Name Name Term Paper Blaxploitation: Pop Culture, Not History Introduction In times of crisis, American’s look at one another as one in the same, sharing the patriotism and unity created by our Revolution, but racism and bigotry also have roots as deep as liberty. Americans categorize themselves with distorted definitions of race and ethnicity. We continue to misconstrue the two terms creating a skewed look into our individual and group heritage. “As Americans, we are a nation of people who self-consciously chose to adopt a vision of society that embraced lofty ideals of individual freedom and democracy along with powerful mechanisms for devastating racial oppression” (Loury 1). No matter our racial or ethnical background, it is important to understand that all Americans share the ethnicity established July 4, 1776. The Oxford English Dictionary defines “race” as one of the great divisions of mankind, having certain physical peculiarities in common. Along with this definition, the dictionary states, “The term is often used imprecisely; even among anthropologists there is no generally accepted classification or terminology.” Though a definition is provided, scholars, let alone the average citizen, are unsure what the term race really means. A common example of our confusion lies in the Jewish faith. Judaism is a religion, yet many people consider Jewish decent as a racial heritage. For the purpose of this paper, Race will be defined as a division of mankind possessing traits that are transmissible by decent and sufficient to characterize it as a distinct human type (Webster 704). There are no longer obvious boundaries to racial problems, but it is clear that our understanding of fundamental terms and ideas is imprecise at best. “The biological differences among human beings and between “races” are all too often used as scapegoats- blamed for inequality and other social problems that are in fact the product of cultural differences and social and political pressures” (Cohen 11). Race is exploited in all forms of media as controversial propaganda. American history shows examples of this in film, but today, music is the new medium using this controversy as a successful marketing tool. Suffering and poverty within the black community combined with sexuality and drug-use dominate the ideas expressed in rap songs. Rap Artists also exaggerate racial suppression subjected upon the black community by primarily white law enforcement officers. The use of “Blaxploitation” in film may be history, but the Music/Entertainment Industry exploits race in music and pop-culture causing devastating affects to the black community as well as to the fight for true equality in America. Blaxploitation is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as the exploitation of Blacks, especially as actors in films of historical or other interest to Blacks (OED). The term was first used in the early 1970’s to describe the new genre created in Hollywood. As early as the 1920’s, negative depictions of the African-American community were shown in films like The Nigger, Sambo, and The Birth of a Nation. They were made to degrade blacks as uncivilized lowlifes to the white community. Film progressed through the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s, but the same suppression stayed constant. Hollywood eventually noticed that African-Americans longed to see their own images on the big screen. This market is what gave rise to blaxploitation (Poussaint 26-27). Over 200 films targeted at blacks were released between 1970 and 1980. Films such as Shaft, Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, and Superfly started the movement in the early 70’s (Shaft n. pag.). The connotations of the films were overlooked, as the movie industry was capitalizing and the audience was getting what they wanted. “Negative black stereotypes are more subtle and neatly camouflaged than they were in the films of yesteryear, but the same insidious message is there: blacks are violent, criminal, sexy savages who imitate the white man’s ways as best they can from their disadvantaged sanctuary in the ghetto” (Poussaint 26). In the 1980’s, the black film movement faded away, but the affects opened the door for more and more variations of the exploitation. Rap’s breach into pop music began in 1978 with the hit by The Sugar Hill Gang, “Rapper’s Delight.” It’s original intent was fun dance music with a new way of delivering lyrics. “Rap took a dark turn in the early 1980s, as this "bubble gum" music gave way to a "gangsta" style that picked up where blaxploitation left off” (McWhorter). Today’s lyrics mostly represent unprovoked and dramatized hatred, drug use, and sexuality. One time out in the Range Rover (WOOP WOOP, WOOP!) Aww shit they pulled me over What tha hell y'all fuckin wit me fo? Speed limit 30 just doin 34 "Yeah son, where the gun?" It's at home wit tha dope "Oh you a smart ass ha?" Nah that's my lil joke "How bout I tow yo truck in?" Ain't no need to be provoked besides everything up in here done been smoked I ain't got nuttin but tapes and CDs Pocket full of G's and two tickets across seas So me and my boo can lay under the palm trees Ain't no more questions then hand me my ID You could tell he was pissed cuz the black man in the black range doin black things wit his black change Doin the right thing, drivin his ass insane And if I wasn't in his face he probably be callin me names (Nelly) Nelly’s song, “Greed, Envy, Hate,” represents the negative and outlandish ideas of many of the popular rap artists of today. Nelly is a multi-platinum artist with awards and nominations from MTV, Grammy, Billboard, and BET (Universal Records). Mos