Curators:
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Duration:
1 Hours
Floor:
Level 0
It's Been Said All Along
Voices of Rage, Hope & Empowerment
In every generation, musicians have responded in song and action to promote social justice and equality. What the world is seeing today, as injustices are called out and protesters are finding their voices, is not new. And neither are the musical responses - words and music and passion converging to create something much bigger that cuts deep into the rage, gives hope and radiates empowerment.
Featured Video: Jennifer Hudson on Aretha Franklin, the RESPECT movie and more
It's Been Said All Along Exhibit Introduction
See inside the Rock Hall's social justice exhibitIt's Been Said All Along Exhibit Introduction
See inside the Rock Hall's social justice exhibit
Inside the Exhibit
It's Been Said All Along
This exhibition invites you to listen and amplify. Divided into three sections, Voices of Rage, Hope & Empowerment mirrors the museum's physical exhibition, and allows visitors to go deeper into the stories, artifacts and music that promote real change.
Click below on each header to access more stories.
Virtual Exhibit Walk-Through
Step inside the museum and experience our newest exhibit for yourself
Use the navigation to walk through the virtual recreation of It's Been Said All Along.
Inside the Exhibit
Select artifacts include:
- Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” lyrics. The political anthem was revisited in 2020 to address the current landscape and recognize the recent protests and rallies.
- N.W.A.’s jacket reflecting the relevance of their single “F*ck tha Police.”
- Aretha Franklin’s Valentino dress worn during her first appearance at Radio City Music Hall, where she sang “Respect,” which became an anthem for the Civil Rights and Women’s Liberation Movements.
- A jumpsuit worn by James Brown, the “Godfather of Soul” who brought motion to the Civil Rights Movement with style.
- 1973 Wattstax film poster representing a cross-section of Black music from gospel to pop and was the largest gathering of African Americans during that time.
- Handwritten lyrics from songwriter and rapper D Smoke, “Let Go” recorded hours before the killing of George Floyd, and recently performed live for the first time on the 2020 BET Awards.
On Display
![“Fight the Power” by Public Enemy, 1990. Collection of Public Enemy. “‘[Our] freedom of speech is freedom of death,’” Chuck D said of PE’s political anthem “Fight the Power.” “That line is like Bob Marley or Frederick Douglass: ‘There’s no progress without struggle.”](https://www.rockhall.com/sites/default/files/styles/artifacts_1800x1200/public/2020-09/1800x1200%20-%20Fight%20The%20Power.png?h=4362216e&itok=zsWau9A_)
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Hear the music behind It's Been Said All Along: Voices of Rage, Hope & Empowerment on our Spotify channel. Listen to the official playlist curated for the special exhibit.
