BLKMN STRUGGLE

  • Feyi Soloye

Throughout this creative process, i am going to be addressing a topic such as Culture, Black pride, Mental health within the black community as my main focus area. The Guardian explores the issues between black people and if the Black culture isn’t the problem systemic, inequality is. “The culture that creates our disproportionate rates of poverty and imprisonment is everywhere: cop shows, news media, movies set in black neighborhoods and high-school social studies classes have all perpetuated this misconception.” Additionally, this article discusses the time to tackle mental health inequality among black people reported by Edward Davie “We also never want to see a repeat of the circumstances that led to the death in 2008 of black musician Sean Rigg who died in police custody after being restrained by officers during a schizophrenic episode. The coroner’s report, highlighting serious failings by the local NHS and police, led to the establishment of the Lambeth Black Health and Wellbeing Commission that launched its final report on 10 October.” Both of The Guardian reports the lack of communication between mental health and the black community and how inequality within the justice system can affect them. I chose the artists Stormzy and Kendrick Lamar because each artist discusses having depression or anxiety which had a big impact on their careers. Which led them to discuss this topic very openly using their talent: Kendrick Lamar - God is a Gangsta Stormzy - First things first I was also heavily influenced by the grime culture in the UK, from the festivals carnival, where Grime music and Artist are would either present their music in contrast to the underground clubs/ basements in which artists such as Dizzee Rascal, Giggs, Kano, Wiley, Section Boyz and more… Grime was created and developed over the years reported by the Evening Standard article Grime time: What it is and where to find it discusses the origin of grime and how the culture has influence became the main forefront of British music. Creating this I wanted to play with tempo and dynamics additionally I wanted to create material that had a very light contrasted by the heavy hits. I wanted to also focus on the musicality of this the moments where I enunciate the snares of the drum and the ricocheted of the high hats. From this I saw the Phase1 - “I didn’t want to self-destruct.” Phase 2 - “The evils of Lucy was all around me.”Phase 3 - “ Until I came home.” I was also influenced by how grime music videos use this gesture to suggest violence and suffering. This also describes the relationship between the police, friends, education, music and so forth the constant struggle and suffering most black males have to face additionally the weights and burdens the mental well being holds. First/Beginning Phrase: When i started the exploring stage i interviewed my dancer on a few questions asking about “ what it was like growing up in South London” and “ how it feels to be a black boy”. This gave me incite on how I can use my dancer’s own experiences growing up to relate to the character of a distressed, depressed and not in control of his actions/emotions Additionally, I wanted to find out how these experiences can affect him in his later years. This helps me to understand Tre’s normal character “ The Real Tre” plus to understand the character i want to present throughout this solo material.

After the interview, I wanted to explore the idea of the different textures and the journey that Kendrick Lamar goes through using his voice. The drunken snares and the uncontrolled riffs, this influence the aesthetics of the movement. I wanted to present how it music sounds and what the sounds look like if I was to draw the musical accompaniment on a piece of paper. For example, using speed to show the uncontrollable thoughts enhanced the music and the characters throughout the piece.

With this opening I want the audience members to ask themselves:

“How does it make you feel and why?”
and

“What does it make you think of?”
I addressed exploring the darkest parts of depression and alcohol abuse in the black community moreover how this can affect the way you perceive yourself plus the people closest to you.

This phrase shows the struggle trying to express your negative thoughts and the burdens that certain situations the black community tend to brush away. My goal with the beginning is I wanted to show the transitions from subtle to expressive; to play on the gradual effect of mental abuse, therefore, I used levels to show how that depression gradually creeps upon someone.