“Protest Song.” Grove Music Online, October 16, 2013.
The opening line of the Grove Music Online definition underscores this problem: “There is little agreement on what constitutes a protest song.” 6 Rodnitzky, Jerry.
“Protest song/music” seemingly evades a concrete definition. Indeed, listening to music would fall outside of the bounds of these definitions however, as I will discuss, listening to music that “expresses disagreement” is still a choice, and may encourage active thought that can lead to executing “formal protest.”Īdditionally, it is important to define “protest song/music” before proceeding with this discussion. These definitions do not suggest any gradients in the form of protest, including the subject of this paper, listening to music. Though “protest” is impossible to connotatively define, it is clear from both sources that it is an action that one takes or does not take, which implies a binary of protest: one engages in protest or does not. Similarly, the Cambridge Dictionary defines “protest” as “a strong complaint expressing disagreement, disapproval, or opposition.” 5 Cambridge Dictionary, “Protest,” accessed October 19, 2021, Both of these sources imply that the action of protest is verbal or physical, and they further insinuate that protesting is an active, rather than a static, choice. According to Merriam-Webster, “protest” is a verb that has three important definitions: “to make solemn declaration or affirmation of,” “to execute or have executed a formal protest against,” and “to make a statement or gesture in objection to.” 4 Merriam-Webster, “Protest,” accessed October 19, 2021. Ultimately, this paper examines social media activism, both in its form and function, as a corollary to protest music, theorizing that the limits of protesting sonically can include listeners.īefore continuing, it is important to define “protest,” as it has many connotations but a relatively unified definition. I examine the taxonomy of modes of protest, and the production of meaning in these four songs and, more generally, in the Black Lives Matter movement. Dennis, Rachel Vandagriff, Jozie Nummi et al, and Shana Redmond, specifically in relation to the murder of George Floyd and social media protest. In this analysis, I will build on protest scholarship by Andrea L. In this paper, I argue against a binary of protest or inaction rather, I suggest that protesting can exist in shades of gray. They can listen to brand new music about Floyd’s death at the same time that protests against the same murder begin. The rapid release of this music-combined with the myriad ways that consumers can stream, share, and replay songs with overt references to Floyd in the music-shifts the role of the listener in the context of contemporary protests. 3 Ibid Run the Jewels, H.E.R., and Lil Baby each released an album or song to honor Floyd’s legacy. In fact, within two days of Floyd’s death, musical responses became prevalent on streaming services and social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Spotify, and Instagram. 2 “We Insist: An Introduction to Our Timeline,” NPR, September 2, 2020. Shortly after George Floyd was murdered by police, three prominent rap and hip-hop artists responded swiftly, releasing four songs that address both Floyd’s murder in particular and more ubiquitous examples of institutionalized racism and oppression. With the prevalence of streaming services and the ability for music to be available almost immediately after recording it, the role of music in social movements has shifted.
1 Jerry Rodnitzky, “Protest Song.” Grove Music Online, October 16, 2013. Music and social movements have historically gone hand in hand, but now that technology has become more accessible-body-camera and bystander footage capture more police brutality, and songs can be released online instead of in-store-the relationship between the two has changed, uniting protest and music in a different way.
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