E12S1FINAL: The Responsibility of the Artist

In this episode I, (Salma Mohamed,  along with the help of my friend Devin, question whether or not artists have the moral obligation to speak about pressing political issues, movements, and ideologies. We flesh out the ways artists have failed to fully engage with these matters in their actions and tend to reduce these issues, movements, or ideologies by using them for branding and aesthetic value. We talk about how some artists have been more successful and deliberate in their approaches. From Beyonce and Jay-Z, to Noname and TRNSGNDR/VHS. To all the white artists who don’t bear the burden of such oppressions and therefore, the weight of such conversations. We try our best to answer these questions. And honestly, we were left with more questions. More thoughts are left to detangle even after this. Sources Referenced: Janelle Hobson’s Our Beyoncés, Ourselves: Celebrity Feminism TRNSGNDR VHS interview <https://www.womeninsound.com/issue-5/trnsgndr-vhs> Noname Tweets<https://twitter.com/kinematografi/status/1196828395750985728?s=20> Netflix Film, What Happened, Miss Simone?