In our previous article for Black History Month, we introduced the main theme for this year, ‘Reclaiming Narratives.’ This theme encourages us to question how we have been narrating and enframing Black culture, urging us to reconsider how much contemporary culture owes to the profound influence of Black communities. It is also a month to reflect on the power of storytelling, of using the correct vocabulary to address the richness of Black livelihoods.
Last week, we sat for a chat with Guy Kelton Jones I before his concert at World Heart Beat Embassy Gardens, a charity venue that hosts a vast array of musical and cultural events. Guy is a poet and spoken word artist from the United States, now touring in Europe with his show ‘The Midnight Sermon Live’, in collaboration with the band The Gorgeous Blvck.
When Guy steps into the scene, he knows how to greet the crowd. As he positions himself amidst his band, The Gorgeous Blvck, he smiles and whispers to the microphone: ‘Good evening, Church.’ And Church is, indeed, a great part of his musical vernacular: the Scriptures are a constant reference point in his lyrics, and his music constantly escapes a singular definition, starting from gospel to expanding towards jazz, RnB, funk, and spoken word. We were curious to find out how he experiences his profession as an artist, coming from his Black Christian background, and how he can retell his own story through music.
How does this mix of genres relate to your vision of music?
For Guy, this mix is not a clash: to the contrary, gospel is foundational to most contemporary music: ‘I mix genres because I can’t speak of one without speaking of the other.’ He sees the influence of the Black American Church as all-encompassing, tracing out the history of gospel spilling over to blues, R&B, and going as far as rock’n’roll. His vision of music is interconnected, historical, with specific roots in Black culture: ‘In the Western hemisphere, there is no innovation, artistically speaking, that does not come from Black culture.’ This organic, multifaceted musical expression comes to him naturally, having grown up in Church. He specifies: ‘I was very lucky to grow up in Black American Church.
It is an excellent training ground.’ He owes his versatility to this peculiar education: by exposure, he has learned from a young age how to write poetry, speak to the public, and singng. The practice of going to Church every Sunday does not only speak to his personal history but also to the Black community of the United States in general: ‘Sunday was the only day you could dress up […]. Until recently, it was our only chance to let loose, to express ourselves.’ Spaces like Church, but also juke joints, which are rapidly disappearing, have historically played a fundamental role in the self-expression, sense of security and community bonding of Black Americans. The Heart Beat Foundation concert was an excellent attempt at replicating that safe space, encouraging the public to jump out of their seats and dance to the tunes.
As a poet and songwriter, how important is it for you to choose the right words to talk about contemporary issues?
Guy is extremely meticulous with his wording. He takes his artistic profession as a chance to re-correct the perceptions of crucial concepts in his songs. When talking about social injustices, for instance, he feels that the term ‘phobia’ in the United States is dangerously misused. ‘It bothers me, when we start using words incorrectly, [because] we change the intent of it’, which ‘gives away for the injustice to keep happening.’ When talking about xenophobia in the context of police brutality, he resists the term because ‘phobia stands for an unjustified fear’, but excessive use of force is not motivated by ‘being scared’, but rather by prejudice. He feels that by associating it with a phobia, society devolves the responsibility of the agent to the uncontrollable, unaccountable quality of fear.
The power of words, and the meaning we attribute to them, becomes extremely important, as this BHM’s theme highlights: our use of them can heighten, or lessen, their effect. Guy Kelton Jones I’s music is dedicated to uncovering and retelling concepts that have been misinterpreted, contributing to his peculiar sensitivity to Black Christian culture. You will find in his songs several mentions of sex, sexual liberation, and consent. He is keen to validate the experience of sex as something holy and beautiful, finding inspiration once again in the Scriptures, and the Song of Solomon. While sex is often talked about as something ‘vulgar, to be hidden and ashamed of’, he wants his audience to feel empowered in expressing sexual desire.
These are some of the key takeaways on the topic of storytelling, reclaiming history, and the value of Black History Month as discussed with Guy Kelton Jones I. If you are curious about his work, you can follow him on his social media as well as The Gorgeous Blvck!
Photo credits: Gino Yunnissi