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The Karen

Decoder Ring

CHAPTER

The History of Black Music - Becky

There's so many different songs in the history of black music about a Becky. Lead Belly did a song called Becky Dean, she was a gambling gal and Becky is supposed to be black in this song. Often, Becky was Jewish, Becky being short for the Old Testament name, Rebecca. But over time, that association faded away as Black naming conventions were changing. So much so, by the 1990s, Becky could become the quintessential white girl name in Baby Got Back.

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