Stereotypes / Culture / Appropriation
This is a subset of "Yes: Caution" - return to full list.
(Also rated YES: Lyrics)
This song reflects aspects of Black culture and body types and by itself is not racist. The opening spoken lyrics are racist by design as a critique of the American feminine beauty ideal that is not representative of the average Black body (see What is the song about & Song history sections of this document). It therefore cannot be rated inadmissible by established SAT criteria. However, we do urge extreme caution in selecting this song, even as a parody.
The original lyrics (depending on your point of view) are adoring, fetishizing, or objectifying Black women's bodies...which is race-based if not racist (depending on the singer/audience). Therefore, predominantly White ensembles must consider that audiences will likely respond differently to their performance of the song (even as a parody) than to Sir Mix-A-Lot's original performance (which itself was met with criticism by some). Even parodied, it may be considered cultural appropriation and elicit negative audience response.
In performing this song or any recognizable parts of the song or parody:
Do not use the spoken intro from the video (which includes two white girls commenting on the butt of a Black woman, e.g., "she so...Black!" along with other disparaging comments)
Do not attempt to mimic a "rapper style"; do not emulate Sir Mix-a-Lot's posture, delivery, etc.
This will help avoid the perception of mockery and may help mitigate (though not eliminate) the sting of cultural appropriation.
This song is admissible because it does not contain problematic racial themes or messages. However, ensembles should be aware that the song’s music video has engendered some concern due its apparent racial themes that might evoke a lynching or capture of an enslaved person (e.g., this comment on the music video YouTube page).
It is important to note that the steppers in the music video are members of the historically African American fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma and that both in the video and when performing live, Delta Rae does not do any stepping themselves.
Performers who are not Black must NOT attempt to do any form of step dance as this would be culturally appropriative.
While upon closer inspection, the video reveals itself to be about a witch hunt (as described by the band; see Music Video Analysis section), there are many racial markers/coding in the video that are evocative of slavery and the history of Southern lynching:
Opening scene of men working in a Southern setting, reminiscent of the enslaved or a chain gang
Shackles on the lead singer
The gospel/spiritual feel of the music and its call-and-response structure, whose gospel origins lie in Negro Spirituals, sung by the enslaved. These were often coded and often about escaping slavery via a river to avoid leaving a scent. (Given this gospel/spiritual feel, the sexuality that comes across in the video may be offensive to some.)
Thus the lyric, “The wolves will chase you by the pale moonlight” evokes those escaping slavery being tracked by hounds.
Harriet Tubman carried a gun as she lead the enslaved to freedom (evoked by the lyric, check the cupboard for your daddy’s gun)
The music also has Delta Blues elements, another musical tradition originating with African Americans (in the Mississippi Delta).
The Black fraternity stepping done by some in the mob is distinctly African American (with its origins in the African gumboot dance) and (together with the call-and-response) may be evocative of the work songs sung by the enslaved.
There are also parallels between the history of witch hunts and the lynching of Black people in the U.S. (see Music Video Analysis)
(Also rated YES: Note)
YES: Caution is assigned because we urge ensembles to exercise caution in selecting this song. Given that I Know Where I've Been is sung from the perspective of a black woman battling racial oppression, as directly conveyed in the opening lines—"There's a light in the darkness, though the night is black as my skin"—it would be inappropriate and disrespectful to change the lyric or for a non-Black person to perform the lead. Doing so would erase the song’s authentic voice and the lived experiences it represents.
The most famous original performances of this song were done by Screamin' Jay Hawkins in a characterized style that mimicked tribal members from Africa in an unflattering or even demeaning way (video). These performances were not inherent to the song itself, but were added as a performance choice by the performer. The song is admissible, but Sweet Adelines performances must not take stylistic or costume inspiration from the original performances by Screamin' Jay Hawkins.
