How has Hip-hop's aesthetic shaped American film? In what ways do we see race articulated through a Hip-hop aesthetic? As you explore the readings, audio and visual references, think about the ways in which Hip-hop has influenced the cinematic and storytelling styles. How do you see particular elements of Hip-hop translated into film? How does the race of a filmmaker impact his/her vision if at all? As you watch the films Do the Right Thing, 8 Mile and Hustle and Flow, think about the ways that diverse racial and ethnic groups use Hip-hop as a platform to tell stories.
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ReplyDeleteThe idea of race has been implanted into everything we do in society. Race is a social construct that is affected by how we put meaning behind certain races. Since race can been seen as part of everything that is social, it is easy to assume that it is part of our films and media. The ideas of race can be depicted in films through many aspects such as characters, traditions, and attire. When it comes to Hip-hop, these racial aspects often come from the white-black binary. Unfortunately, because these films are produced for the mass public, they often have overarching stereotypes of these races/ethnicities that are often inaccurate. According to Michael Wanguhu, the best form of filming is through documentaries because they “reach people a certain way that another film cannot” (Arnold 316). Documentaries often use real people, unlike the actors who are far removed from the real life situations. People who are most interested in writing documentaries on the real life aspects of hip-hop and African Americans are often African Americans themselves. These people are underrepresented in the film-making business. They can attribute the real elements of hip-hop such as the language, gestures, images, and clothing without adding stereotypical assumptions on the characters.
ReplyDeleteHip-hop has been idealized in today’s society by its use in cinema. Hip-hop can be seen in a films music, wardrobe, random dance scenes, and by other cultural influences. When Hip-hop is added to a film, many times you are adding race as well. Since Hip-hop is associated with African American culture, films that highlight Hip-hop are using common stereotypes to express this polycultural world. These stereotypes often depict fictional situations that are promoted by dominate society: white people. “The desire is not to really tell any kind of new story, but just to rely on the stereotypes that we already have… The lighter women, like J-Lo… are the objects of affection. The larger, dark girls, the Queen Latifahs, are definitely the best friends or sidekick” as quoted by Rachel (Arnold 312). One would think that the race of the filmmaker would not play an intricate role in the film, but race can never actually be removed. A white filmmaker would try to over emphasize Hip-hop stereotypes; whereas, an African American filmmaker would try to “keep it real.” The movie 8 Mile, which had a white director, fully embodies common stereotypes. This movie would have been drastically different if it had an African American director associated with Hip-hop.
ReplyDeleteWhile often bombarded with stereotypes of blackness and poverty, hip-hop’s gradual incorporation into the American film industry has helped directors add depth, relation and new dynamics into their film work. Exposing hiphop through film makes it much easier for the average person to comprehend the culture and nature of expression tied to hip-hop. Like in 8 Mile, it is much easier to understand the passion of a struggling MC when watching it rather than having to analyze every one of Marshal Mather’s lyrics. The director’s control over what they put in their film to represent hip-hop is often subjective, and depending on the director, can give a good or even a bad name for hiphop. The amount of power a director has can again be reinforced by the fact that all it takes is one good or bad scene, associated with what is known as hip-hop, to sway an individuals entire opinion of the subject. This can be compare to: “Time’s coverage is relatively standard in perceiving the hip hop nation as a historical construct rather than a geo-cultural amalgamation of personages and practices that are spatially dispersed”(Forman 201). Overall, hip-hop’s impact on film is massive and with proper execution, a director can use it to exaggerate stereotypes or, in contrast, the opposite.
ReplyDelete‘Race’ and ‘film’ become integral to the Hip Hop movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with the release of such movies as Do The Right Thing, Boyz N The Hood and Menace II Society. Running parallel with the birth of the ‘hood film’ we see rappers turning their attention to acting – Ice Cube, Ice T and LL Cool J all making the crossover. Since then we have seen Eminem, T.I. and Will Smith follow suit, with their often hip hop-influenced movies making for interesting commentary on the race debate.
