I just finished reading all the other blogs, and it's nice to know I'm not the only one who came out of that class confused. I as well have to congratulate Dr. Tapley on giving me an experience I have never had before...blaring misogynistic music through the halls of Humanities. Frickin' Wicked.I guess I wasn't confused so much as I was mystified by everything in class. Before the class, I would have completely agreed with the people who said "Fiddy" has no idea what he is doing; he is just a pawn in the Eminem and Dr. Dre chess game we like to call the music industry. He is just a sexist pig, now packaged with a shiny bow on his magic stick, who objectifies women to make a quick, and large, buck. Now, after class, I'm not so sure. Dr. Tapley asked the question, "Why couldn't/wouldn't a black male want to fight back against the white establishment that has been stereotyping him, and his ancestors, for his entire life. Why wouldn't he want to throw it all back at them by re-appropriating those exact stereotypes and making them points of his power?" I made the assumption 50 cent is not conscious of his actions, and now I realize in making that assumption I was buying into the ideology that has been holding back black males so long; an uneducated, ex-gangster cannot create his own image, it must have been created for him by someone else, in this case Dr. Dre. It makes perfect sense that he, and all of the other black male rappers who have similar lyrics, would want to use empowering nihilism to take back the power that has been stolen from them by the dominant white ideology. I have no way of knowing what 50's intentions are, so why did I think that I did? I don't know what I think about this misogynistic music now, but at least now I'm thinking about it and not dismissing it. I do have to say that I have always thought that all mainstream stars, whether they be music or film stars, are created/molded by corporations. Can someone be an empowered nihilist and a commodity at the same time? My answer is yes, but how it all works exactly I'm still confused about. I think my eyes are beginning to glaze over, bye.
1 comment:
Good question: can one be a commodity as well as an empowered nihilist at the same time? I find it difficult to believe that 50 can be the commodity that he is, as well as an empowered nihilist. In his lyrics, of whom is he promoting violence and degradation towards? He talks about raping women, selling drugs to addicts just to make a quick buck, fighting with other black men, youth in particular. Although I agree that much of 50s music is packaged for and consumed by privileged suburban, white, male youth, he hardly contradicts the dominant masculinity already available to black male youth. Maybe in a way he’s “sticking it to the man,” but he sure as hell isn’t making it any easier for black male youths to resist the confines of a violent masculinity.
Post a Comment