Frantz Fanon wrote that, "a man who has a language consequently possesses the world expressed and implied by that language (1967: 18). So the words and lyrics that we listen to play a major role in determining how we see and reflect upon the world around us. Furthermore, as Africentric scholar Molefi Asante posited, An ideology for liberation must find its existence in ourselves, it cannot be external to us, and it cannot be imposed by those other than ourselves; it must be derived from our particular historical and cultural experience. Our liberation from captivity of racist language is the first order of the intellectual. There can be no freedom until there is freedom of the mind (Asante, 1988: 31-emphasis added). These two irrefutable points work hand in hand to explain why the world of the African-American in this country is so constructed and limited, narrow and Neanderthal. Whatever "language" we now have (more like an "argot") or seek to lay claim to, is at best laden with the very elements that stop us from loving ourselves and coming together. Far too much of what we are attracted to through the media, listen to through audio recordings and then incorporate into our memories is rooted in a cultural tradition that is the very antithesis of what we stand for and believe in. This books deals with language and actions, mainly those that revolve around relationships and emotional exchange. And lyrics. To begin with, the lyrics of Aretha Franklin, though many of them not written by her, are still being conveyed by a woman with the voice of an angel. Our people buy into music perfection and Aretha is the personification of it. Be that as it may, the lyrics are what I am interested in because, as Chairman Mao made clear, "He who controls images controls minds, and he who controls minds has little, if anything, to worry about from bodies." Aretha's lyrics are, for the most part, self-defacing. They are moral appeals and pleas to women that tend to paint the picture of dependency. The lyrics serve to degrade women and offer no real solutions other than begging, sticking around although you're getting your ass kicked, accept a man for what he is even though he's fuckin' yo' mama, and other insinuations and direct statements too numerous to mention here. As you read the following, pay close attention to the message behind the music. In my view, that is what is of importance. There can be no freedom for sistahs until there is freedom of the mind. The second "bonus essay" included is about "The Secret Wives of Lives," an article that appeared 14 years ago in an edition of Newsweek. Several other articles about young women also appear in order to provide context to what is taking place and in doing so, perhaps lend deeper understanding to the lyrics of Aretha, many of them bordering on depression and rejection. You be the judge.
About the Author: Matthew C. Stelly is a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee working on a degree in Urban Education and Community Policy. He holds three Master's degrees: Urban Studies (1982), Urban Education (1983) and Political Science (2000). He is working toward his doctorate in Community Policy/Urban Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He is the former editor of the Milwaukee Courier newspaper, former director of the Great Plains Black Museum and the Plano (TX) African American Museum, and lead archivist for The Black Academy of Arts and Letters (TBAAL) in Dallas, Texas. Stelly has more than 2,500 articles in print and has won two national essay competitions. He is the founding director of the largest African-American neighborhood group in Nebraska, the Triple One Neighborhood Association and Parents Union. He is publisher and editor of the Triple One News, a two-time nationally recognized newsletter. He is the father of five children - Mandla, Malik, Clariece, Charisse and Shannon -- and remains actively involved in community organizing and neighborhood development in several cities, including Milwaukee and Omaha.