CLUBBING 2020
ashlee dance
back that azz up!
For as long as I can remember, I have undoubtedly been immersed in cultural experiences unique to black people. My parents conceived me during their prime nightlife years, while they
were both in undergrad at the HBCU known as Elizabeth City State University. Although this
university sat in a small rural town, it carried an undeniably booming reputation of gym jams and
late night parties. I specifically recall when I was about 8 years old, my parents took me to what's
known as a step show concert. These concerts existed so that Historically Black Greek Lettered
Organizations (HBGLOs) could perform their strolls and step routines in front of the entire
school. Even as a child, I could recognize the importance of witnessing black people exist in a
space meant for them. Both women and men were dressed to impress. Women eagerly strutting
around in their most revealing outfits. While the men hung back and eyeballed the eager women.
My mom would even dress me up, this time I had on a jean bodysuit and some black leather
boots. The evening always began with waiting in line to hand in your ticket to the people at the
front door of this large gymnasium. Once you finally got through those doors, the strong aroma
of what I now know was weed, smacked you in the face as you pushed through the crowd to
make your way to your seats. The next thing you notice is that your hearing is suddenly snatched
from you as the bass from the music fills both of your ears. Now all you can rely on is reading
mouths and directional points to help convey where to go as we continue to make our way to the
seats. When we finally get there, we have a chance to sit down, stand up, or dance as they played the hottest songs mixed with late 90’s hip hop jams. The air was thick and smokey, the crowd
was young and hype, it felt like anything was possible in that moment. Suddenly, the lights go
out and the crowd goes wild. “Whats up ECSU, are y'all ready for the show!”, was screamed into
the DJ’s microphone. The strobe lights followed shortly after their introduction. The next thing I
know we are watching sorority girls and fraternity men dance, step, and completely parody skits
on a stage. The music was beyond loud, the crowd hyped up every single move, and the DJ
assisted in the evening of entertainment. After the last act had gone, they began quickly
preparing the stage for the aftershow concert, which was more like a party. My mom did not let
me stay for the afterparty until I became older. The afterparty was when the grown folks started
really acting like grown folks. When the grinding, weed smoking, and drinking got bumped up to
the next level.
Needless to say, i'm not a newcomer to the nightlife scene. At a young age I was introduced to a uniquely black experience that ultimately shaped how I currently view the black clubbing experience. Throughout history, black people have created secure communal spaces that have allowed them to amplify their blackness without judgement. The trends, music, and dances that took place in these settings, ultimately contributed if not shifted the American culture. When interviewing Dr. Stephanie Dance-Barnes, she explained that her first recollection of a clubbing experience was when she was younger and her family would throw these cookouts that lasted until early in the morning. She says “there would be music playing from indoors that you could hear all the way outside. My entire family would dance in the living room with their wine coolers and cigarettes”. Although what felt like our “first” black clubbing experience was an informal introduction, it is a shared black experience nonetheless. It is deeply rooted in us as we grow and experience other modes of nightlife. This paper is meant to highlight black experiences and more specifically black clubbing endeavors, as they can range from backyard family barbeques to sleepless nights in Hell's Kitchen. My fascination with understanding a uniquely black experience began for me at a young age, and here I am trying to expand upon these feelings and thoughts as they’ve remained in my mind for all these years.
I suppose this story really begins during the Harlem Renaissance. Which is the earliest I could find of black people gathering in a club like setting. I am certain that African Americans have gathered socially throughout the span of history. However, it has proven to be difficult to find specifics on events such as that. Even as we look past the Harlem Renaissance into the 90’s, it is a challenging topic to find the necessary information. I only mention its difficulty because I feel it speaks volumes to the root of what this paper is about. Furthermore, the Harlem Renaissance was an artist and professional time of development for the African American community. Although this movement is labelled the Harlem Renaissance, it is not bound to New York, this was expanded across other major cities such as Washington DC, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Los Angeles. However, Harlem was a desired nightlife destination.The creation of the Harlem Renaissance came about due to the overwhelming need for black people to create spaces that were strictly designated for them. Although I am sure these spaces existed pre-renaissance, it is interesting to point out how difficult it is to research outlets for African Americans before that time. This was a notable time for literature, visual art, poetry, and inventions within the black community. During this time African Americans did not have much of a voice in these many areas of overall American culture. Therefore, they felt compelled to share their crafts within the comfort of their own communities and people.
