Lent Term Issue

8 C O M M E N T
LGBTQ+
History
Month
and the
LGBTQ+
Forum
Caitlyn Taft
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
For those of you that don’t know,
February is LGBTQ+ History Month.
While LGBTQ+ stories are always
important, this month extra effort
is made to raise awareness about
the significant contributions the
community have made to society
while continuing to imagine and
strive for a society where true
equality is second nature.
In honour of this month, Lancaster
University’s LGBTQ+ Forum has
been hosting numerous events.
One of which was a Trans protest in
Alexandra Square. Here is a list some
of their upcoming events:
23rd February: Cake Crawl 12pm-3pm
in town.
21st February: Fylde Welfare Event
College Stall 11am-4pm.
26th February: Weekly Coffee Evening.
Despite being a small group of student
volunteers, The Forum is dedicated to
advocating for LGBTQ+ students.
They have campaigned annually
for trans rights by protesting in
Alexandra Square. They have also
ensured that Sugarhouse provides
gender neutral toilets for attendees.
Alongside this, they have been
providing a safe space for queer
students by promoting sexual health
and active signposting for STIs. The
Forum also has fun sober and drinking
socials to ensure that everyone is able
to have a good time.
Due to their diligent campaigning, each
bar on campus will have a LGBTQ+
flag as well as a poster explaining
its meaning and significance for the
entirety of February.
Another important campaign
they have been leading is called
Rainbow Laces, which will be
available at the end of the month.
All proceeds will be used for
supporting LGBTQ+ people (either
through SU support or a charity.)
Rainbow laces will be purchasable
from the SU and the Forum.
If you are LGBTQ+ or interested in
the forum, I encourage you to check
out their Instagram or email Thomas
Cross, the current LGBTQ+ Officer.
Happy LGBTQ+ History Month
everyone!
Email: lusu.lgbtq@lancaster.ac.uk
Instagram: @lancasterlgbtq and
@lusulgbtqofficer
Efe Imoyin-Omene
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Whether it’s: Reggae, Dancehall
and Soca from the Caribbean,
Afrobeats, Ampiano and Alté
from the continent of Africa,
Drill, Garage and Grime from the
UK or R&B, Soul and Hip-Hop
from the States, the African
diaspora’s global influence on
music creation and consumption
is undeniable.
Like Fulani braids being falsely
credited as ‘Bo Derek Braids’ or Elvis
Presley being treacherously crowned
the ‘King of Rock and Roll’ when
he jacked most of his swag from
hardworking and underappreciated
Black artists like
Big Mama Thornton
and Little Richard,
innovations from
the African diaspora
have a sad history
of being stolen, or
appropriated.
How can we combat
this? Enter the
Producer tag.
What is a
Producer
Tag?
A producer tag is
an integral element
of many songs,
especially in R&B
and Hip-Hop. The
producer of the song
will insert a short
sound (typically at the beginning)
meant to familiarise the listener
with who is responsible for the
production.
It also makes mapping out
a producer’s oeuvre easier
as their audio watermark is
featured on the tracks they
handle.
It experienced a massive rise in the
late 2000s and early 2010s with the
rise of the trap subgenre of Hip-Hop.
A producer tag usually
includes someone saying
a short and memorable
phrase, announcing their
presence on the track; an
example of this might be
Young Chop’s producer tag
‘Young Chop on the beat’.
Another example is Lil Ju who is
most known for his acclaimed work
with the rapper and activist Megan
Thee Stallion.
‘And if the beat live, you
know Lil Ju made it’.
Alternatively, it can be a
notable audio idiosyncrasy
like Pharrell Williams’
signature ‘four count start’.
Due to the trailblazing work of
Black Americans, the art of forming
producer tags has extended outside
of the African diaspora with the
likes of Murda Beatz and DJ Khaled
creating their own as well. ‘Murda
on the beat, so it’s not nice’ and ‘We
The Best Music!’, respectively.
The History of the
Producer Tag
Producer tags originated in the
1990s, emerging naturally at the
intersection of hip-hop music’s
growing mainstream appeal and the
common practice of rappers loudly
announcing their names over the
instrumentals, which was known as
ad-libbing.
SCANLU SCANLancaster scan.lancastersu.co.uk
Make Your
Mark,
Ta g Your
Producer:
The History
of Producer Tags
They were initially used
as a form of protection
against somebody stealing
the beat; the musical
equivalent of an artist
signing their art.
Lucas Garrison of DJBooth wrote:
“When you send out a beat,
you have little to no control
over what happens to it.
Someone could very well
use it without giving you
credit, or even worse, claim
it as their own.”
“One way
producers can
prevent this from
happening is
through a drop.
Adding a catchy
little snippet at
the beginning is
like a watermark,
it ensures
everyone knows
who the beat
belongs to.”
Are
Producer
Tags
gendered?
Noticeably absent from this
conversation are female producers.
And that’s not because women
haven’t made significant
contributions to urban productions.
Quite the contrary.
However, according to
Forbes, women only make
up 3% of producers.
There are many reasons for this like
young girls having a lack of role
models in STEM fields as well as the
bias and ostracization many women
face even after shattering their
fraction of the glass ceiling.
In 2017, music producer Drew
Dixon accused record executive and
Def Jams Recordings co-founder
Rusell Simmons of raping her in
1995, breaking a difficult 22 years of
silence.
Sadly, her story is not
an isolated incident but
indicative of the violence
women face for daring to
tuck in their seats at the
table.
There is still hope with acts like
Missy Elliot who has worked with
everyone from Destiny’s Child,
Beyoncé, TLC, Aaliyah, and Whitney
Houston to rising stars like Chlöe,
FLO, and Anitta.
Both Elliot’s career and
others are inspiring
generations of young Black
girls to get in the driver’s
seat of their artistry.
Some of my favourite producers
right are now are women, like the
Grammy award-winning production
duo Nova Wav- responsible for
producing a good chunk of Beyoncé’s
Renaissance album. They have also
produced for Ariana Grande, Britney
Spears, Rihanna and countless
others.
What’s your Tag?
The concept of putting your
distinctive magic into your work
is not unique to the field of music
production.
No matter who you are
and what you do, you must
always bring your tag.
This can be as simple as vowing to
be honest with yourself and others.
And if that manifests in a striking
catchphrase… then so be it.
Photos( top to bottom):
Billboard.com and @novawav on
Instagram