This week's reading talked about "colorblidness" which is the racial ideology that posits the best way to end discrimination is by treating individuals as equally as possible, without regard to race, culture or ethnicity. This is relevant to this blog, since the hip hop culture is part of black culture, although nowadays it is argued that hip hop is part of culture worldwide, no matter the race.
I always speak about my native country in this blog, so this post could not be different. In Brazil, there is many attempts to end racism and discrimination against black people. One of the attempts was to create a holiday called "Dia da Conscicencia Negra" which translates to "Black Awareness Day". This holiday is annually celebrated on Novemeber 20th as a day for people to reflect upon the injustices of slavery and to celebrate the contributions to society and to the nation by Brazilian citizens of African descent. It takes place during the Week of Black Awareness.
Another attempt to end discrimination not only against Black Brazilians but also against people from the lower classes, is a law that was passed by the President, in which a certain number of places will always be guaranteed for people who have studied in public schools. A lot of controversies have been raised regarding this issue.
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Hip Hop:
The reading by Jason Rodriguez "Color-Blind Ideology and the Cultural Appropriation of Hip Hop" mentions the fact that "whites do not simply consume African American art forms. They also appropriate those forms for their own purposes." In the hip hop scene, color blind ideology provides the discursive resources for individuals to justify their presence in the scene, but it also provides opportunity for whites to use their racial power to appropriate the culture hip-hop, taking the racially coded meaning out of the music and replacing them with color blind ones.
Here's a little part of a documentary "Blacking Up: Hip Hop's Remix of Race and Identity" about the "wigger" phenomenom (a derogatory word used to describe whites that supposedly want to be black) by Robert Clift. - This is a documentary about influence, appropriation and individuality in Hip Hop
In today's class we talked about Gansga Rap and about how rappers who have committed crimes and have been in jail are not welcomed by society but are welcomed in the hip hop community - and are even glorified for it. As an example we watched Alicia Keys Video Clip - the most important here is not the lyrics but the images. Alicia Keys goes to visit what it appears to be her boyfriend or husband in jail. We were showed this video as an example to how hip hop community embraces these people who are excluded from society because they have committed some type of crime and sentenced to serve jail/prison time. This clip is aired in mainstream media.
Alicia Keys - Fallin'
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I have already spoken about Racionais MCs in this previous post. But I cannot help but talk about them again this time around. As I said, Racionais have used their voices, instead of violence, in a way to protest against oppression, police violence and so on. But all the members have been arrested with the charges of inducing violence. While serving their time in jail, they did not stop writing songs and after they were released they became even more successful than before. This is a perfect example of how hip hop community embraces these people who have served time in jail, while society oppresses them. Even the highest levels of social classes would now listen to Racionais. One good example of how having been arrested and mentioning this in rap's lyrics is embraced by hiphop audiences is the song "Diario de um Detento", (A Prisoner's Diary), which is one of the most successful raps of Racionais and in which its video clip is aired in TV channels such as MTV Brasil.
I have uploaded the video clip below, where you can see the members of Racionais in jail and the reality of jails in Brazil - riots, fiights, people being murdered and what the everyday life in a Brazilian jail is like -and I have translated the song (which is reeeallly loong) below. So please do read the lyrics cuz it took me a long time to translate it and it is well worthy!
We also mentioned in class how these rappers sometimes tend to get attached to religion when they are arrested. Racionais MCs always mentions Bible verses in their song. Here, towards the end, they mention the Bible again. They also compare the situation in Brazilian Jails to the Holocaust and compare the Brazilian government/ politicians to Hitler towards the end of the song.
Racionais MCs - Diario de um Detento
(Please, again, do read the lyrics - it took me a long time to translate it in a way that it makes sense!!! AND it's really interesting- you won't regret it)
Diary of a Detainee
"São Paulo, October 1st, 1992, 8 am.
Here I am, one more day.
Under the gaze of bloodthirsty guards.
You do not know how it is to walk with your head under the target of an HK.
German or Israeli machine gun .
Shreds a thief just like it shreds paper.
On the wall, standing, another citizen Jose
Serving the state, a good policeman.
Starving, posing like Charles Bronson.
He knows what I wish for.
Knows what I think.
The day is rainy. The vibe is tense.
Many tried to escape, I also want to.
But from one to a hundred, my chance is zero.
Does God hear my prayers?
Will the judge accept the appeal?