ReplyDeleteHad hip hop never made the crossover to the mainstream, these films might be seen as ‘race movies’ – their subject matter caught up in issues of class, race and what it is to be young and black in America. Though these films are often mainstream, especially in the case of 8 Mile and more recently Precious, their themes are often inextricably-linked to matters of race and blackness, elements of hip hop impossible to ignore. Clarence Lusane highlights how, in “Rap, Race and Politics,” African-Americans make up 25 per cent of the movie-going audience (Forman & Neal, 355) – a statistic that cannot be underestimated. Hip hop films offer a lucrative prospect to Hollywood, having proved their worth over the years. Hip hop becomes influential even in non-hood films, notably White Men Can’t Jump, Dangerous Minds and Half Nelson, wherein “the background music is rap and Hip Hop is the atmosphere” (355).
"Racism is not about how you look, it is about how people assign meaning to how you look." This quote by historian Robin D.G. Kelley, as mentioned in lecture on 10/18, directly relates to how race is portrayed in Hip-Hop based and influenced films. More specifically, the race of a film's director highly influences the way race is portrayed in their film. Both 8 Mile and Hustle & Flow are directed by white males who grew up in upper middle-class environments, though the protagonists of their films reside in the "ghettos" of their respective cities. Because of this, the racial stereotypes in both 8 Mile and Hustle & Flow are rather heavy and exaggerated. Aside from racial stereotypes, Hip-hop also lends cultural elements to American film. The “battle” for example, is heavily used in 8 Mile to carry the narrative. Most of Jimmy’s (Eminem) conflicts arise or are solved by battling other MCs. The final battle with “The Leaders of the Free World” serves as a final conflict, and the plot is resolved. Other Hip-hop based films including Step Up and You Got Served focus on breaking and Braggadocio in addition to battles. Hip-Hop’s influence on American film is growing, and also being recognized by prestigious award ceremonies including the Academy Awards. 8 Mile was the first film with a Hip-Hop song to win an Academy Award, and Hustle & Flow won an Academy Award for Best Original Song, for Three 6 Mafia’s “It’s Hard out Here for a Pimp”. Race plays an intricate part in Hip-Hop culture and is now being infused into American films with a Hip-Hop base.
ReplyDeleteOver the years, integration of race has been an important factor in our society in everything that we do, especially film. Ever since race has had the spotlight shown on it, people have become more aware of its natural beauty and the positive messages that race shares. In Hip-Hop, many artists use their own way of art to show the world their life compared to others who consist of the majority of people. For example, in Do the Right Thing, in the end, Smiley puts up pictures of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. in Sal’s Italian dominated shop because he thought that everyone should be treated equal (Do the Right Thing-Spike Lee). The race of a filmmaker affects their thought process by formulating different ways of doing things because that is what is fit to their specific race or lifestyle. In Jin’s song “Learn Chinese,” he talks about how he is proud of being Chinese and no one is going to tell him he cannot rap because he is not of the stereotypical race of Hip-Hop (YouTube). As Forman explains, “These regional distinctions between the “beats” are borne out in the example of the Miami production houses of Luther Campbell or Orlando’s Magic Mike,” (Forman 209). This idea of “regional distinctions” is the reality that no matter where someone is in the world, they will incorporate different flavor from their background or where they are from to take ownership of their style. People’s minds are expanding and opening up to the fact that change is acceptable in all aspects of life and film is helping change those thoughts.
ReplyDeleteAndrew Feigenbaum
ReplyDeleteTHR 380 Hip Hop
Post #9
Race and Identity in Film
While watching Do The Right Thing, directed be Spike Lee, I thought that the hip hop influences presented were a supplementary component of the film, not necessarily the central idea. There are overt examples of hip-hop in the film, in particular the recurring dynamic usage of Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” (Radio Raheem uses it as a socio-activist platform, Tina’s opening dance sequence), and the images of graffiti that also acted as a political platform, “Tawana told the truth!” (Lee 1:14:28). But there are subtle examples of hip-hop influence, arguably the entire setting of Bedford-Stuyvesant, since the space itself is very ethnically diverse and samples different cultural values, yet suffers from the backlash of multi-culturalism, in that these ethnic groups are side by side, store by store, yet the purpose that they seem to serve in the film is just consumption; the Black people are angry at the Korean store-owner for no reason (or just the model citizen ideas that have no real justification in this context), Sal has a deeply emotional connection to the area and how the neighborhood kids grew up on his food, and Mooky is obviously open to mingling in different ethnic groups since he has a child with a Puerto Rican woman, and works at an Italian restaurant and kind of likes working there. The one prevailing influence/theme directly related to Hip-Hop however, is the amount of contradictions that occur within the story, which can be seen with the ending riot sequence; the animosity toward the white guy with the Celtics t-shirt and the Korean store-owner.
