Dani Portes

Professor Vinciguerra

Eng 160

23 February 2023

Black Love

Nothing is more beautiful than black culture. So many ways of express yourself ranging from clothes, art, music, and hair. One of my favorite artists who goes by the name Masego is a Jamaican American singer with South African roots. His real name is Micah Davis but he goes by the name Masego which means “blessing”, it stems from a bantu tribe found in South Africa. “Black Love” is a jazz song that Masego had made to pay homage to black culture. It shows the beauty of love within a black couple and the unity between the two of them.

For a song about “Black Love” you’d assume that whoever his partner was at the moment may have been his inspiration for such a sweet and loving song, but Masego had not been interested in anyone at the time: “I was even surprised I could write that, because I am not that deep in love right now. That’s how I knew it was literally a gift for me to tap into that genuine feeling and translate it to a song” (”About”). Love is such a strong emotion that can be felt and expressed in so many ways. Although this is a song about romantic love that doesn’t mean that romantic love is the only form of black love that exists. Platonic love or familial love is something that everyone has experienced. There are so many different perceptions of love and how you integrate it into your daily life or your perception of the world.

In the beginning of the song, it begins with a piano slowly progressing to what the main melody of the song is going to be. The piano slows down and speeds back up to its regular tempo once the drums join after a small pause. There’s only a base drum, a clap effect and a triangle which are very minimal instruments. What carries the heart of the song is the saxophone and piano. The piano carries the melody of the song which brings you a sense of peace and tranquility. The saxophone, which is played by Masego himself, is what truly tells the story of the song and sets the tone. It tells a story of how strong the love within this black couple is. This represents a new step within their relationship as they are approaching the unity of their families which implies marriage. The song touches on how both sides of the family feel as they grow bigger. The role of community and Black unity plays a big role in the song especially with the chorus. The chorus of the song is a choir singing, “Da da da da da” (Masego, stanzas 2, 4 and 5) in harmony. Which shows how beauty can be created with just the unity of their voices. Harmonies are a great representation of love, it’s one of the best ways to create a calming setting within a song.

Black love is beautifully represented throughout the song. It has implications of marriage and the preparation of a wedding. “That dress is brings me to a time of class, you’re so elegant your skin is shining melanin. We are king and queen I’ll spend the next a thousand years with you” (Masego, verse 2, lines 1-4). Colorism is a huge issue within society especially today. Embracing all kinds of skin tones is very important living within colorist a society like ours. He describes everything what the bride is wearing and how it brings him nothing but positive thoughts. His soon to be wife brings him peace and this is a true representation of what true love is. This song tells me it is a wedding because it mentions families from both the man and woman’s side. “The smiles worn by both our families, they can see the power in our newfound unity, One day we’ll create additions in the images of we” (Masego verse 2, lines 5-7) the only time that both sides of the family gather together for something is if there is a wedding. Wedding represents unity and the fusion of two sides. It opens a brand-new chapter and is a moment where a lot of emotions are flowing and changing. The implication of children within the line shows they have huge plans for their future together.

Black pride is something that is always taught within the community. Although we live in a modern society, racist things still happen despite the amount of things we’ve gone through to change it. Being prideful of who you are and where your culture stems from is key. Masego portrays that within a lot of his songs especially with the way the instruments blend so well together. Being prideful of who you are and where your culture stems from is key.

 

 

 

 

 

 

WORK CITED

“About”. Genius. Genius Holdings, LLC, 2023

https://genius.com/Masego-black-love-lyrics

Masego. “Black Love”. Lady Lady. EQT Recordings, 2018. Spotify.

Masego. Lyrics to “Black Love”. Genius, accessed 2023

https://genius.com/Masego-black-love-lyrics