You're dealing with a lot of science. Mthafcker, we're watching you.

[raybear]

It was voted too cold for ice cream last night, but warm enough for a trip to walgreens where I purchased more blank tapes and window fan. Not that we particularly need a 3-foot box fan right now, but spring will come eventually and air circulation is a good thing. Plus it was on mad sale.

I started a new mixtape in honor of tomorrow night's gig at the AZone. Sort of my favorite "politically motivated" rap or whatever. I always feel weird when isht gets labelled "positive rap" or whatever and have nightmarish replays of conversations from years ago when I'm playing a Roots CD at a friend's house and their crunchy dykey friend asks if their "good to women". And she didn't understand when I suggested that was a questionably racist comment since I bet she owns Rolling Stones CD's. She didn't really respond, I think because she was thoroughly confused. Then again, in another music discussion, she had the CD of a crunchy dyke local folksinger and I noticed she did a cover of Nirvana's About A Girl. She responded with "Alright! Taking it back for women!" Taking what back? I didn't understand this comment. I guess people don't realize that over half of Nirvana's material came from Kurt's near unrequited love affair with Kathleen Hanna the big guru leader of the riotgrrl/dyke punk movement. So I was thoroughly confused by her comments as well. It was just a bad communication conversation all around.

But anyway, yeah, so "positive rap", not so much, since I don't like to deem stuff that might be hard to listen to or dark/harsh in nature as "negative" and therefore bad. I'm sorry if this music challenges or scares you, but it doesn't make it less positive. I also hate when things get labelled "political" just because they're not talking about booty or slinging dope. Common gets mentioned a lot as being a "polticial rapper" (Wyatt just described a similar experience I had when listening to his last album), but I don't find Common to be super political at all, espeically if you compare his words to other groups, like The Coup. I mean, he does try and rise above some of the isht, but I think stuff he says in interviews is often more provocative than the lyrics themselves. I will admit, after seeing him live, I was sufficiently impressed by his performance and MC skills, and became a solid if cautious fan -- I like him and keep an eye out for his stuff, but I don't totally trust him to speak on every subject. But I do love that he grows and changes and imprvoes upon himself -- one of my favorite songs on his latest album is Pimps, Hos, Hustlas, where he addresses some of his previous attitudes towards women (see the song Heidi Hoe on "Can I Borrow a Dollar?" Or better yet, don't) and his own 'hypocrisy' (with the help of MC Lyte). I think people get unfairly called out as hypocrites just because they learned something along the way and changed their stance. Why do we even bother to educate folks if we're just going to ridicule them for changing their minds? The Beastie Boys were going to call their first album "Don't Be a Faggot". But they've acknowledged that they've grown up and changed their view based on life experiences, and even apologized for past wrongs. Isn't that how it's supposed to work?

This train of thought has derailed. I think my main point for diving into this actually has nothing to do with homophobia and sexism in lyrics. But more about putting "Fuck the Police" on the tape and it still being obviously applicable. And digging out Rakim's "Casualities of War", then getting chills while listening to it on the bus today because it's still fcking applicable 12 years later and when he says "President Bush" in the song, it's no longer dated, and I suddenly felt no longer numb to the whole fcked up presidency and government (I sort of unintentionally turned off my rage and gave in to apathy at some point in the past 6 months or so). I mean, I can't necessarily go around all the time with my temper boiling over so much that my eyeballs are about pop out, since it's not good for my own health. But I can't help but think I can no longer just shrug my shoulders and throw my hands up and feel helpless and pray for a complete collapse of the system to occur on it's own. I can't help but feel I need to be doing a bit more to hurry it along to imploding. Even if it's just slipping songs like this into the mixtapes I start selling.

Comments

[greyandred.livejournal.com]

hey ray, when you finish that mix tape, i'd love to buy a copy... (at some point after the beginning of the month of course) :-)

[cuedus.livejournal.com]

You know, you just made something clear for me... or maybe just made something come to the front where it was just hanging out in the back with all the other freaks and geeks, but the way music is racialized does get annoying because what it really represents is pro-white natures and anti-black sentiment. Like that bit about Beastie Boys I never knew, but then I don't really like them... they seem, to me, to be the stuff of novelty stores... like a musical Spencer's... I dunno, but possibly it's common knowledge about that intended album title. But they'd be forgiven in a way that a Black artist wouldn't be. Not only would they be forgiven, but they'd be allowed to grow and come into their own as artists instead of stopped in their tracks (like 2 Live Crew... what else could they have had? Or Ice-T..).

