Song 1- Wesley’s theory – Kendrick Lamar
Wesley’s Theory is the introduction of Kendrick Lamar’s Album, To Pimp A Butterfly. This song introduces the theme and issues Kendrick covers within the album. TPAB is one of the best rap albums of all time, it’s truly a piece of art. Wesley’s Theory has been my favorite song for the past two and a half years (which means a lot because I listen to a lot of music). Within the first verse he talks about the success of being a rapper, but does not help his friends/family get out of compton. In the second verse, he portrays the character “America’s Uncle Sam”, who is a representation of the country’s view of African Americans who gain success. Obviously there is a lot of deeper meaning that I could get into but I’m just so intrigued by this song. It’s catchy and its an amazing song but once you realize what Kendrick’s message is you see how much of a genius he is. I could simply talk about this song along with this entire album for hours. I am sure there are more messages and meanings that I don’t know about.
Song 2 – White Boy – Bikini Kill
White Boy was originally produced in the 90s during the Riot Grrrl era. But Bikini Kill have created soundtracks with the song updated from 2014. I’ve been listening to Riot Grrrl music for two years as well. I am a photographer and I’ve inspired some of my projects with the Riot Grrrl era. The lead singer Kathleen Hanna is one of the coolest women in all history and is someone who I look up to. The song speaks on women’s rights and calls out men for sexualizing women. This song is a protest song because it covers on feminist revolutions. The song begins with a man, slut shaming, saying women who dress in a punk rock way are “asking for it”. Kathleen also refers to sexual assault in multiple verses in this White Boy.
In all honesty, I have more of an interest in studying Wesley’s Theory for the next ten weeks because there’s so much to uncover. I am willing to listen to it over and over again because I do usually go into phases where I go in and out of listening to it. As of right now I don’t have any concerns with this project, I am excited to start working on it because I love researching the messages behind songs.
Sophia Tatonetti
September 17, 2023 at 8:46 am
Sophia,
Of these two songs, I think the Bikini Kill will be the better option for the podcast. While “Wesley’s Theory” is a great song, there is just too much in it, and too much of it really has very little to do with protest issues. Students who have tried to use songs from this album in the past have had significant problems because much too often explanations necessarily need to go bck to the overall themes of the album and what characters have been introduced in other songs (like you already started to do in your proposal).
In contrast, “White Boy” is a very focused song and, as you indicate, has been updated and I think would work very well in thid contemporary moment. So, I’d go with this one.
Looking forward to it!
Bill