Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Black and white identity through hip hop
Concerning the discussion we had in class about black and white ethnicity, it brought to mind this song called Black and White that i heard by the artists Timbo King and R.A. the Rugged Man. i thought it brought together our discussion on hip hop and black and white perceptions quite well...i warn everyone though, R.A. is notorious for offensive and graphic lyrics that many people find offensive. He's been banned from almost every studio he tried to record in. Anyways...
I found that "white" is portrayed as weak, impotent, and white trash, while "black" was presented as strong, highly sexual, and violent, much like what we were saying in class about the universal white culture as bland but normal, as opposed to more ethnic cultures as more "colorful". Maybe other people can find different perceptions within this track.
On another note, i also wanted to mention this track contains that "shock value" that today's hip hop lacks. I think that hip hop with real shock value will never sell as much as what we know as mainstream rap, and it never did. Artists like dead prez and immortal technique will never top the charts like today's kanye west, 50 cent, or that clown soulja boy because mainstream society cannot relate to it. hip hop started out as the voice of the oppressed, and it only became popular when corporations made it more commercially viable. Anyways, heres the link to the track...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqdms2dEmC8
enjoy.
I found that "white" is portrayed as weak, impotent, and white trash, while "black" was presented as strong, highly sexual, and violent, much like what we were saying in class about the universal white culture as bland but normal, as opposed to more ethnic cultures as more "colorful". Maybe other people can find different perceptions within this track.
On another note, i also wanted to mention this track contains that "shock value" that today's hip hop lacks. I think that hip hop with real shock value will never sell as much as what we know as mainstream rap, and it never did. Artists like dead prez and immortal technique will never top the charts like today's kanye west, 50 cent, or that clown soulja boy because mainstream society cannot relate to it. hip hop started out as the voice of the oppressed, and it only became popular when corporations made it more commercially viable. Anyways, heres the link to the track...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqdms2dEmC8
enjoy.
# posted by Anonymous @ 4:09 PM 
