racism and the music industry, how it came up in my art practice
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racism and the music industry, how it came up in my art practice
Part 2 of IN THE DRAFTS
Hello: Welcome to my latest letter.
I’m celebrating 100 subscribers by sharing a letter every Tuesday for the next 3 weeks. These upcoming letters involve big and small questions about my culture, my place here in the U.S. and my general curiosity about American history.
Racism is such a big monster that I never want to turn my back onto it. This letter is an example of how I tried to breakdown /create bite sized questions for me to explore, remain curious about while finding truth in my own artistic practice.
Here is part two of In The Drafts. This one was written winter of ‘22.
racism and the music industry, how it came up in my art practice
I’ve been practicing music for the last 8 weeks pretty consistently.
I’ve had a challenging time becoming comfortable in my music routine but being able to come into one consistent space week after week has been monumental in helping me build my confidence. I know that spaces have memory, so when I come in to practice I ask the room to collaborate with me in staying focused and disciplined.
The rehearsal room that I play in has a beautiful portrait of Billie Holiday. Whenever I begin my practice I like to acknowledge the space, the image of hers is hard to miss so I usually end up saying hello to her.
On my last visit I lingered on her image for a while. I did some research on my train ride back home.
I read about Holiday’s time in Harlem and what she channeled when singing “Strange Fruit”. How segregation didn’t allow Black audiences to see artists like Holiday perform. Or how Black artists that entered those spaces, were still required to sit in segregated sections.
What happened to those spaces when segregation ended?
Do those rooms remember?
I’m wondering how the energy of segregation continues to play a role in art spaces today.
I watched this documentary about the Apollo Theater in Harlem (running from 1913 till now) , which I learned is a really monumental space being that it’s one of the first theaters for Black artists including Holiday to perform for Black audiences.
Did the Harlem Renaissance have anything to do with the Apollo? I started looking for books online. I decided to read a children’s book about the Harlem Renaissance (1920s-1930s) for my inner child to begin somewhere.
I would describe it as a time of great awakening with Black artists celebrating themselves through a sense of individuality, freedom in expression and support from their community. This very well may be a glorification since I did read a children’s book.
I’ve been sprinkling other decades into my findings as I learn about the Harlem Renaissance and what music came from that era. (please send me suggestions!)
I’m thinking about the Apollo being such an important space for Black music, so many musicians started out on that stage (Stevie Wonder, Lauryn Hill, D’angelo etc).
What is American culture really? And what is American music?
In the movie Elvis, it was clear how Black artists influenced his work and how he sang songs that were written/ created by Black artists (Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Little Richard, B.B. King).
The Beatles, Rolling Stones etc were all influenced as well by Black artists (Muddy Waters) - singing songs that were literally made by… Black artists.
I’m not here to question white artists and what their intentions were in singing those songs, I think the concept of intention is sacred and I leave that question for them. What is more clear to me is that, almost no credit was given to the original artists. Most of these influential Black artists couldn’t even enter the spaces that their music was being played, or covered in.
How does this dynamic play into the world we live in today? What does this look like now?
“You know, friends, that I do not lie to you when I tell you I have walked into the palaces of kings and queens and into the houses of presidents. And much more. But I could not walk into a hotel in America and get a cup of coffee, and that made me mad…” Josephine Baker in D.C. in 1963.
How can I even indulge in American music without understanding how racism in spaces continue to play a role in the creation of the music industry?
Why is it that so many popular American artists have been either exploited or abused? It was so hard to read what happened to Holiday towards the end of her life Why is this kind of exploitation still happening?
Who is responsible for this? And after learning time and time again about how artists are exploited, what role do spaces have in ensuring there is equality? What is the best way to support Black musicians? AND Why I am still here trying to make music?
Well, personally it’s for spiritual hygiene, how I stay attuned with my body and truthfully the only way I see myself connecting to all of me and all of you. I have a lot of questions and hope that they only inspire me to move forward forward forward.
I’m signing off with a little less clarity than when I started writing, and with many questions but I hope this letter inspires us to look more closely at spaces and the energy they hold.
So Cheers.
Let’s burn it all down, JK.errr
OUTRO from the present me:
When rereading this I thought, how earnest of me to try and tackle such a complex topic in one newsletter. I feel like there was a sense of great upset within me that I hope wasn’t subdued/intellectualized through this letter. It did help however in creating space for me to ask questions I think we should all wonder about.
This letter felt really authentic for me, I don’t want to shy away from showing y’all how I maneuver through my practice.
I see a shift in my music making since writing this. I feel connected to my own freedom and a sense of responsibility to express /access that freedom not only for myself but for anyone that comes across my art.
I also want to end by sharing that I believe we truly have power has consumers to shift the way the artists are celebrated and taken care of. What would it look like if we shifted and reclaimed the power dynamics?
Thank you so much for reading.
Stay tuned for the final letter in my 3 part series titled In the Drafts
With love,
Jakari Wing
venmo: @jakariwing
racism and the music industry, how it came up in my art practice
These letters are so thoughtful, and I especially appreciated how this one has a post-script from present you. I love how you framed the questions you were contemplating, and invited us to grapple with them too. "Spaces have memory" - brilliant.