Black Cultural Arts Midterm
Blaxploitation Cinema
1960s, more representation of Black folks on TV and movies Parallels civil rights movement Social problem films - often dealing with race (i.e., Guess Who's Coming to Dinner); Black representation was primarily concerned with acceptance and reforming the social system and situation presented in the film Characters were doing the opposite of trying to fit in showing that white people may be the problem Black people lived until the end of the film and often killed off the white villain in the film = a radical form of films Sweet Sweetback's Baasdassss Song - a black sex worker who becomes radicalized and kills two white police officers Took the formula that was so successful for this first film and used it in a way that made this idea successful and possible Commodification of Black culture What is the exploitation element? - came a part of the genre White directors and producers noticed how it was cheaply made but very profitable so began to make films about Black people who to overthrow, kill and have intercourse with whites Took the politics of BPM and packaged and commodified it and took the revolution and made a profit from it Films were hyper violent and sexual Saved hollywood as we know it from going under Cheaply made so affected the Black aesthetic Eventually got replaced by Blockbusters (i.e., Jaws, Star Wars) Dealt with neo-minstrelism
Post-Soul Intelligentsia
A generation of urban bred black intellectuals born during the waning moments of the civil rights/ Black power movements, raised on the rhythms and harmonies of 1970s soul but having come to maturity during the mid-to late 1980s and embracing the m Mark Anthony Neal The new people that represent the Black aesthetic and critic Black authenticity. Unconcerned with respectability. Paper Boys refusal to perform for White people, a dichotomy of Black performers for White consumption. The critics and discussions about race and politics coming from people of color on a broader platform in a way people can relate to. The critics people want to hear it from television shows and other platforms rather than from scholars or literary giant writing about what it means to be authentically Black. (Black Panther, Lemonade, Boondocks, Donald Glover's Atlanta) Critiques and discussions that race and politics in America are coming from certain type of individuals, performers, TV shows, etc. rather than from someone on CNN, a scholar, a literary giant
Black Power and Racial Authenticity
According to Black arts and Black power movement to be authentic is to be from the street Shifted towards representations of blackness being militant, the northern sensibility, urban environment, Black poor working class and underclass (Malcolm Little before he was Malcolm X, a criminal, street hustler,drug addict, ex prisoner BLack power not concerned with middle class acceptability, represented "throw away BLack people. ) Urban blackness - to be authentic Revolutionary violent, not concerned with respect
Literal Politics of Hip Hop
Aesthetic cornerstones of hip hop and use that to evaluate what is authentic and real hip-hop. True hip-hop -- relatable to what it means to be black and what is not. Provide an example of real hip-hop.
Politics of Nas's Illmatic Release
An unapologetic internal dialogue on racial politics and pride, sex and salvation, inner city violence and moral relativism-- to a broader audeince Illmatic becomes a sonic map, as the centerting Queensbridge,, the album serves as the legend for nas's ghettoe cartography, as he narrated his experiences and those who live in the Queensbridge housing projects. Poignantly reveals not just what poor Black life must endure, but also the emergence of hip hop like a pheonix out of the ashes of poverty, segregation, racial violence and militarizes policing This was about exploring American and hip hop Is allows us to explore the political topics such as: Post civil Rights/Black power era The Reagan/Bush/Clinton years of white backlash Shifting sands of race and the global economy The crack era and the formation of an unban police state The Post-Soul moment in black music The guerilla artistry around technology and sampling The changing marketplace and the hyper-commodification of hip-hop The premillennial tensions leading to 9/11 And the Bush II years that followed This album embodying everything that is hip-hop while mastering what matters most: beats and rhymes When Illmatic was released in 1994, hip-hop was at a crossroads, at the tail end of the "Golden Age" - a period of incredible creative and thematic change as hip-hop found its voice politically and artistically Example of artist during this time: LL Cool J, Native Tongues, N.W.A. Common, the Roots, Outkast, Pac, Notorious B.I.G., Brand Nubian, Wu Tang Clan, Public Enemy But with that hip-hop became commodifies