Why should it be my loneliness?
Why should it be my song?
Why should it be my dream
“Picket lines and picket signs/Don’t punish me with brutality/Talk to me/So you can see/What’s going on,” the album opens with a plea. What’s Going On was Marvin Gaye’s reaction to a stifling record label, the terrible death of his long time songwriting friend, and the general disgust with an America in the wake of the Vietnam war. The album is told from the perspective of a Vietnam war veteran who is returning to America disillusioned and yearning for a hint of humanity to save his spiral into apathy and hate, but finding none of it. What’s Going On, considered by most to be one of the essential pop albums of all time contains Gaye tracks that are the most impassioned, elevating the singer to an activist and artist. While not remembered most commonly for these gospel inspired, pleading songs, this album is the epitome of Marvin Gaye’s career, giving the artist an outlet for self expression free of a label’s interference and the ability to carry on the soulful singing style that made Gaye famous.
There are probably plenty of current black artists who look backward to Marvin Gaye for inspiration, but very few carry on the activist tradition started on What’s Going On. Before ballooning into a mega-star deserving of big label attention and anxiety, Lupe Fiasco released a mixtape that dealt primarily with preconceived notions of black youths and their interests. On Da Exam the standout tracks are “And He Gets the Girl” in which Lupe creates a fictionalized encounter between a high school male and high school female, and quite possibly brings out an early image of the black nerd (worried like nerds all over the country that his tastes: to “play the tuba”, “I really love jazz” and being an “after school tutor” for the star quarterback are not suited to the popular girl. “We ain’t in the same crowd.”) Surprise. He gets the girl because she is just as multifaceted as he is. The second song of note uses a short sample from What’s Going On, nodding to a connection between the two artist. “Pen and Needles” is more a free style rap about Lupe Fiasco’s prowess but it contains the beginnings of a conscientious poet trying to subvert the current rap genre to suit his political and activist needs.
Before moving on to the continued similarities between Lupe and Gaye, there is a tentative connection to Childish Gambino, Donald Glover comedy writer turned actor turned rapper musician. Childish Gambino straddles both the hipster approved and popular music line, producing music that reaches outside of the genre, sampling popular hipster bands like Sleigh Bells. His latest album was a rally for both black kids and other minorities who have felt like they were an “other”, never belonging to the true or strict culture that they race suggested, or to the culture that they nationality suggested. Camp is a semi autobiographical account of growing up being called white but looking black, of growing up poor but going to the most expensive school in the country for college. From Firefly “I used to get called ‘Oreo’ and ‘Faggot’/I used to get more laughs when I got laughed at/Oh you got a mixtape? That’s fantastic… these black kids want somethin’ new, I sweat it/Something they wanna say but couldn’t cause they embarrassed.” Glover is on the verge of redefining a stereotype yoked onto young black males, even in his attempts to petition to become the next Spiderman. A move which lead to the actual creation of a half Hispanic/half black Spiderman.
Back to Lupe. After the commercial success of Food and Liquor and The Cool, Lupe looked to have wrested enough power away from the record labels to complete a trilogy about realistic life in the “ghetto.” His follow up was going to be a record of empowerment entitled Lasers a nod to an attitude of self worth that Lupe was extolling. Instead Atlantic records was dissatisfied with the music, claiming it wasn’t commercial enough, didn’t have enough pop to sell copies. Lupe delayed the release, refusing to put his name on the album that he felt was taken out of his hands. The artist/activist was taking a stand for the watered down music that he was being forced to create and present to his audience. The album eventually got released. The record labels actions pushed Lupe to release his next album independently. Food and Liquor II, though receiving less fanfare, was closer to the artist’s vision. The lead single “Bitch Bad” continues a dialogue that has carried from his early music about the impact of the word ‘bitch’ as applied to females. From “Bitch Bad”: “First he’s relatin’ the word ‘bitch’ with his mama, comma/And because she’s relatin’ to herself, his most important source of help/And mental help, he may skew respect for dishonor.”
What’s Going On shows Marvin Gaye railing against a society that has held the black community to a marginalized corner of society. Though he never explicitly describes the community, there are hints that suggest the reality of the black white dichotomy of America. “Some of us were born/With money to spend/Some of us were born/For races to win/Some of us feel the icy wind/of poverty blowing in the air” is the pretext for a later call for living a life of love and enjoyment, sharing what happiness and positivity with others who are less fortunate. What’s Going On is both despairing (“the world is fucked up and it’s hard to go on living”) and searching for an answer (“Love/That’s all it is/We need love”).
The album is useful because it shows an artist taking his national impact seriously and making music to enact change. Change both from within a community but also from those sitting up on top and trying to hold that community down.
Lupe Fiasco approaches the same gravity of Marvin Gaye (the similarities again are there, a compassion for the surrounding community, a lyrical prowess and musicianship, and an understated and subtle devotion to God though of different religions). There is an effort for defying the box that the music industry places these artists. As a quick reminder of what system they operate within. What is the first Marvin Gaye song that comes to mind? Does it have to do with loving/seducing someone? More importantly what do the words Vietnam War veteran evoke? Who is the person that springs to mind first.
