying Fuck it.”he continued. He falls to the floor and what seems like little pieces of metal are seen being blown around him. As the first verse finishes and the hook comes back the plane has crashed. Vic is seen starting to drown in the ocean that the plane crashed in. Vic fights to stay alive but is inevitably overwhelmed by the water. His body then seems to become lifeless as he starts to sink. We then see a new Vic wearing a white shirt and all his tattoos removed. As Vic appears we see flames as he is rapping. This seems to serve as an entity telling him to get up. It is a more pure version of himself that acknowledges his flaws. As he is rapping he starts to reference his internal conflict that he has with himself. He makes reference of his addictions that he has. This signifies the him being reborn into something different. The scene then switches back to Vic under the water as he now resiliently begins to swim to air. It is as if the old Vic died in the plane crash and a new one has now emerged. He now has the hope and strength that he did not have previously. As he reaches the top he passes a few objects from the plane. He then makes it to above sea level where fire can be seen. With all his remaining strength, Vic swims to what looks like an uninhabited island. With some of his clothes missing, he finally gets up and stands. After everything that he has survived and been through he manages to stand. Tired and out of breath, He starts to stare, looking at the wreckage that once was a plane. The camera zooms in on his face so that viewers can see the exhausted but yet determined look on his face. This is the look of a survivor. This video brilliantly conveys the idea of sacrificing what you are for what you will become . Vic Mensa shows what it means to improve and leave the past behind. It shows that Mensa is not so easily defeated. He raps about the trials and tribulations he has been through in his life, in addiction to drugs. Vic has also had suicidal thoughts amongst other dark issues. He has also frequently dealt with legal problems. All of these are things that he addresses towards the end of the video during his final verse. He eventually channels all of his inner turmoil and manages to come out stronger from it. This is shown as he stands triumphantly at the end of the video. This song rage epitomizes what it means to endure. It means to rage against the tribulations and problems that are thrown in one’s way. It means to refuse to let your problems overwhelm you. Some of the lines are coming from a famous poem by Dylan Thomas called “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”. Vic references this poem in the beginning of the video while he is sitting.” “Command, we’ve lost control
The engine’s bound to crash
The lightning strikes went bright
Do not go gently” says Vic in the beginning. The hook also references the poem. “Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light”wrote Dylan Thomas in the poem. The hook of this song uses this poem as Vic says “ I want you to rage into the night, I want you to blaze into the light”. This video and song is the epitome of what it means to endure one’s trials and tribulations.