Now, I have never heard of Common, Dead Prez, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, and the roots as "political rap", but I have heard of it being conscious rap -- aware of itself. The conscience-raising aspect is really what I get out of this music. Especially, as a person of color, who finds him/herself degraded daily because of the color of his skin, I find the grounding both neccesary and like breathing. But I'm wondering, do we really listen to music for it's particular politics? And what comes of carefully censoring anything that could be... "harmful" to one's arranged identity? Will it collapse like dominoes? Should not our identities be able to substain some hits? Otherwise are we building a fragile us?

The other day on MTV's most shocking videos, I had the pleasure of watching people tear apart Eminem's "Stan" which I had never heard... possibly because besides "Slim Shady" he hasn't really interested me that much (and I am not as much as a raphead as I may seem... I prefer singing over spittin') .. but listening to people make something that _isn't_ homophobic something that is homophobic because their identities are too fragile to handle anything that is more complex than "I stick my peter here". (For the record, after finding and reading the lyrics, I realized that what "Stan" is talking about is fraternity which Em mistakes -- but it isn't shocking... men don't like to think of their closeness with other men... but that's something else.) When we construct our identities, our politics that fragile, we wind up losing the ability to really tell what is offensive opposed to what is being said. Everything becomes hair trigger and that, seemingly, leads to more racialized readings and dysconscious racism because it is ultimately setting up a hierarchy where the values are still established (lower/higher) and race is not only sat on that, but spun and tauted as "sensible".

Ok, enough from me.

Peace,

Q

[raybear.livejournal.com]

-- "they seem, to me, to be the stuff of novelty stores... like a musical Spencer's"

HA! I like the Beastie Boys actually -- everything EXCEPT Licensed to Ill. But I love that phrase: "a musical Spencer's". (I would possibly recommend the album hearing Paul's Boutique, which is a better indication of their musical talent, though I don't feel particularly compelled to make anyone like them....)

-- "as "political rap", but I have heard of it being conscious rap -- aware of itself."
Yes, I've heard this too and I think it's definitely a more accurate description, as you say. Folks who call it 'political rap' are mostly folks who don't have a a very deep or wide knowledge of hip hop.

-- "do we really listen to music for it's particular politics? And what comes of carefully censoring anything that could be... "harmful" to one's arranged identity?"
This is a great point. I certainly don't. For me personally, I struggle more with maintaining a balance -- making sure I listen to music that challenges. and nurtures. and affirms. But mostly I prefer stuff that challenges me, which means I own a lot of music that some folks would deem 'degrading'. Sure, there are homophobic and transphobic and sexist and violent words and images. But I'm one of those people that doesn't believe listening to records makes you go out and shoot people. Or even hate people.

-- funny you should mention Eminem, because i just bought his second album last night for 5 bucks. i thought maybe i should give it a spin from start to finish and see what's up. i've heard all the singles, read all the articles that print the lyrics, but i felt compelled right this moment to give a full listen now that the opinions have died down and i can try to interpret it for myself.

for the most part, in music and pop culture, i feel there are two types of "homophobic speech". there's the use of 'faggot' as a generic insult to people regardless of sexuality, and then there's "all fags should die and i will help them along." techinically, this is also the jerry falwell category. for the most part, i try to avoid listening to the latter speech too much just because it's not terribly empowering or entertaining for me. but with the former, i'm more likely to just shrug, roll my eyes, and think "can't you be a more creative lyricist?" and yes, there IS a difference between the two categories, and context does have meaning to me.

though i must also admit that much of the "homophobia" that sometimes gets pointed out in hiphop music is rather....homoerotic to me. and i LIKE listenening to those parts. i like when DMX or Prodigy talk about other people "holding their dicks". i like the nuances in their delivery, where it's taunting, but in almost a flirty or sexual way. some might think i'm crazy when i say this -- including the rappers themselves. but actually probably not. i'm sure quite a few of them have been on the downlow themselves.

thanks for sharing your thoughts.