Black Gospel Traits in New Versions of The Black Eyed Peas Protest Song “Where Is The Love?”
“Whereisthelove cover.jpg.” Wikipedia.
The Black Eyed Peas protest song “Where is the Love” has taken its social commentary and call for revolution to a grander height in new versions “#WHERESTHELOVE” and “The Love”.
2016 version, “#WHERESTHELOVE,” addresses BLM protests and the plight to restore civil rights amidst white supremacist violence coming in the form of trigger-happy cops or negligent congressman. “The Love” sonically, lyrically, and visually in music video persuades viewers to vote Biden as president. The song was released in October 2020, almost a month before the tense November election. It vibrates with the imperative to stop the landslide of America rolling downhill after wounding by the Trump administration. In the 20th century, Black Gospel music has been a powerhouse in producing freedom songs. That includes directly commenting on segregation in America, like Nina Simone’s “Mississippi Goddam.” Freedom songs also include using religious hymns in an activist context, like popular gospel song “This Little Light of Mine” which doesn’t explicitly touch on racism. Black Gospel propels motives for social reform in its lyrics and sonic qualities. This genre holds the influence to inspire their listeners to forge social and political change by rattling the strongest of human emotions—sorrow, anger, and joy. The qualities of Black Gospel music in the reworkings of “Where Is The Love?” can explain its successes as protest songs that inspire its audience.
civilwarmed.org
The Joining Body as Instrument:
Clapping, Stomping, Slapping Knees, Snapping, You Name It
During the horrors of American segregation, it was healing to listen to uplifting messages on valuing ones inherent worth unwaveringly as well as the strong bonds of their community.
In “This Little light of Mine,” people are not measured on a value scale by the eyes of God or by the individuals singing this song. The line, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,” repeats over and over like a necessary ritual. It communicates that a person has to acknowledge their own inner power through the confident assertion that it exists and prevails: “This little light of mine.” More so, it has to become a practice and be done “Every day” for individual preservation. However, the other half of the line is just as imperative, which involves community. “I’m gonna let it shine” communicates the will and obligation a person has to share the best of themselves with others for all to prosper. Singers call out, “Everyday, Lord” as a promise to a higher power that they will care for themselves and others.
The effects of using our bodies as instruments are numerous, but one of the many includes establishing community. When “This Little Light of Mine” was sung by gospel singer and involved civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, she was never truly alone in this piece. Even when the choir has stopped chiming in and Hamer executes a solo lyric, the clapping from the community beside her remains steady within every second of this song. And I’m not using “every second” as an exaggeration here or descriptive language—I mean it literally. Clapping starts at 0:01 and ends at 3:03—the entire duration of the song—from the birth of a fresh breath to the last exhale in the dark. Hamer was not left alone for one second. Not during one breath was community and unity not there to be depended on as much as these singers lean on the Lord they are vulnerably relying on. Through faith in God, oneself, and others to in the end care for you—these singers assert that they will express beauty and virtue, or their light, by sharing it in the world. That’s a powerful message right there.
The Percussive Beat in “#WHERESTHELOVE” as
Community Building Sounds
In “#WHERESTHELOVE,” a raging beat pounds with unified voices in a steady pattern, sounding like the meeting of fierce hands. The punching beat resembles two cymbal plates hitting one another, but as a softer technologized beat. This technologized hard, loud cymbal comes in when the tempo crescendos to faster pace. There is also a softer percussive, technologized beat that resembles a drum stick lightly hitting a cymbal. In contrast to the gentle piano and guitar strums, these percussive beats call listeners to join together and participate in the music making. These beats offer the opportunity for listeners to stomp their feet, clasp the hand of another, or lightly pound their enduring heart.
The variation of beat volume is dynamic from hard/loud to light/quieter, signaling an appropriate variation in clapping type. Let’s consider if this song were to be heard outside the isolation of a headphone, somewhere with people together. On speakers in a live concert, peoples claps would be strong when hearing the hard cymbal beat and singers raising their volume and hitting high notes. People would clap softer when the light cymbal beat and singers change tone to lower octaves. The beats in this song resemble the varied clapping in-tune listeners would have when participating in a song. This is definitely a song to be played in an arena or sung together by protesters chanting “Where Is The Love?” while clapping in unison. The quality of community participation in Black Gospel music through clapping, snapping, and other creative uses of the body as instrument physically engages people to practice coming together, sharing an experience, and creating something new which is at the foundation of protest work.
Call and Response: Creating Music Together and
Revolution Together Through Conversations
“Fannie Lou Hamer’s Powerful Testimony | Freedom Summer.” Youtube.
Call and response is an effective trait to include in a protest song because activism only works with community support.
Leaders who call, proclaim, and preach cannot create change without the power of others affirming in consensus to wanting to create change and shift this shared reality. To call and respond is literally a conversation. Affective communication and the sharing of ideas formulates action plans that create social revolution. Call and response is at the core of Hamer’s “This Little Light of Mine.” Hamer sings the first line, “This Little Light of Mine” alone. Yet is quickly joined by other voices, men and women, in the second line, “I’m gonna let it shine,” alongside their synchronous, firm clapping.
