The Art of Storytelling

Anaiya Harris 

Dr. Harris 

African American Literature 

November 28, 2023 

The Art of Storytelling 

Throughout time Black people have had many ways to express themselves and their beliefs. One of the most popular and well-known ways is music. Music is a combination of rhythm and vocal instrumental sounds. Black people used music to express emotions such as grief, love, and anger. They used their music to bring together people in their neighborhoods and bond. Some music is structured in a way that symbolizes a story. These stories tell of injustices, heartbreaks, betrayals, etc. Each story is set up in a way that is supposed to make the listener feel as if they are in that situation. They allow the audience to feel the artist's emotions and understand their perspective better. 2Pac’s” Brenda’s Got A Baby” talks about a 14-year-old girl that becomes pregnant. The little girl’s parents do not care for her or her situation, but she still decides to keep it from everyone. 2Pac goes on to talk about how just because Brenda is in the hood, she does not have to fall victim to her surroundings. This exemplifies the problems that occur in black neighborhoods. Because of the lack of positive influence, many young girls fall victim to early pregnancy. Jay-Z's” The Story of O.J.” talks about no matter what type of black person you are, you’re still black. It goes back to how a field slave and house slave would feel negatively towards each other because one position is seen as” better” than the other but they’re both just black. This brings attention to the negative way black people treat and look at other more successful black people. No matter the color or the situation, everyone is still the same. Lil Wayne’s” How to Love” talks about how a young girl was never loved correctly by her parents. The young girl witnessed bad situations with her mother and did not have her father in her life. Because of this she did not know her worth and did not know how she was supposed to carry herself as a woman in her older years. She started going down the wrong road; stripping and doing drugs like her mother. The girl ends up having a child by someone who did not care for her and ended up learning how to love somewhere along the line. This gives a good example of what happens with most young black girls in the black community. Black fathers never realize the impact their absence has on little girls. The girls always end up going somewhere else to look for love and always run into the wrong people along the way. It takes them learning to love themselves alone to learn how to love other people. I also used other songs such : 1. ”Same Girl ” R. Kelly 2. "Kody Blue 31” by JID 3. ”Dance Now” JID 4. ”Crazy Story” King Von 5. ”Ready or Not” Fugees 6. ”U.N.I.T.Y.” by Queen Latifah 7. ”This is America” Childish Gambino These songs, plus more, give great example to the dynamics of the black community and the changes that black people also fight to make every day. Music not only plays a big part in bringing people together, but also in teaching people about the cultures and dynamics of others

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWOXFwfe_EhFCe8gKO6nTAFBjPH7un-aO&si=NSSBVArS1-5caEJr