The map above displays the layout of Harlem NY during the Harlem Renaissance, and it shows a route to the different clubs being hosted or utilized by black bodies during this time. “Thanks to an animated map acquired by Yale’s Rare Book and Manuscript Library, we can get a sense of the vibrant nightlife of Harlem during this time in history (h/t Slate). This original pen-and-brush map was drawn by Elmer Simms Campbell, one of the first commercially successful, and syndicated, African-American cartoonists in the country. The map faces southwest, bound by 110th Street, and highlights the main attractions on Lenox and Seventh Avenues.” (Gannon, 2017). This map had helpful information and hints drawn on it. It allowed participants to figure out the hottest spots, which places were open all night, and the various speakeasies. It also highlights one of the most famous landmarks of the time, which was the Cotton Club. The Cotton Club was a space that featured mostly black music entertainers. This establishment was meant to grant space for black artists and black patrons of art, as they specifically limited the number of white audience members. Much like urban clubs today, The Cotton Club and other nightclubs in the 1930’s were meant to be a source of entertainment, trend setting, and innovation amongst the black community. The newest dances, songs, and fashions were just as important then as they have been throughout black history. Many of the trends that have swept the nation over the years were oftentimes originated within the black community, which were shared experiences in these spaces.
As we move past the 1930’s into other decades and eras, we find that the fashion, music, and social behaviors may transform, however, the idea of having uniquely black spaces amongst the whiteness of America persisted. In the 50’s and 60’s jazz night clubs continued to be a popular destination for all people. Also, the emergence of rock and roll and country music added to the range of emotions that were being felt during those times. And as we know, music was a driving force of the culture. The type of music being played often drove the type of stylized dances that would occur or would influence the type of clothing that would be worn. This seems to be a condition of how trend setting in American works. As it pertains to popular dances, many of them were generated within black spaces and would again be taken from the African American and Latina communities and placed in white spaces, which ultimately was the way in which dance moves became commercialized. This trend of stealing from black and brown communities without giving props where props are due, is a trend that has remained through the course of time.
As exemplified in the commentary below this photo, this is documentation of black people enjoying the likes of other black peoples space, time, and energy. The carefree energy being displayed by these black women, captured in the above photo is energy that I would argue can only be found within spaces such as this. The idea of being unbothered, untamed, and unharmed in a society that wants nothing more than to see the average black person suffer, bothered, and contained, is the root of understanding the importance of these particular spaces over time. As we enter into the 70’s we begin to engage in an era far different from the ones we've previously encountered. The 70’s in a general sense feels like the rebirth of a nation to me. Whenever this time period is discussed, politically it is hands down one of the most influential times that America has ever seen (much like the times we are currently living in). For the black community we were obviously still fighting injustices and inequalities of our own. And in the world the amount of protest happening around the Americas against the Vietnam War was quite astounding. This was a time where Americans began truly rebelling through their arts professions, crafts, and social endeavours. It was no longer about satisfying the white man, it had become quite the opposite agenda of pushing for the unspoken for and the unheard. For the culture, this meant embracing “out of the bo” as much as you could. For the black culture in the 70’s, a lot of the major cities were embracing house music and house styles of dancing as well as disco of course. House music influenced much of the black clubbing scene, in particular that black queer clubbing scene. “Throwing together and exploring the depths of vinyl disco, jazz and hip-hop, these Black icons paved a path of auditory experimentation. Greats like Levan and Knuckles transformed the Black and queer dance scene into a raw and entrancing club experience. Innovative exploration with beat-matching, drum machines, vocal edits, and other early DJ techniques set the Black house music scene apart from its disco roots. Overcoming the limitations of 1980’s DJ equipment, they engineered complex and avante-garde soundscapes, with roots in soul and disco.” (Taylor, 2020). The early 1970’s is when Soul Train began to air on the television featuring Don Cornelieus. The idea of a “soul train line” is indicative to black people. Soul train line goes back to Dr. Stephanie Dance-Barnes and her experiences with black gatherings. It was an activity that was specific to the black experience, whether you realized you were having that experience or not. It consisted of making two lines horizontally facing each other, and one by one or two by two jumping in between these lines to demonstrate the newest dance moves to the hottest hits at the time. Therefore, this sort of black activity being displayed on television was a new gift to the black community because it gave us something to look forward to. And to know that we would see others who were in a safe black space, expressing themselves with no regrets was also a major component in the specialness that was felt with the tv series. During the 70’s we were also seeing more freedom and drugs within clubs; including black clubs. Which