and went mainstream Hip-hop became product placement, commercialized, and a spectacle leading to its demise and mediocracy Illmatic can be seen as a beginning of the end or an exclamation point to the manifesto that was hip-hop Moment that will never be repeated despite the current recycling of the 1980's and the inevitable cannibalizing of the 90's that is yet to come Example: Jazz lost its value and significance when it was stripped of its social context and emptied of the ideological vessel out of which it emerged: segregation, racial terror, and the creative impulse to resist and create sanctuaries of art and community Hip-hop has been uprooted from its geographic, political, and ideological origins, history of resistance, emptied of its creative and artistic brilliance, and stripped of the racial and economic context that made its creation necessary The politics of this album reveals not just what poor black life must endure, but also that hip-hop emerged like a phoenix from the ashes of poverty, segregation, racial violence, and militarized policing, that have defined the hip-hop generation
Social Meaning and Politics Symbolized by Blaxploitation Cinema
Black exploitation cinema - during the 1940's and 50' you didn't see too many black people in film and tv. Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song- created the movement The movie created the emergence of Blaxploitation cinema, Blaxploitation took the formula of this film and created something very profitable (The commodification of Black culture in cinema) Blaxploitation cinema were cheaply made movies that characature's of Black actors. These movies took advantage of the look and style of members of the Black power movement and created cartoonish depictions of social issues, Whites and Black charactors. The Black protagonist were overly aggressive, had to kill, murder or mane White Males, overly sexual and had to sleep with Women. After there were a slew of films that came out maybe 50 to 100 that created Blaxploitation cinema What is the exploitation of it? The formula that became apart of the genre. White directors and producers saw how these films were made. Cheap. In Order to cash in, White people began to make films about Black people wanting to overthrow white people and sleep with white people. Turned revolution into entertainment Positive Blaxploitation cinema saved hollywood as we know it Blaxploitation cinema produced a lot of money, you could make a lot of them because they were cheap. But they had to be cheap if you wanted them to black aesthetic cheap and thrown together
The Black Middle Class
Black middle class respectability: concern with being presentable and acceptable to white society . Civil Rights Leaders Associated with Civil Rights movement, have educational credentials; concern with being presentable and acceptable to white society; Civil Rights movement was focused on asserting racial equality on this notion of Black people having earned the right for equality and the fact that they were deserving of it based on their subscription to the american dream; upstanding citizens
Commodification and Black Power
Blaxploitation Cinema and the way White writers characterize black people Commodification of hip hop and of black culture led to the death of hip hop Once it was packaged to be sold, it was done Commodification of graffiti art as well fell into this with the art being packaged and printed on canvas', allowed for white people to purchase it as a "household item"
Neo-Minstrelism
Blaxploitation cinema was deemed neo-mentralism. Dealt in stereotypes primarily around, pimps and prostitutes, thugs, drug dealers and drug addicts
Style Wars Documentary
Dealing with the core components of hip hop as an aesthetic, a movement, and expression of folk culture. U get to see the different representatives of each element of what is hip hop Four elements The difference between up rock and Top Rock__(they talked about it) (Dance) The very people themselves defining it. One section where they tell you the break moves, graffiti artist that tell you the name of the styles. Hip Hop invented a whole new form of graphic art that didn't exist. Becomes very important in terms of the origin of hip hop Dead frees\ the hump/the baby, the turtle the head spin, The idea of of style and competing for the best style is the key to all for forms of rocking. For the mc its rocking the mic for the bboys its rocking your body or break dancing for writers its wrocking the city with your name Gang members turned graffiti artist and break dancers. Relates to hip hop because graffiti and dance were more ways for minorities that had been forgotten to express themselves. Graffiti allowed for minorities and gangs to make their presence known around the city. By using trains, graff artist were able to put their art on display for the world to see.
