By Rashod D. Ollison , rashod.ollison@baltsun.com|November 09, 2008
The picture captures a refreshing image of tenderness. There's Barack Obama, moments after delivering his acceptance speech for president of the United States. His arm is wrapped around the waist of his wife, soon-to-be first lady Michelle. Their eyes are closed as he gently kisses the tip of her nose. Her smile brightens the profile shot of the two.
Sadly, it's an image of a powerful and loving black couple that is rarely, if ever, seen in today's mainstream or black pop culture.
In the past few days, there has been much talk about the overwhelming emotionality of Obama's historic win and the social and political changes it could bring. But beyond that, images of what appears to be a healthy relationship between the country's most influential man and his wife could help change warped perceptions of black love. With any luck, such images will also help usher in a new era in black pop music: the rebirth of the love song.
"It will be interesting to see what black artists will do with this Obama moment now that we have the most visible black couple in the world," says Ernest Hardy, critic and author of Bloodbeats: Vol. 2, a collection of essays about, among other things, black pop culture. "We are going to see an erotic charge in the White House. Nobody has imagined a first couple [in a sexual context] for 40 years. The erotic charge is rooted in a palpable love and respect they have for each other. ... My question is, 'Are artists today up to the task of conveying that?' "
It's telling that the two hits sitting atop Billboard's R&B charts this week represent a seething confusion about strength and trust in black male-female relationships. In Ne-Yo's "Miss Independent," the No. 1 song, he sounds somewhat emasculated as he croons about the "kind of woman that want you but don't need you." This steely woman apparently has all the signifiers of success, including "manicured nails to set the pedicure off." But with the almost whiny way in which Ne-Yo sings the song, it's unclear whether he wants to be her or be with her. Meanwhile, in Jennifer Hudson's hit "Spotlight," which Ne-Yo wrote, coincidentally, the Oscar winner sings about feeling as if she's being watched by a "guard in a prison [of] maximum security." Her man apparently doesn't trust her strength.
