Being Black- The '80s
Being Black- The '80s
Playlist by Being Black- The '80sBlack music by the decades. Each season will deconstruct the most popular Black music of the decade, including what was happening in Black America at each moment in time. Each episode of this audio …Follow the podcast:
15 clip(s) in playlist
Being Black: The '80s with Toure` starts June 1st
01:00
Bob Marley x Black Determination
“Redemption Song” by Bob Marley and the Wailers is one of the ultimate songs about the Black spirit and the immense determination that has gotten us through life in America. I’m talking about a specifically Black determination that has powered our resistance and carried us through life in America. …
23:20Explicit
Donna Summer x Women’s Liberation
“She Works Hard for the Money,” is Donna Summer’s classic that was born when she saw a waitress sleeping during her shift and thought, damn she works hard for the money. In this episode we talk about the birth of the song with Summer’s husband and we talk about Black women’s economic issues and how…
27:12Explicit
Diana Ross x Gay Liberation
“I’m Coming Out” was meant to be a gay liberation song but the song’s writer and producer Nile Rodgers didn’t tell Diana Ross that. Which led to a whole thing. It’s a crazy story. The origin of the song is fascinating but more interesting is how disco in general was part of the gay rights movement.…
40:49Explicit
Stevie Wonder x MLK
Stevie’s legendary song “Happy Birthday” was originally part of the long, hard battle to turn Dr. King’s birthday into a national holiday. When Dr. King was assassinated, his approval rating with white people was very low. At that point, he was not beloved by them. It took a lot of careful, steady,…
40:23Explicit
Public Enemy x Mass Incarceration
“Black Steel In the Hour of Chaos” is Public Enemy’s look at prison and mass incarceration. In this episode, we leap from that song into talking about the New Jim Crow and mass incarceration and how being in America is like being in a prison. Guests: Dr. Christina Greer, Fordham Professor Hank…
26:07Explicit
NWA x Selling Crack
N.W.A’s “Dopeman” Is one of the illest songs ever made because it takes you deep into the drug dealer’s perspective on selling drugs. The crack dealer was evil but we should still seek to understand what drove him and when we look into his soul we find that like the fiends he served, he too was an …
30:20Explicit
De La Soul x Crack
"My Brother’s A Basehead” is a true story. Posdnous from De La Soul had an older brother who had a crack addiction and it was very damaging for the whole family. For Pos and his parents, crack was literally in the house just as it was in many houses and many families during the crack era. Crack dec…
29:52Explicit
Tracy Chapman x Affirmative Action
Tracy Chapman became one of the biggest musicians in the world thanks to two critical 80s concepts—affirmative action and the diasporic mindset. Because of the diasporic mindset, many Americans thought of Africa as part of their world, as if Africa’s problems are our own, and we are not truly free …
29:29
Star Stories with Toure` Coming August 1st
Star Stories with Toure` is an animated series about the unpredictable and sometimes unbelievable backstage interactions with some of the most iconic men in music today. These animated stories are unforgettable recollections of the larger-than-life experiences with music journalist Toure` and Blac…
00:23