I send a message there for my brother:
If you are using drugs,u're bad in my hand.
He's still with that girl.
Believe me, the kid is cool
I took a day less or one more day, I dunno ...
Whatever, the days are the same.
I light a cigarette and watch the day go by.
I kill the time for the time not to kill me.
Man is man, woman is woman.
Rapist is different, right?
Gets punched all the time, kneels and kisses the feet,
and bleeds to death on 10th Street.
Each detainee a mother, a belief.
Each crime a sentence.
Each sentence a reason, a story of tears,
blood, lives and glories, abandonment, misery, hate,
Wailing in the hallway, in the cell, in the courtyard.
Around the field, in every corner.
But I know the system, my brother, uh ...
Here there is no saint.
Rátátátá ... must avoid
what a bastard to make my mother cry.
My word of honor protects me
to live in the country of beige pants.
Tic, tac, is still 9:40 a.m..
The jail clock goes by in slow motion.
Ratatatá another train passes by.
Filled with good people, hasty, Catholics.
Reading newspaper, satisfied hypocrites.
With rage inside, on the way to the Center.
Looking this way, curious, of course.
No, it is not, is not the zoo
My life has not as much value
as your phone, your computer.
Today, it's difficult, the sun did not come up.
Today there is no visit, no football.
Some fellows have their mind weaker.
They can not stand boredom, and they get into fights
Thanks to God and the Virgin Mary.
Missing just one year, three months and a few days.
There's a closed cell upstairs.
Since Tuesday nobody has opened it for anything.
Just the smell of death and disinfectant
An inmate hanged himself with a bed sheet.
What was that? Who knows? It does not count.
Would take another six from end to end (...)
Nothing makes a man more ill
than the abandonment of relatives.
Here kid, let me know: then what do you want?
The job's there waiting for you.
Get all your imported things .
Your resumee in crime and clean your ass
The thug life is hopeless.
Your face turns white on this side of the wall.
Have you ever heard of Lucifer?
He came from hell with morals
One day ... in Carandiru, no ... he is just one more.
Eating rotten meals with pneumonia ...
Here there are niggas from Osasco, Garden D'April, Parelheiros,
Mogi, Brazil Garden, Bela Vista, Jardim Angela,
Heliopolis, Itapevi, Paraisópolis.
Nice thieves have good moral in the hood.
But for the state is just a number, nothing more.
Nine pavilions, seven thousand men.
That cost each three hundred dollars per month.
On the last visit, my nigga came around.
He brought some fruit, Marlboro, Free ...
Told be that a mo'fo from the area is back
With a red Kadett and plate from Salvador.
Posing like a big cat, he swears, he abuses
with a nine mm beneath the blouse.
Brown: "Here nigga, come here, and where are the homies at?
Remember this cururu who tried to kill me? "
Blue: "That goose sleazy mo'fo cuckold.
He would get fucked up and leave the girl alone
The girl was a virgin and was still a minor.
Now she gives blowjobs in exchange for powder! "
Brown: "These conversations bother me.
If I'm on the street then it's fucked up ... "
Blue: "Yes, the world goes around, he can come here."
Brown: "No, now, now, my time to get out is coming
I want to change, I want to get out.
If I bump into this guy, theres has no 'pa', there's no 'pum'
And I'll have to sign the an "121. "
The morning is sunny, two of October.
Everything working, cleaning, jumbo.
At dawn I felt a chill.
It was not the wind, it was not cold.
Settling almost everyday
There's another soon, I knew.
Loyalty is what every prisoner tries.
Achieving peace in a violent manner.
If a scoundrel screws over someone ,
Gets pointed at their face like Frankenstein
Smoke in the window, there's fire in the cell.
Fuck! It went further, maybe there's a hostage.
Most of them allowed themselves to get involved
for five or six who have nothing to lose.
Two respected robbers started discussing .
But had no idea what was coming.
Traffickers, murderers, embezzlers.
A majority of primary brat.
It was the breach that the system wanted.
Notify the medical institute, the big day arrived.
It all depends on the yes or no of one single man.
Who prefers to be neutral on the phone.
Ratatatá, caviar and champagne.
Fleury left to have lunch, they dont give a fuck about my mother!
Dog killers, tear gas ...
whoever kills the most thieves wins a prize!
The human being is disposable in Brazil.
Just like a used pad or a sanitary napkin
Jail? Of course the system didn't want it
It hides what the soup operas do not mention.
