It's now been four years since the death of Aretha Franklin, and thanks to a new report from Rolling Stone, the world is beginning to discover what sort of information was contained in the Queen of Soul's astounding 270-page FBI report.
It was made public knowledge just a few weeks ago that the "Respect" singer had the government organization closely watching her every move for decades, but now, the actual contents of their findings (or rather, lack thereof) have been shared with the public.
According to Rolling Stone, phrases like "Black extremists," "pro-communist," "hate America," "radical," "racial violence," and "militant Black power" were frequently littered throughout various documents which clearly held suspicions about Franklin, her work, and others in her wide-reaching social circle.
It's been noted that some of the documents have been heavily redacted, and it's been indicated that the FBI may have others in its possession – these have been requested by the outlet.
"I’m not really sure if my mother was aware that she was being targeted by the FBI and followed. I do know that she had absolutely nothing to hide though," the late vocalist's son, Kecalf Franklin, revealed in an interview.
In particular, the Federal Bureau of Investigation seems to have taken interest in the Memphis-born star's relationship with Martin Luther King Jr., Angela Davis, and other popular figures in the social justice movement at the time.
Using false phone calls, surveillance, infiltration, and highly-placed sources, they tracked Aretha's addresses, phone numbers, and activities frequently.
Aside from their spying, death threats against Franklin were also included in her file, as well as ominous letters received both before and after her father was shot in Detroit in 1979.
A 1968 document describing MLK Jr.'s funeral plans as a "racial situation" caught Rolling Stone's attention, as it went on to note that "Sammy Davis Jr., Aretha Franklin…of this group, some have supported militant Black power concept…[performance at MLK memorial by these prominent entertainers] would provide emotional spark which could ignite racial disturbance in this area."
Several times throughout their 40 years of surveillance, the FBI attempted to connect Franklin to the Black Liberation Army and other "radical" movements. They also detailed her 1971 Atlantic Records contract "just in case" it could later link her to the Black Panther Party.
A section labelled "Possible Racial Violence" mentions an August 1968 performance that the "Ain't No Way" singer had to cancel at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver, Colorado. After hearing the news, patrons reportedly "broke chairs and music stands, damaged a grand piano, and even set fire to trees, bushes and trash piles" for about 20 minutes.
Despite their best efforts, the FBI never was able to link Franklin to any acts of "Black extremism" or "racial violence."
"It does make me feel a certain way knowing the FBI had her targeted and wanted to know her every move," her son said. "But at the same time knowing my mother and the way she ran her business I know she had nothing to hide so they wouldn’t have found anything and were wasting their time. As you see…they found nothing at all."
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