L.A Songs about Racism - Assignment Example

Rap music is probably the best representative of saying goodbye to the twentieth century and entering into the 21st century. Rap music has served as an outlet for the suppressed black community of the U.S.A. In this song, they proudly wear the discriminatory remarks as ornaments as if saying, ‘yes! We are who we are, what can you do about it?’ The poems Rhythm Blues’ and ‘Bang Bang Outishly’ by Amiri Baraka also talk about racism and how dangerous they are for the growth of a healthy society. One poem says that “if capitalism won’t kill me, racism will” while the other stresses “Let it be!” These poems are just more decent and spiritual forms of repelling racism. What rap music portrayed in the 90s in a very raw and unedited format, these poems by Baraka do the same only in a very gentle yet powerful way with a subtle but meaningful choice of words. Dear John, Dear Coltrane by Michael Harper is also a poem talking about racial discrimination in North Carolina. But what is common in all of these poetic masterpieces is the fact that they all give a message to all humanity that they need to embrace people as they are.

For instance, in his poem, at one point Harper takes up a question-answer format where he asks,” Why you so black?” and the answer comes “cause I am” then again, “Why you so funky?” and the answer is “. After all, I am”. This is just another way of saying that black people are who they are, it is not a disease or something that they control. Being an African American is an identity and the world needs to take this community as they are.