The Folklore Mixtape

The Folklore Mixtape 1. “Alright” - Kendrick Lamar: Alright is one of the most clear, modern day examples of folklore in hiphop. In the song Kendrick addresses the struggles such as police brutality and systematic oppression. However, instead of sulking and turning the song into one of self-pity, he switches the narrative almost to a happy chant repeating the phrase, “We gon’ be alright!” This uplifting tone relates strongly to the story “Change the Joke and Slip the Yoke.” 2. “The Bigger Picture - Lil Baby: In the song Lil Baby goes on to talk about his issues with the government and police brutality stating that he gets scared when he sees police lights even though he knows they’re supposed to protect us. This song was released not long after the George Floyd murder and was meant to reach out to other African American people and families to band together and not allow for the oppression to overwhelm us. 3. “This Is America” - Childish Gambino: Off the bat, the song opens up with a sort of African chant to symbolize our roots and where we come from. Later on in the song Childish Gamino has a chant of his own that he states his grandma told. The phrase, “Get your money, black man” means that nothing is going to be handed to you. Another chant to get our race up moving and resilient to whatever comes at us. 4. “Power” - Kanye West: During the song Kanye states how the system is broken and how the schools are closed, but the prisons are open. This relates to the lack of education that we were and are given as African Americans and how the solution for the government, with white officials at the head, is to lock Black people up. However, the song is meant to enlighten us to this so that we can avoid the chains they once set and are trying to reset. 5. “D.N.A.” - Kendrick Lamar: Kendrick Lamar uses a news broadcast in this song that stated that hiphop was ruining society. He took this accusation and flipped it into something prideful that African Americans could stand beside. 6. “Humble” - Kendrick Lamar: In the song Kendrick avoids speaking directly on other African Americans being humble (slipping the yoke), while instead he decides to give more of a real life representation of boasting and flexing. However, the end message is that we need to remain humble. 7. “Savage Remix” - Megan Thee Stallion: The song places the label on African American women showing how they can be confident and boastful while turning the stereotypes of Black women into empowerment. 8. “No Role Models” - J. Cole: On the surface J. Cole seems to be speaking about fame and relationship issues when actually underneath he is stating how there are no real role models anymore. This is how he changes the joke and is slipping the yoke. 9. “Dance Now” - JID: This is personally one of my favorite songs in which JID talks about the hardships of living in the urban areas of Atlanta. On the surface all you hear is the wordplay, but underneath is the story of truly surviving in an area like this. 10. “Mask Off” - Future: On the surface, the song seems repetitive and hypnotic, but beneath that is Future saying take off the mask and see the truth. So although the song is catchy, the deeper meaning is for African Americans to see the injustice going on around us and do something about it. 11. “Kody Blu 31” - JID: The song uses a choir type of sound to give off somewhat a despair tone, however, JID embeds the lyrics with emotion as he repeats the phrase, “Swang on”, as if stating to keep pushing. 12. “Freedom” - Beyonce ft. Kendrick Lamar: The song uses a collective voice and repetition to express resistance to the overbearing system that has been placed on us Black people. However, this song gives the feeling of an old folk song like those that were sung to give African Americans hope and discreet messages about freedom. 13. “Rapstar” - Polo G: The joke of the song is that Polo G is rapping about the common rising artist problems such as fame and pressure, but the underlying message is that he is dealing with stress, trauma, and isolation, sort of breaking the social norm.

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