"Hell No, We Won’t Go!": A Content Analysis of the Emotional Appeals, Collective Identity, and Institutional Critique in Black Protest Music (2013–2022)

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-1-2026

Abstract

This study analyzes protest music by Black artists (2013–2022) responding to police violence and the Black Lives Matter movement. Using content analysis, it explores themes of outrage, hope, identity, and remembrance. Findings show strong emotional expression but fewer explicit calls to action or collective identity-building. The research underscores music’s role as a communication tool in activism, echoing Civil Rights-era movements, and calls for future study on audience impact and artists’ strategic lyrical choices.

Publication Title

Journal of African American Studies

Volume

30

Issue

1

First Page

98

Last Page

114

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