Nina Simone and Change

Nina Simone and Billie Holiday are two influential woman in music history. They weren't afraid to speak their mind and tell people how they felt about the events happening around them. This is so important to think about, especially during a time like this. today people feel like a second wave of Jim Crow is in progress with the mass incarceration of young black males. With this new wave of Jim Crow people, need inspiration like these women provided to let out their anger and frustration. People are angry with how police officers are treating black people and how police brutality has only gotten worse in the past few years. Both songs by Nina Simone and Billie Holiday sang songs that they were passionate about. They have so much emotion built up behind them and when they are performed you can tell that it's more than just a performance. Especially when Nina Simone sings her song, "Mississippi Goddam", she is speaking to the audience about the struggles and how angry she is with the society she lives in. She wants to get the point across that she is mad and wants change. When she sings about the little girls hat were killed in the church bombings, she is disgusted and never wants to see these actions take place again. Present day singers and rappers are speaking for the same idea. African American artists are sick of the way people are being treated by the police and in prisons. They are rapping for change and to spread their message of anger.