the affliction of silence
why the considerable success of an artist can prompt substantial dilemmas
Activism and art are two ingredients of expression that have been saliently entwined for over a millennium. For centuries, countless artists have considered themselves activists, utilizing their passion and profession as tools to shed light on the significant issues of their time. These same creators historically tend to valiantly speak out in protest against some of the most extreme symbols of tyranny and oppression the world has ever seen, for the sake of social and political change.
From ancient cave paintings in the earliest days of human art, to contemporary art which can be spotted in nearly every major city in the world today, artists, local or world-renowned, have always depicted their perceptions of society and the world around them in ways that most cannot. Captivating, organic, triumphant, and exuberant ways. While protest art in the face of grave troubles can take many forms such as poems, murals, paintings, sculptures, graffiti, and songs (my personal favorite), many critics hang on tightly to the sentiment that even ideological creativity isn’t enough in some cases. There are rare times when leveraging powerful voices and platforms may seemingly be the only way to make a difference in the struggle against oppression. On a global scale, various cases are serving as tangible proof that we are indeed in the midst of those times.
Recently, clips from an interview between Recho Omondi and Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def, have been circulating the airwaves since its release. Bey, a prolific rap lyricist who's been highly revered in the realm of Hip-hop for decades, was asked a question that seems to constantly get brought up every few months. “Is Drake Hip-hop,” asks Omondi, host of The Cutting Room Floor podcast. After a contemplative pause and smirk, followed by a whispered “Why are you doing this to me,” under his breath - Bey responds, “Drake is pop, to me.” He then goes on to say that a lot of Drake’s music is “compatible with shopping,” and simply “likable,” before diving much deeper into those sentiments.
While there’s humor to be found in the exchange of terms and notions between Omondi and Bey, the underlying topic of prominent artists being reluctant to utilize their influential platforms in the face of infrequent endangerment should be thoroughly dissected in a consequential manner. These pressing subjects should be debated in a method that constructively catapults the conversation of activism through art and the duties of those who reap ample benefits from said art to a lofty plateau. Or, instead of conversing, we can ask crucial questions such as whether or not it is our right as human beings to place any sort of moral responsibility upon the shoulders of artists. Especially when so many remain consistently reserved during distressing times.
Hip-hop was born from activism, and is the ultimate art form for protests. For those too young to remember, please use Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, N.W.A, KRS-One, and Rakim as references. The purpose of Hip-Hop from its inception was to create the boldest, most beautifully distinct medium that granted liberated expression to marginalized groups who were experiencing similar thoughts and emotions, at a time when the entire world seemed dark for many. Black and brown people that were struggling to survive in America, in particular.
Over the years, this magnificent art form has evolved in innumerable means, apprehending the hearts and minds of people all over the world. In just 50 years, Hip-Hop has been able to capture and maintain a prominent hold over the entire music industry, generating billions of dollars, employing numberless people, and providing innovative opportunities for scores of Black and brown families. Families that would have likely not had the chance to elevate their lives - had it not been for Hip-Hop. An argument can be made that it is because of our beloved art form’s prominent success in capitalist America, that its true initial purpose has faded into the background behind fresher voices and fuzzy objectives. That the intention of articulating our most heartfelt beliefs and observations of the world as we see it, has been tossed overboard and lost at sea.
With this in mind, the question I seem to constantly revisit each time I witness a group of marginalized people get violated, which is quite often, has been looming again given the ongoing conflict in Palestine, and Yasiin Bey’s latest convictions. How detrimental is the affliction of silence? Do the consequences land only on our people, or do they hover over humanity as a unit? While Drake is undoubtedly one of the most successful artists the world has ever seen, the fact that he began his career as one of the premiere representatives in Hip-Hop raises equally principal questions.
