Black People : Whites in Hip Hop the New Black Face???

[Full Speed]

How do you police something and yet allow for variety at the same time? I was never down with the groups that wanted a boycott of BET of Nelly's 'Tip Drill' rap and video or whatever 2LiveCrew did. I understand and respect their concern and arguments about misogyny, glorification of violence, sexualizing of young black women and girls, promoting colorism by the heavy presence of light skin and long straight hair, and all the other arguments they have against these people and videos - but I don't mind that they are being allowed to stay on the airwaves in music and television.

If they are made, they can stay, I don't care. What I do care about is freedom of expression and variety. If I don't like something, I don't watch it or listen to it. I change my TV or radio station to something else. I'm a rigorous channel changer on the radio and listen from one end of the dial and back again. I enjoy the black 'minstrel' shows on like I Love New York or Wendy Williams as much as I enjoy shows on the Discovery Channel or the History Channel. But in order to enjoy variety, there must be variety.

I had little problem with 'Tip Drill' or other shows of that type. What I would have a problem with was if 'Tip Drill' or any other type of video was the only thing being shown and made.... but it's not. There is still Lenny Kravitz, Hossam Ramzy, Miriam Makeba, Bob Marley, Cyrstal Waters, Goapele, and others. The variety among black shows is dwindling tho, and that I don't like. Since many white shows are integrating their casts, there are less black shows like Roc, Living Single, Living Color, or 413 Hope Street to see on television. Limited shows means limited variety. Again.... integration that is suppose help integrate among the whites.... is limiting our own. Such as the trouble with integration always.

So the problem I have with BET is not that they are showing sexually explicit videos or black reality shows.... but it's limited scope and variety. There is no more Teen Summit, Tavis Smiley (never watched these shows, but still) or anything of substance and variety on BET anymore.... at least that is what I hear. I haven't watched anything on BET in ages.

I understand why you think we should 'police' our image - so we can control what we put out there for other people to emulate or make a mockery of. I understand your concern and see the farther reaching implications of it. When white folks in power see these debased images of us from our people, then they implement policy and power that affect us, and then justify from what they see or heard on television or radio. When gangsta rap came out with it's anti-authority anti-police message - they upped the police force and made us the # one enemies thinking we were violent and wanted to kill the police. This affected every ordinary, working class and unarmed black man and woman through more racial profiling and the proliferation of black arrest and charges of 'suspicion' by the cops.

But my attitude has generally been 'F white people and whatever the hell they think. If they got a bad attitude about black people - they can change it if they want too because there are always plenty of black folks offering them an alternative view... they just don't want to change their negative view. Then when they do want to change their negative views about black people, that ain't helping either. It's another scapegoat. They hold the Oprahs and the Cosbys up in our faces and tell other black folks 'Look at these who have made it, at credit to your race. It ain't racism holding you back, it's yourselves. You're always claiming victims of everything.' They say this latter part so they can be absolved of their racism and racist institutions. I ain't having it. F them.

Let the blacks rap about what they want to rap about, and make whatever shows they want to make. If I don't like it, I won't watch or listen. I could probably get in on some 'policing' but it won't be to change white folks image of ourselves because I don't give a rat's behind about white folks or what they think, but the policing would be against things like exploiting underage girls maybe or some other human rights violation. But when it comes to what's made by us, I guess I'm more liberal that most. I don't have a problem with what's made, but what limited variety is allowed to be put out.

As for these debased images causing whites in authority to it use for racist power and policy - THAT is what should be fighting against, the racist power and policy from that limited scope or view they have about us. And we should be fighting for to keep or add more variety to the airwaves, not less. I want to keep what we have, no matter how bad it is... and add more great stuff to balance that out.

If we are not going to police our own image, then we have to accept that we will be characterized by the image projected by those in position to project. Unfortunately, popular culture does most of the projecting of our image.

If no one is out there sending an opposing message that says "That is not who we are" they can only believe what comes from the horses mouth.

 

[medusanegrita]

If we are not going to police our own image, then we have to accept that we will be characterized by the image projected by those in position to project. Unfortunately, popular culture does most of the projecting of our image.

If no one is out there sending an opposing message that says "That is not who we are" they can only believe what comes from the horses mouth.

Who's in control of mass marketing and distribution?

Who has more to gain and who has more to lose by producing positive images of black folks? White wants to keep positive images of black folks on the snuff, the dl, behind the closet, whever they want to put it. They have an agenda and that agenda it perpectuate and keep the majority negative images out there. If they do that, whenever they need a scapegoat for crime, welfare, or to many any sweeping reform about any of that, they have us and our image out there. Majority of people on welfare is white, but that's is not what comes to mind when you think 'welfare.' It's the poor black single mother with more kids than she can handle... and public policy is implemented off of that.

So we can put more positive images out there... but since whites have the money for the mass marketing and distrubtion and to pay people... our own marketing and distrubution of positive stuff will be limited. So it is up to us to control what we and our children see in our own homes and elsewhere. AND TALK TO THEM! I actually watched the tip drill vid with my children, and we talked about the images, the women, and what it all meant and how they felt about it. I gave them my own opinion of the video, and enforced the kind of life I wanted for them so they wouldn't have to grow up and shake their booties for those kinds of videos. Women have the freedom to do what they want, and I don't don't down a sista for shaking her nude or scantilly clad butt in a risque video... do whatchu gotta do...but I'm trying to get my kids to take a more respectful path and to avoid some of the traps that could lead to the less respectful one. But I'm there for them regardless.

If no one is out there sending an opposing message that says "That is not who we are" they can only believe what comes from the horses mouth.

If THEY are white folks.... then again... I don't give a rooty-patooty about what white folks think. I might consider it if they name is on my check.

 

[jamesfrmphilly]

Who's in control of mass marketing and distribution?

amazon.....and itunes. they don't care. if hip hopers are such "gangstas" they best "gangsta" some personal responsibility.

 

[Full Speed]

amazon.....and itunes. they don't care. if hip hopers are such "gangstas" they best "gangsta" some personal responsibility.

Sho Nuff!!

 

[warriorprincess]

In the larger society, originality and creativity is not a standard or even promoted. This is evident in many aspects of everyday life. Music and education are to just a few. The regurgitation of facts and antiquated information is applauded and revered in education almost to the point that new ideas are scoffed upon. This is probably why people thought that the earth was flat for so many years and wanted to crucify the ones who proposed that it was indeed round.

When most people talk about honoring the elders and the ancestors what comes to my mind is taking their research, their ideas, and their works to the next level. This to me is the highest honor. Hip hop is the evolution of jazz and jazz is the evolution of blues. I may have that order wrong but the I think that the point is not lost. All of these genres have elements of each other but there is a distinct difference between them. Something new was created upon conception.

The following is a VIBE magazine interview where Michael Jackson talked about how he channels his creativity.

VIBE: Finally, how do you channel your creativity?
MJ: I don't force it, I let nature take its course. I don't sit at the piano and think, I'm going to write the greatest song of all time. It doesn't happen. It has to be given to you. I believe it's already up there before you are born, and then it drops right into your lap. It's the most spiritual thing in the world. When it comes, it comes with all the accompaniments, the strings, the bass, the drums, the lyrics, and you're just the medium through which it comes, the channel. Sometimes I feel guilty putting my name on songs - "written by Michael Jackson - because it's as if the heavens have done it already. Like Michelangelo would have this huge piece of marble from the quaries of Italy, and he'd say, "Inside is a sleeping form." He takes a hammer and chisel, and he's just freeing it. It's already in there. It's already there.

http://www.allmichaeljackson.com/interviews/vibemaginterview.html