Rap Music is Scary, Damnit!
I don’t know about y’all but those gangsta rappers be scaring the shit outta me — for realz!
I ain’t comin’ for rap music. I’ve listened to a lot of it. I think the people making rap music (including the ratchetest gansta hood rat variety) are some talented mo’ fo’s. Getting them lips around them words is effing brilliance. Anyone confused about the artistry of rap, or who can’t recognize it, should really question they bias. The cultural significance of rap music ain’t up for question.
Still, rap trigger the shit out of me. Sensationalism and violence fuck with my nervous system. Blaxploitation movies I saw as a kid had same effect. I ain’t have critical tools understand what I was seeing. Sirens and gunshots ring out creating an environment like a war zone. The media and news outlets pile more violent representations so-called Black life. Fortunate Black people get daily images o’ Black life countering the media.
What about people don’t get alternate experiences? White kids grew up on rap and been consumers Black culture dominating the media a long ass time. Got to wonder what it’s done to they nervous systems. Rap and other representations that Black people helped create prolly reinforcing crossed frigging wiring of White-identified people—willy nilly flooding the market tools can be turned on us.
Makes me appreciate Afrofuturists like George Clinton, Earth Wind and Fire, Grace Jones, Prince, Minnie Ripperton and other pop artists who got all weird imagining new ways for Black folks to show up in the world. I’m loving up on local Detroit band Mollywop! just released they album “Stand Up” on all platforms. I’m always looking for more examples Black artist all kind, taking us next level evolution.
I can’t listen a lot of popular music being produced by and for Black artists. Neither can I listen to most popular music don’t raise my positive vibration. Not a judgement of the work, but I got a lot of damage to undo.
