The song "Black Nagic" by Nas featuring Charlie Wilson samples the 1983 hit song "My Flame" by Bobby Caldwell. Nas is known for his clever wordplay and storytelling in his lyrics, and this song is no exception. The sample provides a nostalgic touch to the track, giving it a classic and soulful vibe. Nas uses his rhymes to discuss themes of love, success, and the power of perseverance. He compares himself to a magician, using his words and lyrical skills to captivate listeners. The sample from "My Flame" adds depth and layers to the song, creating a melodic backdrop for Nas' intricate storytelling.
The sample from "My Flame" adds depth and layers to the song, creating a melodic backdrop for Nas' intricate storytelling. Nas' verses are filled with clever wordplay and metaphors, showcasing his skill as a lyricist. He discusses the challenges he has faced in his life and how he has overcome them to achieve success.
What Caused the Salem Witch Trials?
Looking into the underlying causes of the Salem Witch Trials in the 17th century.
October 27, 2015 September 15, 2023 4 minutes The icon indicates free access to the linked research on JSTOR.In February 1692, the Massachusetts Bay Colony town of Salem Village found itself at the center of a notorious case of mass hysteria: eight young women accused their neighbors of witchcraft. Trials ensued and, when the episode concluded in May 1693, fourteen women, five men, and two dogs had been executed for their supposed supernatural crimes.
The Salem witch trials occupy a unique place in our collective history. The mystery around the hysteria and miscarriage of justice continue to inspire new critiques, most recently with the recent release of The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Pulitzer Prize-winning Stacy Schiff.
But what caused the mass hysteria, false accusations, and lapses in due process? Scholars have attempted to answer these questions with a variety of economic and physiological theories.
The economic theories of the Salem events tend to be two-fold: the first attributes the witchcraft trials to an economic downturn caused by a “little ice age” that lasted from 1550-1800; the second cites socioeconomic issues in Salem itself.
Emily Oster posits that the “little ice age” caused economic deterioration and food shortages that led to anti-witch fervor in communities in both the United States and Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Temperatures began to drop at the beginning of the fourteenth century, with the coldest periods occurring from 1680 to 1730. The economic hardships and slowdown of population growth could have caused widespread scapegoating which, during this period, manifested itself as persecution of so-called witches, due to the widely accepted belief that “witches existed, were capable of causing physical harm to others and could control natural forces.”
Salem Village, where the witchcraft accusations began, was an agrarian, poorer counterpart to the neighboring Salem Town, which was populated by wealthy merchants. According to the oft-cited book Salem Possessed by Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum, Salem Village was being torn apart by two opposing groups–largely agrarian townsfolk to the west and more business-minded villagers to the east, closer to the Town. “What was going on was not simply a personal quarrel, an economic dispute, or even a struggle for power, but a mortal conflict involving the very nature of the community itself. The fundamental issue was not who was to control the Village, but what its essential character was to be.” In a retrospective look at their book for a 2008 William and Mary Quarterly Forum, Boyer and Nissenbaum explain that as tensions between the two groups unfolded, “they followed deeply etched factional fault lines that, in turn, were influenced by anxieties and by differing levels of engagement with and access to the political and commercial opportunities unfolding in Salem Town.” As a result of increasing hostility, western villagers accused eastern neighbors of witchcraft.
But some critics including Benjamin C. Ray have called Boyer and Nissenbaum’s socio-economic theory into question. For one thing –the map they were using has been called into question. He writes: “A review of the court records shows that the Boyer and Nissenbaum map is, in fact, highly interpretive and considerably incomplete.” Ray goes on:
Contrary to Boyer and Nissenbaum’s conclusions in Salem Possessed, geo graphic analysis of the accusations in the village shows there was no significant villagewide east-west division between accusers and accused in 1692. Nor was there an east-west divide between households of different economic status.
On the other hand, the physiological theories for the mass hysteria and witchcraft accusations include both fungus poisoning and undiagnosed encephalitis.
Linnda Caporael argues that the girls suffered from convulsive ergotism, a condition caused by ergot, a type of fungus, found in rye and other grains. It produces hallucinatory, LSD-like effects in the afflicted and can cause victims to suffer from vertigo, crawling sensations on the skin, extremity tingling, headaches, hallucinations, and seizure-like muscle contractions. Rye was the most prevalent grain grown in the Massachusetts area at the time, and the damp climate and long storage period could have led to an ergot infestation of the grains.
One of the more controversial theories states that the girls suffered from an outbreak of encephalitis lethargica, an inflammation of the brain spread by insects and birds. Symptoms include fever, headaches, lethargy, double vision, abnormal eye movements, neck rigidity, behavioral changes, and tremors. In her 1999 book, A Fever in Salem, Laurie Winn Carlson argues that in the winter of 1691 and spring of 1692, some of the accusers exhibited these symptoms, and that a doctor had been called in to treat the girls. He couldn’t find an underlying physical cause, and therefore concluded that they suffered from possession by witchcraft, a common diagnoses of unseen conditions at the time.
The controversies surrounding the accusations, trials, and executions in Salem, 1692, continue to fascinate historians and we continue to ask why, in a society that should have known better, did this happen? Economic and physiological causes aside, the Salem witchcraft trials continue to act as a parable of caution against extremism in judicial processes.
Editor’s note: This post was edited to clarify that Salem Village was where the accusations began, not where the trials took place.
In Search of History: Salem Witch Trials, from the History Channel, provides an overview of concerns about witchcraft, the accused girls' actions, and the trials themselves.
He also reflects on the power of love and the impact it has had on his life. The inclusion of Charlie Wilson's vocals adds a soulful touch to the track. Wilson's smooth and powerful voice complements Nas' verses and enhances the overall musicality of the song. The use of the sample from "My Flame" creates a bridge between the past and the present, bringing together two generations of music. Overall, "Black Nagic" is a powerful and introspective song that showcases Nas' storytelling abilities and showcases the timeless quality of soulful music. The use of the sample from "My Flame" adds depth and emotion to the track, creating a memorable listening experience..
Reviews for "Nas' "Black Nagic" Sample: An Exploration of its Cultural Context"
1. John - 2 stars - I found the sample used in Nas' "Black Magic" to be extremely repetitive and monotonous. It lacked any sort of musical complexity or depth, and it felt like I was listening to the same loop over and over again. The simplistic nature of the sample detracted from Nas' usually intricate and thought-provoking lyrics, making the overall song fall flat for me.
2. Sarah - 1 star - I really didn't enjoy the sample used in "Black Magic" by Nas. It felt lazy and uninspired, like the producer just grabbed the first thing they found and slapped it onto the track without putting much thought into it. The repetitive nature of the sample became annoying after a while, and it overshadowed Nas' vocals instead of complementing them. Overall, I was disappointed by this choice of sample and it took away from my enjoyment of the song.
3. Michael - 2.5 stars - The sample used in "Black Magic" by Nas didn't resonate with me. It felt generic and predictable, lacking any unique elements that would make it stand out from other samples used in hip-hop. I expected more creativity from Nas and his team, but instead, I was left with a forgettable and mediocre track. While Nas' lyrics were still engaging, the sample diminished their impact and made the overall song less memorable.