Assignment HS - Black music and songs have generally

Assignment HS

Instructions

Black music and songs have generally reflected the social, political, and economic realities of African American communities. Identify a song from the 1960s, one from the 1970s, one from the 1980s, and one from today (between1990s-2020) and describe how their lyrics and music reflect the African American community (culture, lifestyle, history, struggles and successes). You must include a portion of the lyrics of the 4 songs selected in order to explain your argument that the songs selected are representative of that time period and the African American community. In addition, also include in your essay:

What is unique about each song or how does each song depict the time period in which they were written/produced?

Why did you choose each song?

How was each song received by the community for which it was written? And, why? Was it controversial or very popular? Why?

(If you prefer to choose an instrumental song (music without lyrics), you may only have one of your selections out of the four be without lyrics, so select wisely. Because there are no lyrics, you must rely on the intent and purpose of the performer to tell you about the significance of the song and its connection to the community. You can also include in your analysis the reaction of the African American community to the song.)