Show Notes
R&B music has changed. It was once the soundtrack of love, but is now more like a journal of pain. Through this music, George tracks the breakdown of the African American family since the 1970s. He discovers that higher poverty and incarceration rates among African Americans left a generation of children to fend for themselves. By the 1990s Gangsta rappers were displaying disrespect to women - and the market loved it and rewarded it. At the same time, Black women were pushing back through songs calling out immature men, and celebrating financial independence. Warning: This episode contains very strong language and language which may offend, as well as some adult themes. Credits: Written by George the Poet Produced by Benbrick and George the Poet Mixing, recording and editing by Benbrick. With music from: Ginuwine - Differences Jhené Aiko - P*$$Y Fairy (OTW) Kaash Paige - Love Songs George The Poet - Baby Father Cardi B - WAP (feat. Megan Thee Stallion) Megan Thee Stallion - Cash Shit (feat. DaBaby) Rick Ross - Sanctified (feat. Kanye West & Big Sean) Drake & GIVĒON - Chicago Freestyle Chris Brown - Loyal (Instrumental) Candi Staton - Young Hearts Run Free Lauryn Hill - Doo Wop (That Thing) Whitney Houston - It’s Not Right But It’s Okay Dr Dre - Bi*****s Ain’t S**t Destiny’s Child - Bills, Bills, Bills Sunshine Anderson - Heard It All Before TLC - No Scrubs Jazmine Sullivan - Pick Up Your Feelings All original music is written by Benbrick and recorded by the BBC Concert Orchestra. Thank you to: My team: Sandra, Vidhu, and Birungi. Dylan Haskins and the team at BBC Sounds, BBC Concert Orchestra. Torrie Maas. My Common Ground team: Anne Whitehead, Darshan Sanghrajka, and Benbrick. Archive: The clips of Candi Staton used at 07:31, 08:05, 08:28 and 08:59 are taken from her interview with Paul Morley on Guardian Music. The clips of Jay-z used at 11:06 are taken from his interview on the Scandinavian talk show Skavlan, and his interview with Sway for MTV. The clip of Tupac used at 11:32 is taken from his BET Networks interview with Ed Gordon. The clip of 50 Cent used at 12:23 is taken from his interview with Larry King for Ora TV. The clip of Barack Obama used at 13:01 is taken from CBS News. The clip of Lauryn Hill used at 14:26 is taken from her 1998 BET Rap City interview. The clip talking about crack used at 20:05 is taken from the Glide Memorial Church conference “The Race Against Crack”. Have You Heard George’s Podcast? is a George the Poet production for BBC Sounds. Commissioning Assistant Producer: Adam Eland Commissioning Senior Producer: Alex Entwistle Commissioning Executive for BBC: Dylan Haskins
More from Have You Heard George's Podcast?
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George responds to audience questions taken from Common Ground, the platform he co-created in Chapter 3. Listeners discuss everything from art to race using prompts from previous episodes, reaffirming the importance of the artist/audience relationship.
Shaken by the passing of his grandmother, George reflects on the post-colonial struggles of her generation. 1970s Jamaica provides an early case study of the weaponised debt that went on to re-colonise much of the global South. A look back on previous episodes illuminates patterns of exploitation and extraction across African/Western relations. This is the global context that frames the questionable role of the International Monetary Fund in the perpetuation of poverty. George is reminded by his grandmother’s legacy that fighting for justice is always an option.
When keeping it real goes…wrong? For a moment in the seventies, Jamaican democracy produced an ambitious plan to end inequality between countries. But when the island’s socialist leader, Michael Manley, flew too close to the sun, he got burnt. What was the New International Economic Order? Why did it rattle Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan so much? On this fast-paced tour of Jamaican history, George looks back at the rise and fall of the Third World’s biggest political project. Written by George the Poet Produced by Benbrick and George the Poet Original score composed by Benbrick and recorded by the BBC Concert Orchestra
When is a breakup not a breakup? When your ex controls every aspect of your life. After walking through the freedom struggles of Ghana and the Congo in previous episodes, George turns his attention towards the “former” French colonies of West and Central Africa. What happens when freedom is gifted conditionally, not won through revolution? Is all independence created equal? Written by George the Poet Produced by Benbrick and George the Poet Original Score by Benbrick recorded by the BBC Concert Orchestra Sound Design by Benbrick