Black women in the American music industry facts for kids
Black American women have made huge contributions to music for many years! Music has always been a special way for the African American community to share their feelings. Traditional music came to the United States through the slave trade. People adapted it while working on plantations. This led to many popular music styles like the blues, rock, gospel music, jazz, and rhythm and blues (R&B).
This amazing musical journey began in the 1870s with the Fisk Jubilee Singers. They sang many types of Black music, including traditional spirituals, blues, and jazz. The Fisk Jubilee Singers became famous worldwide for their spirituals during tours in the United States and England.
In the early 1900s, it was tough for African American women to be widely known in music because of unfair attitudes. But even with these challenges, women were very important in blues, jazz, and R&B music.
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Early Music and the Harlem Renaissance
Jazz
After World War I, many African American soldiers returned home. Also, the Great Migration saw many Black people move from the South to cities like Harlem. This helped Harlem become a lively center for Black culture and art. This period was called the Harlem Renaissance. It was a time when music, poetry, and art blossomed in the Black community.
Jazz music is a style where many African American artists share feelings of pain, joy, and freedom. It started in New Orleans and moved to Chicago during the Great Migration. By the late 1920s, Chicago was a major jazz city.
Jazz was mostly dominated by men. Even though women artists were very present, their achievements were not celebrated as much. African American women were not just jazz singers; they also played instruments. The piano was one of the first instruments women played in jazz. This skill helped women gain acceptance in the music world.
Mary Lou Williams, a famous pianist, is often called one of America's best jazz women. Williams first became known in Kansas City. There, she became one of the most sought-after pianists. Her music helped shape the "big band" sound. Because of her new ways of writing music, Williams got to compose for famous jazz artists like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington.
Williams moved to New York in the early 1940s. A new jazz style called "bebop" was starting then. She easily began writing music for this new style. Later, she led several women's music groups. She also started one of the first recording companies owned by a woman.
Because women were often treated unfairly, most could not succeed as solo performers. However, all-women jazz bands and family jazz groups were popular. During World War II, many male jazz musicians went to fight. This gave all-female bands a chance to become famous. Some of these bands included Darlings of Rhythm and the International Sweethearts of Rhythm.
In later years, African American women became successful solo singers. Some of the most famous names include Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Lena Horne, and Billie Holiday. Ella Fitzgerald, known as "The First Lady of Song," sold over 40 million records. She also won 13 Grammy Awards.
Blues
The blues came North as newly freed African Americans moved from Mississippi to busy cities for work. No one knows the exact start date of the blues. But many believe its roots came from the songs of enslaved Black people and life on plantations.
The earliest blues performances were by traveling singers in the South. But there were no recordings by Black artists yet. The blues of the 1920s, called classic blues, became very popular thanks to African American women. Singers like Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Alberta Hunter, and Ethel Waters were the most famous. Each brought something new to American music.
Ma Rainey, known as the "Mother of the Blues," became popular in the early 1900s. Rainey was the first popular Black female stage entertainer to use real blues in her songs. She was known for her exciting and dramatic "Jump Blues" style. Bessie Smith, called the "Empress of the Blues," showed off the classic blues style.
Later, male-dominated country blues became more popular, and women were less in the spotlight. About 30 years later, during the blues revival, Mamie Smith became the first Black female singer to record a blues song. Her song "Crazy Blues" is known as the first blues recording. It also marked the start of Black female singers becoming popular in music. Both Black and white people bought the record. Record companies saw it as a good way to make money.
R&B and its Descendants
R&B
Soul and R&B music have their roots in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. These music styles aimed to break down barriers between Black and white Americans. Most singers in this style came from the South and sang in their churches.
Famous artists in this style include Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Bessie Smith. The most well-known is Aretha Franklin. Aretha Franklin became famous in the 1960s. She signed her first record deal at age eighteen after singing in her church in Detroit. She was most successful working with artists who also had gospel music backgrounds. She chose this path and became very popular, getting five number one hits and a Grammy. In 1967 and 1968, Franklin had huge success, recording more than a dozen singles that sold over a million copies each.
Mahalia Jackson was another female artist known as the "Queen of Gospel." She also impacted the Civil Rights Movement with her songs. Aretha Franklin even covered one of her popular songs, "How I Got Over." It was a more upbeat version with James Cleveland and The Southern California Community Choir.
Both Aretha Franklin and Mahalia Jackson had important songs during the Civil Rights Movement. Franklin's version of Otis Redding's "Respect" and Jackson's "I've Been 'Buked and I've Been Scorned" were powerful. Jackson performed her song at the March on Washington after being asked by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Even though Black women helped make Black music and culture popular, few were recognized when rap and hip-hop started in the 1970s and 1980s.
Rap
A version of hip hop emerged in the 1990s. It changed the upbeat music of earlier decades. This new style often talked about the tough life in America's inner cities.
Hip-Hop Feminism
"Hip-Hop Feminism" started as a way to bring back the positive image of Black women in music. It looks at how changes in society affected young people in the hip-hop generation. These changes included less government help and a growing gap between rich and poor.
Hip-hop feminism has had a political impact. It supports the rights of women, African Americans, and the LGBT community. This has led to new waves of Black American feminist artists. They share different messages through their songs. But there are still links between the generations and their music.
