I have seen both of these music videos before and am very familiar with the songs. I remember when these songs came out, as I have been a fan of both Beyonce and Childish Gambino for a while. Beyonce is obviously an icon in modern pop culture, and because she has built up her platform so strongly, she is able to reach an extremely large and diverse audience. I agree with the reading where it states that she has “earned her right to claim her spot among the greats.” Beyonce is an icon of strength and confidence for women and specifically black women across the globe. She uses her music as an expressive outlet to show off her culture and background, which is particularly inspiring. The article also says that the video is a visual rewrite of history where black people win, which I think is an interesting point that I would have missed when viewing on my own.
Childish Gambino, an artist with a smaller platform than Beyonce (as most artists do), has still arguably had just as significant a cultural impact. When This is America Came Out, I remember walking into school and everyone was talking about it. As the “Slaying New Black Notions” article states, “violence against black bodies is a foundational practice in America and has cultivated the grounds for our current disregard in the face of mass shootings.” The video really is a powerful narrative about black oppression and gun violence which contributed to a national cultural conversation. Before seeing the music video, I just kinda bopped to the song without even listening to the lyrics or understanding the cultural impact. But now, I can’t hear this song without seeing the video in my head and I almost want to describe it as haunting.
I found the podcast interesting as well. I love to examine the meaning behind pop culture and music, because as we have been discussing in class, entertainment is really never just for entertainment. There is always a history and analysis to be examined. Specifically, the songs showed in the podcast and the two music videos assigned addressed social/racial injustice and celebration of black heritage. I love how music and the messages songs can hold retain relevance through generations. Music from the prohibition was literally a century ago yet the songs chosen by Dr. Bezio still have meaning to society today. I like thinking about music as a form of storytelling.
I also remember when “This is America” came out and how it was a big topic of discussion at school. It seems like the song resurfaces again every time an injustice happens in the US, which unfortunately is quite often. Its statement and relevancy has remained at a high level.
I like how you talked about the cultural impact that both artists have. I think we often overlook the meaning in music and just think of it as another point of entertainment but you made good points to explain exactly why the two songs we listened to are significant.
Something that I also admire about Beyoncé is that she does what she wants. She knows that her music might be criticized for whatever reason, but she does not let that stop her from creating music and art that reflects her values and true feelings.