Medley with this Song
Halloween Medley
Poor Unfortunate Souls / I Put a Spell on You medley
This song is admissible with the following requirements:
All ensemble members should understand the history of the song, the Mardi Gras Indians,* and the possible meanings of the lyrics, a mélange of Cajun/Acadian/Creole/African dialects (see song history and lyrics sections below)
Performances must not include exaggerated accents, nor attempt Mardi Gras Indian costuming
MC content providing context regarding the Mardi Gras Indians should be provided where possible
*The "Mardi Gras Indian" tribes of New Orleans are, in fact, the oldest cultural organizations surviving from the original African tribes which were brought into New Orleans during chattel slavery. Mardis Gras Indian culture is influenced by both ancestral enslaved Africans and the friendship forged with Native Americans, those who escaped or were newly freed. The tribes are particularly noted for preserving African "dress art" and musical heritage in the New World. They have not received the value, recognition, or economic benefit they deserve. Mardi Gras Indians: Culture and Community Empowerment
Medley with this Song
Iko Iko / When the Saints Go Marching In
This song is admissible, however, ensembles must understand the controversy that surrounded this song in 2013 when blogger Veronica Bayetti Flores wrote two pieces, the first titled Wow, That Lorde Song Royals is Racist and then a follow-up a week later. Flores notes that these lyrics – But every song’s like gold teeth, grey goose, … / … But everybody’s like Cristal, Maybach, diamonds in your timepiece … / We don’t care, we’re driving Cadillacs in our dreams – contain items specifically associated with hip hop music videos. While other more generic markers of conspicuous consumption are also mentioned, the connection to hip hop specifically is clear (as Lorde herself noted in interviews).
Flores notes that simply commenting on hip hop is not racist but the genre is dominated by Black artists and so commentary inherently involves race. And therein lies the issue—not that Lorde is racist or that the lyrics themselves are racist, or that White people cannot critique hip hop. Rather, the song’s reception in the United States as an anti-conspicuous-consumption anthem when at least some of those being critiqued are Black, is problematic:
My critique of the song – and, particularly, how the U.S. media is reacting to it – is not to suggest that the consumerism in current mainstream hip hop is above critique, nor that it is unethical to critique a form of art created by people who have been historically oppressed. In fact, as a critic of pop culture, I think that doing so is incredibly important. What I do find problematic, however, is to focus a critique of excessive consumption to a genre both created and currently dominated by black Americans, particularly when the vast majority of excess consumption is done by white people – not to mention the fact that black people bear the brunt of the ill effects of wealth inequality, both in the United States and globally.
Flores goes on to note that when critiquing an art form that is outside of one’s own culture, it is important to understand its history, the socioeconomic systems within which it lives, and race and power dynamics.
The song and the narratives created by the U.S. media in response fit into a well-worn critique of hip hop consumerism. This familiar critique ignores the reality that the distribution of wealth (here and worldwide) is heavily tilted towards white people, and people of color are disproportionately hurt by the growing income gap. The fact is her intent matters little in the face of what is actually happening: the reinforcement of longstanding racist narratives that blame people of color for problems of which we are not the major perpetrators – and of which, often, we are actually victims. …
… This is not to say that hip hop is above critique, but rather that it must be critiqued in a way that contextualizes it within a larger system of race and power. To do so without this context reinforces racist narratives that feed into a larger system of racism that consistently dehumanizes people of color, and serve to uphold and excuse much larger oppressive systems. In short, the national conversation on race – even if it’s just in a pop song from a teen in New Zealand – affects the ways bodies of color are seen and legislated. This is racism; not just a casual encounter, or a specific instance of interpersonal prejudice. It is an entire system that requires the consistent reinforcement and dehumanization of people of color to uphold. The ways that the U.S. media is reacting to this song – largely as a brave critique of consumer culture – is part of reinforcing that system.
While Lorde is from New Zealand similar systems of oppression operate though with Māori rather than Black people. Yet the song and its overall message of a teen who sees wealth and lifestyles that appear completely out of reach for her and her friends, is not in and of itself problematic. But ensembles must consider how their performance of the song and its apparent critique of hip hop artists might come across. Also, ensembles must not affect an accent or mannerisms in delivering lyrics in a caricature of hip hop (Lorde does not do so in her music video).
(song is also rated Yes: Lyrics)
When non-Black singers perform rap/hip hop music, care must be taken to not use a “blaccent” or to caricature in other ways, such as exaggerated moves, mannerisms, or costuming in an attempt to mimic a stereotypical rap/hip hop character.
To avoid appropriating Black/Brown vernacular, these lyrics changes are required:
Homeboy should be omitted or altered, e.g. dancer might be substituted in the above referenced lyrics. Where it appears later in the song (I told you homeboy), baby might be substituted.
Fly girl should be omitted or substituted with, for example, And get a partner and catch this beat
Please see AAE & Cultural Appropriation in Music & Society.
Medley with this Song
Evolution of Pearls II medley
Early performances of this song include an exaggerated stereotyped Latina character, however, the lyrics themselves, *without the characterization,* do not have a racial element or impact. Performances must NOT include Latina characterizations/accent.
The lyrics of this song imply a mocking or caricature (as is the cover art) of a "foreign" (Greek) accent. However, the song is admissible with the following requirements:
Performers must not affect a “foreign” accent.
The intro line identifying the owner as Greek must be omitted.