Queen Latifah Song Analysis

Many people think that the poem A Song, by Helen Maria Williams, is just a love letter when, in fact, it is more of an expression of her relationship with her inspiration of writing.

The above text is the hook to the poem “Mystery of Iniquity” Before going in depth with the first piece of the poem; something stands out in the first two stanzas: “iniquity” and “inequity”. According to Webster’s dictionary, inquity is defined as “gross injustice; a wicked act or thing” and inequity is defined as “injustice, unfairness; an instance of injustice or unfairness” (Merriam-Webster) Here Ms. Hill sets the tone for the rest of the poem. She explains that the unfairness of iniquity and inequity is a miserable feeling. She is talking directly to those that share her unfortunate circumstances of being treated unfairly in a state of misery. The pre verse that follows the hook brings the topic of religion into view. The first four lines in the pre-verse symbolize Biblical meaning and give way to religious pretext. The verse says

“U.N.I.T.Y” addresses the social issue in the hip-hop culture and other cultures of violence and disrespect towards women, making it an important piece in the hip-hop as literature movement. Although Latifah is specifically speaking to black women, most women can relate to the oppression of women. Women and men need to have unity, support each other; not disrespect one another.

Lauryn Hill once said, “Truth comes, but we can’t not hear it when we’ve been programmed to fear it? Lauryn Hill, a songwriter, singer and rapper from New Jersey expresses her strong emotion on the justice and legal system in her song, Mystery of Iniquity. The Mystery of Iniquity is a verse taken from the bible; 2 Thessalonians 2:7. The word iniquity means immoral or grossly unfair behavior. In her song, she exposes her truth and views of the legal system. She touches on multiple topics such as religion, policing, court systems and orders, the president, and the amount of African Americans incarcerated. This song was released in the early 2000s, when

Queen, by Audrey Flack is a very captivating piece of artwork. It was painted in 1976, originally Audrey Flack took a picture and then used it as the basis for this painting. Queen is a painting of box that is full of special mementos. It has features such as a quarter of an open orange, a rose, a pocket watch, a queen playing card, a locket of an older and a younger woman, lip balm, perfume, a chess piece, blush, and a chain necklace with the letter “F” on it. The painting almost looks like a vanity drawer or a keepsake drawer. However, realizing the fruits and flower in the painting I understood it to be a collection of the artist's memories as opposed to a drawer. Audrey Flack was demonstrating the many things that were significant to her while aging. Queen signifies the fight against time. It shows that no matter what possessions you retain it will not keep you young. No one can win the battle against time.

Audre Lorde was a famous African American essayist and poet. From reading Poetry Make Something Happen, it is evident that she had a powerful voice and was passionate about the work she published. Her work is stylistically refreshing and motivational, making it relevant for years to come.

In an article called ‘ladies first’: Queen Latifah’s Afrocentric feminist music, it talks about issues raised by feminist rap; rap that focuses on women’s importance, and the demand for equal treatment, and for the need to encourage each other. “Queen Latifah's feminism draws on the patterns of rap to assert the importance of women promoting themselves and other women. Rap, like all other forms of popular music, is not inherently feminist, but in this genre, as in other popular genres, female performers use specific generic qualities to promote a feminist message. Rap is noted for its emphasis on lyrics, and through the lyrics, female rappers make explicit assertions of female strength and autonomy.” Women talk about how they need to be seen as equal to a man through their lyrics and for women to encourage other women. That will push back the negativity from the male rappers toward the female rappers. For an example in a song called U.N.I.T.Y by Queen Latifah she said “Every time I hear a brother call a girl a b*** or a h*, trying to make a sister feel low, you know all of that got to go” Throughout her song she is letting male rappers know that they can’t be calling women those types of names, no matter what. Through time, the hip hop community is and will keep pushing back the misogyny and violence that rap

According to the New York Times, The use of the word, “bitch,” tripled in the last decade alone, growing to 1,277 uses on 685 shows in 2007 from 431 uses on 103 prime-time episodes in 1998 (Wyatt, 2009). Several years later, the use of the term has increased tremendously since 2007. Today the term has been found not only in television, but in popular music, literary works, online media, and daily conversations. What will be studied and analyzed in order to find a better understanding of the complexities provided by the term will include every day conversations, especially between women; as well as some popular culture texts that include misogynistic lyrics, specifically in the hip hop and rap genres.

