Music & Family (Starring Ma Dukes)
Music and Family
Dialogue
By: Demia Johnson Starring Kenya Johnson (AKA Ma Dukes)
Raw & Uncut
(No profanity, but you do get to see how we talk to each other)
** I walk in the house and my mother is currently cleaning the kitchen
Me: Ma, I need help with an assignment for school.
Mother: Oh lord, what’s it about
Me: Music
Mother:I thought you already had a class about music
Me:I did that was last last semester hun
Mother:Oh ok, What ya need?
Me:Just for you to answer a couple questions hun?
Mother:Ok
Me:What type of technology did you use to listen to music back then?
Mother: Back then? Girl Ian det old.
Me: Ma, Just answer the question
Mother:We had CDs other people used them mp3 file things but I preferred
just a CD
Me: What you was listening to chy?
Mother: A little bit of everything
Me: What that pose to mean?
Mother: Nie yk yo grandma always had us up early cleaning up so me and ya
aunt would play either slow songs or crunk songs depending on how we felt?
Me: She definitely is known for waking somebody up mad early just to
clean…You remember the names of the artist you listened to?
Mother: Yes, umm it was Ne-yo,Usher, Alicia Keys, and the woman I named you
after uhh what was her name?
Me:Aaliyah
Mother:Yea she was good I loved listening to her music
Me:All you listen to is females chy
Mother: Mostly yes because back then only men were really interested in
that stuff. If girls were to listen to rap it would be a son that you dance
to.
Me: Ohhh ok
Mother:What's the next question?
Me:What was the most popular music genre when you was growing up
Mother:R&B definitely especially at parties we aint do allat gangsta stuff
y'all be having going on now
Me: Yea yall was lame that’s why
Mother: I hope you ain't putting that in yo paper
Me: I am this completely raw and uncut boo
Mother: Teach gone kick you out her class
Me: I hope not… Anyways What was life like back then
Mother: It wasn’t too much different from yours. I can say it was probably
more racist people
Me: Did you encounter a racist during the time or had to deal with one?
Mother: Plenty of times but the worst was probably when I was in highschool.
Me and this white girl had started arguing and next thing I knew she had
hit me in my mouth and of course I defended myself and fought back so when
they broke us up we was headed straight to the principal's office. Well,
when we got to the principal’s office the teachers told the principal that
the other girl started the fight first.Keep in mind your grandma signed a
paper saying that I could get spanked. The principal suspended the girl
because she wasn’t allowed to get spanked. So he took me in the back to
spank me and he spanked me for so long and busted my hand open to where
I had to go to the hospital. Your grand dad was so mad he came to the school
and that was the first time I saw him out of character. He showed out so
bad the police were called and the principal was fired. From that day
forward I knew not to sign my future kids waiver saying they could be
spanked.
Me: First off ew and secondly aint no way grandad showed out like that I
never ever seen him mad upset or nun.
Mother:Oh yea he was finna kill that man. My mama couldn’t even get him to
calm down
Me: Oh wow she was there too?
Mother: NO she was at work but someone called her telling her to calm her
husband
Me: Oh wow. Yall done turned Abbeville High School up. Okay, next question…
Did you go to any concerts?
Mother: No, your grandmother didn’t allow that after your aunt got into it
with her friends.
Me: At this point.. Yall needed to stay in the house. If it ain't you, it’s
her. Next question.. What is your honest opinion about music today?
Mother: I still like the females who rap and sing today but I still don’t
care for rap music by men. Especially today because now all they rap about
is killing. If I had to choose a good male rapper from today, I’d prolly
choose Rod Wave.
Me: Yea, cause I put you on. That man top tier.
Mother: Whatever chy
Me: Do you like the music I listen to?
Mother: Of course not, that just goes back to what I was saying allat
cussing and talking bout killing is a no go
Me: It’s not so much of the words I like about the music. It’s their voices
and the bass.
Mother:I just know Youngboy very aggravating and that’s all he wanna do is
kill people and talk about.
Me: YB is a goat, no cap.
Mother:Definitely not.
Me: What do you look for in listening to music?
Mother: Umm I don't know honestly. Whether it's a man or woman, I look for
two types of songs. Songs that are upbeat but not too crazy with the bass.
I don’t know how to explain it. I look for songs that are soothing,songs
that I can get hype to, songs that I can clean to, and songs I can relate to.
Me: What is your favorite song as of right now.
Mother: I don’t have a favorite song but I like Love Em All by K. Michelle,
Win to Lose by Fantasia, and just about all of Usher's songs. Me: Thanks chy, you can go back to doing what you was doing I gotta type
our conversation

Really liked reading your post! I like how your mom was a R&B fan, and especially listening to this at parties when growing up. I thought it was funny to read about the conversation as well (in a good way!), overall really cool to read this interview!
ReplyDeleteThis made me laugh and reminded me of my relationship with my mom. I like how she was herself, and I loved this dialogue. It was super fun. My favorite part was when yall started talking about Youngboy.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great interview! It reminds me of me and my mom! When your mom talked about CD's it reminded me of something. I definitely remember when I was little my mom in her car had a CD sleeve with tons of different CDs. My Friday treat when I got picked up from school was to pick out a CD and be able to have it played during the ride home! I always picked the Fergie CD!
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you added everything that was said during your interview, it really made me laugh and was definitely something I needed to read after a long day at work.
ReplyDelete