Hip-hop has a tremendous impact on movies, television, and pop culture in general. We see ideas that are represented through hip-hop in movies all the time. As we learned in the first few weeks of class hip-hop has four elements. These elements include DJing, MCing, Breaking, and Graffiti. These elements are apparent throughout a number of films. Hip-hop is typically associated with African Americans; therefore films depicting hip-hop and its culture are associated with African Americans as well. In movies such as 8 Mile and Hustle and Flow, we see at least three out of the four elements of hip-hop. Both of these films include main characters aspiring to become MC’s and it is obvious that both of these films have a foundation relating to hip-hop. As for the race of the filmmaker, I believe it can make a marginal difference. A white filmmaker who tries to depict African American culture and hip-hop might struggle or over exaggerate the stereotypes, whereas a black filmmaker may have a more true description. I believe that regardless of the individual’s race, one can make a movie just as well as the other, although one may be more accurate than the other. After all “hip-hop emerged as a voice for black and Latino youth”(Forman and Neal 220). We assume that the filmmaker knows this, making it easier for African American filmmakers to make films about African American culture.
ReplyDeleteBlog #9 Films and Race
ReplyDeleteWhat is race? Race is socially constructed as was shown in the “I Love my Hair” Sesame Street video, we took a purplish/brown colored puppet and automatically linked her to African descent. The issues of race seem to always be present in one’s mind, even if subconsciously, and social interactions can solidify racial thoughts. In Do the Right Thing race is a very incendiary issue, with the setting being a very diverse environment of Bedford-Stuyvesant. The infamous scene when Buggin’ Out’s Jordans accidentally gets scuffed by a white man (whose of course is wearing a Larry Bird shirt) has two cultures argue while Latin music is playing in the background shows that polyculturalism cannot always be the cleanest mixture. From the simple debate between Mookie and Vito debating if Dwight Gooden or Roger Clemens is represents the constant power struggle between two different cultures’ ideals.
Hip-pop is most frequently used in film to depict a story that comes out of Hip-hop. The background music in 8 Mile was probably chosen because the movie was based around Eminem who strongly associates with Hip-hop and grew up surrounded by it. Just as any other movie would set a scene or provide a background; a movie based in a location where Hip-pop culture is prevalent must depict Hip-hop in the movie. This can be done by choosing different clothing types, background music, clips of graffiti, etc. Now that Hip-pop has extended beyond the boundaries of New York, artists want to be recognized spatially. They do not just want the listener to know that they are Hip-hop artists, but they want their location to be recognized. “Today, the emphasis is on place, and groups explicitly advertise their home environments with names such as Compton’s Most Wanted, Detroit’s Most Wanted, the Fifth Ward Boyz, and South Central Cartel” (Forman 204). Race is still depicted in music and film, but even more so, artists are trying to surface his/her specific subset of race. For example, an artist might want to let the listener know that he is Black, and from Los Angeles, making him more unique and recognizable.
ReplyDeleteRace has played a major factor in film. From 8 Mile, which focuses on a poor white rapper trying to make a name for himself in a predominantly black culture in Detroit. To the movie Notorious, which is a story of the legend Notorious BIG who was a very successful African American rapper from New York. Film seems to focus on the race of the main character and how it is an obstacle. When talking about hip-hop in general, race always seems to be an important topic, it comes up in all four elements, film is no different. Hip-hop has found its way into more than just hip-hop documentaries and hip-hop themed movies. Now hip-hop tracks have found their way onto trailers for action films as well as comedies. I’ve really enjoyed watching how hip-hop influence has made its way into mainstream culture. I also think it is very interesting that most people don’t realize where the unique hip-hop elements come from. Film has become a very successful way to bridge gaps of the negative stereotypes of race and hip-hop in general.
