Nina Simone and Hip-Hop

This week in class we watched more of the Nina Simone documentary and then discussed Hip-Hop and rap. In the second half of the Nina Simone documentary, it went on to explain some of her songs in more detail. “Mississippi Goddamn” for example was related to a shooting that took place recently. Everyone was thinking it but Simone was one who came out and said it and people listened to her because of it. A few of her songs that followed were also protest songs, Simone had very strong feelings about things that were happening and wasn’t afraid to express them. Her performances became very emotional because she had a lot to say and wasn’t holding back anymore. Although Simone was becoming well known for her music, her personal life was starting to fall apart. When she finally had enough, she left her abusive husband and went to a few different places overseas. Simone faced many obstacles in her life but was never scared to express her feelings publicly or through her music.

Hip-Hop music has a few different sounds, some artists use their talent to express themselves or talk about their pasts or what they grew up around. Other artist use their music to talk about women, money, sex, drugs, and other things they now do or enjoy since becoming famous. This week in class we listened to NWA’s “F*** the Police” which sent a very strong message across. We discussed in class how if the song came out today, would the reaction be the same? I think that songs similar to “F*** the Police” have come out but with the message less obvious than NWA’s. Rappers still express their emotions through their lyrics today but its not as blunt as NWA’s “F*** the Police.” Many rappers express themselves through their lyrics and talk about problems in the world today. People tend to listen to Hip-Hop when they are in groups or at parties because it is upbeat and if you aren’t focusing on the lyrics and only listen to the beat, it can put you in a good mood.