In the same interview regarding Drake’s music, Yasiin Bey shares heartbroken sentiments regarding the ongoing conflicts in Congo and Sudan, in addition to Palestine. Since the war started back in October, 25,105 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, while another 62,681 have been wounded. He then prompts the question “Where’s the message that I can use?” after sharing these emotions. The message, being any form of wisdom or thought-provoking component, is an element that many feel has been missing in Drake’s music for quite some time. For the artist with the most Billboard Hot 100 hits of all time, an artist that began dominating Hip-Hop before crossing over, one can easily spot the concern in this.
The timing of these comments is intriguing, arriving only months after a highly criticized album release by the OVO founder prompted similar questions from journalists and peers alike. This then elicits the query, do considerable artists like Drake owe the world an explanation? Do they owe us clarity on where they reside along the lines of political, social, and humanitarian unrest? Should they voice their sentiments plainly and transparently, considering that the art form in which they've built a lucrative career is the same form of art that was created for the purpose they've been avoiding? Is there even a way to create lucrative protest music, if speaking plainly isn’t a strong suit?
Here’s some historical food for thought. In the 20th century, protest art by way of music became much more prevalent. Artists across various genres began using their works to implement heartfelt commentary on a plethora of social and political upheavals at the time. One of my favorite albums of all time not only dissects one of the most polarizing and devastating events of the 20th century, but simultaneously raises questions that we’re struggling to answer today.
At a time when there were nationwide protests in disagreement with the war in Vietnam, Marvin Gaye’s 1971 album “What's Going On” opens up to the ambient noise of a vibrant party, welcoming home a Vietnam veteran. While the honoring is meant to be warm and sweet, there’s uncertainty beneath the celebration. The primal theme of the album came right from Marvin Gaye's personal life. The moment his brother Frankie returned from Vietnam, Gaye was convinced that his outlook on life had altered negatively.
Writing from his brother’s point of view, he recorded an album that stands among the most alluring and paramount conscious works of human protest. Not only in Black music but in the vast realm of American art. One of the more impressive parts for me is that Marvin Gaye didn't shout, tweet, post, or demand anything (not that he could, social media didn’t exist back then). But the message in the music was transparent, and his approach was sincere.
When contemplating the roles and responsibilities of major artists today, in light of ongoing conflicts and crises, there are a handful of concepts to consider. One concept is that the levels of success an artist can now reach, has soared higher than ever before. With so many options to secure different sources of income, such as brand partnerships and lucrative digital marketing deals, artists are now inclined to protect countless assets. Assets that can be hindered if they choose to voice their thoughts and opinions on topics deemed controversial.
The other concept is that maybe, some artists are just ignorant to the plethora of issues at hand today. Many artists live certain lifestyles that practically erase their levels of awareness toward what’s happening to the very people who support their art. The vert people who fund their lifestyles. Maybe, the feeling of not being well-versed on certain topics to the point where you can discuss them confidently in an open forum, prevents some artists from sharing sentiments that could possibly produce considerable change.
Both concepts can be debated, and should be. There are far deeper excavations to be made when uncovering the effects of silence in the face of social, political, and environmental issues. While the future of activism by way of art, in this case Hip-Hop; is uncertain, history is indisputable. Artists have always displayed mountainous levels of courage and conviction under the grave shadows of injustice and oppression. They’ve consistently protected their own ideologies and freedoms of expression in the most ferocious ways when it comes to addressing worldly troubles, if they so choose. It has always been, and always will be, contingent on you.
Dr. Gay wasn’t the only university president who sat above this cauldron of pressure. Numerous leaders of schools across the country cautiously navigated the gaping topic awkwardly, trying their absolute best to deliver tranquility in a nearly impossible situation. Former University of Pennsylvania president Liz Magill, also criticized by Ackman, resigned back in December in the face of antisemitic accusations following widely criticized remarks at a congressional hearing.
While there was an overwhelming amount of calls for Dr. Gay’s resignation, she has had support along the way from people at Congress and on campus. Well over five hundred Harvard professors signed a letter on Dec. 12th, vouching for her, urging the university to resist calls of removing her from office. Alison Frank Johnson, Chair of the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures at Harvard was one of the professors who signed the letter. She expressed her feelings of shock about the resignation during an interview last week with CNN’s Jake Tapper.
