Lately it seems as though the only thing that matters anymore in the entertainment business is what sells; the public would rather hear songs about love and heartbreak than songs that address the true issues. Day after day we’re bombarded with news of police brutality, terrorist attacks, and even hate crimes but not a drop of this is mentioned within the music industry. “Dumb songs are the first played/ no heart, but they’re charting on the first day…ones with the talent are the worst paid,” more truthful words have never been sung by Todrick Hall.
Who is Todrick Hall you ask? You may recognize him from the ninth season of American Idol; he auditioned and made it all the way to the semifinals but I know him from his McDonald’s & Starbucks YouTube videos. He would sing his orders to the cashiers, mind you he’s not just ordering for himself but for a whole group of people so he would be singing about five or six orders and have the cashier repeat it back to him; it was amazing. However, I wasn’t a diehard fan. At the time he was a cool Youtuber to follow occasionally, until the fad died out. Imagine my surprise six years later, hearing over the radio that Hall is going on tour with his new visual album Straight Outta Oz, that he wrote, directed, and produced himself.
It’s not often that I find myself obsessing over an album, but when I do, it’s just that amazing! Straight Outta Oz has a diverse collection of songs ranging from ballads to pop, the lyrics connect to you on personal level, and the beats are catchy. Granted since the visual album is about Hall’s life through The Wizard of Oz filter, I can’t connect to it on every level. He’s a gay Black artist trying to make a name for himself while I’m a straight Asian writer attempting to do the same, but it doesn’t matter. That’s what makes it so great. His music transcends the boundaries of race and sexuality and it speaks to anyone who would listen. That’s why music is such a great medium to initiate change. If you have a voice, use it. Hall used his voice to address various issues – the narrow spectrum of the music industry for a gay Black singer/songwriter, sexuality, and police brutality to just name a few. It pushed the boundaries of the entertainment business and raised the standards to where it should’ve been from the start.
So here’s the breakdown of the album, it has 17 songs (20 for his live performances) and they each have a music video of their own, but to watch them individually really doesn’t do them justice. Experiencing the videos together as a whole movie allows you to fully grasp the concept and emotional impact of the album. I’ve always had a special place in my heart for songs/poems that make allusions to other fairy tales and children’s stories because they’re a nice reminder that anything can be reinvented without losing its original meaning, it can only be built upon. That’s why, I fell in love with Straight Outta Oz’s opening song, There’s No Place Like Home. The song is very eerie and hypnotic, instantly it draws you in with familiar characters brainless (Scarecrow), heartless (Tin Man), and coward (Lion) but ironically these are adjectives used to describe the Wizard. It plays with the idea of home is where your heart is, or rather “home is where your house and God is.” It made me question where home is, which always makes me question my identity, being a first generation Vietnamese American living in New York City. I’m an American because I was born in the United States and I’m Vietnamese because I was raised that way, but I don’t fit into either category. Hall sings, “society will try to cast you where they think your part is / give awards and accolades to what they think a star is,” and society has already casted me in the role of the “model minority”, fated to become a doctor or engineer, regarded as the timid and submissive Asian but I’m sorry that’s not my part. I have other plans and besides if society tries to put into a mold I might just break it.
As we continue on Dumb, If I Had A Heart, and Lying To Myself were definitely the heart of the album. They each play on the motif of the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion respectively. Together the 3 songs tell their listeners/viewers, to thine own self be true, no matter what. Dumb advises us not to succumb to society’s pressures to change and to fit in. If I Had A Heart reminds us that even if we removed our hearts, we would not change so don’t try. Lying To Myself only just reinforces that idea, you can try to hide from the world, but you’re not fooling anyone but yourself. In the music industry, singer-songwriters struggle tremendously to be noticed, being gay cuts opportunities in the entertainment industry tremendously and black representatives in media and entertainment are greatly outnumbered by the white majority. For that very reason, it is important that all artists present themselves as who they are, rather than what the industry wants them to be, to create opportunities that are desperately needed. Hall is our pioneer; he’s beginning to create those opportunities that he didn’t have for others like him and we need others to follow in his footsteps.
Now if you haven’t fallen asleep by this point and have yet to be impressed with Straight Outta Oz, Wrong Bitch and Water Guns should change your mind. Wrong Bitch is a reflection of the protesters from the recent Black Lives Matter movement known as the “The Green Revolt” within the album. With its powerful verses this track emphasizes the strength amongst the movement and says to all those who try to shut them out and silence them that they have the “wrong bitch”. In the visual album, this scene ends with the leader of The Green Revolt (the Wicked Witch) being shot by a police officer and transitions into the ode for all the fallen ones, Water Guns. After the traumatic loss of a fellow YouTuber Christina Grimmie, LGBTQ+ people in Orlando and the countless amounts of black people from police brutality, Hall dedicates this track to them and makes it clear that “these ain’t water guns no more”. It’s not a game anymore, it’s real life, and it’s time we start facing the facts and do something about it. Everything about these two songs is fantastic, they not only highlight the serious issue of gun control and police brutality the songs also empower its viewers/listeners. It makes them more aware of the situation at hand and pushes them to understand that this can’t continue. You’re either supporting The Green Revolt or with The Wizard.
Hands down Hall is with The Green Revolt otherwise he wouldn’t be addressing these issues within these songs. He both a black and gay man, these issues not only matter to him and they’ve actually touched home. In an interview with Metroweekly it was revealed that he too was a victim of police brutality while in “Oz Angeles”, another case of mistaken identity. They pulled a gun on him thinking he was trying to do the same, when he was just trying to turn off his phone because he was in the middle of phone call with his mom. Although he shrugged off the encounter as “just a crazy experience” he was definitely one of the lucky ones, who knew what would’ve happened if that police officer was in a bad mood or if Hall struggled. Things would’ve taken a different turn. Luckily this situation was only one of the many experiences that helped shaped Hall’s life. When Orlando happened, Hall must’ve been frightened. Gay bar and clubs are supposed to be safe havens for the LGBT community, it’s a place where people can be who they want to be without being judged or ridiculed and the idea that these places are now being attacked is terrifying. Is there no longer a safe place for the LGBT community? It’s astounding how much progress the LGBT community has made and yet there’s still so much hatred. In the same interview he said most of the hate he gets comes from within his own communities, the blacks and gays, which are both surprising and heartbreaking. Hall was devastated by Orlando but the aftermath warmed his heart, the way everyone banded together and doing what they can to help the Orlando victims. He believes it’s what everyone should be doing every day, being united and supporting each other. It shouldn’t just be when tragedy strikes that the communities band together.
This 57 minute visual album is absolutely what all other artists should be doing. Songs that address today’s issues, that’s what the “little people” want to hear. How would I know? Well within one short week Straight Outta Oz reached 1.2 million views and hit #2 on the charts, so if that doesn’t prove it I wouldn’t know what else would. I’m not saying everyone should go make a visual album like Hall did, but they should at least attempt bring real life into their music and address some of today’s issues. Why? Well there are multiple films and documentaries that address police brutality, gun violence, and gay rights but it doesn’t seem to be enough. It doesn’t motivate people to invoke change, it’s more like “wow that sucks for them” or “I can’t believe it” and people will probably return to their everyday lives worrying about bills and their kids. Music is universal language it’ll reach the masses just as easily a movie would, it’s another weapon in the arsenal so why not use it? Movements like #blacklivesmatter and #weareorlando need more artists like Hall to support them, and being a Black gay artist these two movements affect him more. So artists, why not pull off that lion costume and put on a little green makeup and face the Wizard on your brooms. Once voice may not be enough but if enough people speak out the Wizard will hear your battle cry and run.
