Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Where did the Black Man's Hope go?

"Rap's conscious response to the poverty and oppression of US blacks is like some hideous parody of sixties black pride."     - David Foster Wallace

People believed that discrimination against the black community would be over once Martin Luther King stepped in as some form of personal savior for the hopeless. However, discrimination is still alive today and whoever denies this is either white or wealthy and famous. The methodology of making blacks feel inferior has changed but that surely does not mean that racism is gone. It is clear that a few of them have made it into the professional world, sports teams and the music industry. But the success of a few is not enough to cover up the fact that the freedom and the right to equality of the black man have been taken away almost without their knowledge.

In the past, there were physical protests against discrimination but today, all people seem to do is one of these three things: nothing, sit back and sing along to the rap songs that express how they are feeling or they might just turn their problem into a hash tag and wait for someone to pay them the attention they deserve. There are no more sit-ins or any other type of non-violent manifestations; there are only hopeless black men living on public assistance and believing that their lives are supposed to be that way.


- Bremda Acosta 

The Fake Muse...

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Jenesis Veras
10/28/14
Prompt: "Rap’s conscious response to the poverty and oppression of U.S blacks is like some hideous parody of sixties black pride.” –David Foster Wallace

The Fake Muse…
            Many rap artists who once lived on quote on quote the “hood” believe that because of their personal background, their rhymes preach the truth about not just their former lives but also the lives of all the current oppressed. For the most part, many rappers do connect to the black population who are victims of their own environments, poverty, and oppression. However, the conflict arises when there is a million dollar rapper like Jay-Z, preaching lyrics about how hard his life is due to the color of his skin, but is his life really that hard with his million dollar mansions, luxurious cars, and gorgeous trophy wife?
            The value of the rap genre starts to get diminished when it displays to be a façade and plain hypocrisy. The black minorities, who are actually dealing with difficult times, may feel like their life is just a fake muse for music.
           

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Minority Independence

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Jenesis Veras
10/21/14
Prompt: "Nobody can give you your freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice. If you’re a man you take it.” –Malcolm X

Minority Independence
In this world, many individuals have violently fought for freedom and independence. No one wants to feel like they are being ruled by a higher or greater power than themselves. If you are a true moral human being, you take any opportunity possible to break away from restraints and oppressions just like many minorities did before you. As a minority, one does not want to feel like they should be told what they can wear, what they can afford, and what kind of knowledge they are capable of accumulating…

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Pop Culture is Dead

Popular culture, I believe, is derived from what once was. Look at Ariana Grande, for example, she is always doused in 60's glam, but the question is, how much does she actually know about the 60's? I think the problem with popular culture is that there is no meaning to it. No one asks why they are doing something. Why are you taking selfies? Why are you listening to Justin Bieber? Why?

Every day brings in new news about some celebrity doing something stupid or doing something great. But why do we care so much? I think one of the reasons why popular culture is dead is because we give what it craves the most: attention. Pop culture is a spoiled child whose omnipresence is embraced by everyone and it grows every single day because it feeds on our attention. The beauty of not knowing something is forgotten; everyone seems to feel obligated to know the latest news or gossip. The word "mainstream" is too frequently seen and portrayed by the mass media. Maybe this is partially why I am drawn to Indie music; it is something undiscovered, showing the beauty of the unknown.

10.09.14
-Lucy Yeho Hwang-