V V Brown Dissects Cultural Appropriation With New Track “Twisted”

After a ten-year hiatus, artist, mother, activist, journalist, and teacher V V Brown is back with a new power single: “Twisted.” Inspired by the work of James Baldwin and the music of Erykah Badu, Brown seeks again to speak on racial issues through her sociology-focused music. Listen to “Twisted” by watching the official music video below.

The lyrics of this new single are steeped in discussion of racial issues. They heavily discuss the exploitation of black culture that has continued for decades upon decades, with lyrics like “You like to take our culture and make a profit from our soul / You wrap it up in dollars and pounds and claim it as your own.” The song even cites specific examples, like “We know about that Elvis / He copied us appropriately.” The song also points out the hypocrisy of taking so much culture from the black community and yet, “They make their money but they don’t invest in our community.” Towards the end of the song, Brown begins to list off a number of problems plaguing black communities: “Labeling, culture, education, high birth death rate working class mind bias and broken limiting life.” There is much more discussion within the song’s lyrics.

The video itself is a visual representation of the issues presented, with a black girl having her hair done, while a large group of white girls watch on, taking notes, and combing their hair.

Ronan Ruiz: My name is Ronan Ruiz and I'm a Writing and Publication Major at the University of North Georgia. I've written academic essays about LGBTQ+ representation in video games, transgender rights in America, public treatment of female celebrities in recent decades, and wealth inequality in America. I'm also a longtime listener and fan of indie rock music. I'm passionate about art, music, video games, politics, and social issues.
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