Alright, By Bob Marley

Music has been around for a long time, from the Harlem Renaissance all the way to the Grammys. Music has been an everyday part of society whether people notice or not. Mostly, music is used for entertainment purposes, to lighten somebody’s day or to just get in the mood for a workout. Whatever the purpose of a song may be, other songs are there to inform the society about the social issues that are going on. Some artists decide to use their talent to tell people their opinion on the issue that are faced by most in society or call for action to people who want to make a change for the better.
To begin with, one song that shows a social protest is Kendrick’s song, “Alright,” focuses on today’s police brutality against African Americans. Greene
mentions, “It is the anthem of determination and persistence…” The song discusses the fact that all police want to do is kill African Americans out in the streets. “We gon’ be alright” (line 43). Kendrick suggests that everything is going to be alright. Kendrick believes everything will be okay at the end of the day as long as they stay together and pray to god. “N****, and we hate po-po/ Wanna kill us dead in the streets fo sho’/ N****, Im at the preacher’s door” (lines 36-38). Kendrick explains that he is at the preacher’s door praying because the police brutality is getting out of hand and he has hope that it will all change and stop.
Second, in the Black Eyed Peas song, “Where is the love?” they talk about how people act like they have lost their mind and how people do not respect each other at all. An article states, “…a wake-up call to humanity” (Bapalapa2). The world needs to wake up and realize that what people are doing is wrong. The song discusses how the government send soldiers out to other countries to fight terrorism but yet there are issues here in the USA, “Overseas, Yeah, we tryin’ to stop terrorism/ but we still got terrorists here livin’/ in the USA, the big CIA/The Bloods and the Crips, and the KKK” (lines 5-8). The Black Eyed Peas are trying to tell people that the government spends money on war against terrorism in other countries but yet the government does not see that here at home there is still violence from gang members and racists. The Black Eyed Peas also mention the fact that people do not respect each other and there are a lot of lies going around which cause wars. “Not respectin' each other, deny thy brother/A war is goin' on, but the reason's undercover/The truth is kept secret, and swept under the rug” (lines 40-42). They explain that most of the reasons that people go to war is kept secret by the government so that it creates propaganda against the enemy. So that people start going against their own brothers and sisters.
Another song that shows a social protest is Aguilera’s song, “Beautiful” the song focuses on bullying and self-acceptance. The song discusses how people talk about someone in a bad way and how that brings that person down. An Article on Review Stream mentions, “In the song, it tells us that no matter what other people say to bring you down, you are still beautiful in every single way”. No matter what people hear other people say about them, people should never listen to them or even believe them. People should not let words affect them at all. “So consumed in all your doom/Trying hard to fill emptiness/The pieces gone, left the puzzle undone/Is that the way it is?” (lines 12-15). Aguilera talks about how a person can fall into a depressed state because people talk bad about them. A person can hurt themselves due to the fact that somebody is bullying them. “And everywhere we go (and everywhere we go)/The sun will always shine” (lines 25-26). She encourages the listener that it is okay and that the sun will shine no matter what. She convinces the listener that they are beautiful no matter what the person trying to hurt them says.
Also a song that shows social protest is Tupac’s song, “Changes” the song explores social issues like gangs, and people killing each other over petty things. The song discusses how people should see each other as family instead some stranger, “Learn to see me as a brother instead of two distant strangers/And that's how it's supposed to be” (lines 16-17). Tupac explains how people should see each other as family instead of enemies and that that’s how it is supposed to be. Tupac wants his people to come together and stand as a whole, instead of having groups, cliques, and gangs and to rival against each other. An article by Art of Rap, mentions, “Tupac wants to inspire his people to join him and take a stand against these issues that are holding his people back”. Tupac believes that if they stand together, rather than apart as gangs, they could accomplish many things. Tupac believes that standing together against these issues would help them a lot. Also Tupac talks about police brutality in one of his lines, “Cops give a damn about a negro/Pull the trigger, kill a n****, he's a hero” (lines 5-6). Tupac explains how in this generation if a police officer kills an African American whether it be on purpose or accident, that police officer will be seen as a hero and will not be persecuted for murder or manslaughter. The government will try to make it look like the African American that got killed, was dangerous to others especially the police officer, for instance had a gun or another weapon.
At the same time, Bob Marley’s song “War”, explores racism and how one race is above another.
Bob Marley talks about white supremacy and how if someone has whiter skin then they would get a different treatment than someone who has darker skin. “Until the philosophy which hold one race superior/ and another/ inferior/ is finally/ and permanently/ discredited/ and abandoned/ Everywhere is war/ Me say war.” (lines 1-9). Marley explains that until there is no more racism and everyone is equal in how they are treated then the wars will continue between us. Bob Marley believes that if people with whiter skin are held inferior to the people with darker skin, society will continue to fight between each other. Ortiz mentions, “he disagrees with racism because as long as there is racism, there will be hate, as long as there is hate, there will be fighting, and as long as there is fighting, there will be war”. Bob Marley believes that as long as all of those social issues are going on, there will be no world peace. Bob Marley is against racism and is for world peace where everyone is treated equally. “That until there no longer/ First class and second class citizens of any nation” (lines 10-11). Bob Marley wants world peace and does not want any racism or for someone with whiter skin to be considered more “first class” than somebody with darker skin. Bob Marley wants equality everywhere and for
everyone.
Finally, Wayne’s song, “God Bless Amerika,” discusses the American Dream and how it’s not what it used to be anymore.
“My country 'tis of thee/Sweet land of kill em all and let em die” (lines 7-8). Wayne explains how the government is not what it is used to be. How now, they just kill everybody in their way even their own people. “God bless Amerika/This ole' godless Amerika/I heard tomorrow ain’t promised today/The end of time is like a hour away” (lines 9-12). Wayne discusses how “godless” America has become. Wayne believes everyone can die at any time if the government wanted. Wayne explains that tomorrow is not promised that everything can be gone within an
hour.
In conclusion, many songs have social issues discussed within them these songs might be a call to stand up against these issues or to simply wake up and pay attention. Also they can be just words of encouragement against bullying. Artists strive to get to the hearts of people to wake them up about certain issues in our society or give comfort to the people going through a disaster in their lives. Whether it’s a disaster from weather, police brutality, war or bullying, artists almost always speak on the issues. But in all, music is here for people to stay informed and entertained about the world.