Cultural Dialectic and Appropriation Through Musical Sampling: A Study on Marlene Shaw's "The Woman of The Ghetto"

Abstract

This paper examines the sampling of Marlene Shaw's "The Woman of the Ghetto" as a cultural dialectic and appropriation of the black female experience. Initially, this revolutionary song raised equity and social justice issues, holding policymakers and legislators accountable through public discourse. However, the selective sampling of the song (both lyrics and musical elements) initially drains it from its own narrative, making it an aesthetic artefact, isolated from its own context, and then repurposes that artefact in narratives unrelated or even opposite to the original meaning. Thus, through sampling over decades, the powerful message is appropriated by different perspectives, creating a discussion of priorities and focus points. When Shaw emphasised the need for recognition and justice, this was used as musical decoration and even to promote agendas such as violence and misogyny that contributed to the original injustice. This study delves into the song's original meaning, Marlene Shaw's background, and the social setting in which it emerged to explore the broader implications for gender and diversity studies.