Post-Industrial Decline
Express way in the middle of the bronx Post industrial decline means people are unemployed... goes hand in hand with crime and illegal activities to make money. Emergence of hip-hop...operating under a different set of social, economic, and cultural conditions Automation (car industry); decline of american car industry and manuf. Jobs
Rubble Kings
Heroes died in the 60s. King & Kennedy , led to the violent 70s as a means of fighting for equality. Number of homicides quadrupled from 1960 to 1971. Crooked politicians and crime filled the South Bronx. Gangs created as a means to look out for one another since police were no help with society and safety of colors. 10000 estimated gang members in New York. Anger gangs had towards system would spark "raising hell" in efforts to emulate them. Ghetto Brothers sparked a political revolution in New York, channeling the energy that gangs had aiming towards one direction. Gang Peace Treaty was sparked by the death of Cornell Benjamin -- Black Benji Gang Peace Treaty was the first real sign of peace that the gangs needed which the system failed to provide. Correlation between gang culture and hip hop. MCs, DJs, Graffiti artists, and rappers were all at one point former gang members. Instead of fighting people would battle through dancing and music. Gang members wanted to be relieved. Music was a way to do that. Visual reference point of economical disenfranchisement going around the South Bronx Benign neglect that led to representation in hip-hop. Post industrial decline - decline in manufacturing jobs and the car industry which had an effect on certain communities. Led to more crime and deprivation. 30,000 buildings burned down in 10 years.
The Relationship between NY Gang Culture and Hip Hop
In the 1980's kids in NY reacted to the poverty around them by expressing themselves through rapping, DJing, breakdancing, and graffiti art Graffiti - written word of Hip-hop Rap - spoken word of hip hop Breaking - physical expression of hip hop 5 Pillars of Hip-hop MC - rappping DJ Body Rocking - break dancing Graffiti Knowledge The south bronx of the early 1970s hip hop emerges Gangs were the only organized and structured things in the bronx after buildieng were burned down and the community was depleted Building owners were burning down their buildings to make their investments back because they weren't making money off the poor black tenants. Living in crime, bombed out community, take the scraps left to them and created a genre. No one cared for 10 years Hip hop is political because they found a way to bring joy and make peace amongst turmoil. Cultural expression that allowed young people at the time to be young Outlaw gangs transformed into Djs and mcs, dancers over the years. More challenging to dance than fight When the dance scene started to die down DJs became the leaders in the community, Kool Herc took it upon himself to channel gangs towards creative music Africa Bambataa converted the black spades into sulu nation, first force toturn gangs into a positive organization
The Politics of the Boondocks Comic Strip
Mark Anthony Neal makes a distinction around a new form of cultural critic in the black community. Official civil rights political leadership and the criticism of the the generation and the new type of criticism for the new Black generation. Laid the groundwork for Atlanta Distinction btw. An official formal civil rights political leadership and the criticism of this particular generation and this new type of criticism of Blackness Black middle class respectability...concerned with being presentable and respectable to White society The show criticized BET Made fun of BET for its "lack" of blackness and entertainment Huey questioned his adherence to "economic philosophy of Black Nationalism" and BET for having the best interest for Black America E. Laid the Groundwork for the T.V. show Atlanta
B.A.M.
Name given to a group of politically motivated black poets, artists, dramatists, musicians, and writers who emerged in the wake of the Black Power Movement. Was formally established in 1965 when Baraka opened the Black Arts Repertory Theater in Harlem B.A.M. - Black Arts Movement - The otherside of the Black power (Political but then there's art) Challenge of expressing those types of politics through art A black perspective Name given to a group of politically motivated black poets, artists, dramatists, musicians, and writers who emerged in the wake of the Black Power Movement. Was formally established in 1965 when Baraka opened the Black Arts Repertory Theater in Harlem Spoken Word - Poetry (epitomized by Jill Scott HArry, THe Watts Poets, The Civil Rights movement is about reforming the system- Black power is about revolution, transforming the system Black Arts Movement produced people like Future J. Cole Kendrick Lamar Blueprint for hip hop Becomes obsessed with authenticity of the street; Blackness becomes only understood and legitimate if it's from the street Black poetry...sounds different from Black poetry from Harlem Renaissance One's class orientation/position begins to inform notions around one's racial orientation
Black Power and the Black Aesthetic
Political Concerned with the critic of Black respectability (Aesthetic) Thats not Black,give me something that signifies Black arts A tool used to critic Black authenticiy. Its political, taste in music and clothing James Brown → the black aesthetic has now shifted, he becomes the blueprint for the aesthetic of funk
Politics of the Black Power Movement
Take on different degrees of militancy Black power is about revolution, transforming the system Considered separatist, not arguing for Black people to protest for acceptance Shifted towards representations of blackness being militant, the northern sensibility, urban environment, Black poor working class and underclass (Malcolm Little before he was Malcolm X, a criminal, street hustler,drug addict, ex prisoner BLack power not concerned with middle class acceptability, represented "throw away BLack people. ) Black power: the american dream is the american nightmare. Everything in american society is about function.. Freedom for some not all.
