The Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show marked the first time in the show’s history that hip-hop artists were the featured performers. It was a momentous first for the genre whose roots date back to the 1970s and collaborations among Black, Caribbean and Latinx youth in New York City’s Bronx borough.
The NFL is under renewed scrutiny amid a lawsuit alleging racial discrimination in its hiring practices, and the halftime performance presented an opportunity for social commentary by some of hip-hop’s biggest stars. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem were joined by special guest 50 Cent on a stage reminiscent of a Los Angeles block party. Dre and Snoop kicked off the nearly 15-minute performance, which included a protest statement by Eminem and Lamar’s performance of his 2015 hit “Alright,” widely associated with Black Americans’ struggle against racial injustice.
With Black History Month and a historic Super Bowl Halftime Show as the backdrop, let’s look at some of the most influential Black protest songs* spanning more than a century of the pursuit of racial justice and equality.
*Note that songs denoted with [E] contain explicit or sensitive language related to protest.
***Songs denoted with [***] have video and PDF content at https://teachrock.org/lesson/alright-and-the-history-of-black-protest-songs/. Teach Rock offers “standards-aligned, arts integration curriculum that uses the history of popular music and culture to help teachers engage students.”
- Wallace Willis – “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” (mid-1800s)
- John & James Johnson – “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” (1900)
- Charles Tindley – “We Shall Overcome” (1901)
- Billie Holiday – “Strange Fruit” (1939) [***]
- Mahalia Jackson – “How I Got Over” (1951)
- Sam Cooke – “A Change Is Gonna Come” (1964)
- Nina Simone – “Mississippi Goddam” (1964) [***]
- The Staple Singers – “Freedom Highway” (1965)
- Impressions – “People Get Ready” (1965)
- Stevie Wonder – “Blowin’ in the Wind” (1966)
- Aretha Franklin – “Respect” (1967) [***]
- James Brown – “Say it Loud – I’m Black and Proud” (1968) [***]
- Gordon Lightfoot – “Black Day In July” (1968)
- Gil Scott-Heron – “Whitey On The Moon” (1970)
- The Last Poets – “When The Revolution Comes” (1970)
- Gil Scott-Heron – “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” (1971)
- Marvin Gaye – “What’s Going On?” (1971) [***]
- Gil Scott-Heron – “No Knock” (1972)
- Stevie Wonder – “Living For The City” (1973)
- Bob Marley & The Wailers – “Get Up, Stand Up” (1973)
- Stevie Wonder – “Happy Birthday” (1980)
- Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five – “The Message” (1982)
- N.W.A. – “Straight Outta Compton” (1988) [***] [E]
- Tracy Chapman – “Talkin’ ‘bout a Revolution” (1988) [E]
- Public Enemy – “Fight the Power” (1989) [***] [E]
- Rage Against The Machine – “Killing In The Name” (1992) [E]
- KRS-One – “Sound of da Police” (1993)
- Tupac Shakur feat. Talent – “Changes” (1998) [E]
- Bruce Springsteen – “American Skin (41 Shots)” (2001)
- John Legend and Common – “Glory” (2014)
- Vince Staples – “Hands Up” (2014) [E]
- D’Angelo – “The Charade” (2014)
- Janelle Monáe – “Say Her Name (Hell You Talmbout)” (2015)
- Kendrick Lamar – “Alright” (2015) [***] [E]
- Solange – “F.U.B.U.” (2016) [E]
- Beyoncé feat. Kendrick Lamar – “Freedom” (2016)
- Childish Gambino – “This Is America” (2018) [E]
- Dave – “Black” (2019) [E]
- Little Simz feat. Little Dragon – “Pressure” (2019) [E]
- Lil’ Baby – “The Bigger Picture” (2020) [E]
- H.E.R. – “I Can’t Breathe” (2020)
Erick Haight is professor of psychology and humanities at North Central Michigan College
and a former freelance music reviewer for Alternative Press and Bust. His employment
at countless record stores over 15 years—including the much-missed Record World in
Petoskey, MI—provided him with enough physical media to be literally crushed by his
CD collection alone. Erick can be reached at ehaight@ncmich.edu or by gazing into a mirror and saying "David Bowie" three times.
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