Solid As a Rock

A shot from “An Evening with Valerie Simpson in Honor of Nick Ashford”.

As a part of my work as a HistoryMakers Student Brand Ambassador, I had the privilege of watching “An Evening with Valerie Simpson in Honor of Nick Ashford”. This program, which was held by The HistoryMakers, was an intimate interview between HistoryMaker Gwen Ifill and Valerie Simpson. The program take place at Northwestern University School of Law. When I first started to watch the program, I acknowledged the familiarity of the name Valerie Simpson, but I did not think much about Simpson herself, assuming that I had previously heard the name at church or school. However, as Simpson spoke about her life and career with her husband Nickolas Ashford, I realized why the name was so familiar to me. Valerie Simpson was one half of the iconic singing, songwriting, and producing duo Ashford and Simpson. One of their hit songs, “Solid,” was a staple in my house growing up.

The cover of “Solid” by Ashford & Simpson.

Hearing Valerie Simpson speak about her career led me to think about the generational impact of music on Black families. From old Negro spirituals, to Motown, to today’s hip-hop and R&B, music has held Black communities together for generations. I decided to reflect on the impact of music in the Black community.

Ashford & Simpson earlier in their careers.

Music has long held historical significance among Black Americans. Legacies of bondage and dehumanization remind today’s communities of the old spirituals and hymns which enslaved Africans and their descendants used to sing. After being stripped of their unique African traditions and songs, enslaved Africans created new songs and a new collective identity. Songs such as "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Go Down Moses" gave encouragement and hope to enslaved Africans while reminding them of the freedom that was to come. Black communities today pay homage to these songs, remembering the struggles our ancestors faced while cherishing their commitment to hope and progress.

The nature of Black music has changed drastically since the ending of slavery. Passed down from generation to generation, spirituals became the chants of activists who fought against oppression during the early to mid 20th century. Speakers such as Martin Luther King Jr. would use the lyrics of those spirituals to excite and encourage their audiences, invoking lyrical pleas to stay determined and look toward the future. However, as the essence of traditional Black American music remained alive in the political consciousness of America, the social and cultural realms gave Black music a new shape. Increased social change made way for the rise of a new generation of talented Black musicians, such as Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, who won the hearts and ears of all Americans with their revolutionary sounds. Fitzgerald and Armstrong gave way to James Brown and B.B. King; new forms of Soul and Blues music gave way to Motown and its decades-long reign over popular Black music. Motown's most successful acts, such as Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, and The Temptations, released records which entered the Black public consciousness and have remained there for years.

The Supremes was one of Motown’s most successful groups.

Today, the generational impact of Black music leaves a different legacy. Songs from the Motown era and from later decades have cemented themselves in the minds and hearts of many Black Americans, sometimes becoming affectionately known as 'cookout music'. However, music that is released today does not seem to carry the same kind of longevity. What was about it about the music of Motown artists or of Ashford & Simpson that made it possible to become important to generations of Black people? Overlooking obvious technological advancements and their impacts on the way music sounds, has there been an overarching transition in lyrics or storytelling which makes today's music more short-lived? Has there been a cultural transformation in which music is only enjoyed until the next album is released? Whatever the problem, it is impossible to ignore how fleeting relationships with new music seem to be. I only hope that, as time passes, we discover that the music from our own generation is not a temporary trend but is, in fact, as solid as a rock.