Culture Vulture: A poem dedicated to Taylor Swift and her Swifties and all other biters of Black culture
By Mona Austin
During the 2019 BMA's Taylor Swift's performance of her hit "Me" took inspiration from Beyoncé's Coachella performance. Ironically, she was singing about being herself while emulating someone else. Apparently Swift likes marching bands because she has used them in several songs, but not in the video for this one. The Beyhive noticed the similarities swiftly accused Taylor of copying Beyoncé, starting a war of words between the two fan bases online.
The comparison could not be avoided for obvious reasons. A drumline was the most prominent feature of Beyoncé's recently released Netflix documentary Homecoming, which was all about her behind-the-scenes journey to the Coachella stage in 2018. Beyoncé brought the Black college homecoming experience to the masses and it was distinctively cultural, creatively addressing the discriminatory issues Blacks face in American society, a literal music/entertainment dissertation on Civil Rights and Black power. She made her people proud. We learn from the doc that it took months of grinding to execute Homecoming flawlessly. For days people could not stop talking about it, giving respect to Beyoncé who rigorously pressed through a post-partum weight loss regimen and demonstrated a relentless work ethic to produce it.
Do you see a drumline in Taylor Swift's "Me" video?
One Swifty completely missed the point:
The argument is not about drumlines; it's about conveniently appropriating Black culture. Swift is lifting culture and African Americans want people to recognize it because historically White artists have attempted (sometimes successfully) to duplicate both the style and substance of African American artistry and benefitted more commercially. White entertainers lifting ideas from Blacks is nothing new as KevOn Stage demonstrates in his video analysis of the situation. Use of the drumline in Beyoncé's documentary was done in tribute to Black college marching bands and a part of a set with a Black empowerment theme. Maroon 5 used a full marching band that featured the drumline in their Super Bowl performance earlier this year. It was appropriate for that setting. However, starting the performance with a drumline, the outfit she wore and her poses appeared as if she was a Beyoncé imposter (i.e., a taker). It was the equivalent of pulling from Childish Gambino's "This Is America." And creatively, a video could not get any Blacker than that. Given that the Bey's documentary came out last month, using similar imagery was too soon. If Taylor could admit the obvious -- that she was inspired by Beyoncé's performance, then maybe more people would respect her for it and a this would be a non-issue if Taylor use enough creativity and imagination to differentiate enough that it's hard to compare. Otherwise, acknowledge that it's is a tribute to the artist. What Swift, her Swifties (who came to her defense) and White people in general must realize is that there is a vast difference between taking advantage of a trend vs. cultural appropriation. Cultural appropriation is defined as the "unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society." There are several issues with cultural appropriation in the entertainment industry, including the following: History - Blacks had to create their own identity in America and suffer for it. The Art and Culture of African Americans is the one thing in which they take pride and ownership (emphasis on ownership.) During slavery, colonizers forced slaves to assimilate. It did not work. Our culture prevailed. Money - From the turn of the century, when Blacks became entertainers Whites began taking their ideas, imitating and using them. Almost just as long there has not been a level playing feel regarding compensation, credit or respect and honor. This is one of the reasons there is Black Hollywood, the Grammys and the BET Awards. Black entertainers have had a long, tumultuous journey coming into their own creatively and financially. Ownership and control were in part why the Harlem Renaissance existed. Creativity/Art - Artistic expression often comes directly from the soul and are signature. That is why even though Michel Jackson was not the first to Moonwalk, the dance move is associated with him and he is given credit for it. He made it signature. Beyonce makes just about everything she does her own. An artist of Taylor Smiths caliber should be embarrassed to snatch someone else's creativity. To artists everywhere: Do you 100% and make it dope. Originality always wins. (Side bar: Taylor had people floating out of the sky and that was a cool look and the BMA performance was entertaining.) The Homecoming performance represented the spirt, attitude, sentiments and ways of Black people at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and came out at a time when African American life is being undervalued in society to the point excessive killings. It has been said that White people don't understand the "Black struggle" and never will. I don't believe that. There are Whites seeking an understanding and who have a real desire not to be insensitive to the Black experience. From the Website Boxden.com, a commenter pin-pointed the disconnect (not ignorance) with White lifting Black culture.I swear, you guys are always comparing everyone and everything. I didn’t know Beyoncé created drum lines and posing. Both are queens.#taylorswift #beyonce pic.twitter.com/AUKIlue9Ts— Reaction Videos (@itsMusicShade) May 2, 2019
LeMar G said
sh*t was dispicable but she knows what she doing |
BEYONCE COACHELLA OPENING PERFORMANCE
CULTURE VULTURE
By Mona Austin
5/3/19
Culture vulture git from 'round here. If you are gonna take the Blues (i.e., Black music, art, fashion, "CULTURE") -- take the beating, the mood, struggle, the prejudice & pain, hurt & shame, the lies the LIFE, etc. -- or don't take nothin at all. You can't experience me being me. Look and act "like" me, a contorted caricature of my experience.
Langston told us bout this appropriation game in 1940 in a poem called Note on Commercial Theatre. I'm looking at the same the same thing in 2019 on my computer, the stage, phone and TV screen.
He say:
They’ve done taken my blues and gone —
You sing ’em on Broadway
And you sing ’em in Hollywood Bowl
And you mixed ’em up with symphonies
And you fixed ’em
So they don’t sound like me
Yep, you done taken my blues and gone. . .
You put me in Macbeth and Carmen Jones
And all kinds of Swing Mikados
And in everything but what's about me —
But someday somebody'll
Stand up and talk about me,
And write about me —
Black and beautiful —And sing about me,
And put on plays about me!
You thank my art belongs to the universe.
It's in-ter-pret-able.
Came from God, in spite of. . ..Belongs 'ta e'rybody.
How much you know 'bout me?
When I dip I'm thinking 'bout my grandma with that sack on her back pickin' cotton
Bands mentally steppin' high over Eric Garners body;
lean-rockin' pass the policeman's bullet
Slidin', twerking, hand clappin', legs marchin', putting money in our own pockets long,
body quaking, shake, shake, shakin in a moment of freedom
Let me hush my mouth 'fo you take that. My understandin'
Robbin' us. Starvin us. Front door package lifting while the vessel stays broke/n
You taking from folk that made something out of their ancestor's breath, the air
Off my porch Culture Vulture. #appropriation
