Wattstax and the evolution of revolutionary music

                                                              Isaac Hayes- Soulsville
                                          (closing performance from the documentary Wattstax)

I took a bit longer to put up the post but its because i spent most of the day trying to find a way to watch all of the documentary Wattstax. This was about a music festival that took place in August 1972 to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the Watts riots. I feel kind of ashamed to have not heard of this festival prior because i think its way more substantial than Woodstock (which i find to be not as revolutionary). This documentary was well edited and included commentary from black residents of Watts, Richard Pryor and other black actors/comedians from the seventies. It starts off with an empowering speech from Jesse Jackson who tells the crowd that its no longer "burn baby burn" but "learn baby learn" which sets the tone for the rest of the documentary.Much of the subject matter discussed in between performances is about interracial relations and the liberation of African Americans. I watched this documentary with my mother,who loved it, and was able to fill me in on the names of the some of musicians. Much of the music was liberating and had a strong message while others were more upbeat (a way to tell the black community to celebrate, have fun and love themselves). The song that stood out the most and was the last one performed was Soulsville by Isaac Hayes.

 
Any kind of job is hard to find
That means an increase in the welfare line
Crime rate is rising too
If you are hungry, what would you do?

Rent is two months past due and the building that's falling apart
Little boy needs a pair of shoes and this is only a part of Soulsville

Some of the brothers' got plenty of cash
Tricks on the corner, gonna see to that
Some like to smoke and some like to blow
Some are even strung out on a fifty dollar Jones

A lot of this performance is mixed with more scenes of  Watts after the damage and even of residents lining up in welfare offices. I thought this was a strong way of ending the documentary because despite the funny and happy moments it reminded you of how serious the riot was and the social issues that caused it. It also reflects the same issues that were shown in the film Raising the Heights which was inspired by the 1991 Crown Heights riots (i intend to write an extra post on that later this weekend). I also think its great to see Hip Hop artists today like the one from the previous post and even more so Immortal Technique who try and spread these messages to enlighten us because these issues aren't getting any better (but unfortunately people are too busy listening to Drake or Lady Gaga).