"This is America": An Intersection between Hip Hop and Politics

[Pupi]

I'm sure that everybody who is a hip hop fan has heard about Kanye wigging out and saying controversial things about slavery and pledging support for MAGA (despite the racist overtones of the movement). You know, Kanye being Kanye, and unfortunately he doesn't learn. His only justification: "i'm a genius and I respect free thought."

There are plenty of other African-American musical "geniuses" and one of them is the multi-talented Childish Gambino. Childish Gambino, counter to Kanye, is taking a radical approach to hip hop and politics and he makes me think about what hip hop means.




The song "This is America" by Childish Gambino has received a lot of discussion since it came out:

http://afropunk.com/2018/05/childis...ptured-americas-violent-narcissistic-culture/

"‘This Is America’ tackles the violence, greed and narcissism omnipresent in U.S. culture.
We need more Black artists questioning these things, less artists going on TMZ to discuss their liposuction, their marriage to a Kardashian, telling us to love Donald Trump more and that slavery “sounds like it was a choice”."

https://mashable.com/2018/05/06/donald-glover-this-is-america-breakdown/#E50UW3TdoOqk

"One message of "This Is America" is relatively clear: We've cultivated a culture in which we emphasize the trivial, while pressing life-or-death issues are all around us, unaddressed. Our priorities are messed up, Glover seems to be saying."


https://www.theatlantic.com/enterta...ish-gambino/559805/?utm_source=atlfb_test29_1

"In this, Glover certainly isn’t the first artist to suggest that black popular entertainment can simultaneously work as minstrelsy, appeasing a racist system, and as a gas valve of joy for people crunched by that system. Nor is he the first to describe the psychic tax of this state of affairs, seen both when Glover’s character wearily lights a joint and when, in some other space that may well signify his subconscious, he runs in terror from a white mob."


Hip hop, to me, is meant to be revolutionary and an instrument of social and cultural critique. I'm glad that there are rappers out there like J.Cole, Childish Gambino, and Kendrick Lamar that are addressing real issues instead of purely entertaining and distracting people down with bullshit.

What did you all think of the music video? Do you agree with the messages (racial violence, mind-numbing entertainment, lack of privacy, chaos in America) Gambino is portraying? Should music be political or should it be for entertainment?

 

[Kingz]

Music can be political and often has been since always. All the greats made political songs even a whole political concept for an album at times. Arts and politics are one of those things that are intertwined and I think that’s positive(sports not so much but that’s another thread) and has been in the past.

Entertainment is always the goal. Nobody does or listens to anything unless there is compensation or entertainment for them. Entertainment doesn’t always have to be mind numbing. The issues can be stimulating at times as well. What’s of most importance is that it sounds good. How else can a song like “Imagine” not only be digested by somebody who gets and doesn’t like the Marxist message but listened to over and over again? In that case, I wouldn’t even have to agree with whatever political message is involved. Even radical and sometimes repugnant messages.

I’ve heard Glover speak on politics over the past year( not in his rap since I’m not familiar with it) and it’s textbook crap that you hear from the most hysterical, accusatory, alienating, and irrational part of the left during the Trump administration. Those guys and the partisan publications that hype it as something of utmost importance and truth only solidify the divide. Confirm bias on one end and draw the “of course..” from the other....but hey maybe it sounds good.

That said, I agree with some of this. Especially the superficial nature of a lot of mainstream hip hop. I’d rather hear tirades about what are believed to be hot button issues over a slamming beat than the mindless materialism, hedonism, and self indulgence of a lot of mainstream rap. Something really good or maybe even important may eventually come of it even if I don’t agree with all of it.

 

[jrams]

I liked it better when Lupe did it. (tbh I liked it best when Chamillionaire did it, but it's not cool to like Koopa)

 

[Madmick]

This is fucking genius. Fucking genius.

Pay attention, Kanye.

 

[Madmick]

Another favorite:

 

[Pupi]

I liked it better when Lupe did it. (tbh I liked it best when Chamillionaire did it, but it's not cool to like Koopa)

Lupe is one of the most underrated rappers of all time and its unfortunate that he's "fallen off" due to the popularity of todays commercial rappers that have no values other than hedonism.

This is fucking genius. Fucking genius.

Pay attention, Kanye.

Indeed. Kanye is trolling hard now that he's about to drop a new album and I'm glad he's getting discussion going, but he's taking it too far. Seems he doesn't care about anything besides himself and the genius of the "individual." Narcissistic and prone to self-aggrandizement...it's a shame, because he has real talent, but he's not going to become the revolutionary figure he's always wanted to be.