Audre Lorde was a writer, poet, mother, feminist, civil rights advocate, and more. According to the Poetry Foundation, Lorde dedicated a large part of her life and creative talents to confront the issues of sexisum, homophobia, racism, and more. She was concerned with modern society’s excessive need to sort individuals into different groups of people. She believed in power and change within the world. Her poems and writings can relate not only to those who are in search for change, but crave love, fulfillment, and revolution. Throughout her poem, “Movement Song”, Audre Lorde captures the raw emotions one possesses while slowly letting go of a loved individual whie using poetic devices including complex methaphors, repition,

Audre Lorde talks in her essay how women, especially black women in our society are get treated lesser based on their age, race, class and sexual preferences. She talks how white females take the over hand because their voices are more dominant while other women from other culture are getting ignored and have nothing to say, they simply ignore the differences. She also states that the If you not mainstream you worth less than anyone else. But it’s not only white vs black, in the black community, black females are treated powerless and have the lowest salaries. She made her own experiences in being classified and judged, Lorde herself is a black female lesbian who had difficulties in life of what she is. Based on magazines, TV or social media

Beyoncé’s choice of lyrics in the song “Formation” reflect a cultural reclamation and celebration of being multiple things: an African-American of any sex, a woman of any race, and specifically a black woman. These multiple messages are allowed for by lyrical content that ultimately asks members of all these marginalized groups to “get into formation” in singing an anthem for empowerment. “Formation” begins with a few words from Messy Mya, a YouTube personality who was murdered in 2010 and was known for his overt satire regarding violence against the black community in New Orleans. This sets the stage for the political message the following lyrics portray. “The intersection between hip-hop and politics has empowered a generation of youth to believe that they not only have rights but maybe even an obligation to make a difference in their world” (Alalman, p. 42, 2011). Expressing self-feelings, thoughts or views through music can make a change in the world, which is what Beyoncé does through her music. The actions in the song is further reinforced in the music video, through African American women fighting for respect on the streets, creating a sense of devotion in the audience. Moreover, the artist openly addresses the culture of open social hate towards black features “I like my baby hair with baby hair afro, I like my negro nose with Jackson 5 nostrils”, to which she responds by accepting them as special traits to be cherished and not ashamed of. By embracing all these pejorative

In my opinion, Kendrick Lamar, an award-winning rapper and songwriter, has one of the best abilities to describe his distressed and abused lifestyle in Compton, California. He is not your original cliché artist who does not speak about anything meaningful. Kendrick, also known as K. Dot, is one of the most well known and most respected rappers in this era. Not only does he speak about his gloomy past, but he also speaks about his fortunate future. His ability to give detailed representations of his struggles and his story telling allows me to, metaphorically, enter the mind of Kendrick Lamar.

“They killed my son in cold blood,” lamented Eloise Armstead. Her husband, Add Armstead, was traveling to work with a companion on Saturday evening in the early 1970s. Thomas Shea and Walter Scott, responding to a call about a cabby that was robbed earlier that day, used this opportunity to rid the world of the wicked and gain a victory for the righteous. Walking along New York Blvd. in South Jamaica, Queens, Shea and his partner pulled alongside the two. Armstead says, as he recalls the incident, “We were walking, not saying anything to each other, and this car pulls up, and this white fella opens the door with a gun.” To him and his companion it looked like they were going to be robbed, so they ran. As the gunshots

to music critics Jackson’s album Thriller seemed to be inspired by “a mixture of several genres

Phillip Chbeeb and Renee Kester uploaded a dance entitled SLIP that they have choreographed to the song SLIP by Elliot Moss. It was published on June 11, 2015. The dance includes many things that show a strong relationship between the two dancers. What you can notice is the way they trust each other and their facial expressions. Chbeeb and Kester used these components and other movements to show a relationship between the two characters in this story that is being told. In this dance, there are two people who are in love try to stay together, but in the end they don’t because many things are pulling them apart.