YOU WON’T BREAK OUR SOUL
MUSIC AND FASHION AS ESCAPISM IN REGINALD HUDLIN’S HOUSE PARTY
A FILM REVIEW BY JULES CROSBY
With raucous music and pulsating energy, House Party (1990) submerges viewers into its cinematic universe in an explosive opening scene. A fog machine at full effect, the disorienting neon colors and additional stylistic components of the intro sequence erode the parameters of a traditional film. For a few moments, House Party exists in this dimension of half-film, half-extended music video. With particular detail to cinematography and wardrobe, writer-director Reginald Hudlin makes an earnest effort to capture Black culture in its most exuberant state, highlighting the power of fashion and music as silent protest against traditional figures of power.
The absurd fun depicted in the fashion and soundtrack of House Party serves as a weaponized distraction from the horrors that surround the young adults at all times. The leather jackets, bright and funky shirt patterns, pearl necklaces, crop-tops, high-top fades and Jheri curls all form an aggregate defense against the inflicted harassment of the police that follow them throughout the film, and to a broader extent, authority figures like their meddling parents. Fashion and music are dignified as some of the only forms of expression in the film that grant Black kids some semblance of agency over their own lives. It’s when the young adults are bouncing to the rhythm of LL Cool J, Kid ‘n Play and Artz & Kraftz that they feel most liberated.
No force can dampen their collective Black joy in House Party and Hudlin affirms this notion by incorporating several prolonged dance breakdowns in the film. These scenes might seem inconsequential in the moment, but they come together to make a bold statement about the persistence of Black expression in the midst of oppressive circumstances. Yes, the Black kids are “tired of getting beat up by those punk ass cops”, but at this one house party, all of their problems seem to dissipate… if only for a single moment.
The concept of music and fashion as vehicles of escape for Black communities is nothing new. In fact, it’s rooted in history. According to an article by the National Park Service, enslaved Africans found solace and strength in African song as well as songs birthed from the trauma of chattel slavery. Songs served important purposes for recreation, prayer and worship; beyond the musical aspects, singing also provided crucial religious and social commentary.
The association between escapism and music and fashion denotes the breadth and idiosyncrasy of global Black identity that persists today. As an ode to Black queer ballroom culture, Beyoncé’s Renaissance album released in July has developed into an inter-dimensional portal of sorts: an oasis of escape to a galaxy far-far away for a marginalized community of folks. And for 62 glorious minutes full of pulsing disco grooves, soulful instrumentation and throbbing house samples, gay Black folk can lose themselves in the sounds of glittery queer bravado.
The fashion inspired by Renaissance continues to take the internet and world by storm; the clothing is original, unrelenting and luxurious. The wardrobe consists of bold makeup, tight leather clothing, partial nudity and pronounced jewelry. But, it’s not about the jewelry or the music for a lot of Black people. It’s never about the physical product, although external signifiers such as hair, makeup and dress represent important modes of unrefined expression. The real significance of music and fashion is the purely metaphorical, psychological escape it provides its consumers. Music and fashion help preserve our hearts and minds in a world that feeds off broken Black souls.
