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Post by samitch on Mar 22, 2016 23:57:39 GMT
In McCann’s piece, he steers us through the history of rap music, tying the genesis of the genre to black rage, a point I certainly agreed with. He writes, “if there is a unifying characteristic of as broad a mode of cultural production as rap, it is the genre’s intense proximity to Black suffering in the united states...from its earliest iterations, the genre served as one of many outlets for Black rage when the legal victories of the Civil Rights Movement in the American south failed to remove the deeply entrenched structures of inequality that relegated citizens of color to neglected northern urban sectors” (p.410). As McCann argues, rap is a form of musical expression rooted in the expression of black urban youth, especially within the subgenre of Gangsta Rap with artists like Tupac Shakur, Ice Cube, and Snoop Dogg. However, what do you all think McCann would argue in terms of white rappers whose sources of rage or affect altogether come from very different places altogether? With prominent white rappers like Eminem or Macklemore, how can we further the affective foundations of rap music when artists such as these clearly do not fit in the context of the Black rage that Best and Kellner explore? At first glance, I thought that perhaps McCann and other hip-hop fans would simply suggest that white rappers may not “fit in” to the sub-genre of gangsta rap, but there are many rap critics who place Eminem and Yelawolf as within the gangsta genre. I wanted to pose this question because although I completely agreed with the McCann article, I could not help but wonder how race complicates the affective roots of certain genres of rap, as well as genre and also international rap artists.
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Post by jjnickell on Mar 23, 2016 4:51:37 GMT
As you know more than anybody, Scott, my critical understanding of rap music is questionable at best, so take what I say with a shakerfull of salt.
McCann indicates that rap has its origins as a means of expression for Black citizens who continued to be subjugated after the "victory" of the Civil Rights Movement. Clearly then, this began as a localized political outlet, but gained popularity until it became part of the inescapable cultural mainstream, so white rappers (for example) like Eminem were exposed to the music. While they might come to understand generally the social harms experienced by the Black rappers through the expression in the music, white rappers obviously can't experience them - they can only sympathize, try and relate, or compare. The affect of Black rage is lost to them. However, although the affect of Black rage is not one Eminem can experience, he can experience other forms of affective rage. Music initially about racial marginalization, when turned mainstream, can only be understood as expressions of marginalization in general by those who haven't experienced racial marginalization. Therefore, these artists use rap music to express rage at other 'isms - Eminem, for example, has much to say about his experiences with classism.
All this to say: I think McCann would argue that we must always ground our understanding of rap music within the affect of Black rage, due to its deep origins. However, its expansion through mainstream culture has enabled the genre to expand to include those who can effectively (read: authentically) express their own affects of rage in ways that are topically distinct but stylistically reminiscent of the Black music that inspired them.
Rereading this, I have no idea if it makes sense or not, but I can't think of any other way to phrase it. My response has me turning back to Watt's (2005) piece about Eminem passing in 8 Mile. Rap has expanded beyond the affect of Black rage, but it still must express an affect of (a slightly more encompassing) Dark rage.
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