Malia Kay<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Professor Rippeon<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WRI 101<\/p>\n\n\n\n
24 March 2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WRI Essay #2<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBlack bodies swinging in the southern breeze\/Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees\u201d (Meeropol). This is just a snippet of the powerful lines in Abel Meeropol\u2019s famous poem, \u201cStrange Fruit\u201d <\/a>and Billie Holiday and Nina Simone\u2019s performances of the poem in the 1930s. Abel Meeropol\u2019s poem about the protest of lynching was a paramount moment in African American history. In his hit \u201cBlood on the Leaves,\u201d <\/a>Kanye West uniquely samples \u201cStrange Fruit\u201d and puts a modern spin on this empowering song about black violence. His version can be seen as both offensive, as well as a vocal masterpiece. He expertly juxtaposes Simone\u2019s voice with his messages of the modern life of an African American man. Kanye sings about who he was<\/em>, who he is<\/em>, and his desire to show how African Americans still face similar challenges as people of color in the past. Kanye alludes to bigger issues than just voice or sound by tackling the controversial concepts of race and violence, while simultaneously turning it into a popular rap song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cStrange Fruit\u201d caused a national outcry. In the wake of this song began one of the first cultural rebellions against lynching in our nation. Without the presence of this iconic song, it is unclear how many more tragic deaths among people of color would have occurred. Nina Simone\u2019s rendering of the song initially starts off with her raspy voice singing the haunting words of Abel Meeropol. She begins by specifically mentioning the \u201csouthern<\/em> trees\u201d and this \u201cstrange fruit,\u201d which serves as an extended metaphor throughout the piece: \u201cSouthern trees bear strange fruit\u201d (Awka). Simone goes on to discuss the blood on the leaves and graphically depicts dead bodies suspended from tree branches: \u201cBlack bodies swinging in the southern breeze\u201d (Awka). The song becomes increasingly graphic and emotional when it describes the mangled bodies acting as fresh meat for the birds to pluck: \u201cThe bulging eyes and the twisted mouth\/Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh\/Then the sudden smell of burning flesh\/Here is fruit for the crows to pluck\u201d (Awka). This powerful language flows from Simone\u2019s tongue in an incredibly haunting and morbid manner. This deeply resonates with the listener and allows us to feel the harrowing pain of Simone as she sings. With Meeropol\u2019s revolutionary song, wider audiences were able to experience a minute fraction of the grief that African Americans felt during this period of lynching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his pop song \u201cBlood on the Leaves,\u201d Kanye West creates a unique blend of ideas with his use of both sampling and original soundtracks. He not only presents to the public a catchy and \u201c hip\u201d song, but also addresses deeper cultural issues pertaining to African Americans. While he distinctly alters the way in which the original song, \u201cStrange Fruit\u201d is presented, Kanye maintains much of the underlying meaning in his rendition. While lynching is no longer a widespread problem in the United States, Kanye compares the constant scrutiny of black celebrities in modern America to lynching in 19th and 20th centuries. Although they are not exactly the same by any means, Kanye draws many reasonable parallels between the two situations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \tKanye\u2019s song \u201cBlood on the Leaves\u201d addresses both the press and his audience with regard to how he believes that everybody in the world seems to be against him. Splicing in Simone\u2019s voice at the beginning of the song–and intermittently throughout–seems controversial at first. West is referencing a historically rich song about the graphic lynching of African Americans while he sings about women and drugs. When first hearing the lyrics, I thought West\u2019s use of \u201cStrange Fruit\u201d in his song was incredibly inappropriate; but as I reflected on the words and researched the song, I began to understand where he was coming from. West states that: \u201cAll want somethin’ out me\/Then they talk about me\u201d (West). He implies that everyone is out to get him and exploit him because of his fame. West sings about how he sometimes feels alone in the world because his popularity has cost him important relationships in his life. He feels overexposed and scrutinized by the public: \u201cWe could’ve been somebody\/Thought you’d be different ’bout it\/Now I know you not it\u201d (West). He references this relationship with a woman whom he thought was \u201cthe one,\u201d but then quickly realizes this was not the case because she rapidly changed when Kanye became famous. One comparative analysis on \u201cStrange Fruit\u201d and \u201cBlood on the Leaves\u201d even recognizes that: \u201cThe limelight makes it easy to lose your identity and almost impossible to maintain a healthy relationship, and this is where his loneliness comes from\u201d (Colvin). This is akin to the metaphorical version of modern-day lynching: black celebrities are heavily scrutinized and criticized by the press, almost as if they are being \u201cjudged and hung\u201d by the surrounding white masses, drawing parallels to American history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \tThe context in which Kanye samples Nina Simone\u2019s voice in \u201cBlood on the Leaves\u201d has incited major public criticism. However, while Kanye does sing about drugs, abortions, and women in an offensive manner, he also conceals deeper meanings in his work that is missed by much of his audience. I