Posts Tagged: music
When it’s “Errbody Business”: Bbymutha’s Sex-Positivity
Disclaimer: References to sexually explicit content and imagery. One of my favorite rappers is Chattanooga native Bbymutha. Bbymutha transforms the dimensions of Black queerness, motherhood, and womanhood in her music through her skillful lyricism that seeks to reclaim sexuality, pleasure, and agency. I was particularly drawn to Bbymutha for being unapologetically Black and Queer and for the empowering messages behind her songs, most notably, “Rules.” In this well-rounded song, Bbymutha details the lessons she’s learned and offers advice on dealing with the sexual politics of dating men. Sexual politics refers to the underlying rules for how one should engage sexually and romantically with others that may be influenced by patriarchy. Bbymutha provides a set of guidelines for being involved romantically and sexually with men in a way that is intentional… Read more »
The Bechdel Test for Music
You might be familiar with something used to critique the film industry called The Bechdel Test. In 1985 it was created by a cartoonist named Alison Bechdel as a way to measure female representation in films. The test has three easy parts, A film has to have at least two women in it They have to talk to each other They have to talk about something other than a man Seems simple enough? Amazingly however today still about half of films don’t pass the test. As the test remains a good starting point for critiquing our film consumption I wondered if the test could be applied to other fields as well, like television or music. Then I found an article written for Pitchfork by Paul de Revere that adopts the Bechdel Test… Read more »
Queer & Feminist Musicians That You Should Be Listening To
We need more female-identifying musicians, and as activists we need to seek them out and listen to them! In high school, I played music quiet a lot and was in a few bands. This is probably because I went to a performing arts high school, but I did notice a disparity in female artists being the only girl in the guitar department. The music scene continued to be male dominated in college, but recently I posted a status on my Facebook to request anyone who was not a white straight man to reach out to me if they were interested in starting a band. The status got a lot of attention compared to most of my posts (almost 40 likes!), but unfortunately I only received three serious inquiries to play…. Read more »
The Failed Rap Detox
I often refer to myself as a black feminist. The term I use to define myself calls me to intersect race, gender, classism, and sexuality to analyze the world. The title “black feminist” gives me comfort. It gives me a sense of belonging and pride. Even so, it is hard for me to navigate today’s popular culture as a youth in college. As I become older, I am reintroduced to the public figures I blindingly respected in my youth. The classes I am taking and the inescapable presence of the media in our lives has caused me to reexamine myself and what I stand for. The civil rights speeches I listened to on YouTube, the television show re-runs I watched, and the songs I shimmied to on the radio now… Read more »