has always been interesting to me considering the infamous president Nixon declaration of the “war on drugs”. Which historically overwhelmingly impacted the black community's economic structure, more so than it had already been tampered with over the course of generations. However, heavy drugs such as cocaine and quaaludes seem to take over the nightlife scene, including the spaces that housed the black community. It seems as though in the 70’s there is an outwardness to the rebellious substances and materials in which were being consumed. Instead of hiding the drug use as I'm sure they had done for decades, it was now about the government knowing the extent of the drug use and people getting away with this level of rebellion. As discussed previously, the trends set in the nightlife settings especially amongst the black community tended to follow and held weight amongst other communities. I do believe drugs during this time were more heavily abused by white audiences but there are no statistics that can ground my beliefs. The clothing becomes more provocative, the hair becomes bigger and less tamed, and the music certainly more liberating than music previously had been. In the 1970’s we were also truly entering into the era of hip-hop music and culture. In my opinion the 70’s felt as transformative to American and black culture as the 90’s feel. As we begin to transition into the 80’s and 90’s the energy shifts into more of a hip-hop, music driven nightlife scene. Dr. Shon Barnes explains in a verbal interview that “hip-hop had only been around for less than 20 years. Hip-Hop music in clubs was the way at this time for artists to gain popularity and get their music heard”. He also expressed to me that for a long time hip-hop was essentially about the needs and sounds of the DJ. Although in previous years music has clearly always been a notable factor in the success of clubs and specifically black artists' influence of the type music being played, it seems as though in the 80’s and 90’s it became more exclusive. In my opinion, it is due to the fact that hip-hop was in its birthing stage, which made it a hard genre to replicate by white people. Therefore, it was hard to steal and difficult to claim if you did not possess the passion or knowledge for this new musical phenomenon. By the 90’s it seems as though the black community has begun to unapologetically make room for themselves, to be exclusively for themselves. There was now a genre of music that was nearly impossible at that time to replicate and they had become more confidently stylized in their fashion trends. It almost seemed as though they were generating a huge “F*ck you” to white american society and starting to march to their own drum beat while creating events and clubs specifically for them. The majority of the fashion trends embraced by the black community and others in the 90’s, have now resurfaced in the late 2000’s and are being worn by every young person who desires to look as such. Now more than ever, the black clubs were heavily influenced by the music being made within our communities. A multitude of genres such as reggae, hip-hop, neo-soul, and r&b began to play strategically throughout the nights. The time was not only for dancing and sweating in the club, but hip-hop was such an integral part of the club and required close attention to the lyricism that the music was also geared towards deciphering the lyrics. However, in the 90’s there was also music that simply needed your butt in the air and your hands on your knees. They began making music specifically to “twerk” or to “grind” to. Over the years, many of these songs have become classics within the hip-hop clubbing community, and are considered necessities in order to have a good time. According to VH1, here is a list of must have 90’s hip-hop songs in the club:
California Love- Tupac ft Dr. Dre
There are most certainly many more songs that could be added to this list of must haves. But I have provided this list to help provide examples of range as well as a hint of nostalgia. According to my interview subjects, “there was nothing like what we were experiencing, it was even new to us. We were a part of a revolution and did not even realize it”. For that to be a statement of a black club go-er in the 90’s and early 2000’s, it seems fair to say exclaim that the evolution of music and what that did for black people was historically legendary; unlike any other.
As we examine what clubbing has become for black patreons, it is fair to say that we certainly do not have the luxury of being a part of many music revolutions nor are we the first at any major clubbing breakthrough. The urban or hip-hop clubbing experience now makes me feel like I am a part of a show. It has become all about the appearance and less of the special experiences that are held within these spaces. I find myself enjoying my nights more when I attend lesbian or queer night life events, because it feels like less of a show and more of a form of escapism. However, hip-hop clubs and majority black spaces, still house experiences specific to only African Americans. It is the type of experience that is guaranteed to make you feel welcomed, immersed, and showered in all things black. From the DJ booth to the bar, you will encounter situations that are uniquely discovered in those types of spaces. For example, when you hear the introduction of the famous song Dreams and Nightmares by Meek Mill, you immediately know that everyone screams all of the lyrics, there will be pushing and shoving to evoke emotion, and the entire club will actively participate in this massive karaoke experience. Or when you hear the song Swag Surf, there is a one hundred percent chance that you will be linking arms with another sweaty human just as drunk as you are. After you link arms you are guaranteed to begin rocking back and forth for the duration of the song, singing “now I swag, I surf, I swag, I surf”.. Until you cannot take anymore joint dancing and singing.