ReplyDeleteI think for many people race and hip-hop go hand in hand. Hip-hop has always been thought of as black people music so when hip-hop joined the film industry it was also seen as race film. Film directors, just like hip-hop artists, have a large affect on how their work is perceived. There are common stereotypes seen about people of different races and when someone who is outside that race enters in to their world things are often misconstrued. Both the director of 8 Mile and Hustle and Flow are white males and their portrayal of the “ghetto” is over exaggerated and stereotypical. Race is a social construct and movies are just another way people tell their stories, which usually come from their cultural or racial backgrounds. Most lyrics or scripts talk about where they come from. “Today, the emphasis is on place, and groups explicitly advertise their home environments with names such as Compton’s Most Wanted, Detroit’s Most Wanted, the Fifth Ward Boyz, and South Central Cartel, or else they structure their home territory into titles and lyrics, constructing a new internally meaningful hip-hop cartography” (Foreman 204). It is important for people, not only in hip-hop to represent where they are from.
ReplyDeleteIn Murray Forman’s Represent: Race, Space, and Place in Rap Music, Chuck D states that if you want to break barriers and become known, you must be a part of a posse (206). This referring to become a prominent group in hip-hop’s music industry. Yet, as hip-hop has grown and expanded, we see more than music as a way to make it big, or bigger than you already are. In today’s hip-hop nation, movies and film have been the next step on the pedestal to ultimate stardom. Will Smith is often times not seen as one of the visionaries in hip-hop, when it was making its strong entry into a broader society. Yet, he was. He is now Will Smith the singer and more importantly, the award winning actor. Smith is just one example of how movies have boosted fame. Eminem, with his 2002 film “8 Mile,” became an even more noticeable figure when the movie released. Still, it was his music, specifically “Lose Yourself,” that caught people’s attention, winning an Academy Award and two Grammys. The popularity of the song helped feed the popularity of the movie and vice versa. The knockout combination pushed Eminem’s career to personal unseen success. It is seen how movies and music have helped lift one another up. Fight the Power by Public Enemy and Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing,” go hand in hand as Fight the Power is seen as one of the greatest hip-hop songs of all time and “Do the Right Thing” is viewed as one of the top hip-hop movies ever made. Hustle and Flow followed in Lee’s footsteps as the movie and Three Six Mafia’s “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp,” both generated huge success. Hip-hop has expanded even more and has now added films onto the long list of what make’s hip-hop, hip-hop.
ReplyDeleteBlog #9
ReplyDeleteEvery social element we experience can be affected by concepts about race; including its presentation in our films and other media. In particular, film can be used to describe a person’s race by highlighting the characters personality, appearance, cultural history, and etc. In Hip-hop, race is in the media is generally include extreme stereotypes that can prevent the audience from seeing the actual scope the producer is trying to demonstrate. For example, in 8 Mile, Eminem’s residence in the “ghetto” creates many exaggerated stereotypes towards Eminem. Even though stereotypes are often present in films, Hip-hop in the media also creates an opportunity for more cultural elements that are often not addressed in typical American films. In today’s society, artists who have starred in film roles are often on the verge of stardom. For example, after the release of Eminem’s 8 Mile, he gained an increased amount of recognition. Films and other media have been an important piece to Hip-hop by offering a different way to interpret Hip-hop elements. It also allows the audience to get an idea of another person’s (generally the directors) ideas towards the concepts of Hip-hop. American films offer society a different twist to Hip-hop and the media.
Hip-hop will always be closely related to race, mostly because we see the hip-hop culture predominantly run by African Americans, or people with ethnic backgrounds, etc. Which brings you to the rise of the hip-hop films which branch from its predecessor, race films. In movies like Hustle ‘N Flow, 8 Mile, or Precious we see not only that these movies are integrating many different stories and lifestyles and presenting them in unique ways that the majority finds interesting, just like movies that aren’t “race films” or hip-hop influenced films. These movies also give us an inside look on some of these artists personal struggle and why their body of work means so much to them, making people more aware of the music and what it’s truly about. I’m not sure if the race of the filmmaker necessarily means they can or cannot create a more hip-hop influenced movie, however, it is always helpful for a director to have a point of view that they believe in and that they want to project to the audience. The director sheds light on the grand scheme of things that maybe the story doesn’t openly share. With Spike Lee for example, not just through his movie Do The Right Thing, but in others like the film he distributed via HBO about the levees in New Orleans; this man has a clear vision of the point that we as a society were missing and he brings it forth quite bluntly and it’s very in your face for a reason. Hip-hop continues to be integrated in American cinema today, as it is increasingly becoming a large influence and source of inspiration for the masses.
