Author Description

What has historically been the black woman's place in the entertainment industry? Dream Factory Deferred chronicles the stage on which black female entertainers have been bound for decades. Although black women have been successful for years on various levels of entertainment, there is still a price to be paid for this success. This book looks at the Hottentot history that has hounded black female entertainers since Sarah Bartmann, "the Hottentot Venus", sensationalized Europe. By looking at the dynamics of three prominent black sex symbols, early forms of music video during the beginnings of the sound film era and the contemporary black press, Dream Factory Deferred places a group of women labeled as "neo-soul", including Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, India Arie, Macy Gray, Meshell Ndegeocello, Jill Scott and Angie Stone, within this Hottentot history and illustrate how they attempt to recreate and reclaim representations of black womanhood through their music and visual representations.