It is my opinion that black clubbing experiences are made and not forced. These experiences for most of us begin at an early age in scenarios that most wouldn't consider a clubbing experience. But the atmosphere that we are able to create for pleasure and that we’ve been made to create for our safety in self expression, is unique to our history and culture. Black people have been trend setter, content creators, and boundary pushers throughout history. And when given the opportunity we will ensure there is a space where we can be unapologetically black whilst experiencing each other's presence.
Here is a prime example of the Swag Surf song experience.
References
Needless to say, i'm not a newcomer to the nightlife scene. At a young age I was introduced to a uniquely black experience that ultimately shaped how I currently view the black clubbing experience. Throughout history, black people have created secure communal spaces that have allowed them to amplify their blackness without judgement. The trends, music, and dances that took place in these settings, ultimately contributed if not shifted the American culture. When interviewing Dr. Stephanie Dance-Barnes, she explained that her first recollection of a clubbing experience was when she was younger and her family would throw these cookouts that lasted until early in the morning. She says “there would be music playing from indoors that you could hear all the way outside. My entire family would dance in the living room with their wine coolers and cigarettes”. Although what felt like our “first” black clubbing experience was an informal introduction, it is a shared black experience nonetheless. It is deeply rooted in us as we grow and experience other modes of nightlife. This paper is meant to highlight black experiences and more specifically black clubbing endeavors, as they can range from backyard family barbeques to sleepless nights in Hell's Kitchen. My fascination with understanding a uniquely black experience began for me at a young age, and here I am trying to expand upon these feelings and thoughts as they’ve remained in my mind for all these years.
I suppose this story really begins during the Harlem Renaissance. Which is the earliest I could find of black people gathering in a club like setting. I am certain that African Americans have gathered socially throughout the span of history. However, it has proven to be difficult to find specifics on events such as that. Even as we look past the Harlem Renaissance into the 90’s, it is a challenging topic to find the necessary information. I only mention its difficulty because I feel it speaks volumes to the root of what this paper is about. Furthermore, the Harlem Renaissance was an artist and professional time of development for the African American community. Although this movement is labelled the Harlem Renaissance, it is not bound to New York, this was expanded across other major cities such as Washington DC, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Los Angeles. However, Harlem was a desired nightlife destination.The creation of the Harlem Renaissance came about due to the overwhelming need for black people to create spaces that were strictly designated for them. Although I am sure these spaces existed pre-renaissance, it is interesting to point out how difficult it is to research outlets for African Americans before that time. This was a notable time for literature, visual art, poetry, and inventions within the black community. During this time African Americans did not have much of a voice in these many areas of overall American culture. Therefore, they felt compelled to share their crafts within the comfort of their own communities and people.
The map above displays the layout of Harlem NY during the Harlem Renaissance, and it shows a route to the different clubs being hosted or utilized by black bodies during this time. “Thanks to an animated map acquired by Yale’s Rare Book and Manuscript Library, we can get a sense of the vibrant nightlife of Harlem during this time in history (h/t Slate). This original pen-and-brush map was drawn by Elmer Simms Campbell, one of the first commercially successful, and syndicated, African-American cartoonists in the country. The map faces southwest, bound by 110th Street, and highlights the main attractions on Lenox and Seventh Avenues.” (Gannon, 2017). This map had helpful information and hints drawn on it. It allowed participants to figure out the hottest spots, which places were open all night, and the various speakeasies. It also highlights one of the most famous landmarks of the time, which was the Cotton Club. The Cotton Club was a space that featured mostly black music entertainers. This establishment was meant to grant space for black artists and black patrons of art, as they specifically limited the number of white audience members. Much like urban clubs today, The Cotton Club and other nightclubs in the 1930’s were meant to be a source of entertainment, trend setting, and innovation amongst the black community. The newest dances, songs, and fashions were just as important then as they have been throughout black history. Many of the trends that have swept the nation over the years were oftentimes originated within the black community, which were shared experiences in these spaces.