Def, another popular artist in today’s music world, writes explicit lyrics very similar to Nelly. Both artists are mainstream entertainers, meaning they each represent the mainstream rap genre. Of course, there are many positive and clean raps, but there are also far worse than that of even Nelly or Mos Def. The positive, as well as the extremely explicit, do not make-up the vast majority in terms of sales and popularity. The following lyrics are taken from Mos Def’s “Mr. Nigga.” Yo, the Abstract with the Mighty Mos Def White folks got it muffled across beneath they breathe "I didn't say it.." But they'll say it out loud again When they deal with their close associates and friends You know Sneak it in with they friends at the job Happy hour at the bar While this song is in they car And even if they've never said it, lips stay sealed Their actions reveal how their hearts really feel Like, late night I'm on a first class flight The only brother in sight The flight attendent catch fright I sit down in my seat, 2C She approach officially talking about, "Excuse me" Her lips curl up into a tight space She don't believe that I'm in the right place Showed her my boarding pass, And then she sort of gasped All embarrassed put an extra lime in my water glass An hour later here she comes by walking past "I hate to be a pest but my son would love your autograph" They stay on Nigga patrol on american roads And when you travel abroad they got world Nigga laws Some folks get on a plane go as they please But I go over seas and I get over siezed London-Heathro, me and my people They think that illegal's a synonym for Negro Far away places, customs agents flagrant They think the dark face is smuggle waiting in cases Bags inspected, now we arrested Attention directed to contents of our intestines Urinanalyis followed by X-rays Interegated and detained to damn near the next day No evidence, no appology and no regard Even for the big american rap star For us especially, us most especially, A Mr Nigga VIP jail cell just for me "If I knew you were coming I'd have baked a cake Just got some shoe-polish, painted my face" They say they want you successful But then they make it stressful You start keeping pace, they start shaking up the tempo Now, who is cat riding out on the town State trooper want to stop in his ride, pat him down Mr Nigga, Nigga Nigga He got the speakers in the trunk With the bass on pump(?) Now, who is the cat with the hundred dollar bill They gotta send it to the back to make sure the shit is real Mr Nigga, Nigga Nigga Nigga Nigga Nigga (Mos Def) A website supporting Mos Def entitled Mos Definitely quotes Def saying, “I'm an independent thinker. And I'm not the poster child for any movement. I'm trying to support whatever's right no matter where it is” (Al-Jayyousi n. pag.). Do all African Americans go through such tremendous tribulations in daily life? This is an example of how rappers create barriers between races, specifically between blacks and whites. Def’s album, Black on Both Sides, shipped 500,000 copies when it was first released. It already holds a gold record status (Al-Jayyousi n. pag.). The driving force behind the use of blaxploitation in our media is commercialism. Historically, racial conflict is an extremely effective propaganda tool, and Corporate America will continue to reap the benefits as long as people desire its discord. The blaxploitation films of the 1970’s sold more than just movie tickets. African-American youths across the country bought clothing, records, and other items that were associated with the “heroes” within the films (Poussaint 26). The nationally recognized rap artists of today sell clothing, jewelry, videos, games, alcohol, and even automobiles. The marketability of the artist’s image is more important than the actual music. Wynton Marsalis, a famous African American jazz artist is quoted at saying, “All this profanity and that one beat over and over and calling everybody nigger is just some more blaxploitation minstrelsy” (Marsalis and Vigeland 37). Black rappers represent a way of life for youths to aspire to, but these role models are not out for the development of their followers; the rappers, like the music and entertainment industry, are out to make money. As blaxploitation of the 1970’s and 80’s died away, rap’s blaxploitation will die too, but America’s equality has once again taken the strike. One must wonder how great civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. would respond to such blasphemy. Let us hope that our unity as one American Ethnicity will not bare the blunt of commercialism’s tranquilizing effects. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. (King, Jr.) Works Cited Poussaint, Alvin, F. “Blaxploitation Movies: Cheap thrills that degrade blacks.” Psychology-Today 7-9 (1974): 22-32. Shaft The Movie. Shaft, Paramount Pictures. 2000 . McWhorter, John H. “How Hip-Hop Holds Blacks Back.” City Journal Summer (2003). . Nelly. “Greed, Envy, Hate.” Country Grammar. 27 June 2000. Universal Records. Universal Records. Hit Seeker, Universal Records. 9 Nov. 2003. . Marsalis, Wynton and Vigeland, Carl. Jazz in the Bittersweet Blues of Life. Cambridge: Da Capo Press, 2001. Carson, Clayborne and Shepard, Kris, eds. A Call to Conscience: The Landmark Speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. New York: Warner Books, 2001. Merriam, C. & G. Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary. 7th ed. Springfield: G. and C. Merriam Company, 1967. Oxford English Dictionary. 2003. 24 November 2003 . Al-Jayyousi, Mohannad. Mos Definitely. 2002. 24 November 2003 . Def, Mos. “Mr. Nigga.” Black on Both Sides. 12 October 1999. Rawkus Records.