No Black Person Is Ugly by Lil B (2014)
No Black Person is Ugly is a song released on July 30, 2014 accompanied with its music video by American rapper Lil B. The hip hop song deals with race and identity in America, especially in the present day. It explores police brutality and the beauty standards of magazines. The lyrics touch upon "how far the media has to go in its representations of African-American people in pop culture,” alternate between his "black power declarations and his appeals for global solidarity against racism, rape, and all such violence." As well as the song’s positive message, "No black person is ugly, don’t say it one time." [1]
Key Lyrics
Make another dime a day, tryna make it rhyme away
Sometime my skin is the reason I'm alive today
Bigger than just a race, no card, just a race
No smile, fix your face, we all live in this place
Tryna make peace, with the police
I'm not on probation, so why you out askin' me?
This is not just about black, or wasn't about black
When we talk about that, you wonder why I talk back
My English not perfect, I'm not the best at school
But understand I'm—
I love life's rules
Homeless people will even give me money, I'm too real for the game
Reflection of the fame
I got cash, I hide all the pain
Your skin, black people, they won't say a thing
That drama is a shame
They wanna kill you before they even know your name (Name) [2]
Black Empowerment
This is a genuine catchy song which delivers a powerful message, “No black person is ugly, don’t say it one time.” This concerned as well about the injustices, identity, race, wrong perpetuated by police and media, as well as the discrimination:
I was told that you got a afro, or you got a big nose That your lips are too big, you talking low My people understand so why you don’t know? [3]
The song No Black Person Is Ugly concerned on race and identity in today’s America as it is just an uplifting rap song with love and nothing that could be confused with the irony. [4]
"I'm sorta like a Panther," he raps at one point, referencing the Black Panthers, and later sprinkling lines about stereotypes: "Black people not showed in the media/ I was told, if you got an afro, or you got a big nose/ That your lips are too big, you're talking low." [5]
References
- ↑ No Black Person Is Ugly. wikipedia.org. Retrieved January 28, 2021
- ↑ No Black Person Is Ugly Lil B. genius.com. Retrieved January 28, 2021
- ↑ Forman, Olivia. Lil B’s ‘No Black Person Is Ugly’ Video Beams Beauty. July 30, 2014. spin.com. Retrieved January 28, 2021
- ↑ Hughes, Josiah. Lil B "No Black Person Is Ugly" (video). July 30, 2014. exclaim.ca. Retrieved January 28, 2021
- ↑ Fleischer, Adam. LIL B HAS A MESSAGE FOR THE WORLD: 'NO BLACK PERSON IS UGLY'. July 30, 2014. mtv.com. Retrieved January 28, 2021