The Demise of Hip Hop
The commodification of Hip hop ruined hip hop Once it was packaged to be sold it was done, it all changed and it has changed Once people were ready to put it on television, in a museum, for retail sale, once someone said they are trying to get paid it changed Official moment moment hip hop died was when Kanye and 50 Cent had a face off and based who was the "best mc" on sales. When hip-hop lost its value and significance when it was "stripped of its social context" and emptied of the ideological vessel out of which it emerged: segregation, racial terror, and the creative impulse to resist and create sanctuaries of art and community Hip-hop was uprooted from its geographical, political, and ideological origins
The Ghetto Brothers
Used music to spread a message of peace Music and and Message The ghetto brothers wanted to stop fighting with other gangs and channel their energy to create chance and towards the "man" The peace treaty signed after Black Benjis death took effect immediately. The ghetto brothers would hold parties and would invite other gangs to have jam sessions with them The music was like a breather Used some of the teachings from the Black Panther party → collectivist
Politics of the Film Wild Style
Wild Style depicts the organic building Blocks of the hip hop generation before in entered the American national pop consciousness. It's hip jops eariliest "home moive" and captures the awkward first steps and formative stages of the varied expressionsnof hip hop as an urban folk culture that cobbled together several creative mediums- art, dance, spoken word, and music Wild style artfully blends fact and fiction to present another form of violent struggle, a cultural insurrection fought by black and brown youth squaring off against post-industrial decline, combating the failure of America's war on poverty Touches on respectability and assimilation into White America Depicts the organic building blocks of the hip-hop generation before it entered the American national pop consciousness It captures the formative stages of the caries expression of hip-hop as an urban folk culture that cobbled together several creative mediums - art, dance, spoken word, and music This film explains the postindustrial decline, combating the failure of America's war on poverty Furthermore, it comments on the collective memory of the hip-hop community and its real, remembered, and even imagined beginning, as wella s the pitfalls of assimilation, the importance of history, and the passing of hip-hop's "age of innocence" Hip-hop was the response to this metaphorical embodiment of the cycle of poverty that black and brown youth faced in the late 1970's and early 1980's People decided to choose the hip-hop life/wild style in the face of the proven route, like military service, to escape such bleak conditions demonstrates a profound commitment by black and brown youth to transform rather than flee the poverty-riddled social space they inhibit Demonstrates that the formative stage of hip-hop was less about leaving the ghetto life by transforming the street, stoop, and playground into a cultural workshop Nas also confronts the topic of young black men being identified as America's nightmare This signifies that brown and black youth who have pulled themselves up from poverty go from "ashy to classy" are keeping the rags-to-riches narrative that has come to define the American Dream, even though they are often stigmatized and denied the esteem and status of representing it. The key contrast between hip-hops narrative of success and social transformation and the civil rights generation's narrative of upward mobility is that hip-hoppers do not equate social mobility with escape but embrace the ghetto as a site and source of social identity Explains that hip-hop is about being "real" and they refuse to accept black middle class notions of appropriate racial representation or adopt white liberal conceptions of racial decorum The youth of Wild Style in the first wave of the hip-hop generations re-created community in underground clubs, decorated its living space with graffiti art, and celebrated the body with aggressive street corner style and stances
Benign Neglect
the government ignored the situation, hip hop comes about because no one knows what is going on uptown. Black and brown people were ignored; the policing was one of containment not stopping crime. Don't have hip hop without benign neglect
White Flight
the move of white city-dwellers to the suburbs to escape the influx of minorities. Emergence of hip-hop created which made it harder for traveling to jobs which led to Whites abandoned cities for suburbs → led to loss of jobs, education plummeting, tax based, defunding of public entities Burning of Blacks' housing led to post-industrial decline industrial decline and is a product of benign neglect leading to the emergence of hip hop