As we move past the 1930’s into other decades and eras, we find that the fashion, music, and social behaviors may transform, however, the idea of having uniquely black spaces amongst the whiteness of America persisted. In the 50’s and 60’s jazz night clubs continued to be a popular destination for all people. Also, the emergence of rock and roll and country music added to the range of emotions that were being felt during those times. And as we know, music was a driving force of the culture. The type of music being played often drove the type of stylized dances that would occur or would influence the type of clothing that would be worn. This seems to be a condition of how trend setting in American works. As it pertains to popular dances, many of them were generated within black spaces and would again be taken from the African American and Latina communities and placed in white spaces, which ultimately was the way in which dance moves became commercialized. This trend of stealing from black and brown communities without giving props where props are due, is a trend that has remained through the course of time.
As exemplified in the commentary below this photo, this is documentation of black people enjoying the likes of other black peoples space, time, and energy. The carefree energy being displayed by these black women, captured in the above photo is energy that I would argue can only be found within spaces such as this. The idea of being unbothered, untamed, and unharmed in a society that wants nothing more than to see the average black person suffer, bothered, and contained, is the root of understanding the importance of these particular spaces over time. As we enter into the 70’s we begin to engage in an era far different from the ones we've previously encountered. The 70’s in a general sense feels like the rebirth of a nation to me. Whenever this time period is discussed, politically it is hands down one of the most influential times that America has ever seen (much like the times we are currently living in). For the black community we were obviously still fighting injustices and inequalities of our own. And in the world the amount of protest happening around the Americas against the Vietnam War was quite astounding. This was a time where Americans began truly rebelling through their arts professions, crafts, and social endeavours. It was no longer about satisfying the white man, it had become quite the opposite agenda of pushing for the unspoken for and the unheard. For the culture, this meant embracing “out of the bo” as much as you could. For the black culture in the 70’s, a lot of the major cities were embracing house music and house styles of dancing as well as disco of course. House music influenced much of the black clubbing scene, in particular that black queer clubbing scene. “Throwing together and exploring the depths of vinyl disco, jazz and hip-hop, these Black icons paved a path of auditory experimentation. Greats like Levan and Knuckles transformed the Black and queer dance scene into a raw and entrancing club experience. Innovative exploration with beat-matching, drum machines, vocal edits, and other early DJ techniques set the Black house music scene apart from its disco roots. Overcoming the limitations of 1980’s DJ equipment, they engineered complex and avante-garde soundscapes, with roots in soul and disco.” (Taylor, 2020). The early 1970’s is when Soul Train began to air on the television featuring Don Cornelieus. The idea of a “soul train line” is indicative to black people. Soul train line goes back to Dr. Stephanie Dance-Barnes and her experiences with black gatherings. It was an activity that was specific to the black experience, whether you realized you were having that experience or not. It consisted of making two lines horizontally facing each other, and one by one or two by two jumping in between these lines to demonstrate the newest dance moves to the hottest hits at the time. Therefore, this sort of black activity being displayed on television was a new gift to the black community because it gave us something to look forward to. And to know that we would see others who were in a safe black space, expressing themselves with no regrets was also a major component in the specialness that was felt with the tv series. During the 70’s we were also seeing more freedom and drugs within clubs; including black clubs. Which has always been interesting to me considering the infamous president Nixon declaration of the “war on drugs”. Which historically overwhelmingly impacted the black community's economic structure, more so than it had already been tampered with over the course of generations. However, heavy drugs such as cocaine and quaaludes seem to take over the nightlife scene, including the spaces that housed the black community. It seems as though in the 70’s there is an outwardness to the rebellious substances and materials in which were being consumed. Instead of hiding the drug use as I'm sure they had done for decades, it was now about the government knowing the extent of the drug use and people getting away with this level of rebellion. As discussed previously, the trends set in the nightlife settings especially amongst the black community tended to follow and held weight amongst other communities. I do believe drugs during this time were more heavily abused by white audiences but there are no statistics that can ground my beliefs. The clothing becomes more provocative, the hair becomes bigger and less tamed, and the music certainly more liberating than music previously had been. In the 1970’s we were also truly entering into the era of hip-hop music and culture. In my opinion the 70’s felt as transformative to American and black culture as the 90’s feel. As we begin to transition into the 80’s