44 Search results for "songwriter"

Fatphobia means fat people’s bodies—and even our weight loss—are never just our own
by Indigo In the final weeks of 2019, pop culture analysts (and regular enthusiasts like myself) have taken to the variety of digital mediums available, and some even to the rooftops of their homes, to tell anyone who will listen that 2019 was the year of Lizzo. After the infamous “HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A […]
Black women are punished for prioritizing our mental health
I was 23 and at a birthday party the first time it registered that I was having a panic attack. I locked myself in the bathroom to get away from the noise, the flashing lights, the woman who was sharing her secrets and everyone else. Initially, I thought it was a heart attack and reasoned […]
Black men need space to talk about their own sexual pleasure outside of domination
Editor’s Note: This Sexual Health and Awareness month, we will be exploring related issues at BYP, and we are interested in publishing works that address these topics. What does sexual health look like outside of cishetero norms? Where does the #MeToo movement go from here? What can we do to better support survivors, including survivors […]
How Ariana Grande uses “Black Cool” in her incremental appropriation game
by Ayika Tshimanga Ariana Grande recently released a music video for her song, “7 Rings”, a repetitive pop-trap&B tune with all the necessary ingredients to bring out your innermost bad bitch. The bouncy trap beat, braggadocious lyrics, and an attempt to ooze the kind of confidence radiating from pop stars like Beyoncé on “Apeshit”, or Rihanna […]
John Legend calls for the end of racist non-unanimous jury convictions in Louisiana
Singer/songwriter/producer John Legend recently wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post calling for the removal of non-unanimous juries from the State of Louisiana’s Constitution. At present, Louisiana and Oregon are the only two states in America where a person can be sent to prison without the unanimous vote of a jury. Legend cites the constitutional […]
We need to challenge fat antagonism in Black activist spaces
by Denarii Grace “I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.” These words, uttered by legendary Black civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer, have become as much a part of Black languages and cultural understandings, both past and present, as “lit,” “bumboclaat,” and “the bomb.” Her expression of the ongoing oppression of Black […]
R. Kelly gripes about snowballing sexual abuse allegations in new 19-minute track “I Admit”
On Monday morning, singer-songwriter R. Kelly released a new song track titled “I Admit“, in which he addresses multiple accusations about running a sex cult, child molestation, and his financial grievances. Despite the title, the entire track acts more of a medium for R. Kelly to complain about personal straits than an admission of sexual […]
What do we need for a new freedom?: A proudly fat, disabled, bisexual enby’s vision for #Juneteenth
By Denarii Grace Some days I wonder if the work that I do is worth it. On the surface, Black artists/cultural workers, healers, teachers and activists who live most on the margins have the least to gain in their lines of work. And in a society based on the allure of social and financial capital, […]
Black women have been organizing against R. Kelly since long before his #MeToo reckoning
by Josie Pickens This essay contains discussion of sexual abuse against Black girls and women. To watch what has been a decades-long movement by Black women to boycott and end the career of singer, songwriter, and serial sexual predator R. Kelly finally gain national attention, significant momentum, and media coverage is surreal, to say the […]
SZA leads women Grammy nominees with 5, dripping Black Girl Magic everywhere
Still riding high on the breakout success of her debut album, CTRL (Control), alternative R&B artist SZA is now being recognized by the Recording Academy for her outstanding work thus far in her career. A collaborator and songwriter for megastars Rihanna and Beyonce, the 5 Grammy nominations signal that the artist who once tweeted that […]
Esperanza Spalding joins Harvard University faculty
They say the next thing to do after you reach the top of the mountain is to reach back and help someone else make it there. Esperanza Spalding has already won pretty much every award she can in music – including Grammys, an NAACP Image Award, a Boston Music Award and a Soul Train Music Award. Now, […]
Miley Cyrus finally announces the end of her minstrel show, proving once and for all the violence of appropriation
By Sherronda Brown “When I want something, it’s fucking easy for me.” – Miley Cyrus, the self-ordained savior of our nation The words “Dumpster Fyre” hover above the head of Miley Cyrus on the cover of Billboard Magazine. Even though they refer to the debacle at Fyre Festival in which rich white kids were finessed […]