Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is the significance of the greeting 'peace and blessings' in Badu's song?
What is the significance of the greeting 'peace and blessings' in Badu's song?
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How does Badu's character in the song relate to her audience?
How does Badu's character in the song relate to her audience?
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What is the fundamental problem with the existence of the captives on the alien world?
What is the fundamental problem with the existence of the captives on the alien world?
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In what genre of music does Badu's song belong?
In what genre of music does Badu's song belong?
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What is the significance of Badu's lyrics 'since we were made in his image, then call us by our names'?
What is the significance of Badu's lyrics 'since we were made in his image, then call us by our names'?
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What is the underlying theme of Badu's song in the context of Afrofuturism?
What is the underlying theme of Badu's song in the context of Afrofuturism?
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Which city is associated with a resurgence of neo-soul artists?
Which city is associated with a resurgence of neo-soul artists?
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What is the theme depicted in the Afrofuturist image featured in the liner notes?
What is the theme depicted in the Afrofuturist image featured in the liner notes?
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What is the significance of flight in African American literary and vernacular traditions?
What is the significance of flight in African American literary and vernacular traditions?
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Which of the following artists is NOT associated with the Philadelphia soul music scene of the 1970s?
Which of the following artists is NOT associated with the Philadelphia soul music scene of the 1970s?
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What is the name of the novel that features flight as a symbol of freedom?
What is the name of the novel that features flight as a symbol of freedom?
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What is the name of the studio that produced the illustrations for the CD?
What is the name of the studio that produced the illustrations for the CD?
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What is a characteristic of Neo-Soul artists in terms of their music style?
What is a characteristic of Neo-Soul artists in terms of their music style?
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What is a common theme in Neo-Soul artists' lyrics?
What is a common theme in Neo-Soul artists' lyrics?
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How do Neo-Soul artists often express their identity?
How do Neo-Soul artists often express their identity?
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What is a key aspect of Neo-Soul artists' approach to music?
What is a key aspect of Neo-Soul artists' approach to music?
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What is a characteristic of Neo-Soul artists like M'Shell N'degeocello and D'Angelo?
What is a characteristic of Neo-Soul artists like M'Shell N'degeocello and D'Angelo?
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What is implied about the era of individualism in Neo-Soul music?
What is implied about the era of individualism in Neo-Soul music?
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What does the concept of 'mother plane' symbolize in Afrofuturist music?
What does the concept of 'mother plane' symbolize in Afrofuturist music?
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What is the significance of the Five Percent Nation's teachings in Erykah Badu's song 'On&On'?
What is the significance of the Five Percent Nation's teachings in Erykah Badu's song 'On&On'?
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What is the central premise of Afrofuturist thought, according to Kodwo Eshun?
What is the central premise of Afrofuturist thought, according to Kodwo Eshun?
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How does the concept of 'on and on' in Badu's song relate to Afrofuturist thought?
How does the concept of 'on and on' in Badu's song relate to Afrofuturist thought?
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What is the significance of the Black Atlantic identity in Afrofuturist thought?
What is the significance of the Black Atlantic identity in Afrofuturist thought?
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What is the relationship between Afrofuturist aesthetics and neo-soul music?
What is the relationship between Afrofuturist aesthetics and neo-soul music?
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What is the potential impact of Afrofuturist thought on prevailing theories of the post-human?
What is the potential impact of Afrofuturist thought on prevailing theories of the post-human?
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Study Notes
Afrofuturism and Post-Soul Possibility in Black Popular Music
- Eshun's alien tropes are reflected in Badu's song lyrics, where she imagines herself as a resistance leader in a futuristic liberation movement, encouraging her audience to escape from an alien planet.
- Badu's lyrics greet her audience with "peace and blessings," equivalent to the Muslim greeting "A Salaam Alekum," which is common in urban black communities and represents an effort to retain positive African cultural modes of address.
- The lyrics explain the fundamental problem with existence on the alien world, including economic and social isolation, using blues style.
- The return of regional "sounds" in neo-soul music, such as in Philadelphia, marks a reincarnation of the 1970s soul music preeminence.
Neo-Soul and Afrofuturism
- Neo-soul artists, such as Jill Scott, Bilal, and Musiq Soulchild, emerge from Philadelphia, suggesting a revival of Philly's earlier soul music dominance.
- Flight is a leitmotif in African American literary and vernacular traditions, symbolizing escape from bondage and unfettered freedom.
- An image from the liner notes depicts two cyborgs inside a space craft, with a devastated Earth seen from the window, and a tattoo on the cyborg's back featuring a lush, blue-and-green Earth with the words "Old School."
- This image serves as a warning about a possible dystopian future, where the world as we know it is only an old-school memory.
Hypersoul and Post-Soul
- Hypersoul is characterized by half-sung, half-rapped vocal performances, glorifying materialism and "playa culture."
- Neo-soul resists this dogmatic evocation of debased street credibility, instead referencing "da hood" through nostalgic visions of black love, familial unity, and community.
- Artists like Kindred the Family Soul, Donnie, and Jill Scott participate in this soul tradition, speaking of figurative and literal returns to their roots.
Identity and Genre
- Neo-soul artists self-consciously draw on influences from non-black camps of rock, electronica, and folk music, expressing identity "play" through genre surfing.
- Artists like M'Shell N'degeocello, Res, Bilal, Lenny Kravitz, D'Angelo, and India Arie weave in and out of perceptual limitations, attuned to retrospective aspects of soul music while "playing mas'" as alternative rock stars, corn-rowed thugs, coffee house folk singers, or Afrocentric New Age goddesses.
- The era of naive faith in individualism is over, and Afrofuturism links black music to both precolonial African cultural retentions and a futuristic disavowal of essentialism.
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Afrofuturism and Music