Let’s consider this snippet of lyrics:
This little light of mine (Hamer alone)
I’m gonna let it shine, ohh (choir)
This little light of mine (choir)
I’m gonna let it- let it shine! (choir)
This little light of mine (choir)
I’m gonna let it shine (choir)
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine (choir)
(Hamer raises volume and blends her voice with the choirs last word in the last line, “shine”)
Ohh, everywhere I go, Lord! (Hamer alone)
I’m gonna let it shine, ohh (choir)
Everywhere I go, Lord (choir)
I’m gonna let it- let it shine! (choir)
Everywhere I go, Lord (choir)
I’m gonna let it shine (choir)
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine (choir)
Hamer launches a guttural “Ohh!” while the choir sings “shine”
Like a preacher, Hamer occasionally sings a solo line, raises volume, or takes a solo high pitched high note to make herself present. Yet this song is in bulk community-based with consistent clapping, a choir singing the lyrics in unison, and some breaking in with a “whoo!” or “ohh.”
“Fannie Lou Hamer Risked Her Life for the Right to Vote.” Youtube.
The appearance of call and response in “#WHEREISTHELOVE” and “The Love” communicates an urgency for people to come together because the stakes are high— people’s lives are in danger and their civil liberties are being threatened.
The Game in “#WHERESTHELOVE.” Youtube.
Taboo in “#WHERESTHELOVE.” Youtube.
In “#WHERESTHE LOVE”, singers are in conversation, finishing each other’s sentences. The Game raps, “And every time I look around” and Taboo continues, “Every time I look up, every time I look down / No one’s on a common ground.” “#WHERESTHE LOVE” includes a huge map of voices with singers, rappers, and an entire choir.
Featured vocalists showing solidarity with the BLM movement include the following:
will.i.am, Jamie Foxx, Mary J. Blige, Puff Daddy, Cassie, Andra Day, Nicole Scherzinger, Tori Kelly, V Bozeman, Taboo, Jessie J, The Game, Ty Dolla $ign, Justin Timberlake, DJ Khaled, Usher, A$AP Rocky, Jaden Smith, apl.de.ap, and Fergie.
More so, if not participating vocally, the music video shows the appearance of countless famous artists and public figures, family of actual victims of police brutality, and people of countless roles from a white priest to a black military officer. These visuals broadcast that the hostile condition of the world we’re living in falls on our shoulder’s but the solution is also in our hands. Call and response vibrates strongly in this song through the choir of children. The choir is all made up of kids from a span of cultures— the voices of the future wanting a new world free of bigotry and hate. Like a preacher slamming wise statements, apl.de.ap is responded to by the current generation of children who agree with him. Their bone chilling exclamations is the repeated question of disappointment and anguish, “Where’s the love?,” over and over in response to apl.de.ap:
What happened to the love and the values of humanity? (apl.de.ap)
Where’s the love (choir)
What happened to the love and the fairness and equality? (apl.de.ap)
(Where’s the love) (choir)
Instead of spreading love we’re spreading animosity (apl.de.ap)
(Where’s the love) (choir)
Lack of understanding leading us away from unity (apl.de.ap)
(Where’s the love) (choir)
Another enduring example of call and response is the conversation between Joe Biden and Jennifer Hudson in “The Love.” Hudson makes active commentary of agreement with the incorporated recording of Biden’s speech. Biden’s words situate him like a preacher or activist leader and Hudson takes the role of community member and voter.
During the intro., Hudson sings the same lines as Biden, simultaneously, adding more power to his words. With embarrassment on Trump’s part Biden states, “Remember what the president said when asked? He said there were quote ‘very fine people on both sides’” (0:59-1:06).
Joe Biden in “The Love.” Youtube.
Donald Trump in “The Love.” Youtube.
Hudson responds with heavy lament when Biden repeats Trump’s statement on white supremacists, through a guttural “ohh” that sounds like a pang of pain (1:02-1:09). And those words did merit a scream, a cry, a deep groan because of the horrific racist ideology that still persists. We live in a time when the president of the United States— in the 21st century— could not publicly denounce white supremacy. Will.i.am states the source of this agony clearly in a new lyric that wasn’t a part of the original “Where Is The Love?”: “I can’t believe they still hating blacks today” (1:50-1:52).
Jennifer Hudson in “The Love.” Youtube.
Through high notes and “mhmm”’s Hudson actively responds to Biden’s words. When Biden states the nation can reform and unite and take “A path of hope an light” (3:22-3:23), Hudson gives a satisfied “mhhm” (3:24-3:26), acting as a tonal “yes.” Hudson’s responses reminded us of the urgency of the 2020 election through her painful responses to the wounding by the Trump administration and positive affirmations toward Biden’s encouraging words. Hudson steers us listeners to also agree with Biden’s values and political plan for social reform and ultimately vote for him. The message is made clear, one candidate does not refute white supremacy and the terrors of its blows, while another articulates and validates the reality of racial injustice. The answer of who’s a better candidate here to further the aims of the Black Lives Matter movement and other minorities is pretty clear.
“Children at a BLM protest in Great Lakes Bay holding simple yet powerful messages.” Reddit.
“#WHERESTHELOVE” and “The Love” are absolutely successful as protest songs in its emotional pull yet rational, influencing listeners and convincing them of a certain political choice that will make waves in America’s future. The Black Gospel traits within these two pop/hip hop protest songs endure just as much as the plight for racial equality in America.
