AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
We know. The news has been bad these last few weeks - or is it months? Almost every day and, at times, it seems like in almost every region of the world, there's something - conflict, disease, struggle. Now during times of social crisis, music can be a comfort and even a motivator. Sometimes artists confront issues head on. Think Alan Jackson's "Where Were You?," written after the 9-11 attacks.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WHERE WERE YOU?"
ALAN JACKSON: (Singing) Did you stand there in shock at the sight of that black smoke rising against that blue sky?
CORNISH: At other times, a song captures the imagination of the popular culture or social movements that reinterpret its themes. Aretha Franklin's 1967 hit "Respect" - the story of a lover's quarrel - became an anthem of feminist and racial pride.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "RESPECT")
ARETHA FRANKLIN: (Singing) R-E-S-P-E-C-T - find out what it means to me. R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Take care, TCB.
SINGERS: Sock it to me. Sock it to me. Sock it to me. Sock it to me.
CORNISH: But what about today? NPR music writer and culture critic Ann Powers has been looking over the summer's Top 40 charts for songs that address what's going on the summer - socially, politically, globally. And she's here to talk more about it. Welcome, Ann.
ANN POWERS, BYLINE: Hey, Audie. Thanks for having me.
CORNISH: So help me understand the Top 40. I don't know if it really feels like a summer of bad news, given what we're hearing. What does this music seem to have in common?
POWERS: Well, Audie, you would think it's a summer of escapism and fun and frankly just a rampant egotism on the charts. I mean, we have songs about, you know, how great the star who's singing it is.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FANCY")
IGGY AZALEA: (Singing) I'm so fancy. You already know. I'm in the fast lane from L.A. to Tokyo.
POWERS: We have songs about partying. We have songs about little more than the beat. It can be discouraging for those of us who look to music for some kind of deeper meaning and social protest, even. It can feel a bit rough.
CORNISH: Now, in the world of hip-hop, though, it's another story, especially in light of the conflict between citizens and police in Ferguson, Missouri, over the shooting death of Mike Brown. Now, in the last couple weeks, we've seen little songs kind of pop up here and there to address it. I want to talk about two - one from J. Cole and another from Lauryn Hill. And we we'll start with the J. Cole song. It's called "Be Free."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BE FREE")
J. COLE: (Singing) I'm letting you know that it ain't no gun they make that can kill my soul. Oh, no. All we want to do is take the chains off. All we want to do is take the chains off. All we want to do is be free. All we want to do is be free.
CORNISH: And what's notable about his approach?
POWERS: Well, Audie, this song's notable for several reasons. One - it was really the first major response to what's happening in Ferguson from someone in the hip-hop community. And it's not mainstream. It will never be in the Top 40. And he recorded this extremely intense, mostly singing track - which for someone who's a rapper and sometimes a singer was a bit unusual - that also featured audio from one of the witnesses to Mike Brown's run death, whose name is Dorian Johnson.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BE FREE")
COLE: And at no time the officer said that he was go to do anything until he pulled out his weapon. His weapon was drawn. And he said, I'll shoot you. I'm going to shoot.
POWERS: It all adds up to a song of social protest and, really, a lament that reminded me of Nina Simone. And that's high praise from me.
CORNISH: Meanwhile, Lauryn Hill basically takes a sort of familiar tune and gives it a very, very dark twist. This song is called "Black Rage."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BLACK RAGE")
LAURYN HILL: Black rage is founded on two thirds a person. Rapings and beatings and suffering that worsens. Black human packages tied up in strings. Black rage can come from all of these kinds of things.
CORNISH: And you mentioned Nina Simone, and that name comes to mind here, as well.
POWERS: Absolutely. This song is one she wrote a while back that she's brought forward as a statement about Ferguson. And it takes off on the classic song "My Favorite Things" from "The Sound Of Music" - a song we all grew up with - a song that's about kittens and, you know, roses and raindrops, right? But here, Lauryn Hill takes that song - that familiar, soothing melody - and matches it up with lyrics about both the sources of rage for herself and other African-American and also the usefulness of rage and how rage - I wouldn't say, it's one of her favorite things, but I do think she's expressing the need for rage in certain political moments.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BLACK RAGE")
HILL: When that dog bites, when the beatings, when I'm feeling sad, I simply remember all of these kinds of thing and then I don't fear so bad.
CORNISH: Now for a minute there, it wasn't clear if we're going to see many more songs coming out of hip-hop, and then there was a drop from The Game, along with Diddy, Rick Ross, Two Chainz, Fabulous, Wale. I mean, the list goes on. There's like 10 rappers on this, four singers, and it's called "Don't Shoot."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DON'T SHOOT")
SINGERS: God ain't put on this Earth to get murdered. It's murder. Don't point your weapons at me.
THE GAME: Seen the pictures - feel the pain. Scandalous how the murder son. Tired of them killing us. I'm on my way to Ferguson. Talked to TIP. I talked to Diddy - them my brothers, walking with me. Mothers crying. Stop the riots. We ain't got to chalk the city.
POWERS: The thing about the song, Audie, that impresses me is that it is so direct. And it actually also connects so powerfully to the history of rap and how rap has talked about African American encounters with the police in the past, African American civil rights struggles for decades.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DON'T SHOOT")
TGT: Time to take a stand and save our future.
SINGERS: Like we all got shot - like we all got shot.
TGT: Throwing up our hands. Don't let them shoot us.
SINGERS: 'Cause we all we got. We all we got.
CORNISH: You know, as you mention, this isn't all that surprising, right? I remember Public Enemy frontman Chuck D once saying, rap is CNN for black people. But where are the pop and mainstream artists talking about any current issue news of the day? I mean, whatever happened to that kind of pop protest song?
POWERS: It is true, I think, that pop has become more conservative, basically since 9-11. It seems that pop stars are more hesitant to address social issues head on. Now why is this? Possibly because all Americans are nervous about addressing social issues head on. Possibly because the music industry has been falling apart, and people are worried about their careers. I don't really know.
I do wonder if maybe in coming months and as we enter the fall season, when quote-unquote serious artists make their serious efforts, if we will see a new emergence of political voice in pop music. At least, I can hope for that.
CORNISH: So, Ann, before I let you go - any song that hit the mark for you that did chart the summer - something a feels, at least, uplifting?
POWERS: Well, Audie, for me it's a song by the Norwegian duo Nico and Vinz - both of African descent. And the song is called "Am I Wrong?"
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "AM I WRONG?")
NICO AND VINZ: Fight for yours, and don't let go. Don't let them compare you, no. Don't worry. You're not alone. That's just how we feel. Am I wrong...
CORNISH: Don't worry. You're not alone. Doesn't get better than that, right, Ann?
POWERS: Right. But at the same time, there is that kind of undercurrent of doubt in it, right? It feels so human to me. It feels like what people are feeling now.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "AM I WRONG?")
NICO AND VINZ: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh.
CORNISH: That's NPR music writer Ann Powers. Ann, thanks so much.
POWERS: Thank you, Audie.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "AM I WRONG?")
NICO AND VINZ: That's just how I feel. That's just how I feel, trying to reach the things that I can't see, see, see.
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