When Kendrick Lamar and SZA performed “luther” at the Superbowl halftime show, they weren't just paying homage to R&B icon Luther Vandross, they were engaging in a long history of Black artists using music to redefine cultural expectations.
A course in the Department of Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies is taking the conversation further by examining how R&B as a genre has served as a reflection of evolving ideas of Black masculinity.
The Course: R&B and Black Masculinity
The course is taught by associate professor Javon Johnson. After teaching a course on African American music — which covered hip-hop — Johnson began to consider the environment in the 1990s and the stereotypes surrounding Black men at the time.
“What was happening in the ‘90s for Black boys and Black men? [Hillary] Clinton would call them ‘super predators’ [and] deserving of mass imprisonment. People attempted to use hip-hop to justify negative narratives,” explains Johnson.
“On the other hand, there was an entire art form that was also really popular in the ‘90s — and even still to this day," he says. In music from artists like Vandross, "Black men were saying all the things that we say men should do and say if they're trying to be better. They were saying things like ‘I love you, I want to be loved, I have feelings.'"
"I wanted to make sense of it."
Who’s taking it?
As a 100-level course, the class is designed for anyone to take, whether they’re a first-year student or about to graduate. It also satisfies the undergraduate multicultural general education requirement.
Who teaches it?
A talented spoken word poet and author, Johnson’s work focuses on performance, Blackness, African American literature, slam and spoken word, and ethnography. He is a three-time national poetry slam champion, has appeared on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, BET’s Lyric Café, The Steve Harvey Show, The Arsenio Hall Show, and co-wrote a documentary titled, Crossover, in collaboration with the NBA and Nike.
Most importantly, says Johnson, “I’m a father. It's really the most pressing thing that I think of on a daily basis. So much of how I think about myself and my own gender performance is that I'm always reflecting and asking how my daughter thinks about me as she grows up. She informs so much of who I am and how I think of the world.”
What is the format of the class?
Classes are held twice a week, with each week focusing on an R&B album. On the first day, students discuss accompanying reading to understand the cultural context surrounding the album; on the second day they discuss the album itself.
“We get to unpack larger social issues and think critically, creatively, and contextually by listening to the album,” says Johnson.
For their final, students to create a mixtape with contemporary R&B artists and discuss how the current cultural climate influenced the music.
What’s something students might be surprised to learn?
Along with a robust knowledge of R&B history, students come out of the class with critical and creative thinking skills.
“I'm one of those professors that won’t overly describe in an assignment description. I don't want students to regurgitate what they think I want," Johnson says. "I want a little bit of negotiation around what it is that they're producing, and I want them to think on their feet.”
Students also develop their presentation skills and learn to work in groups through projects, like a group assignment focused on how women in R&B influenced masculine norms.
What excites you the most about teaching this course?
“I get to see this generation of students' engagement with the music. It's one of my favorite experiences as a teacher to watch them come alive with ideas, with experiences — particularly around music that I think is phenomenal,” says Johnson.
It’s exciting for him to see the students light up when they recognize an R&B song, whether it’s as the original from a sample in a more contemporary song, or it’s tied with nostalgia from growing up with parents who listened to the genre.
What is something even lay people should know from this course?
“R&B is a music with a long, rich, complex history that has a meaningful impact around the world,” Johnson says.
The genre originated as “race music.” And, while its popularity has kept it relevant in mainstream culture for decades, it still reflects the challenges and barriers that Black communities continue to face.
Paraphrasing author Richard Iton, Johnson asks R&B listeners to consider, “how do those who can’t vote or hold office engage in politics? How are those who aren’t given a space to demonstrate publicly exercising their First Amendment rights?”
The answer lies in the arts and in music.
“The artists are dreamers … about what Black masculinity could be beyond the confines of the dominant prevailing narratives. One of the ways that Black men were responding was via R&B, by simply saying, ‘Despite everything you've heard, I love, want to love, and want to be loved.’”
The listening list
For those who want explore the genre (just in time for Valentine’s Day weekend) or relive the nostalgia, Johnson has a list of some of his favorite R&B songs:
- “I Will Always Love You” — Whitney Houston
- “Can We Talk” — Tevin Campbell
- “End Of The Road” — Boyz II Men
- “This Woman’s Work” — Maxwell
