“Cuff It”: an Homage to Black Feel-Good Vibes
October 31, 2022
By Jasmine Christopher, Staff Writer
Roller skating has been around since the 18th century, but its heyday didn’t come until the mid-70s and 80s. This is partly due to the creation of Roller Discos and the rise in popularity of Disco and Funk music.
Roller Discos were roller rinks where people would come to dance in their roller skates.
While all kinds of people enjoyed Roller Disco, it’s safe to say that Black people popularized it, considering Disco and Funk were both created by Black people.
Most people still think of Disco when roller skating is mentioned. Pop culture has reinforced this idea with movies like Roll Bounce (2005), set in 1978 Chicago, a major roller-skating city at this time.
These days, roller rinks play whatever music is most famous, as they did in the 70s, but this might be subject to change as one of the most influential artists of this generation, makes an effort to revive “dance music.”
After a six-year solo project hiatus, Beyoncé returned this summer with a dance album released July 29, 2022, entitled “Renaissance.” This album draws from Disco, Funk, and other popular genres of the 70s and 80s, such as House and Pop.
“It just makes me happy,” said Ming-Kimora Tate, a junior, psychology major from Houston, Texas. Tate says the words “bubbles, happy, and dance” is what she feels when she listens to “Renaissance.” The song transitions also stand out to her.
“I like how each song, after it ends and the next song starts, it just sounds like one long song,” Tate said.
Various award-winning producers and musicians from those generations and newer artists are featured, giving each song a nostalgic feel with a modern twist. Track four is a disco-inspired record titled “Cuff It” featuring 80s musical legends Sheila E. and lead guitarist of Chic, Nile Rodgers.
The song samples Good Times by Chic (1979), Teena Marie’s Square Biz (1981) and incorporates an interpolation from her song Oooh La La La (1988). Chic’s bassist Bernard Edwards is also featured on the record.
“The samples that she used are like kind of an ‘if you know, you know’ thing,” said Shaylyn Cothron, a sophomore, chemistry, pre-med major from Louisville, Ky., who said she recognizes the importance of these sample choices.
“It really means a lot for Black people, Black women, and it’s an album for Black queer people, so she kind of touched all of the bases,” Cothron said.
“Cuff It” is the epitome of Roller-skating music from its dynamic percussion, courtesy of Sheila E., to the upbeat guitar from Rodgers, and the overall high-quality production from Raphael Saadiq, Morten “Rissi” Ristorp, and The Dream.
The first part of the song is authentic, feel-good Disco, including lively horns and the funky bass as the core of the music. The percussion is steady, using a classic boom-clack pattern that was common in the mid-70s, and it inspires movement just as true Disco would.
“Cuff It… it’s like one of me and my roommates bonding songs,” says A’yanna Nation, a sophomore, neuroscience/pre-med major from Shreveport, La. “We play that song in the car, and we just jumping and feeling good, so I really like it,” Nation said.
At the song’s last minute, a breakdown brings us back to modern times. The guitar and bass become synths, the percussion is that of a more modern hi-hat heavy sound, and the horns become automated rather than live. The song begins to sound like a pop song we hear these days.
Beyoncé uses these subtle changes to remind us of the roots of our music and how things can transform over time. It seems to be received well. In August, shortly after its release, Kaitlyn Hardy and Maycee Steele created a TikTok dance challenge to “Cuff It” that incorporates dance moves we tend to refer to as “old school.”
It may not be historically accurate, but it is proof that Beyoncé’s attempt at making a song that can time travel and bring us back to a time we might not even have experienced was successful.