and 90’s the energy shifts into more of a hip-hop, music driven nightlife scene. Dr. Shon Barnes explains in a verbal interview that “hip-hop had only been around for less than 20 years. Hip-Hop music in clubs was the way at this time for artists to gain popularity and get their music heard”. He also expressed to me that for a long time hip-hop was essentially about the needs and sounds of the DJ. Although in previous years music has clearly always been a notable factor in the success of clubs and specifically black artists' influence of the type music being played, it seems as though in the 80’s and 90’s it became more exclusive. In my opinion, it is due to the fact that hip-hop was in its birthing stage, which made it a hard genre to replicate by white people. Therefore, it was hard to steal and difficult to claim if you did not possess the passion or knowledge for this new musical phenomenon. By the 90’s it seems as though the black community has begun to unapologetically make room for themselves, to be exclusively for themselves. There was now a genre of music that was nearly impossible at that time to replicate and they had become more confidently stylized in their fashion trends. It almost seemed as though they were generating a huge “F*ck you” to white american society and starting to march to their own drum beat while creating events and clubs specifically for them. The majority of the fashion trends embraced by the black community and others in the 90’s, have now resurfaced in the late 2000’s and are being worn by every young person who desires to look as such. Now more than ever, the black clubs were heavily influenced by the music being made within our communities. A multitude of genres such as reggae, hip-hop, neo-soul, and r&b began to play strategically throughout the nights. The time was not only for dancing and sweating in the club, but hip-hop was such an integral part of the club and required close attention to the lyricism that the music was also geared towards deciphering the lyrics. However, in the 90’s there was also music that simply needed your butt in the air and your hands on your knees. They began making music specifically to “twerk” or to “grind” to. Over the years, many of these songs have become classics within the hip-hop clubbing community, and are considered necessities in order to have a good time. According to VH1, here is a list of must have 90’s hip-hop songs in the club:
California Love- Tupac ft Dr. Dre
Nuthin But A G Thang- Dr. Dre ft. Snoop Dogg
Mo Money Mo Problems- Notorious B.I.G ft Puff Daddy
Gin and Juice- Snoop Dogg
Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See- Busta Rhymes
Gangsta Paradise- Coolio ft LV
Baby Got Back- Sir Mix-A-lot
Mama Said Knock You Out- LL Cool J
U Cant Touch This- MC Hammer
C.R.E.A.M- Wu Tang Clan
Make em Say Uhh- Master P
The Choice is Your- Black Sheep
Ruff Ryder- DMX
Whatta Man- Salt n Pepa ft. En Vouge
Summertime- DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
Back That Than Up- Juvenile
There are most certainly many more songs that could be added to this list of must haves. But I have provided this list to help provide examples of range as well as a hint of nostalgia. According to my interview subjects, “there was nothing like what we were experiencing, it was even new to us. We were a part of a revolution and did not even realize it”. For that to be a statement of a black club go-er in the 90’s and early 2000’s, it seems fair to say exclaim that the evolution of music and what that did for black people was historically legendary; unlike any other.
As we examine what clubbing has become for black patreons, it is fair to say that we certainly do not have the luxury of being a part of many music revolutions nor are we the first at any major clubbing breakthrough. The urban or hip-hop clubbing experience now makes me feel like I am a part of a show. It has become all about the appearance and less of the special experiences that are held within these spaces. I find myself enjoying my nights more when I attend lesbian or queer night life events, because it feels like less of a show and more of a form of escapism. However, hip-hop clubs and majority black spaces, still house experiences specific to only African Americans. It is the type of experience that is guaranteed to make you feel welcomed, immersed, and showered in all things black. From the DJ booth to the bar, you will encounter situations that are uniquely discovered in those types of spaces. For example, when you hear the introduction of the famous song Dreams and Nightmares by Meek Mill, you immediately know that everyone screams all of the lyrics, there will be pushing and shoving to evoke emotion, and the entire club will actively participate in this massive karaoke experience. Or when you hear the song Swag Surf, there is a one hundred percent chance that you will be linking arms with another sweaty human just as drunk as you are. After you link arms you are guaranteed to begin rocking back and forth for the duration of the song, singing “now I swag, I surf, I swag, I surf”.. Until you cannot take anymore joint dancing and singing.
It is my opinion that black clubbing experiences are made and not forced. These experiences for most of us begin at an early age in scenarios that most wouldn't consider a clubbing experience. But the atmosphere that we are able to create for pleasure and that we’ve been made to create for our safety in self expression, is unique to our history and culture. Black people have been trend setter, content creators, and boundary pushers throughout history. And when given the opportunity we will ensure there is a space where we can be unapologetically black whilst experiencing each other's presence.
Here is a prime example of the Swag Surf song experience.