Review: "Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker" Official Soundtrack by Netflix
/
Madam C.J. Walker is an unsung black history icon that carries just as much clout as Malcolm X or Martin Luther King. In the early 1900s, she created the first beauty products for black hair, which were practically non-existent at a time.
She was rescued from an abusive marriage by a saleswoman who would first become her mentor, and then her competition. Although it takes place over a century ago, much of the soundtrack is composed of contemporary tracks, surprisingly. You’d think it would end up looking kitschy of choice, but in reality, it’s sublimely curated. More notably, the soundtrack is entirely made up of female POC.
We start out with a pulsing and raw “Dance Or Die” by Janelle Monae, a funk-infused electro rap jam feels like it comes from the future and the past all at once. Then, we have the ferocious Little Simz on “Offence” whose syrupy voice hits just right against her jazzy band with a killer flute. Just like Madam C.J., these artists are all about confidence, the hustle and female empowerment. Other feminist icons sing their hearts out in anthems of self-respect and self-esteem, like Ndidi O’ “Call me Queen” a fuzzy Black Keys reminiscent, garage rock track.
In a way, it feels like a message that strong women prevail through generations - they pass on threads of invincible perseverance that are relevant 100 years backwards, or 100 years future. “I am woman, hear me roar,” screams this soundtrack, but in a completely understated glory. Our favorite song on the soundtrack that embodies this mood is “Woman” by Diana Gordon, an artist that also draws some parallels to Walker. Gordon has been a ghostwriter and behind-the-scenes collaborator for many more visible celebrities such as Beyonce, but is an undeniable force of nature. These days, she’s putting herself in the forefront with her own song and album releases, just like C.J. finally shone on her own.
Although tons of modern artists are featured, homages to various generations of black history inspirations of the past such as Sippie Wallace and Mamie Smith, a 1920s vaudeville jazz and blues artist who became the first African American artist to make a vocal blues recording. Queen Latifah’s horn-filled “Nature of a Sista’” also hits harder than we remember, and makes us wish that Latifah still rapped along with her illustrious acting career that exists today.
Between the politically charged soul track “rise up” by The Freedom Affair to Rapsody and Leikeli47’s braggadocios, competition nagging “Oprah”, it’s hard to pick a favorite on the Madam C.J. Walker soundtrack. Most importantly, the soundtrack is a love letter to every young girl and woman - each song is a mantra of self-worth and the beautiful complexity of womanhood in each of its different journeys.