Countless instances of scholarly misconduct, including plagiarism, can be highlighted by numerous distinguished professors, scholars, and leaders from across the globe. Notably, Justice Neil Gorsuch faced widespread criticism from Democrats during his 2017 Supreme Court nomination for the nearly-dozen counts of unaddressed plagiarism in his scholarly work. However, he was still elected into the Supreme Court and his work is still widely cited today. Asking a university president to resign due to plagiarism, or due to a congressional hearing that was admittedly misworded but also extremely taken out of context, is one of the more explicit cases of double standards that Black women in power face frequently. All of this to say: the irony of “becoming aware” of the accusations against her academic writings arriving in late October, weeks into the war in the Middle East, is all but coincidental.
Immediately following her resignation, leaders of the revolt against former president Gay celebrated the news across numerous platforms including social media, as if a great victory had been won. One of the more infamous voices that sounded off in commemoration was conservative anti-DEI advocate Christopher Rufo, the one who brought both allegations of plagiarism and antisemitism into the public spotlight. “This is the beginning of the end for DEI in America's institutions," said Rufo in a social media post. "We will expose you. We will outmaneuver you. And we will not stop fighting until we have restored colorblind equality in our great nation.”
When pondering whether Claudine Gay resigned from Harvard due to plagiarism, anti-semitic comments, and criticisms about her leadership, or lack thereof, ask yourself this: would she have gotten more opportunities at redemption if she weren’t a Black woman? Would Harvard stand firmly by her side if, let’s say, she was a white man? The nearly 400-year-norm at Harvard, before Claudine Gay and former president Drew Gilpin Faust, the university’s first female president who led the school from 2007-2018.
Contrary to the sentiments of Christopher Rufo and millions of people like him, for many of us - DEI is crucial. Especially those who come from marginalized backgrounds. Without it, the very thing that you seek to cancel and destroy, people like Claudine Gay would never have an opportunity to become president of the most prestigious school in the country.
It’s fitting that the vast majority of people who are adamantly against diversity, equity, and inclusion, are not only privileged and unaware of the privileges they were born with, but are incoherent and blind to the harsh realities that exist, and have been in existence for quite some time. They have no idea what it’s like to have to work three times as hard for a position than your white male counterpart, regardless if you’re overqualified. And if and when you’re “granted” a seat at the table, it typically comes with far less pay and much more scrutiny. Far less room to make mistakes, if you will.
The false, fatigued, and thoroughly impudent narrative of Black women being too incompetent to excel in positions of power needs to conclude, today. Especially in the realm of academia, where the importance of seeing Black faces thrive throughout grounds shared by brilliant minds, is more mountainous now than ever before. The same biased, imbalanced, and lackluster playing cards that are constantly given to our people in this country, can no longer be dealt.
Seeing Black women excel in executive roles such as CEOs, owners & founders, innovators, distinguished board members, and especially as presidents of universities, is vital. Not only for Black women but for all women who come from marginalized backgrounds. We have younger sisters who are growing into magnificent women. Brilliant, kind, intuitive, empathetic, and daring. These traits will be crucial as they maneuver through the world and crossover into adulthood. Nothing is ever promised, but one can almost guarantee that they will certainly face the same ill-favored and disproportionate treatment as Claudine Gay, in whichever career they choose to pursue.
The dialogue surrounding this topic, at the very least, could assist the next generation of Black leaders and thinkers by extending more cognizance to the world and bringing our issues to the forefront. By spreading more awareness toward egregious agendas deeply rooted within the core of certain political groups in this country, we can sow unbiased and uncontaminated intentions of identifying these cases of prejudiced treatment toward Black women and people on a wider margin, into the fabric of true equality and equity, for us. One day, people other than our own and the few allies we have will possess the ability to promptly recognize immoral and inequitable treatment the moment they sense it, and hopefully, extinguish the fire of hatred that used to be suppressed on the surface - but is now clearer than ever.
