Thursday, July 22, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Marcus McCarther---Collective Marginality
In his video Life As A Shorty, Fashawn is able to articulate the identity of a young male growing up in his neighborhood. His story is a universal story in American culture. Most people can relate to the lyrics and imagery displayed in the video. Largely because of rap music, one can tune in to the voices and find faces of America’s Black youth at any point in the day (Kitwana, 342). Although this statement is true, I find it to be problematic. Not all rap music is specifically catered or representative of Black culture or people. There is conscious hip-hop that I feel is entirely underrepresented in hip-hop discourse. This may be for economic reasons but mainstream record companies suppress messages of Black uplift and empowerment. And in the same way as the mainstream media establishes the parameters for national discussion for the nation at large, rap music sets the tone for Black youth (Kitwana, 344). Hip-hop is the embodiment of connective marginality. Connective marginality is the term given as a conceptual frame that encompasses various social and historical realms that form the context for youth participating in hip-hop outside the United States (Osumare, 69). Mired in the historic context of American racism, the global meanings of blackness may signify parallel issues of marginality and difference marked already in other countries (Osumare, 62). This song and video are successful at articulating a message that is both representative and universal at the same time. Fashawn says, “life as a Shorty shouldn’t be so rough.” Given the fact that many of our youth come of age in urban centers blighted with poverty and an educational system overwhelmed and underfunded, it sometimes follows that our kids see themselves as damaged or deficient (Watts, 595). Some might watch this and think this is what it must me like to live in the ghetto but I challenge that. This is what it might be like for many living in lower class, impoverished environments. However, these same experiences might take place in an upper-middle class neighborhood in Orange County, California or even Tokyo, Japan.
Babak Afshinnik---Gangster vs. Conscious Rap
The song I chose is Tupac’s “Never Had A Friend Like Me.” This song embodies both Gangster and Conscious rap in it lyrical dimensions. Few artists are capable of producing a song that can possess Gangster and Conscious rap lyrics and far fewer can achieve this with the balance and taste Tupac brought. Conscious rap attempts to tell a story/narrative from an introspective stance that incorporates metaphoric/descriptive prose to impart a refined sentiment/quality to the music Gangster rap, in contrast to conscious rap, is more unrefined. Although a story is often told in Gangster rap, the main focus isn’t one of introspection and reflection but rather reaction and flows that speak of the present at hand and ho that experience comes across is the core of Gangster rap. Tupac’s “Never Had A Friend Like Me”comes across as both Gangster and Conscious rap in its entirety.Tupac blends elements of Gangster and Conscious rap with the verses, “…See at night I watch the sky take another breath I smoke my Newport to the butt Like it's the last motherfucker left just me and you evading enemies let you get my last shot of Hennessy ain't never had a friend like me remember memories so vividly was once a little dust kicker now becomes a G who can I call when they all fail collect calls to my dogz from the county Jail sendin' me mail heard the blocks in the same shape ain't nothin' changed niggaz slangin' at the same place the same faces we suppose to alwayz hate our foes this lifestyle is forever watch the game unfold shedding crocodile tears just got life plus and you wonder if these white judges like us just stay strong we'll appeal nigga you'll be free down with cha to the very end cause you ain't never had a friend like me.” In this verse, Tupac touches on many elements of Gangster and Conscious rap. Tupac’s choice to speak of Hennessy and Newport’s is reminiscent of Gangster rap. Tupac’s discussion of the block and how things haven’t changed is a social commentary on the pace of life in the hood and this draws from elements of Conscious rap. Tupac’s reference of to a white judge is a commentary aimed at the racial prejudice blacks and minorities feel in America, especially in the judicial system.
Margaret Guitron---Machismo
Broken down into its components, the machismo is the being or the expression of being “macho.” In Hip-Hop we see that machismo or the expression of being “macho” is done so to give power to the “devalued black man.” Machismo can be expressed through either the flaunting of sexuality, money, physical power (i.e. strength), or the devaluing of women.
In Nelly’s “Tipdrill” music video, for example, we as viewers are witness to several acts of machismo through the devaluing of women. Throughout the whole video there are scantily dressed women dancing around what seems to be a summer pool house. These women’s rear ends are what is the central theme of the song; we hear such lyrics as, “it must be your ass ‘cause it ain’t yo face.” Such lyrics strip women into mere body parts, disposable to men’s use. Along with these lyrics, we see some very explicit images where women’s booties are being slapped around, men are grinding behind them, and some women are grinding on each other in a Jacuzzi. It is very obvious that women’s central role in the video is to sexually entertain; at one point a girl is being thrown dollar bills at her by Nelly. The video concludes with Nelly swiping a credit card through a woman’s butt cheeks all whilst he smiles big for the camera in approval. Overall, we see the power that Nelly and his crew of men have over these women: slapping them around, throwing money at them, and using them to their desire. We get a sense that they own them with their money…the same could also be said of the women owning the men through their sexuality but in the end what we see is that the exchange of goods is not equal as these women are being heavily degraded in dignity. Every act of woman’s submission in this video is used to bring forward the power that the video’s men have over women, all indicative of machismo.
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