Eveyone needs a musical theme sometimes. The theme for winter is to take care and learn to love yourself. Here are a few tracks that I have found that help me with just that from our YouTube Channel.
1. Solange – A Seat At The Table
This album has an overwhelming theme of self-love for the black community and most certainly for black women. Starting with the first track Rise, the first lyric you hear of this beautiful album is “fall in your ways.” At first this just sounds like another way of saying stuck in your ways, but.what she is really saying here is be you, fall in love with yourself, and love who you are. The second track, Weary, is a track the black community can relate to entirely. Solange sings about how she is weary of the ways of the ways of the world, aka the way society treats black people. Even toward the end of her first verse she repeats “I’m going to look for my body, I’ll be back real soon.” This is her account of the feeling of hiding yourself from certain people and finds later when it’s more appropriate to show all of you. At the end, she changes this line to “I’m going to look for my glory.” Here we add back in the original theme of self-love and uplift the community just as it was done in the first track, you must love who are. Don’t do so much hiding you forget who are and forget to love yourself. At the end of the song she sings about how we are one in the same, because after all, we all are only humans. It is only right we live in harmony.
For the ninth track, Don’t Touch My Hair, it truly speaks for itself. Black hair is unique, yet versatile; and as a black woman who loves her natural hair, I will not let anyone touch my hair. Just like your eyes, your hair can very well be a window into your soul. A Black woman’s natural hair displays pride, even identity. The line “They don’t understand what it means to me” is explaining how hair to black women is a part of our temple. It is how we express ourselves, and how we reconnect to our origins. There are many incidences where Black women are told their hair is too much, that we must straighten it to look more ‘professional’ or confine to Eurocentric standards of our current society. You don’t have to do anything that isn’t true to you.
2. Raury – All We Need
The first track, All We Need, Raury sings about his frustrations with the world, and basically gives out a call for help. The world needs saving is the message here. He continues to address what we all see on daily basis: homelessness, hunger, our country’s issues. At the end of every chorus he sings “All we need is love.” If we loved more than hate, we solve many issues. Track three, Forbidden Knowledge is one of my personal faves.
“There’s a universe in her afro, hold us back though. There’s a power in the black folk, well that’s forbidden knowledge.”
Here Raury discusses how specifically in the black community black people have been turned against each other. Because of society and stereotypes in general our true potential is hidden from one another. That is what the “Forbidden Knowledge” is. The last track, Friends is all about coming together to better ourselves and the people around us. The line “If you see a broken man, take them by the hand” is basically about being friend. It’s essential to be a good person and friend to someone in today’s world.
“I have some friends who are the future, they need this world much more than me”
Raury explains this lyric himself as meaning our future children and grandchildren, etc. as being the future. It goes back to the message of this album being we need to make this world a better place for future generations.
3. Kaytranada – 99.9%
This album is something to groove to. If you ever find yourself feeling down or just need some chill instrumentals to work to this is the album for that. With Track one being conveniently named Track Uno, you automatically feel a groovy vibe. This is the type of album you listen to when reflecting on your day, to unwind or simply have a chill get together with friends and just enjoy everyone’s company. Listening to this album makes you happy to be alive. Simple as that.
4. Willow Smith – Ardipthecus
The overall message of this album is self-expression and health if you think deeply enough.
Track one, Organization & Classification, Willow explains her frustrations with the rule and regulations promoted in society. We can all relate to this. Why are things the way they are? Toward the end of this song she expresses that she is hungry for more knowledge. Wait a Minute! is all about love. Not with yourself, but with someone else.
“Wait a minute! I think I left my conscience on your front door step”
In the beginning she explains how you fall in love and lose yourself. This is what she means by leaving her conscience on their doorstep. Pretty cool play on words. At the end of the song she sings about letting her lover see who she truly is, only after she saw their love. Waves of Nature, is about connecting with yourself. In the song, she refers to Astral Projection. This is an out-of-body experience some refer to as lucid dreaming, it has many names. “Get in your right side of mind, if you’re trying to fly,” she encourages this way of connecting to the right side of the brain, which controls the conscience. You rely heavily on your conscience to understand who you truly are.
The one thing I’ve learned from these songs is that it is most important to connect with our true selves in order to be healthy. The process may not look the same for everyone; maybe get in nature, get with friends or get by yourself with a guitar and a journal. Whatever you do, I hope you find you. Be you. Love you. You are kind of stuck with yourself after all.
Take care and have a wonderful spring break!