LGBTQ in Music

While watching the Black Power Mixtape it gave me a sense of pride to see how far African American culture has come. One person who really stuck out for me was Stokely Carmichael because he had a different approach to the Civil Rights Movement from the other leaders of the time. The film taught me to stick up for what I believe in and to never let my voice be taken away from me. I think the Black Power movement left a permanent mark on American Culture especially African American culture. People started to wear clothes to reflect African culture and that has been an ongoing thing so much so that it’s become mainstream.

The Intro to MSCM class took a trip to the North Carolina Central University Television Station, we were met by a tough instructor who gave us the run down of the studio with no sugarcoat. He taught us about the code words that production used to get things done as quick as possible with no questions asked. Short phrases like “Stand By” and “Wide Shot” ensure that the production follows the

While watching the Shaquille O’Neal interview I learned a lot of surprising things about him like, he has a PHD, and a lot more of accomplishments. Shaq is really invested into a lot of companies ranging from insurance to Five Guys. He really made sure that he wasn’t just being put into one category and now he’s just getting income from a lot of areas like it’s nothing. Just like the other speakers I was motivated but in a different way with Shaq. Shaq talked about his family a little bit and it made me reflect on a lot. You can have everything in the world but if you don’t have people to share it with then it’s worthless.

In class we had a visitor by the name of , Justin Burnette. He came in and briefly spoke to our class about who he is, his career aspirations, and his ongoing process of chasing his goals. He is a major in Mass Communications with a minor in radio broadcasting. He expressed to us how much he enjoys the major although it is a lot of work to get in the media industry and that’s is nearly impossible if you don’t have the right connections. His presentation helped me to understand the importance of putting yourself out there in this industry. For example he’s still in school but he’s already working on the radio. This just goes to show how far hardwork and communication gets you. I definitely learned a lot and it helped me to learn to put my focus on the right things.

What I took away from Vida C. Williams’ Ted Talk was that everything we do is counted down as a number to see how people are living. She was saying each purchase or choice we make is counted as a “vote”. She wrapped it up by talking about how we should go and buy from local farmers and that will then in result help more companies to start supporting those local farmers. It helped me to really start cautious about my choices and the things I buy.

While watching the sizzle reel I was intrigued because we never usually get a true look at the teams of our favorite celebrities. The general public takes everything at face value and this show will be a great way to help the public get out of that mindset. It truly takes a team to make a brand work and aspiring artists and creators can watch this and it will give them the motivation to go out and find people who have different interests and build a stable team to get their content out there. On the the other hand I do believe the show could use some improvements to be able to bring in an audience and maintain their interest. If it’s possible they should definitely look into getting more celebrity interviews so when people watch they’ll see their favorite creator and it’ll keep them tuned in. Also, I think the show could use more organization because it’s hard to keep up with what’s going on with who. All in all the show is a very innovative idea and I think it has the potential to be a hit after a few tweaks.

After watching the animated short film “Hair Love” I was in awe of the story and the way it was told. Not only does it allow little black girls someone to look at but it can also be empowering to them. It is a rare look into the life a little black girl which is very rare. It allowed the world to see a more positive side of the black family. It avoided negative stereotypes and assumptions about black families to show that we are capable of having a close knit family. My favorite part is when he tried to put the hat on her and she took off. To me that meant everything because she was saying “I want to show my hair and not be ashamed of it” It was a great way to open the eyes of people who judge us.

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While watching Tyler Perry’s presentation I learned so much about staying passionate and motivated to advance in my field. My biggest issue was I would always get discouraged when things didn’t happen for me quickly. Tyler Perry helped me to understand that if I really wanted to do something with myself it was going to take time and a lot of hardships. It took him 20 years to get to the point he is now. He started off living out of his car and he struggled a lot but he kept on pushing and producing plays. What I really took from the speech was when he said “We need to stop looking outside ourselves for heroes.” It made me really reflect on the images I grew up seeing and I realized I never really seen people I could relate to in films until he started to make films. Even if I did see black people in films they weren’t southern church going people. The speech really inspired me because at certain points in my life I limited myself because I felt like I couldn’t do certain things because of my sexuality. Then I heard him say “Don’t look for a seat at their table, make your own” that phrase stuck with me. Going forward I will always work hard on everything, never limit myself, take risks, and learn to grow from failures.

While watching the Rapsody’s documentary I really got a sense of pride from it because she’s from a small town in North Carolina just like me. Now she’s known worldwide and working with legends like Kendrick Lamar, J.Cole, and Jay-Z. She was able to make me feel inspired and grateful for what I’ve come from. I could especially relate to the scene where she’s sitting at the table with her aunts and her grandma. She had so many examples of strong women in her life and she learned something from each of them. I felt I could relate to her as person because of how she grew up. Also, seeing her in her element on stage was amazing because you can tell that she’s passionate about her craft and how she is portrayed to the world. In the male dominated industry of rap she’s was able to step out of what is expected of a female rapper and made her own lane, all by remaining true to herself. I’ve gained so much respect for her after watching.

While watching the first episode you could definitely tell that in our country it’s hard to find resources that are made by black people. All of our lives we’ve been conditioned to use white people products so we don’t even know where to begin to look. I didn’t even know how big the issue was in our community until after watching the documentary. Everything in our faces in today’s world is made by white people, even down to weed. Him having to sleep on the bench because of the lack of black owned hotels painted the picture clearly for me.