One part of hip-hop feminism uses "the politics of respectability." This idea describes ways for Black female artists to share messages of racial uplift and women's rights to a bigger audience. These methods often involve ideas of self-respect, honor, and proper behavior. Respectability politics has helped improve conditions for African Americans. It gives Black female artists a way to talk about unfair practices they face because of their race and gender.
Angie Stone’s song "My People" aimed to show that African Americans can be successful in American society. Angie Stone not only showed the political side of soul music. She also went against the common idea that female soul singers only sang about men and past relationships. Hip-hop soul allowed women to create a style that showed the politics of gender in working-class Black communities. By letting women in hip-hop soul tell stories that showed their many sides, they gave other Black women experiences to relate to.
Rapper and actress Queen Latifah made history when she won a Grammy for her hit song, "U.N.I.T.Y.," in 1995. The song spoke out against domestic violence. "U.N.I.T.Y." started a conversation in the African American community about violence against women. It also showed that Black women rappers had a powerful voice in a field mostly led by men.
Contemporary Music Industry
Today, female rappers challenge male rappers' unfair lyrics. They use rap to define a strong, independent Black female identity. Examples include Queen Latifah, Salt 'N' Pepa, MC Lyte, and Eve. They criticize men who abuse and manipulate women. Even more women, like Beyoncé, Lauryn Hill, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Alicia Keys, Kehlani, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, and Zap Mama, use hip-hop to empower Black women and other minorities worldwide. Black women have become a powerful force in the music industry. They are a key part of our nation's popular culture.
Queen Latifah is one of the biggest influences in music. She started very young and has become a successful person. She released her album, All Hail the Queen, at a young age. The album had themes about women's rights that attracted many listeners. Queen Latifah wanted to be respected and did not agree with unfair treatment of women. "I had a problem with [misogyny]," she said. "I was never the kind of person that was going to take something lying down." She added, "I was raised to protect myself and stand up for myself and speak my mind and be true. And even if I had to stand alone, I was to do that." Queen Latifah promoted women's importance. She demanded equal treatment for women and stressed that women should support each other. She was the first female MC to have a gold record. This opened the door for other women rappers. Black Reign was her most popular album. It included her biggest single, U.N.I.T.Y, which won a Grammy for Best Solo Rap Performance.
Another independent contemporary music artist is Rihanna. She has won six Grammy Awards, eight American Music Awards, and twenty-two Billboard Music Awards. She is the youngest solo artist to have 13 number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Rihanna created a foundation to help children with serious illnesses. She has also supported charities and foundations to help build a breast cancer screening and treatment center. Rihanna was named 2017 Harvard University Humanitarian of the Year.
Alicia Keys has been called a modern Renaissance woman. Alicia Keys is a feminist who believes in supporting women's rights. This includes political, social, and economic rights. She has won 14 Grammy awards. She also co-founded the Keep a Child Alive foundation. She started the foundation to make treatment available to people in Africa. It focuses on children by supporting clinics that provide this treatment.
Kehlani, who comes from the Bay, was influenced by growing up in "the hood." Kehlani has been open about her life, relationships, depression, and being shamed. Many women are criticized for sharing so much, but Kehlani stands up and stands out. She speaks up in her music. One song, "Body Count" by Jessie Reyez, talks about women gaining their freedom. Kehlani is also multiracial.
Beyoncé has won the most Grammys of all time by a singer, with 28 Grammys. She is the only artist in history to have all of her first six studio albums reach the top of Billboard's album charts. Knowles's recent work, Lemonade, deals with the challenges Black women face living in America. For example, the song "Freedom" talks about Black identity in America. It includes amazing visuals of strong Black women who proudly wear natural hairstyles. These scenes reflect and celebrate Black beauty. The video for "Freedom" contains powerful images of Black women who have lost Black men in their lives. These include Gwen Carr, Sybrina Fulton, and Lezley McSpadden. They are the mothers of Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, and Michael Brown.
Sylvia Rhone, who is now CEO of Epic Records, has been a leader in the music business for decades. She started her music career with Buddha Records in 1974. She then worked at ABC Records, Ariola Records, Elektra, Atlantic Records, and finally Epic Records. Rhone has discovered and mentored many famous current artists. These include DJ Khaled, 21 Savage, Camila Cabello, Travis Scott, Future, Meghan Trainor, French Montana, and many more.
Influence of Music Videos
Studies show that Black women are not shown enough in hip-hop and rap music videos. When comparing popular music videos, studies have found that men are more often the main characters and background characters than women. One study of 108 hip-hop music videos found that 53% of the people in the videos were male. Also, when Black women were shown, they were mostly in supporting roles.
When Black females appear in music videos, they are often shown in a way that fits a Eurocentric idea of beauty: lighter skin and thin. This specific image is what rap and R&B music videos often look for. This includes videos that show Black females as main or background characters. In 2004, women at Spelman College protested a bone-marrow drive sponsored by Nelly. They were upset about the visuals in his music video "Tip Drill." The video showed many women dancing in bikinis around a swimming pool and on men. Even 15 years later, the video's producer, Kareem Johnson, defended it. He stated, "If the girls weren’t in the video, this wouldn’t be a conversation. They were willing participants. That’s the part that was missed. The model never requested the scene to be edited. If Nelly has to be held accountable, so does the model. Responsibility needs to be shared."
