Just Enough
Watching Music Videos, I realize there is a crisis, exactly what Leela James has been talking about. I want to believe "A Change is Gonna Come," but I don't see it. Why the hell did Busta Rhymes choke someone with a chain in his new video? There's no apparent storyline or reason to do it... and regardless, its senseless, and its only a music video.
Stunted Growth
At a NSBE town hall meeting last year, one of the topics discussed was the very negative image Black people have in society, and the role, if any, that music had in this. I can't remember who the panelist was that said this, but he broke down the problem very clearly.
He said that a study was done in the early 90s to see who was really buying Rap and Hip-Hop music. Surprisingly enough, the largest buyers were young teenagers, when the content itself is geared toward a mature audience. Living in a country where income is more important than consequences, the music became harder, and more explicit in terms of language and sexuality... why? becuase the younger demographic eats it up. At the rebellious stage, there is nothing better than listening to music saying the words, and talking about doing exactly what your parents tell you not to. I remember when I got the Fugees album in 7th grade... I know exactly what he is talking about. It did seem liberating to have that kind of forbidden content in the house. But the image is powerful, and instead of growing, many of our people conform to the content in the lyrics thinking it is a way of life, when it is deliberately geared to a younger audience so that they will buy. I cannot think of any other reason why the music I hear is so explicit. For me, I recognize a tight beat when I hear it, all I ask on top of that is that the flow is tight... I could care less what you're talking about... and personally, I think most people can. A positive image in rap isn't soft, its just not what sells, such is the case in "conscious" rappers such as Talib Kweli and Mos Def. I think if the beats are next level, and the lyrics are positive and still entertaining, maybe we can reclaim this art for ourselves... or as Leela James says, fall back in love with music.
Image
My favorite music videos and artists are the ones that portray black people beautifully (India Arie, Musiq, even Sean Paul sometimes, since it is about entertainment). I think those images have more potential to sell than false images of excessive opulence. I made a comment in a humanities class once, with a white professor (can't remember what the comment was), but she responded, "Justin, White America has always embraced the Black culture, just never the people." What does that tell you? We already know, Black sells, and it doesn't have to be what we see now, so why are we selling images of diamonds, platinum grillz, spinning rims? What point is being made? These companies aren't supporting making the music video, so why include it and have them get rich off of your work? Why not start a company and include images of that product in the video? That makes more sense to me, but people like me don't have a say in those decisions. As for the fine living, I want that too, and if done right, it can be positive, but when Russell Simmons shows me a $24,000 toilet, or Master P shows me a golden ceiling, I can't agree with that. All that motivates someone to do is spend irresponsibly. Mary J. Blige's new video is done well. It shows fine living and positive images of Black people, without going overboard.
Degradation
Why are most music videos soft porn? Well, besides the reason that it sells, we have become forcibly content with seeing our women portrayed that way. I'm personally tired of it, because I know the problem will get worse before it ever gets better. I think that not enough has been done by Black women to combat this image. Unless all the rhetoric is being silenced, then I hear nothing about it at all. I say that only because I believe there are many fewer Black men that will do something about it than women. Again, this is something that can be done responsibly. There is nothing wrong with portraying the beauty of Black women through art, but that can only be done if you also show that the woman respects herself, and that the men around her respect her as well.
I'm declaring war... you heard it here first. We cannot grow as a culture until we fix this image... and an image this powerful will take years to fix. All I ask for now is that we are all mindful of what we portray in what we do, since as young & soon to be successful black professionals, I certainly hope we will have power to influence major decisions appropriately. I have been called white many times, and sadly and most recently, my sister (12 years old) has as well. That is the problem this image has created... regardless of how much I love my people, our culture, or our art, because of speaking correctly and not conforming to the mainstream image, we are not our color. I'm upset, but I'm not phased by it anymore... I just wish she didn't have to go through it.
~JL
Stunted Growth
At a NSBE town hall meeting last year, one of the topics discussed was the very negative image Black people have in society, and the role, if any, that music had in this. I can't remember who the panelist was that said this, but he broke down the problem very clearly.
He said that a study was done in the early 90s to see who was really buying Rap and Hip-Hop music. Surprisingly enough, the largest buyers were young teenagers, when the content itself is geared toward a mature audience. Living in a country where income is more important than consequences, the music became harder, and more explicit in terms of language and sexuality... why? becuase the younger demographic eats it up. At the rebellious stage, there is nothing better than listening to music saying the words, and talking about doing exactly what your parents tell you not to. I remember when I got the Fugees album in 7th grade... I know exactly what he is talking about. It did seem liberating to have that kind of forbidden content in the house. But the image is powerful, and instead of growing, many of our people conform to the content in the lyrics thinking it is a way of life, when it is deliberately geared to a younger audience so that they will buy. I cannot think of any other reason why the music I hear is so explicit. For me, I recognize a tight beat when I hear it, all I ask on top of that is that the flow is tight... I could care less what you're talking about... and personally, I think most people can. A positive image in rap isn't soft, its just not what sells, such is the case in "conscious" rappers such as Talib Kweli and Mos Def. I think if the beats are next level, and the lyrics are positive and still entertaining, maybe we can reclaim this art for ourselves... or as Leela James says, fall back in love with music.
Image
My favorite music videos and artists are the ones that portray black people beautifully (India Arie, Musiq, even Sean Paul sometimes, since it is about entertainment). I think those images have more potential to sell than false images of excessive opulence. I made a comment in a humanities class once, with a white professor (can't remember what the comment was), but she responded, "Justin, White America has always embraced the Black culture, just never the people." What does that tell you? We already know, Black sells, and it doesn't have to be what we see now, so why are we selling images of diamonds, platinum grillz, spinning rims? What point is being made? These companies aren't supporting making the music video, so why include it and have them get rich off of your work? Why not start a company and include images of that product in the video? That makes more sense to me, but people like me don't have a say in those decisions. As for the fine living, I want that too, and if done right, it can be positive, but when Russell Simmons shows me a $24,000 toilet, or Master P shows me a golden ceiling, I can't agree with that. All that motivates someone to do is spend irresponsibly. Mary J. Blige's new video is done well. It shows fine living and positive images of Black people, without going overboard.
Degradation
Why are most music videos soft porn? Well, besides the reason that it sells, we have become forcibly content with seeing our women portrayed that way. I'm personally tired of it, because I know the problem will get worse before it ever gets better. I think that not enough has been done by Black women to combat this image. Unless all the rhetoric is being silenced, then I hear nothing about it at all. I say that only because I believe there are many fewer Black men that will do something about it than women. Again, this is something that can be done responsibly. There is nothing wrong with portraying the beauty of Black women through art, but that can only be done if you also show that the woman respects herself, and that the men around her respect her as well.
I'm declaring war... you heard it here first. We cannot grow as a culture until we fix this image... and an image this powerful will take years to fix. All I ask for now is that we are all mindful of what we portray in what we do, since as young & soon to be successful black professionals, I certainly hope we will have power to influence major decisions appropriately. I have been called white many times, and sadly and most recently, my sister (12 years old) has as well. That is the problem this image has created... regardless of how much I love my people, our culture, or our art, because of speaking correctly and not conforming to the mainstream image, we are not our color. I'm upset, but I'm not phased by it anymore... I just wish she didn't have to go through it.
~JL
posted by JC at 11:13 AM
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