When Black Culture Has a Shelf Life
Written by Avery Oliver
Nowadays on social media, it's impossible not to scroll through your feed or timeline, and hear a catchy song or dance that makes you smile and laugh. Whether it be on Instagram, TikTok or even Twitter, reels and memes have a compelling way of drawing in viewers and captivating us. We hear upbeat songs for a few seconds coupled with certain videos or trends, and we are pulled in the more we see.
On the other hand, I cannot count how many times I've discovered a short clip of a song on TikTok or Instagram and looked for the full song on YouTube, only to see a plethora of comments stating things like “well, the full song isn't as good as I thought.” Similarly, I've also seen many songs that are well-received for a short period of time on social media, yet, once the trend has passed, the song and the artist no longer have that much relevance.
Unfortunately, most of these songs I am thinking of tend to be Black songs – songs written and composed by Black artists – who may at first glance be getting a fair amount of exposure on TikTok, Instagram and Twitter but, at what cost in the long run?
In the Summer of 2020, a song called “Famous” by Mozzy took TikTok and Instagram by storm and, while the song – in my opinion – was good all the way through, almost every clip centered on a specific verse in the song: "He just wanna fuck with me 'cause I'm the one, He got all the drugs, and I got all the guns."
The trend was very couples-centric and accompanying videos would feature a boyfriend and girlfriend doing a variety of things in sync with the song. However, after a while when viewers searched for the full song and were not interested in it wholly, the song lost relevance, rarely being used in videos or trends.
On the other hand, older songs by Black legends such as Bill Withers and Earth, Wind & Fire, have also been used for memes and trends by mostly non-Black people. The song “Just the Two of Us” is a perfect example of this, as well as “Let's Groove Tonight.”
It may be hard to see the issue at hand at first. These are songs, and songs are easily turned into trends no matter who is behind them, right?
Well, the difference between songs made by non-Black people, and songs made by Black people, lies in how commodified Black culture is on the internet and in society, in general, specifically Black American culture.
Mozzy's song “Famous” was good, but given that TikTok and Instagram audiences only viewed the feature part of his song worth listening to, we see a Black creative's hard work not taken seriously and not given the credit it deserved. It was used for memes and trends for some time and then discarded.
Musical classics that have cultural relevance to the Black community, are seen as “fun” and “retro” by non-Black people who don't understand the impact such songs and artists have. To name one, Earth, Wind & Fire paved a way for Black music and popularized certain genres that Black people were excluded from in the past.
The problem with social media taking bits and pieces of Black culture, and tweaking it to their desire, is that Black culture essentially then gets a shelf life.
Some of it is important, some of it is not. Regardless, Black creatives are not given the credit they deserve. On the other hand, watering down Black culture and turning it into memes erases the importance of Black artists and their impacts on the Black community in general.
When we aren't taken seriously, or when we are made into jokes and caricatures, we aren't seen as actual people, rather, a subculture or genre that people can profit off of and use to their own benefit.
Unfortunately, this is common with many aspects of Black culture, specifically Black American culture, in addition to music. From our lingo and accents being turned into “stan” or “internet culture” by people who are not Black to our cultural hairstyles, dances and fashion being emulated and removed so far from their source – Black culture has become a trend not respected for what it truly is and represents.
Many non-Black actors, personalities and celebrities have used Black American culture as a means to further their careers and influence. For example, Awkwafina recently came under harsh scrutiny for her appropriation of Black culture, specifically through her use of a “Blaccent.”
Where they are praised and able to commodify our culture, we are either shamed for partaking in it during everyday settings, or not given credit for it.
Seeing people take Black music and use snippets of it for trends, reels or memes isn't surprising but that doesn't make the situation any better. For example, I recently discovered the song “Love Nwantiti” by Ckay – a Nigerian singer and songwriter – and saw it making its rounds on both TikTok and Instagram. While not a part of African American culture, it is still part of overall Black culture, being that it falls into the Afrobeat genre.
The song itself, like many other Black songs popularized on TikTok and Instagram, is used only for a few seconds in specific clips and snippets, syncing to the actions for the reel in the background. The full song isn't played, and many times, while CKay's music video itself is heavily Black-centric with the focus of a Black woman as a love interest, that isn't the focus when non-Black people use the song for their reels.
Even now, without the full song being played or recognized by primarily non-Black audiences on TikTok and Twitter, covers of the song by non-Black people are now starting to make their rounds on various platforms along with being used in reels themselves.
It makes me wonder, how long with “Love Nwantiti” be relevant on social media? Will its shelf life be shortened the less popular it becomes within non-Black groups, and will covers of this song by non-Black people end up replacing the original?
"[Black people] do not just exist to set trends, genres and serve for entertainment. Our culture, genres, styles and music are as real and tangible as we are."
Unfortunately, Black culture is seen as a trend, a commodity and, in many cases, a joke and something to be used as a caricature by non-Black people. This no doubt ties back to racism, and the harmful ways that Black people and our culture were portrayed and absorbed in media by non-Black audiences.
Learn more: Episode 3: The Birth of American Music - 1619 Project Podcast by The New York Times
While not much can be said about the appropriation, erasure and disrespect of Black music and culture within the entertainment industry and social media, some things can be done to at least address the mishandling of Black people and culture.
Supporting Black artists is perhaps the biggest and most useful counter to what is currently happening now. If you are going to use a song by a Black artist for a reel, trend, video, etc., and you are not Black yourself, consider asking your followers to support the artist and listen to their full song if you choose to only use a snippet.
If you rediscover old Black songs that are “retro” and match your aesthetic, it is completely okay to appreciate them without remixing them in ways that take away cultural significance, or at least, educate your audience on whom these artists are. Vintage Black artists are a huge staple of Black American culture and many of them played a part in paving the way to Black success and genres in the mainstream music industry. If you are non-Black and using older Black songs for videos, it is a must to discuss the cultural significance of the songs and the authors.
Finally, not just for the sake of Black music but for Black culture in general, understand that we – as Black people – are real. We do not just exist to set trends, genres and serve for entertainment. Our culture, genres, styles and music are as real and tangible as we are. Black people are often dehumanized in various ways, and the treatment of our culture is a perfect example of that.
The moment non-Black people realize that we are real and that our culture is not just important because of the past but because it is still evolving today – Black music, artists and creatives alike will finally get the respect they deserve. It may take some time, but I do believe we can get there.
Avery Oliver (she/her) is a 25-year-old Black freelance writer from Dallas, Texas. She loves writing about things that affect her and people who look like her. She wants to use her voice to spread awareness.
