K.Dot v. Drizzy, a Fight for the Culture

Posted on December 7, 2024 by Jacques LeMay

On March 22nd, 2024 the track “Like That” was released by Future, Metro Boomin and Kendrick Lamar. Lamar escalated the existing feud between himself and hip hop mega-star and former child actor Aubrey Drake Graham. The two have a long history of collaboration and feuding stretching back over a decade; Drake gave Lamar of his first big breaks by having Lamar open for him on his 2012 tour.

Back when Drake and Kendrick were cool with each other : r/HipHopImages — Drizzy (left) and K.Dot (right) together in 2012

The back and forth between Drake and Lamar spanned several months in 2024. The timeline for the tracks are as follows:

“Pushups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle” – Drake, April 19th

“Euphoria” – Lamar, April 30th

“6:16 in LA” – Lamar, May 3rd

“Family Matters” – Drake, May 3rd

“Meet the Grahams” – Lamar, May 3rd (20 minutes after “Family Matters”)

“Not Like Us” – Lamar, May 4th

“The Heart Part 6” – Drake, May 5th

Each track is worthy of discussing in its own right but the feud culminated in the track “Not Like Us” by Lamar. The track is a violent take down of both Drake and his label, OVO. THis was done with bars like “Say Drake I hear you like ’em young… Certified Lover Boy? Certified Pedophile.” Allegations of Drake’s inappropriate behavior with underage girls have circulated the internet for over a decade. A 2010 video has surfaced of 23 year old Drake inviting a fan on stage, kissing her neck, learning she is 17, saying “I can’t go to jail yet, Man” before kissing her neck again.

31-year-old Drake and 14-year-old Millie Bobby Brown have a weird relationship — Aubrey Drake Graham (31) and Millie Bobby Brown (14)

Lamar’s second verse on “Not Like Us” makes a historical and cultural critique of the music industry by comparing the struggles of slavery to the exploitation of black artists by the music industry. Lamar posits that Drake perpetuates this exploitation by using Atlanta based artists like Future, Lil Baby, and 21 Savage to gain credibility and make money. He rejects Drakes claim to Atlanta with the bar “No, You not a colleague you a fucking colonizer.”

Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s 2024 beef appears from the outside to be two mega stars squabbling but by looking deeper into the context and the lyrics of both of these artists there is a much deeper meaning to be gained about the music industry and hip hop culture. For a better, if lengthy breakdown of the beef by black culture critic I highly recommend F.D Signifier’s video “I’m What the Culture Feeling.”

Black Swan Records

Posted on November 22, 2024 by Jacques LeMay

On May 7th 1921 The Chicago Defender published an article titled “BLACK SWAN RECORDS, new corporation announces first list of productions – Fills Long Felt Want.” Along with the written ad the following illustration was included in that same issue.

Black Swan Records was founded in 1921 by Harry Pace and W.C Handy. Based in Harlem, NY it was the first African American owned and operated record label in the United States. The company was formed with the explicit intention of creating music by and for African American consumers. Its first records included recordings of art songs sung by revella Hughes and blues sung by Katie Crippen.

Revella Hughes’ 1921 recording of At Dawning on Black Swan Records

Katie Crippen’s “Blind Man’s Blues” from Black Swan Records

The choice by Pace to record art songs was a philosophical choice. Pace met W.E.B Du Bois during his time at Atlanta University. Du Bois’ thought was incredibly influential on Pace throughout his life. Crucial to this was Du Bois’ idea of the ‘talented tenth,’ the idea that an elite 10 percent of the race produce the vast majority of the accomplishments and would be able to uplift the bottom 90% through their efforts. Our modern criticism of this idea aside it is clear that Harry Pace identified with Du Bois and his ideas very closely. His choice to record art songs on the first records was a purposeful attempt at respectability politics of the time.

Ethel Waters’ “Down Home Blues” on Black Swan Records

It was not, however, the art songs that would bring commercial success to the label. That would Be Ethel Waters with her record “Down Home Blues.” So called ‘hot’ records were not the goal of the company but would ultimately prove to be its savior when Ethel Waters went on a tour of southern cities with the “Black Swan Troubadours” in 1921. Unfortunately, the good times would not roll and Black Swan could not keep up with the increasing amount of records of black artists put out by larger white labels such as Paramount and Columbia. The Label declared bankruptcy in December of 1923 and was bought by Paramount by March of 1924.

Black Swan Records had a relatively short existence of about 3 years. Despite that small amount of time the impact the label had on recordings of African American music was incredible. Without this record company it would have taken much longer for the larger white labels to realize the commercial opportunity that was available.

I highly recommend the podcast series “The Vanishing of Harry Pace.” It goes much deeper into the story of Black Swan Records and Harry Pace as an individual.

Bibliography

“BLACK SWAN RECORDS: NEW CORPORATION ANNOUNCES FIRST LIST OF PRODUCTIONS–FILLS LONG FELT WANT.” The Chicago Defender (National Edition) (1921-1967), May 07, 1921. https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/black-swan-records/docview/491888074/se-2.

“Display Ad 27 — no Title.” The Chicago Defender (National Edition) (1921-1967), May 07, 1921. https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/display-ad-27-no-title/docview/491880278/se-2.

Gilles, Nellie. “Radio Diaries: Harry Pace And The Rise And Fall Of Black Swan Records.” NPR, July 1, 2021, sec. The Sounds of American Culture. https://www.npr.org/2021/06/30/1011901555/radio-diaries-harry-pace-and-the-rise-and-fall-of-black-swan-records.

