I watched the Macy's Fourth of July fireworks on NBC last night. It was truly spectacular. Somewhere at the beginning, there were all kinds of "contemporary artists" providing the sound effects, so I turned off the volume and just watched the spectacle. I was more convinced, after this celebration of independence, that whites contribute truly spectacular things to our culture and society.
One of the "contemporary artists" was the one-name, black hip-hop star Usher, who had four songs included in the fireworks spectacle. Usher also got the prestigious title of "curator" of the fireworks. His curatory contribution involved some shameless self-promotion.
Usher says about his curatorial honors:
Me curating, it's far more than me just showing up and allowing my name to be on a bill. I wanted to represent America. I wanted people to understand something more about me artistically.His full statement is:
Me curating, it’s far more than me just showing up and allowing my name to be on a bill. I wanted to represent America. I wanted people to understand something more about me artistically. It’s not just me being a dancer on a stage, but being able to recognize other incredible people and what they've done. To highlight incredible things we've overcome as people in America. Making an investment and being able to empathize and understand and give credence to some of the things we've had to overcome. And that right there is what I think creates a legendary artist, a legendary person, a legendary show.His highlighting the "incredible things we've overcome as people in America" and giving "credence to some of the things we've had to overcome" is a jaded reference to black Americans, since everything about blacks is "overcoming" something. What? Slavery, of course, and discrimination and oppression. But now, there are no more grievances to cite, so it all he has is to reference a looming history, a past. And milk white guilt.
He says:
The 4th of July is a collective celebration of freedom and I hope that through the music and visuals, I’ve helped express the energy and passion of our nation.In order to honor "some of the things we've had to overcome," and as "a collective celebration of freedom" Usher has selected an almost all-black group of performers for the fireworks' accompaniment, including four of his own, which amount to 30% of the line-up. And he selected the 1960s wild man Jimi Hendrix's The Star Spangled. Here is what Wikipedia says about Hendrix's version:
One of the most controversial renditions of the anthem was Jimi Hendrix's solo guitar performance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival. Hendrix played the anthem with a number of distorted regressions (such as mimicking planes, bombs, and screams in reference to the Vietnam War)...Hendrix also recorded a studio version of The Star-Spangled Banner some time before Woodstock festival. That version features numerous guitar tracks played through octave shifting effects.Usher chose the "tamer" version, which is still a grating rendition of the beautiful melody.
Why did Usher choose Hendrix? To be rebellious, and ultimately as a pro-black, which means anti-white, statement.
If he truly found America beautiful, he would have included one of the many black opera singers such as Leontyne Price, who has a powerful, heartfelt and sincere rendition of America the Beautiful.
Usher's own songs are repetitive monotones with limited melody, which promote violence and destruction. Yeah! was included in the pyrotechnics playlist. He sings Yeah! with a collection of aggressive rap and hip hop singers, who promote "a life of guns, violence, drugs and disrespect of women."
Here is Usher chosen play list for the fireworks accompaniment:
(* = White musicians)
- Star Spangled Banner - Jimi Hendrix
- All of ohe Lights - Kanye West
- *Levels - Avicii
A Swedish "electro-pop" group of white members, whose video is about a white man who goes crazy, and is being saved by blacks: doctors, nurses, secretaries, policemen, etc.- *Save the World - Swedish House Mafia
A Swedish "electro" group of white members, whose video is about white thugs in hoodies and cute dogs.It looks like Usher saw one "inclusive" video in Sweden (which is probably not surprising, given the equality road that country is taking) and picked two for his show. He could have gone to France, but probably most "inclusive" pop songs there are by Arabs.
- *Stronger - Kelly Clarkson
- Diamonds - Rihanna
- Euphoria - Usher
- Yeah! - Usher
- OMG - Usher
- Without You - Usher
Four songs by the self-promoting Usher- *America the Beautiful - Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton (country music)
- *God Bless America
Choral arrangement by R. Ringwald- *New York, New York - Frank Sinatra
- Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z and Alicia Keys
They did a hip hop "mash-up" of Sinatra's song, referencing his name and the lyrics to the song he made famous.- A Change Is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke
And ode to Obama? Yes.Usher was clever enough to include white country music stars to please the whites. They sang probably the most important song: America the Beautiful. But all the white performers can be "relateable" by blacks: The two Swedish groups and their inclusiveness; Kelly Clarkson with her belting, black style; And the old school Frank Sinatra who is a threat to no-one.
The show ended with Frank Sinatra's great melodious tribute to New York, New York, New York. But it was too late coming, and was ruined by a follow up with Jay-Z and Alicia Key's "Empire State of Mind," supposedly a tribute to both Sinatra and New York City.
The firework organizers could have done better to give justice to the show. There are many American classical composers, such as Charles Ives, Aaron Copeland, and Gerswhin (yes, that's as American as one can get, with the popular (pop song) elements of Broadway, but much more interesting than the current pop music). And of course, Frank Sinatra himself, without the hip-hop references.
How about Aaron Copland's atmospheric Our Town?
Or his more forceful An Outdoor Overture?
Or Charles Ives' Children's Day from his Symphony No. 3: The Camp Meeting?
And there's Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks. How spectacular would that have been!
And here's Sinatra's New York, New York.
New York, New York:
Start spreading the news
I am leaving today
I want to be a part of it
New York, New York
These vagabond shoes
They are longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it
New York, New York
I want to wake up in that city
That doesn't sleep
And find I'm king of the hill
Top of the heap
My little town blues
They are melting away
I gonna make a brand new start of it
In old New York
If I can make it there
I'll make it anywhere
It's up to you
New York, New York
New York, New York
I want to wake up in that city
That never sleeps
And find I'm king of the hill
Top of the list
Head of the heap
King of the hill
These are little town blues
They have all melted away
I am about to make a brand new start of it
Right there in old New York
And you bet [Incomprehensible] baby
If I can make it there
You know, I'm gonna make it just about anywhere
Come on, come through
New York, New York, New York
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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