 

[Thunderchild]

1) Lol at millennials discovering conscious rap like it's new thing, although I am a Childish Gambino fan.
2) Kanye is an egomaniac and his recent outbursts are part p.r. stunt and part his misunderstanding what "free thinking" is. He is going "against the grain" just to go against the grain and be controversial, because when pressed on the reasons, he doesn't have any cogent ones.

 

[Jimmy Jazz]

lol I had no idea that Childish Gambino was the same guy who did those old comedy sketches on youtube. The production on the song is cool but unless he doing that himself I don't see what is so great about the track.

 

[BD17032]

I liked it better when Lupe did it. (tbh I liked it best when Chamillionaire did it, but it's not cool to like Koopa)

Its not cool to like chamilitary?

 

[HenryFlower]

music video of the year. the track is also a fucking banger.

I’ve never been a Gambino fan tbh, but I’m really loving what Donald Glover has been doing recently as an artist & creator. Atlanta is my favorite thing on television right now, & I have high hopes for this next album after this track.

 

[FrontNakedChoke]

I love how you completely blow off Kanye's song. He makes a lot of good points, but you obviously didn't get the message of loving people and working together. Of course democrats would get triggered by someone wanting to work with the president for a better future.

 

[HenryFlower]

I love how you completely blow off Kanye's song. He makes a lot of good points, but you obviously didn't get the message of loving people and working together. Of course democrats would get triggered by someone wanting to work with the president for a better future.

yeah, kanye2deep. lol please

 

[FrontNakedChoke]

yeah, kanye2deep. lol please

I like "This is America" but what did Gambino do other than point to the reality of gun violence in America and mock mainstream rap and its glorification of it?

Meanwhile Kanye said:

You just readin' the headlines, you don't see the fine print
You on some choosin'side shit, I'm on some unified shit

See that's the problem with this damn nation
All Blacks gotta be Democrats, man, we ain't made it off the plantation

I feel a obligation to show people new ideas
And if you wanna hear 'em, there go two right here
Make America Great Again had a negative perception
I took it, wore it, rocked it, gave it a new direction
Added empathy, care and love and affection
And y'all simply questionin' my methods

You think I ain't concerned about how I affect the past?
I mean, that hat stayed in my closet like 'bout a year and a half
Then one day I was like, "Fuck it, I'ma do me"
I was in the sunken place and then I found the new me
Not worried about some image that I gotta keep up
Lot of people agree with me, but they're too scared to speak up

 

[TeTe]

Kanye doesn't believe most of the shit he says.

Mos Def, now there's some good political hip hip

 

[freakroor]

fuck the politics but that music video is great and the beat is nasty

 

[jrams]

Its not cool to like chamilitary?

whole album was awesome

 

[Pupi]

1) Lol at millennials discovering conscious rap like it's new thing, although I am a Childish Gambino fan.
2) Kanye is an egomaniac and his recent outbursts are part p.r. stunt and part his misunderstanding what "free thinking" is. He is going "against the grain" just to go against the grain and be controversial, because when pressed on the reasons, he doesn't have any cogent ones.

I don't think all millennials are like that. I was born in 1990 and I grew up listening to Pac, Mos, Talib, Lupe, Common, besides listening to Jeezy, Wayne, Dipset, Cassidy, TI, Slim Thug, etc. I suspect that a lot of millennials also have similar tastes in music.

 

[Thunderchild]

I don't think all millennials are like that. I was born in 1990 and I grew up listening to Pac, Mos, Talib, Lupe, Common, besides listening to Jeezy, Wayne, Dipset, Cassidy, TI, Slim Thug, etc. I suspect that a lot of millennials also have similar tastes in music.

Of course they aren't all like that. There are some like yourself who listen to good music, but most listen to these skittle-dredded "drugs, Gucci, bitches, drugs, Gucci, bitches" rappers. It makes basic social commentary seem so revolutionary in juxtaposition, but really it is just rehashing topics that real hip-hop has been addressing for a very long time.

 

[FrontNakedChoke]

Kanye doesn't believe most of the shit he says.

Based on what? Which part seems insincere?

Or is it that you think all blacks gotta be democrats.

 

[Pupi]

Of course they aren't all like that. There are some like yourself who listen to good music, but most listen to these skittle-dredded "drugs, Gucci, bitches, drugs, Gucci, bitches" rappers. It makes basic social commentary seem so revolutionary in juxtaposition, but really it is just rehashing topics that real hip-hop has been addressing for a very long time.

I feel you. On a real note, I think that what hip hop does is revolutionary in the domestic American context and its revolutionary in an international context as well. Mumble rappers are representations of the conditions that created them and their themes and narratives are interesting to listen to at least for the reason of understanding why they make music like that.