Wiz Khalifa’s ‘Black and Yellow,’ ‘BMF’ Among Today’s Rally Songs: 5 Songs That Move Black Youth and Why

Wiz Khalifa's 'Black and Yellow,' 'BMF' Among Today's Rally Songs: 5 Songs That Move Black Youth and Why

Taking part in the 11th Congressional Pilgrimage to Alabama to commemorate Civil Rights events found me listening to and even singing along with some of the elders as they sang songs that rallied the movement’s pioneers when the going got tough. I heard songs such as “We Shall Not Be Moved”, “We Shall Overcome” and “If I Had a Hammer.” Congressman John Lewis, one of the “Big 6” from the movement, put it quite eloquently: “The Civil Rights Movement without music would have been like a bird without wings.”


Watching those faces etched with experience and wisdom light up as they sang left me considering what contemporary songs energize and motivate the young to press on in some direction. What music or lyrics resonate with the current generation to the point of driving them to overcome obstacles?


In speaking with some of the youth on the pilgrimage at the start of the trip, here are their battle songs and what those songs charge them to do (names omitted to protect the innocent):

1. “Black and Yellow” (Wiz Khalifa) – “‘Black and Yellow’ gets me hyped to just have a good time. Wiz knows how to party on his own terms.”


2. “OMG” (Usher) – “‘OMG’ makes me feel like I can do anything and I have a thousand of people there to do it with me.”

3. “Blowing Money Fast” (Rick Ross) – “When I hear ‘BMF,’ it gets me hyped up to [get] rich and spend a lot of money … like I’m a rich gangster.”

4. “I Got a Feeling” (the Black Eyed Peas) – “No matter what’s going on that’s bad, ‘I Got a Feeling’ let’s me know it doesn’t really matter and I can turn my day around to something good. ”

5. “Moment for Life” (Nicki Minaj) – “Nicki Minaj makes me think about girl power and ‘Moment for LIfe’ makes me feel like I can do whatever she does … I can’t rap, but ‘Moment’ makes me think I can if I try.”

All kinds of conclusions can be drawn from these answers, but let’s reserve judgment until the end of trip … It’s a pilgrimage intended to enrich the soul. gerald radford

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