The Weary Blues

During the Harlem Renaissance music and the arts were an outlet for the poor and oppressed. Langston Hughes was one of the biggest names to come out of this era. In "The Weary Blues" Hughes expresses the emotions of a poor street performer. The images in the video depict in contrast performers on stage at the Apollo Theater. While both performers sang the blues the images in the video do not represent the political and economic turmoil blues players endured. While the reading and the music behind the poem was slow and weary, the images were the opposite, possibly representing the separation present amongst the community.

In many ways the Harlem Renaissance laid the foundation for the artistic culture in present day Harlem. The Apollo Theater still serves as a platform for minority artists. The influence of works such as "The Weary Blues" can still be heard in the music of popular

Harlem artists today.

The video below is by Immortal Technique, a successful lyricist, poet, and activist living in Harlem. Like the renaissance era, he too talks about social and political issues within his community.