Prophets of the Hood provided me with answers to questions and articulated several important theories about hip-hop which resonated deeply with me. First of all, Imani Perry gives a clear, sensible definition of hip-hop as “black American music” containing four characteristics: African American Vernacular English, a “political location in society” revolving around black life, a history in black American oral tradition, and roots in African American music. Furthermore, I found Perry’s argument against hip-hop as Afro-Atlantic music fascinating. In modern literary studies, there is a decided trend toward post-colonialism, and I agree with Perry that while examining global connections, influences, and culture is important, it can also deemphasize the crucial regional and local identities that inform art. So, while keeping in mind the contributions to hip-hop from other nationalities, we should also not ignore its role as black American music.
I also liked what Perry had to say about hip-hop’s aesthetic validity. According to him, in hip-hop, “there is, moreover, no mandate on the artist to be politically uplifting all the time, or even at all. The tension so created for the listener is a tension between ideology and art.” Although hip-hop can be politically charged, it has no responsibility to politics. Its primary responsibility is to aesthetics—the creative nature of the composition, the careful selection of sounds and beats, the poetic quality of the lyrics—essentially, the artistic effect on the ear when one listens to the music. Too often, Perry warns, critics want to interpret hip-hop lyrics as pure political texts; however, this ignores the equally important element of “artistic choice.” Hip-hop, then, is a blend between content and form, just like any other type of art.
And a final note: Perry points out that high school students in America continue to study misogynistic and racist texts as part of the English curriculum. As literary history has shown, society rejects many groundbreaking works at of art at the time of publication, condemning them for being “offensive.” It is not until years later that they become acceptable for scholarly criticism and included in the canon. I wonder if, several decades out, all students in America will learn about hip-hop lyrics and music as a legitimate art form worthy of study in spite of the controversy. I hope so.
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Well put, Katie. I think that your second point about hip hop always being held to high political standards is a really good one. Especially after last week and hearing from radio DJs that don't hold rock, country, or pop to those standards, why does hip hop have to always be political.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and Perry that we don't think it is outrageous to read things like the Heart of Darkness which is a highly racist text, but we delegitimize hip hop because it is questionable art. I thought it was a little weird though that Perry seemed to really key into the violent part of hip hop, but said very little (in these chapters) about the negative effects of misogyny, homophobia, or hyper-consumerism. Look forward to discussing!
I found the criticism concerning "offensive" works to be rather interesting. It does pose an interesting question. Will the hip-hop of today provide a ground breaking discovery for the students of tomorrow? Will this hip hop provide a whole new world of perspectives for students?
ReplyDeleteI wonder if hip hop will ever be taken seriously as an art form. I find now that many people consider it just a huge fad that will eventually fade out. I, for one, feel that we could really learn from how hip hop has developed and how it continues to develop. It makes both artistic and political points and I feel like much of society could learn from this.