Storytelling is a valuable way to pass history down through generations; in fact, one of the best types of storytelling can be revealed through songs. ‘Black is Beautiful’ by Chronixx is the perfect example. It is a Hip Hop/Rap song that follows all the generic conventions of its genre. It is catchy, upbeat, and includes a lot of intentional repetition.
When you get a chance to really listen to the lyrics, you will notice that there are a handful of references. Including references to slavery and colonization. The racial tension that exists today towards and within the black community roots from the normalization that ‘black may not be beautiful’ and oftentimes it is associated with being the opposite.
Most time we hear about black, we hear about black magic and black witches
Black list, black book, black market
Black Friday, ya spend off your black riches
I’ve never seen a doctor in black
Nor seen a black pill fi cure no black people
Chronixx
Chronixx is a Jamaican reggae artist who is passionate about shedding light on social justice issues through his music. It is clear that every lyric in his songs is intentionally chosen to curate a deeper message. He says that the song ‘Black is Beautiful’ is ‘a letter to the African in America’ (UrbanIsaandz). We were taught to believe that being ‘black’ is synonymous to being ugly. Essentially “they never told us/black is beautiful”, a lyric heavily repeated throughout the song. This ideology has been fostered in every corner of our lives and leaves little to no room self love in the black community
This song is a great example about how media and music can be great historical tools. In the span of the 3:35 of this song, I was able to recognize the truly overwhelming amount of pejorative space around the term black that is deeply rooted within American society. Despite this song being a letter to the Africans within America, it also gives an opportunity for his non blackcounterparts to recognize the generational hurt and trauma many black individuals face.
Overall, I found this song very empowering and seek it as a reminder that black is beyond beautiful.