The Black Lives Matter movement arose in response to the consistent murders of black men at the hands of white police officers in the United States. Since it first became a trend on social media, it has grown into a national organization with many activists, general public, and celebrities involved. Many of these celebrities include Hip Hop, Rap, and R&B artists who have created music about the movement. Through an analysis of some of these songs, I identified multiple themes, including criticism of police brutality, a collective experience and unity, the importance of African-American history, and pride in black identity.
3 thoughts on “#BlackLivesMatter: A Cultural Content Analysis”
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This research project was great, Julia! I’ve listened to a lot of these songs and love a lot of these rappers but I never once really thought of the true meaning behind them (besides the obvious ones). It was really nice to get more insight on the songs as well as more information about the Black Lives Matter movement.
Julia, you started your paper out very well. It was compelling and you gave a great summary of the Black Lives Matter movement that made the transition into your analysis smooth. Your thesis was also very strong. Your analysis of each song was concrete and well put together. The only piece of advice I can offer towards your content analysis is maybe tying together the songs through the themes you noticed with transitional sentences between paragraphs. Your paper read well and was interesting, but a good transition sentence could possibly make your thesis stand out more. You clearly did your research and applied your own point of view and I think your thesis was backed up and clear.
I really liked this piece, Julia. I recently had an argument with someone who believed the “Black Lives Matter” moment was slandered with “anti-white lies.” Honestly it was difficult to formulate the lack of understanding this person had and minority suppression and racism when the person continued to argue “all lives matter.” However, this piece displays how celebrities artistically articulate their frustration and anger, hopefully allowing listeners to develop deeper understandings of deep-rooted issues of racism in our country.