myself was unaware of the cultural context rooted within the song until I completed thorough research. Now I recognize how this is a clear demonstration of the sonic color line that Jennifer Lynn Stoever discusses in her book, The Sonic Color Line<\/em>. Here, Stoever explains how ideas related to white supremacy and racism are not simply a visual practice, but an audible one as well. According to Stoever, the sonic color line is not visible or audible until someone who is not \u201callowed\u2019 to cross this line-does. Prior to my effort to better understand West\u2019s music I considered myself to be as ignorant as some of the people that Stoever mentions in The Sonic Color Line<\/em>: \u201cThe inaudibility of whiteness stems from its considerably wider palette of representation and the belief that white representations stand in for \u2018people\u2019 in general, rather than \u2018white people\u2019 in particular\u201d (Stoever 12). I naively assumed that what Kanye was saying was offensive towards a racial community that I am not even apart of. I generalized my personal views (a white person) and inflicted it onto everyone else. According to Stoever, \u201cThat right there, the fact that [I] and so many white people have this same \u2018black voice\u2019 in [our] heads, is the sonic color line\u201d (Stoever 8). This invisibility of privilege and assertion of white dominance is what many of West\u2019s viewers are employing when they scrutinize his work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \tAnother reason why West is judged so harshly is because much of what he says is controversial. Kanye has this enormous God complex and views his own<\/em> opinion as the only<\/em> opinion. Though he is hyper aware of himself as a black man in popular culture, he has done and said some incredibly impulsive things that have shocked and offended his fans. However, this very idea of the transgressions of voice shows that we as a culture have preconceived notions of what we think is appropriate and acceptable. In our society today, African Americans still face higher rates of incarceration, gang violence, poverty, unemployment, and police brutality (Breeze). West sings about these issues in his Yeezus<\/em> album and desperately wants to help change them through his musical platform. Kanye takes this chilling song and turns it into something that many modern day people can comprehend: “The song takes something from the slave and oppression era and transposes it in a contemporary setting\u201d (Colvin). By taking \u201cStrange Fruit,\u201d this extraordinarily powerful song, and transferring it a relevant platform, Kanye allows his audience members–who take the time to dig deep enough–the privilege of understanding the harrowing things that the black community still deals with to this day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \tWithout Kanye\u2019s god complex and artistic risks this wouldn’t be possible. Kanye masterfully took a piece that previously made such a vast cultural impact and turned it into a relevant and modern phenomenon: \u201c…having that Nina Simone sample up front that would bring everyone in, using postmodern creativity where you kind of lean on something that people are familiar with and comfortable with to get their attention.” (McQueen) Nonetheless, many people still do not agree with the artistic feats that West chose to utilize in his songs, especially \u201cBlood on the Leaves,\u201d however those who are most offended don\u2019t seem be putting in enough effort to understand the perspective that Kanye is coming from. According to a 2013 interview that West gave about his Yeezus<\/em> album, he states, \u201cIt\u2019s very important to me that [my lyrics are] completely in sync with what\u2019s happening in society at that time\u2014that they\u2019re very timeless, but very up to date \u2026\u201d (McQueen). Kanye is determined to make his songs relevant to society today, even if that means sparking controversy in the process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Although his sampling of \u201cStrange Fruit\u201d was seen as \u201cinappropriate\u201d by many, these people have a different understanding of the song than Kanye himself. I had this very dilemma when first hearing his music, but digging more into West\u2019s main purpose for creating his album has helped be better understand his message. At first glance, \u201cBlood on the Leaves\u201d seems like another rap song about women, drugs, and sex with the inappropriate addition of a historical musical landmark. However, if one takes the time to attempt to understand West\u2019s perspective and goal to expose and correct current issues in the African American community, a whole other side of his music is revealed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Works Cited<\/p>\n\n\n\n Breeze. \u201cThe 10 Most Pressing Issues Facing 21st Century African Americans.\u201d Americans Perspective<\/em>, 20 Aug. 2015, americansperspective.com\/the-10-most- pressing-issues-facing-21st-century-african-americans\/.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Colvin, Jessica. \u201cComparative Analysis of \u2018Strange Fruit\u2019 and \u2018Blood on the Leaves.\u2019\u201d Medium<\/em>, Medium, 11 July 2017, medium.com\/@jessica.colvin10\/comparative- analysis-of-strange-fruit-and-blood-on-the-leaves-9ac2855d3e5c.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Awka, Dan, director. Nina Simone-Strange Fruit<\/em>. YouTube<\/em>, YouTube, 20 Jan. 2014, www.youtube.com\/watch?v=BnuEMdUUrZQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n McQueen, Steve. \u201cKanye West.\u201d Interview Magazine<\/em>, Interview Magazine, 28 Jan. 2014, www.interviewmagazine.com\/music\/kanye-west#_.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meeropol, Abel. \u201cBillie Holiday \u2013 Strange Fruit.\u201d Genius<\/em>, genius.com\/Billie-holiday- strange-fruit-lyrics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n