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Abstract
In African-American literary thought, Henry Louis Gates's book, The signifying monkey (1988) was a breakthrough in so far as it argued for a vernacular theory for cultural expression in black communities. However, some critics missed Gates's point, and began to suggest that a singing culture is biologically inherent in black people; that the evolution of different musical styles are sui generis to black people only and that unless one is coming from this black culture, one has no access to understanding the rhetorical devices used by black singers. This emphasis on cultural absolutism (Gilroy 1993) denies acknowledgement of creative diversity amongst black artists from America. This article uses some selected songs from Immortal Technique, one of the finest singers to debunk the above assumptions and reveal how the command of musical techniques or rhetorical devices in music is a function of communal socialisation as well as individual creativity and innovation. The article explores the notion of how particular styles in popular culture can create new meanings and content in black popular culture in America.
In this chapter, Stewart examines the work of independent hip-hop artist Immortal Technique to argue that his work constitutes a counter-example to universalizing claims that hip-hop music is necessarily misogynistic and that it always perpetuates a harmful form of “toxic masculinity.” She shows how, through his music, Immortal Technique is able to offer a critique of the way mainstream media and capitalism tend to construct masculinity in narrow, damaging ways, as well as present an alternative picture of what a more constructive and positive masculinity could look like for young men in urban contexts. Stewart argues that it is Technique’s decision to remain independent that allows him to have this strong counter-hegemonic message in his music.
The literature on Black youth culture, especially hip-hop culture, has focused primarily on the experiences of young men, with the experiences of Black girls being all but ignored. However, the recent appearance of Black women performers, songwriters, and producers in Black popular culture has called attention to the ways in which young Black women use popular culture to negotiate social existence and attempt to express independence, self-reliance, and agency. This article is an exploration of the representations of Black womanhood as expressed in the music videos of Black women performers. The author first identifies themes that reflect controlling images of Black womanhood, then those that exemplify an expression of agency, and finally those appearing ambivalent and contradictory. Overall, the music videos express how young Black women must negotiate sexuality and womanhood in their everyday lives.
This book offers a new way of listening to the music of black America, and of appreciating its profound contribution to all American music. Striving to break down the barriers that remain between high art and low art, it illuminates the centuries-old linkage between the music, myths, and rituals of Africa and the continuing evolution and enduring vitality of African American music. Inspired by the pioneering work of Sterling Stuckey and Henry Louis Gates Jr., the author advocates a new critical approach grounded in the forms and traditions of the music itself.
The article explores hip-hop turntablism as a response to the constricted roles offered to racialized Americans in commercial music culture. Drawing on postcolonial theory and critical musicology, the article looks at the means by which turntablists such as DJs Qbert and Kuttin Kandi confront internal forms of American cultural imperialism. More than ornamental fixtures for mainstream rap artists, turntablists are soloists with a range of specialized techniques through which they combine recordings into new works (mixing, beat-juggling) and pull expansive timbral sequences from the vinyl (scratching). These processes enable a broad spectrum of sounds and references, opening the door for turntablists to play with memory and with imperial narratives of progress. In performance, turntablists blur external racial definitions while paradoxically reinforcing subnational communities. In addition, because they appropriate commercial recordings and use primarily independent means of production and distribution, turntablists subvert a market powered by a handful of multinational companies.
This article explores the complex relationship between Hip Hop Culture and the Islamic Faith, which have both been constructed by dominating discourses as “threats to American civilization.” Like the Muslim umma, the Global Hip Hop Nation functions as a worldwide network of “believers” who have created “nationhood” through cultural, ideological, and imaginary means. I view Hip Hop artists as “verbal mujahidin,” with their speech activities serving as alternative media sources narrating the experiences of a “nation.”
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