Song 1- FDT by YG and Nipsey Hussle
FDT by YG and Nipsey Hussle is a 2016 diss song against Donald Trump. In the song, the two rappers express their disdain towards Donald Trump and his distasteful actions. In FDT, the YG and Hussle explain that Trump is racist, his presidential campaign is a joke and he is not qualified to be running for president . The rappers also express that Trump cannot possibly speak or stand for all people (especially the people they grew up with) given his racist actions. The song is interesting to me because not only do I agree with everything that the two rappers suggest but I actually remember when it came out and can speak to the response that it got at the time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvmwnGr2Vu8
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Song 2- I am not my hair by India Aerie
In India.Arie’s I am Not My Hair, the artist uplifts and empowers black women and protests against the eurocentric beauty/hair standards that have been forced on black women. In the song she addresses various beliefs that have been fed to black women, one being ‘Good hair means curls and waves/ bad hair means you look like a slave’. What India.Arie is addressing in this line is the misconception that our proximity to whiteness (curls and waves which would belong to mixed girls) makes us more beautiful, and our tightly coiled 4C hair (belonging to fully black girls) makes us ugly. This is something I personally have been conditioned to think as a black girl growing up so this song is very important to me because it helped me unlearn these beliefs. In the song India.Arie explains to the audience that Black women, although our hair and skin are the topic of many conversations and discourse, Black women are so much more than how we look.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_5jIt0f5Z4
September 22, 2023 at 5:49 am
Sydney,
Of these four you have proposed, I’d go with “I Am Not my Hair” by India.Arie (note the spelling) or “Keep Your Head Up” by Tupac. Both will provide you with ample opportunities to discuss important subjects with the challenges of choosing Tupac to be ones I discussed in my prior comments. “I Am Not My Hair” seems to have different versions and some controversy over the inclusion of a male singer that could add to your discussion, and India.Arie is just phenomenal. But, ultimately, the choice is up to you.
Looking forward to what you create!
Bill