Thank you for this! That Toni Morrison quote is so powerful and so spot on. I'm loving Bey's new album and am admittedly a member of the Hive. II Hands II Heaven is on repeat. I love when Bey said, this isn't a country album, it's a Beyonce album. For me, that spoke to her indifference to the country music industry's acceptance of her work. I don't see this album as a response to her 2016 experience in hopes of being accepted by this industry, but rather a reclaiming of music that's always been ours.
Absolutely! Thanks for reading! I cycle what is on repeat on the album myself. First, it was II Most Wanted, then I had a long II Hands II Heaven phase too :-)
Reading this made me want go back to what you said in the workshop about speaking to our ancestors, recognizing and connecting with them. Inviting their help in grounding ourselves. I keep trying and failing to create without reaching back. They are the well, and I keep forgetting about them and then wondering why I’m still thirsty.
Yes I think we are vulnerable to this uprooting, displacement, erasure, all the time that makes it hard to know and trust our “long tails” in ancestry and culture and just being human. I’m trying to practice to better at that too 🙏🏾
As an Ohioan, I’ve been thinking a lot about that Toni Morrison quote lately but I couldn’t remember its exact phrasing. Thank you for reminding me. I love how you acknowledge Beyoncé’s contradictions, especially as it pertains to this album—there’s an honoring of the Black people who shaped country as a style of music, and she’s also reaching for commercial success in an exploitative industry that favors whiteness. Two things can be true. I appreciate your writing and hit subscribe. Excited to read more!
Thank you for this! That Toni Morrison quote is so powerful and so spot on. I'm loving Bey's new album and am admittedly a member of the Hive. II Hands II Heaven is on repeat. I love when Bey said, this isn't a country album, it's a Beyonce album. For me, that spoke to her indifference to the country music industry's acceptance of her work. I don't see this album as a response to her 2016 experience in hopes of being accepted by this industry, but rather a reclaiming of music that's always been ours.
Absolutely! Thanks for reading! I cycle what is on repeat on the album myself. First, it was II Most Wanted, then I had a long II Hands II Heaven phase too :-)
Reading this made me want go back to what you said in the workshop about speaking to our ancestors, recognizing and connecting with them. Inviting their help in grounding ourselves. I keep trying and failing to create without reaching back. They are the well, and I keep forgetting about them and then wondering why I’m still thirsty.
They are right there. I too need reminders. I'm so glad this inquiry resonated.
Yes I think we are vulnerable to this uprooting, displacement, erasure, all the time that makes it hard to know and trust our “long tails” in ancestry and culture and just being human. I’m trying to practice to better at that too 🙏🏾
(and thank you for being at workshop😊)
As an Ohioan, I’ve been thinking a lot about that Toni Morrison quote lately but I couldn’t remember its exact phrasing. Thank you for reminding me. I love how you acknowledge Beyoncé’s contradictions, especially as it pertains to this album—there’s an honoring of the Black people who shaped country as a style of music, and she’s also reaching for commercial success in an exploitative industry that favors whiteness. Two things can be true. I appreciate your writing and hit subscribe. Excited to read more!
Thank you Alex, same here. Very inspired by your work!