Ratatatá! Blood flows like water.
Ear, nose and mouth.
The Lord is my shepherd ...
forgive what his son did.
He died face down in Psalm 23,
no priest, no reporter.
unarmed, helpless.
HIV infection in the dog's mouth.
Corpses at the wells in the courtyard.
Adolf Hitler smiles in hell!
The government super hero is cold, does not feel sorry.
Only hatred and laughs like a hyena.
Ratatatá, Fleury and his gang
go swimming in a pool of blood.
But who will believe in my statement?
October 3, Diary of a prisoner/detainee. "
**Racionais MCs are amazing at what they do. Their lyrics are always touching and that's why they are so successful in Brazil!! They are my favorite rappers of all time!!! One last thing that I NEED TO SHARE WITH YALL. Today we had to work in pairs and I was paired up with my friend Lior who introduced to me an AMAZING website to help you find out the meaning of rap music the website is called rapgenius.com and you can go to it by clicking here ! Thanks LIOR!!! Hope you enjoyed today's blog -- see u next week**
In today's class we started watching the movie The Art of Rap which is a documentary by Ice-T where he interviews different American Rappers and talks about the art of writing and performing rap verses. My favorite part of the movie so far was when he interviewed Eminem! He is one of my favorite rappers and as Ice-T said "who would have thought that one of the greatest rappers of all time would be white?" Whitey Mighty! I love Eminem.
Eminem has struggled a lot for being a white rapper. This in itself is going out of the norms so in my opinion he follows the history of hip hop always going out of social norms. Usually we connect rap to black culture and most of hip hop artists are black, but Eminem is white and one of the best rappers out there.
Here's the part where he is interviewed in the documentary:
"Rap is everything to me, my world, it's what I do...it gives me a voice and strength" (Eminem)
Eminem- Superman (My favorite song by him)
The Real Slim Shady (one of his most famous raps)
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Brazilian HipHop: In Brazil Rappers are also mainly black as it is part of black cultures worldwide. But just like Eminem, one of the most well-known rappers in Brazil is white! I already spoke about him a few weeks ago, in this post here. His name is Gabriel O Pensador (Gabriel the Thinker) and he has been around since the 90's and he is not only known for his music but also for his knowledge and his rhymes.
Gabriel O Pensador
Gabriel o Pensador 2345678
Cachimbo da Paz (Peace Pipe) - Gabriel O Pensador
This lyrics talk about an Indian who was arrested for smoking weed and doesn't understand how he can put in jail for a Peace Pipe when there's so much violence going on everywhere
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A more recent artist that is very famous in Brasil, well known for his Rap and will also participate at Lolapalooza (a music festival that happens in different parts of the world which includes many artist) is Criolo. Criolo is also a white rapper who goes out of the norms. He has a different style of rapping and his music mixes rap and soul. He has gained best revealing artist award in Brazil and his fan base is growing each day.
Criolo
Criolo - Subirusdoistiozin
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To finalize today's post, I present you guys EMICIDA - he is considered a master at rapping in Brazil. Since the documentary we watched today talks about the art of writing and performing rap verses, I could not leave him out of the post. Emicida is a combination of the words MC and homicide because of his frequent victories in the battles of improvisations, and his friends would call him a 'killer' because he 'kills' his opponents through rhymes.
Emicida
Emicida battleling against Gil - you might not understand it because it is in Portuguese, but you can hear the audience cheering
Emicida rapping in UK - Brazilian Rappers going International ____**____
A couple of weeks ago I spoke about songs that include elements of Carnival and using vulgarity in a humanistic way, in this post here . Today I will continue talking about this topic and elaborate it some more.
Carnival is a party which occurs usually in February and it typically involves a public parade celebration combining elements of circus, mask and public street parties. It is a time when people go out of their ordinary lives and leave out of social norms through humor and chaos. The parade represents the power of the people This is a time where oppressed individuals come together to show their power.
How is that related to HipHop?
- The costumes wore in Carnival resemble the Rapper or Hip Hop fashion style: Baggy pants, big shirts, baseball hats all represent a way to oppose the social norm in the same way that carnival costumes do.
- Vulgarity in hiphop lyrics and the naked bodies in Carnival are also a way to oppose the social norms
- Exaggeration and excessiveness - appear in hip hop music and in carnival and serve to undermine power by mocking it.
Missy Elliot - Work it - Vulgarity in Lyrics as a way to oppose social norms
