I've got another hair story for you. This time coming from our sisters in South America. In Brazil to be exact. My co-author from Hair Story, Ayana Byrd, tipped me off to this incredible story from the website BlackWomenofBrazil. Be prepared to be outraged.
Apparently, after two decades in the Brazilian court system, Sony Music has finally been ordered to pay damages for a song they released that was deemed racist and offensive to Black women. Now I expected to read about a song that perhaps used a version of the N-word in Portuguese or had violent lyrics directed towards women. But nothing I could have imagined could have prepared me for the lyrics in this song. Here take a look for yourselves:
"A representative for Sony maintained that the song was not intended to offend women and that the artist was in fact alluding to his own wife in the song and that the terms used in the song are used by Brazilians in reference to not only black women but white women as well."
Veja veja veja veja veja os cabelos dela (4x)
(Look look look look look at her hair (4x)
Parece bom-bril*, de ariá panela
(It looks like a scouring pad for pots and pans)
Parece bom-bril, de ariá panela
(It looks like a scouring pad for pots and pans)
Quando ela passa, me chama atenção
(When she goes by, she catches my attention)
Mas os seus cabelos, não tem jeito não
(But her hair just isn’t right)
A sua catinga quase me desmaiou
(Her stench almost made me faint)
Olha eu não aguento, é grande o seu fedor
(Look, I can’t take it, her smell is so bad)
Veja veja veja veja veja os cabelos dela
(Look look look look look at her hair)
Parece bom-bril, de ariá panela (2x)
(It looks like a scouring pad for pots and pans) (2x)
Eu já mandei, ela se lavar
(I told her to take a bath)
Mas ela teimo, e não quis me escutar
(But she’s stubborn and doesn’t listen to me)
Essa nega fede, fede de lascar
(This black woman stinks, she stinks horribly)
Bicha fedorenta, fede mais que gambá
(Stinking beast, smells worse than a skunk)
I know. It's revolting. I can't believe this was a 'popular' tune released by a major music corporation like Sony. I also can't believe a man with a Black mother -- yes you heard me -- could pen such insulting lyrics. Really? To read the whole sordid tale of the song and the lawsuit, please visit the Black Women in Brazil website. And then go rinse the vomit out of your mouth.
Happy Friday.
Peace!
5 comments:
Well....looks like some view points never change. I am still optimistic about the human race, however. I have to be.
okay, this is the irony in all of this. i don't know who wrote the song but tiririca, the guy who sang it, is biracial. he has a black mother. why am i not surprised that by that???! of course i would be outraged if a non-black person sang the song. but the fact that this guy was birthed by a black woman, the same woman that he denigrates in that song.... i mean it absolutely is a repulsive thought and it hurts. how can a man, a man that was birthed by a black woman, sing that song? how can men like that hate us so much?
This is incredibly sad. And even more so that this singer had a black mother. I wonder what his relationship what his mother was like...I've been reading the book "Raising Biracial Children" and one of the concepts is that biracial people can develop virulent racists attitudes as a result of the internalized racism arising out of a bad relationship with a parent...
BTW, have you seen the video, "Shit white girls say...to black girls" that is going viral on the internet? I blogged about it and would love to have your comments if you have some time. thisnigerianamericanlife.blogspot.com.
Towi,
Me too. Stay positive!
Anon,
Your questions are valid and I'm wondering the same things. (sigh)
TNAL,
Yes, sad. And I've heard the buzz about that video but haven't taken a peek. I will now, thanks to your nudge.
You are right, I feel outraged. seriously!
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