Music and the Myth of the Frontier

Posted on October 23, 2024 by Jacques LeMay

The Frontier Myth is one of the most influential myths of American culture. The mythic frontier was established throughout the 17th century and into the 20th century. Frontier myth scholar Richard Slotkin defines the myth as “America as a wide-open land of unlimited opportunity for the strong, ambitious, self-reliant individual to thrust his way to the top.” These ideals were reflected across society via art, literature and music.

These ideals were reflected in James W. Casey’s song “My Golden West, I love You Best.” The cover art shows a cowboy and a cowgirl overlooking a cliff with a small settlement next to a river. While this music was published after the west was initially colonized the myth of the frontier is still being perpetuated in the cover art.

The lyrics to the song are focused on the natural beauty of the west and an angel who blesses the land. The beginning of the refrain starts with “out in the golden west… the mountains grew so high.. an angel then came down and made it her hometown…” The glorification of the natural environment of the west is a theme throughout the lyrics of the piece. Praising the beauty of the sunset and the beauty of the landscape. Casey is reinforcing the Romantic ideal of the west as having inherent natural beauty.

A Perspective on Music Education During the Late 19th Century

Posted on October 2, 2024 by Jacques LeMay

In the November 1881 issue of The Youth’s Companion Carlisle Petersilea wrote and article titled “The Study of Music at Home and Abroad.” In this article Petersilea makes a staunch defense of music education in the United States during the late 19th century, making the claim that music education in America is “equal and in many respects superior in this country to those in europe.” This is certainly an ambitious claim to make; Petersilea supports his claim with sections titled “teachers of music in America,” “Musical taste and cultivation,” “Abuse of the piano,” and “Incompetent teachers.”

A short note about Petersilea. According to the New England Conservatory’s archival library Petersilea was an extremely accomplished pianist, having first studied with his father and giving his first public recital at age 12 and traveling to europe at age 18 (ironic isn’t it) to study at the conservatory in Leipzig. He taught at the NEC from 1868-1869 and again from 1887-1891. He even spent the spring of 1884 with Franz Liszt. The dude had some clout.

The article is very long and cannot be discussed in its entirety here so I will summarise a short section. Specifically, “Teachers of Music in America” can be summarised thus: The best performers are not necessarily the best teachers, students of these teachers suffer unless they have the same talent or genius as the teacher. Petersilea believes there is no royal road to music, only work. And American musicians understand this fact and only those without the talent and work ethic go to Europe to try to overcome their lack of talent and willingness to work hard.

Petersilea had strong opinions on the state of music education during the late 19th century. He rails repeatedly against the poor teaching standards he views across the United states . With that said he also believes so firmly in the western classical education being done by some in the United States. This is particularly interesting considering how the idea of an “American” national sound was developing in this time. There was much discussion on what an American sound would be. Petersilea was almost certainly aware of the works of composers such as George Chadwick, John Paine, and Amy Beach.

This article exists as a time capsule in the history of western art music and its development in the United States. Petersilea’s perspective is, in my opinion, antiquated and a little suspect for today. With that being said the article provides valuable insight to the thoughts of a generation of conservatory music educators.

Works Cited

NECMusic. “Carlyle Petersilea.” Accessed October 2, 2024. https://necmusic.edu/on-campus/library/archives-and-special-collections/archival-collections/carlyle-petersilea/.

For the Companion, Supplement Carlyle Petersilea. 1881. “THE STUDY OF MUSIC: AT HOME AND ABROAD TEACHERS OF MUSIC IN AMERICA WHAT IS REQUISITE IN A MUSIC TEACHER MUSICAL TASTE AND CULTIVATION THE ABUSE OF THE PIANO INCOMPETENT TEACHERS CULTIVATION AND TREATMENT OF THE VOICE BENEFITS OF CLASS TEACHING PRACTICAL HINTS.” The Youth’s Companion (1827-1929), Nov 10, 422. https://www.proquest.com/magazines/study-music/docview/127043103/se-2.

Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, Three Instruments of a Cultural Genocide

Posted on September 22, 2024 by Jacques LeMay

The 1915 “Tentative Course of Study for United States Indian Schools” opens with the line “Indian schools must train the Indian youth of both sexes to take upon themselves the duties and responsibilities of citizenship.” (1915, BIA) This benign sentence tells us little of the real rationale for indian schools and how they were ran across the country.

Kill the Indian, Save the Man

In 1892 at the National Conference of Charities and Correction in Denver, Colorado, Richard Pratt gave a speech titled “The Advantages of Mingling Indians with Whites.” This massively influential speech lays out his idea for native assimilation. Pratt is vehemently against the reservation system and the forcing of native people out of their land. Unfortunately, this is not out of respect for their right to self determination but instead the forceful assimilation of native people into white, capitalist culture.

“A great general has said that the only good Indian is a dead one… In a sense. I agree with the sentiment ,but only in this: that all the Indian there is in the race should be dead. Kill the Indian in him, and save the man.”¹

But Beethoven, Really?

Yes, Really. Western musical education was a critical strategy in the cultural genocide that was the goal of these schools. The course of study states that the goal of music education is to “preserve the child voice” and to “cultivate enjoyment and appreciation of good music.²” These are the words used to launder the dirty reality of these schools. Children were abducted from their homes and put in these schools to learn solfege and listen to Beethoven. If Pratt had his way they would never learn the music of their cultural heritage, let alone be allowed to perform it.

There were sixteen American Indian boarding schools in Minnesota alone. The first of which opened in 1871 and many were ran through the 1970s. That is nearly a century of similar music education being taught in these boarding schools and in the classes of Saint Olaf College. That education which so many of us have a love/hate relationship with was used to tear down native culture across the country and close to home.

Music 345: Race, Identity, and Representation in American Music

Student Blogs and Library Exhibit Companion

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