ghettoGEEKS: January 2009

Sunday, January 25, 2009

M-1 (of DeadPrez) on Fox News

I believe M-1 did a VERY good job handling Cavuto on this interview. One of the reasons I enjoy his thoughts in this piece is due to the MANNER in which he expresses his views. He is confident, exact, articulate, and in control of himself. The anthesis of the "stereotypical/empty" rapper. As a result, his nonverbal cues strongly support his quality verbiage on the matter.

Taking the interview above into consideration, it's like he's LIVIN' his lyrics AND he's not coming off like a pussy... This HAS to mark the end of Hip-Hop's feeble historical and contemporary debates over authenticity.

Peep my man'z lyrics:

Yo, this world is oh so cold!
I think about my ancestors being sold,
and it make me wanna break the mold!
Fuck the gold and the party,
Train yourself, clean your shottie
Tell me what you gon’ do to get free!
We need more than MC's...
We need "Hueys" and revolutionaries.
The niggas on the streets today is kinda scary.

(DeadPrez, 2000)

Applying the double-entendre to the term “cold” illustrates a bit of verbal play. In this instance, “cold” could refer to weather, but considering the surrounding context, “cold” most likely refers to the ill treatment of generations of Africans of the Diaspora. Referring to the fact that his ancestors received their share of colonial hegemonic trauma through the dehumanizing process of the African slave trade, M-1 is able to contextualize the long tradition of African colonization. With a poet’s rhythm, the rapper is able to give three distinct commands in the third line—(1) Fuck the gold and the party, (2) train yourself, and (3) clean your “shottie.” With the inhumane selling of African ancestors as a backdrop, M-1 denounces conspicuous consumption and frivolous entertainment and suggests listeners train themselves for what seems to be a revolutionary war. The decision to embrace revolution over frivolous entertainment is reminiscent of Fanon (1963) suggesting that people not be surprised when colonized men spend money on transistor radios before buying their wives dresses as they are convinced their fate depends on their preparation in resisting oppression. Similar to Stic.man’s use of Huey Newton, M-1 uses his name as a rhetorical symbol one whose priorities should be emulated. In an true braggadacious fashion, he then checks everybody else by saying.....“niggas on the street today is kinda scary.”

But you gotta love how Fox producers choose to play Snoop Doggy Dogg's "Drop It Like it's Hot" while M-1 [a rapper of an entirely different ilk] explains his position on Imus and racial power dynamics within the entertainment industry. Wouldn't it make more sense to play one of HIS (M-1's) videoes?! Who made that call?!

You sneaky bastards...