Romir Swar Week 5: Wah Wah Wah
(I would like to preface and ask you to listen to “The Bigger Picture” before reading. Trust me, it is a SUCH a great song by Lil Baby + IT WILL MAKE THIS SO MUCH MORE ENJOYABLE!)
“Wah-wah-wah.”
What does this make you think of? Probably the cries of a baby. But, AND HOPEFULLY, not just any baby—the sound of American rapper Lil Baby, but more specifically the line from his hit song “Yes Indeed.”
Two years later—in 2020—Lil Baby released what became another hit song, “The Bigger Picture.”
At this time, I did not truly understand the lyrics of this song and the message he was conveying. But, after growing—physically and mentally—I have come to understand he is more than a rapper; Lil Baby is an activist.
“The Bigger Picture” was created in exigence of George Floyd’s death. Lil Baby, or Dominique Armani Jones, starts this melody with the repetition of protesters chanting, “I can’t breathe! I can’t breathe!” alluding to the tragic death of Floyd. Baby then criticizes the police, questioning how they’ll “shoot you and know that you dead, but still tell you to freeze,” depicting the cruel nature of the American security system.
Lil Baby then utilizes irony (wow, why am I doing R.A on a RAP SONG, wow “RAP”. This class is not for the weak bro wow) to intensify the wrongdoings of Floyd, “hold him down if he say he can't breathe, ” illustrating how the police abused Floyd.
Lil Baby then writes about the sorrow that entails these actions—specifically the “mothers” who are “grieving” and how this treatment has “been going on for too long to get even,” reflecting how long racial mistreatment has been embedded into American society. This mistreatment is further explored in Baby’s portrayal of how Black people are treated: “like dogs and hyaenas" in “cages,” strengthening Baby’s painting of how African-Americans are treated.
What follows is Baby’s sharing of his own perspective. He believes that it is not just to respond to this treatment with more abuse in his line “you can’t fight fire with fire” but he doesn’t think they should sit back and be passive, as represented in the next line: “but at least we can turn up the flames.” His perspective is further delved into in his sharing of his thought that “all whites not racist,” showcasing he does not generalize human beings. He deepens this notion through the inclusion of “I be judging by the mind and heart, I ain't really into faces.”
Lil Baby does all of this whilst acknowledging the fact that change takes time, as he raps “it can't change overnight but we gotta start somewhere,” supporting the belief that he is an activist, trying to spark a difference.
Music culture is so prevalent in today's America. Rap culture is so prevalent in today’s America—especially for those around our age. I find it fascinating (and even inspiring) that Lil Baby uses his position for the betterment of the country, and I hope to do so with my own voice (although, for your sake and mine, it will not be through music).
Hi Romir, I took your advice and listened to the song before reading your blog (like you suggested) and can I just say wow. You were right, this song is really good and the message is powerful. Rap is not my usual go to style of music (mainly because I dislike the messages some rapers put out) but I was also fassinated by the way he uses rap as a way to advacate against the social injustice in our society. I agree with all the analysis points you brought up in your blog such as the line about how “you can’t fight fire with fire” and how that stands for not abusing the abuser because then we are just stuck in a cycle. After listening to the song the line that stuck out to me the most was the line “all whites not racist”. As a white person (I know shocking) I have felt a shift in recent times where people believe that it is ok to be racist to white people because “you were raciest first”. I just thought that it was refreshing that all the blame was put on the whole race but on the system in which people believe they have the power to be prejudiced against others. Anyways, thanks for sharing this amazing song and showing me that not all rap is bad but can be used as a platform to better the country.
ReplyDeleteThe added context about the singer and the reference to one of his songs before the transition into the song you’re discussing makes the reading flow smoothly, and the added note to listen to the song also helps provide a lot of context! The additional information about what was happening at the time and why Lil Baby wrote the song helped me understand what the song was trying to say also.
ReplyDeleteYour elaboration and quotes of specific lyrics and words in the song also help me understand how the song is intended to be interpreted and honestly it’s amazing how you managed to take rhetorical analysis out of the classroom and apply it to a song! (I know I couldn’t) You also elaborated on the singer’s perspective and his views on the matter solely from the lyrics, which also helps provide more information about the song’s importance.
With the ending statement shifting to talking about the genre of music that the song falls under and how it influences what kinds of audiences the song reaches also leaves me with a lot to think about and the connection to using our voices like the singer uses his to support similar causes is a nice lesson to end with.
Romir, I laughed at your little comment about writing about Lil Baby’s choices in a blog about rap…like RAP…(I’m definitely part of the weak) and love how you incorporate comedy throughout your writing. It honestly makes this so much more enjoyable to read as a piece relating to America amongst everyone’s depressed tones in talking about the political state of America. Lil Baby’s wahs as an introduction to this blog is also downright genius. You’ve crafted a great hook into the lyrical mastery displayed here. Speaking of the lyrics, I also heeded your suggestion to listen to this song and, wow. I didn’t expect how deep this song would turn out to be—especially from a “Baby.” I’m quite familiar with rap’s origins and foundation in writing extensive lyrics, expressing the rapper’s world views, family life, love life, etc., but I was not aware of how relevant Lil Baby’s songwriting was and his lyrical game. I love rap, like you probably do too, so I’m all for this sort of progressive writing.
ReplyDeleteThe line “‘I be judging by the mind and heart’” really stands out to me as well, as I’ve always had insecurities relating to how my face is perceived by people. Some of my closest friends have told me I don’t look very approachable, or that my resting face just looks like a scowl—and it really hits me deep down. I think about how I’m viewed by peers pretty much all the time, wondering about how unapproachable I am. And while Lil Baby is speaking more on the premise of racism and discrimination and judging people by their skin, or how they look, I still really appreciate this line. Nice analysis Romir, and please don’t ever write like this again because I would rather keep rhetorical analysis outside this creative outlet of blogging (JOKE!! I dig applications of rhetorical analysis!).