Adele released her new album ’30’ today. It’s flooded with 12 tear jerking ballads about her struggling love life. As far as putting together an album is concerned it is a perfect ten, but as brilliant and as talented as she may be, we are yet to see Adele use her singing voice to bring greater awareness to social issues anywhere in the world.
Most conversations about social responsibility usually center around black celebrities in America who gained success from the entertainment industry.
Many of her predicessors such as Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, and Harry Belafonte had no choice but to use their art to bring about social change.
Whilst she is visibly white(British and Irish) her music rides on the backs of these black singers with a legacy of speaking up for justice and bettering the human conditon. Within Adele’s music you can hear a touch of Jazz, Blues and R&B all black inventions. On “30” there is even a touch of reggae.
With a modern update, her sound draws from historical black singers like Ethel Waters and Josephine Baker who were known for melancholic performance styles that put a strain in their voices called “coon shouting,”.
Adele sat down with Oprah in a CBS special to discuss nothing but her new album and relationships.
Her disconnect from the conditions of humanity to elevate her self importance is a little vulgar.
Jay-Z And Harry Belafonte
In 2013 Harry Belafonte, civil rights activist, fundraiser and the first man to sell one million albums called on high profile celebrities to use their voices and stardom for greater purposes.
“I think one of the great abuses of this modern time is that we should have had such high-profile artists, powerful celebrities. But they have turned their back on social responsibility”. He said.
Harry singled out Jay Z and made mention of Bruce Springstein who has been using his voice to bring awareness to social issues.
“That goes for Jay-Z and Beyonce, for example. Give me Bruce Springsteen, and now you’re talking. I really think he is black,”
he quipped.
Jay-Z took offense to Harry’s statement after he mentioned him by name.
“I’m offended by that because first of all, and this is going to sound arrogant, but my presence is charity. Just who I am. Just like Obama’s is. Obama provides hope. Whether he does anything, the hope that he provides for a nation, and outside of America is enough. Just being who he is. You’re the first black president. If he speaks on any issue or anything he should be left alone. … I felt Belafonte … just went about it wrong. Like the way he did it in the media, and then he bigged up Bruce Springsteen or somebody. And it was like, ‘whoa,’ you just sent the wrong message all the way around. … Bruce Springsteen is a great guy. You’re this civil rights activist and you just bigged up the white guy against me in the white media. And I’m not saying that in a racial way. I’m just saying what it is. The fact of what it was. And that was just the wrong way to go about it”.
Since then Jay Z and Harry have made amends and Jay has been integral in the organizing of several social events that use his voice and money towards prison reform and seeking justice for the underrepresented.
Bruce Springstein who was the bone of contention between Jay and Harry, in 2017 supported the Women’s March against the then incoming President Trump. “We’re a long way from home, and our hearts and spirits are with the hundreds of thousands of women and men that marched yesterday … [They] rallied against hate and division and in support of tolerance, inclusion, reproductive rights, civil rights, racial justice… We stand with you. We are the new American resistance”.
Adele uses voice techniques to share her pain for her profit, but is yet to find a moment where she rises beyond pop culture lonely ballads and sing the songs for the oppressed.
In 2017 at the Grammy Awards where she collected her trophy for Song of The Year for “Hello” and Record Of The Year for “25” she made mention of “Her black friends”.
“The way you make me and my friends feel, the way you make my black friends feel, is empowering,” she said. “And you make them stand up for themselves, and I love you.” She said in tribute to Beyonce.
“Black Friends” aside I think she could be more active in lending her art towards social solutions and this is in no way an indictment on her character, because she does seem like a generous and warm person.
Her numerous performances at charity events and her visit to the Chelsea fire station where she brought cake for the first responders are commendable.
However, with her voice and reach, she could put into context the struggles and conditions of the world on even one song.
