still have that segregation. I talk about
“Colorism” in my book.
Knowles: I can only speak from so much, and I get excited, because
of the extensive research behind it.
When slaves were taken from Africa
iF: What is Colorism?
it took two years to get here by boat.
We were tribal, meaning that we did
Knowles: Colorism is where we
not speak the same language. People
discriminate based on someone’s
thought just because we were all Af-
shade of skin color. It’s not just in the
ricans that we spoke the same lan-
black community. It is all over the
guage. Well, we didn’t speak the same
world, Mexico, India, etc. The darker
language, there were so many differ-
the complexion they will have the
ent dialects. Also 25% of the slaves
lowest economic status and menial
that came from Africa were Muslims.
labor jobs. In the music industry if
Most people don’t realize that they
you look at Top 40 Pop Radio and
were of Muslim faith, and so how
you look back over the last 20 years
are these people going to communi-
you will find maybe one or two art- Q: The new book that you have cate on this two year voyage? It was
ists of my complexion that have been coming out, “Emancipation of Slaves through music from clanging their
played substantially. It’s just a fact. The Through Music”, how did it come chains to hitting against walls, hum-
numbers speak for themselves. Even about?
ming, etc., that they began to com-
now there is Mariah Carey, Rihanna,
municate. Then it talks about when
Beyoncé, Cardi B … what do they all Knowles: In the fall of last year I they got to America, the slave owners
have in common?
taught a course at TSU that we had thought that when the slaves were
mutually created. It allowed flexibil- singing they were happy, so they en-
iF: They all have that crossover
ity to the professor and could be on couraged them to sing — not know-
sound?
any topic the professor wanted. It is ing that it was through music that the
called Special Topics. It just hit me slaves communicated. It was through
Knowles: They’re looking for that moments before walking in on the music that they freed themselves be-
crossover look. It’s not just the music. first day. Let’s talk about the effect cause in those verses there was infor-
It is also the imaging that goes with music has had on slavery in America. mation on how to run away and get
it.
I only had ten students that semester, to the underground railroad. It talks
so I challenged my students, and they about how Muslim tribes like strings
iF: Imagery. Has it always been a
researched the entire semester and and chimes while other tribes like
major part of the package?
helped me write the book. I learned drums, the beat. The Banjo and the
42 iF Magazine | September 2018
my 25 years coming from corporate
America, imaging is as important as
the music. I always say I do not make
the rules, I know how to make them
work for me well. When I look at
signing an artist, especially a female,
it is not as profound with men as it
is with women, but it is a beauti-
ful business. It’s a “beautiful people”
business. The music industry just is.
The only exception is Gospel. When
you look at Pop and R&B, it is a
beautiful people’s business.
Harp were invented in Africa. Then it
takes us up to now, the impact of the
music post-slavery. How the north-
erners from the music industry real-
ized the southern slaves were good
songwriters. I don’t know if you saw
Chess Records. They would come
from the north looking for song-
writers and Cadillac Records would
give them a Cadillac and take all
their royalty rights. They didn’t know
anything about royalties and publish-
ing rights so they thought they got
a good deal. It continues into how
Hip Hop and Rap have been influ-
enced, it goes into a lot.What I hope
the book does is give you a history
of slavery. Most people just do not
understand the roles that slaves really
played. Give us recognition! Recog-
nize and respect that we played an
important role in the development
and growth of America.
artists and labels earn money with it
have changed rapidly. I have watched
how some artists caught on quickly
while many others continue to
struggle to adjust.
Knowles: Well, you haven’t gotten
a chance to really look at that room
in there but there’s five people work-
ing continuously over 30 years of
content going through boxes daily,
everything from 2” to dat tapes that
Knowles: I think you make a very we are transferring, so we can come
valid point about how the distribu- out with different types of documen-
tion of music is but I think equally taries. We are finding songs that we
and more importantly is how we had forgotten had been recorded. So
experience music as the consumer. we are excited, and then we’re work-
We experience music differently so I ing on Destiny’s Child: The Untold
predict in the future we will see mu- Story that we hope to have out by
sic not hear it and by seeing music the holidays or no later than Black
every time we hear it there will be History month in February.
a video playing on our phone, our
watch, somewhere. Every time we iF: While “Emancipation of Slaves
hear it there will be a visual. Just like Through Music” is about the his-
I predicted streaming when no one tory of slavery, your other book that
understood streaming. I knew that came out in 2017, “Racism Through
that would be the new medium. You the Eyes of a Child”, is more of a
know when Beyoncé released Lem- personal story, right?
onade it was accompanied by power-
ful visuals. We had done that with the Knowles: Yeah, I tell my story. I
iF: Will you be teaching at Texas
Destiny’s Child’s Video Anthology, grew up in Gadsden, Alabama, a little
Southern again?
which was exclusively at Walmart. small town. 30,000 people. I am 66
Although Beyoné got the credit for years old and I never went to a black
Knowles: I do not know. I am cur- being the first to do it, I had done it school. In 1958 I was in a white el-
rently talking with a number of uni- years before.
ementary school, I went to a white
versities. I have three offers right now,
Jr. High School and High School,
so I’m excited about that.
iF: Her being your daughter you let Gadsden High School.
her have that, right?
iF: Choices are always good!
iF: How old were you when you left
Knowles: No. No. I am correcting Gadsden, Alabama?
Knowles: Choices are great! We’ll that. If I do not tell my story “His-
make an announcement soon when tory” will be different because I am Knowles: When I left Gadsden, I
the time is right. I was at TSU for seeing more and more how people was 18. I played basketball, so I in-
eight years. We created a degree pro- want to tell their version of the histo- tegrated the University of Tennessee,
gram called Entertainment Record- ry behind Destiny’s Child and all that Chattanooga, and then my junior
ing Management in the school of happened. I’ve changed, I used to be year, was the first time I had ever gone
communications. It went from 0 stu- quiet about my role but let me be to a predominantly black school. I
dents to 160 today. I have four interns clear — there would be no Destiny’s had never gone to a black school
that are in here right now that are Child, there would be no Beyoncé if before I went to Fisk University, so
part of that program. So, we will al- it was not for me. That isn’t from an I have a chapter it’s called “Fisk Out
ways be connected to TSU. It is time arrogant standpoint. That’s just a fact. of Water”, because I had never been
for me to take another step forward.
around black people. It was different
iF: Right. It is just a fact that you for me being around all those black
iF: The Music Industry has changed were the vision and the force behind people. I’d never seen this before. I’m
a lot …
it?
used to being around quiet people ...
now it’s loud and energetic. It’s about
(Mathew Knowles interrupts to ask me) Knowles: Exactly!
my experiences growing up.
What has changed about it?
iF: Do you have any more you’d like iF: I heard that you just got back
iF: I would say the ways that you
to say about the history?
from Italy what were you doing in
distribute music and the ways that
Italy?
iF Magazine | www.iFMagazine.net 43