ReplyDeleteThe modern portrayal of African-American culture in film has little variance and has experienced minimal evolution since “The Birth of a Nation,” released in 1915. These mammy characters are still very popular within the mainstream media we see examples of this character from Annie in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” to “Gone With the Wind,” all the way to our present day with the ethnic housekeeper on popular television shows such as “Gossip Girl.” Another persistent notion of race in film depicts ethnicities as exclusive, only associating within ethnic boarders: Fresh Prince of Belair, Stomp the Yard, the Barber Shop movies, ect. (Lecture.) Only recently has there been an influx of diversity within the “urban” portrayal; in the Step Up movies and also “Save the Last Dance” the protagonist or main characters that interact in the “ghetto” environment are of many different backgrounds and ethnicities. Which addresses Forman’s question of “how is black life in one ‘hood’ connected to the life in others?” and “can it synchronize experiences and histories across diaspora space?” (Forman and Neal 210). Perhaps the media is one soul contributor to these over generalized images of the urban ghetto; by creating this shared perception that one must abide by. It begins to create contrast and dissonance when one lives in this environment but is not experiencing the same hardships: going back to DuBois double consciousness (Lecture.) Are we supposed to view ourselves the way that others see us? This could possibly explain the homogeneous nature of how we interpret the urban lifestyle. If only film/technology would be used to expand our visions and explore different components of ethnicity instead of reaffirming outdated concepts.
ReplyDeleteIn class this week we watched the Sesame Street video, I love my hair. Even though the puppet was a purple color and has a similar face to all the other puppets on the show, as a whole our class determined she was black. The reason for this was the stereotypical hairstyles the puppet modeled resembled that of a black girl. This shows that race is a big part of society and that people are categorized based on looks. This has happened to me before, a lot of people think that I am part Asian and I am not so I know how frustrating it is when people put you in categories you don’t belong. In Do the Right Thing the issue of race is the main plot. It takes place in a neighborhood that is mainly black but has some Italians and Koreans as well. A fight ends up breaking out because of disagreements and results in the loss of a life. I think Spike lee was trying to get the point across that race is an everyday thing but it is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. I do think that the race of the filmmaker has an impact on the vision of the film but it is just to share their views and opinions and how they see things, not to brag or boast about how great their race is. By incorporating race in film, it allows for the communication of the issue on race and allows viewers to look at this issue in different ways other than their own.
ReplyDelete“Racism is not about how you look, it is about how people assign meaning to how you look”. When we spoke about this quote in class I felt that this is truly how society see’s different races. We also talked about how the borders between racial grouping are often cased on phenotype and are often derived from racial grouping systems developed in Europe and North America in the 18th century. I really find it interesting that race started so long ago and is still intact with our society today. Race is something that is seen all over the word and appears in the American films. When looking at the movie 8 mile you can see that the main character is on a quest to something that society thinks most white men cannot do. Throughout the movie it is easy to see how Marshal Mather’s struggles with being a white MC. It’s easier to see this in this movie rather than in his songs. I feel like Rachel Arnold summed it up on page 312, she said that basically the lighter skinned females like J-LO are affection objects where as darker, heavier set woman like Queen Latifah are more of the side kick best friend. This again shows how race is brought into the films and how it is not how the actual race looks but it’s the meaning that people assign that look.
ReplyDeleteRace is a part of everyone’s everyday life. Different racial backgrounds are represented differently, leading people to understand different races social constructs as well as how races different than ones own function in society. Films and media help display a particular race’s dress, tradition, and different lifestyles that help emphasize one particular race. Some films present races in a stereotypical manner, such that people from different races place judgments about the races presented in the media. Since hip-hop is associated with the African-American race and culture, films that emphasize common fictional stereotypes promoted by the dominant white society. However, by incorporating the hip-hop race into the film industry, it allows directors to create new dynamics and depth of this particular race. By displaying the hip-hop race through film, it makes people of other races understand the culture of hip-hop. For example in the movies Hustle and Flow and 8 Mile, these movies incorporate many different lifestyles and upbringings of the hip-hop culture, and present them to the majority as interesting and unique. Race plays a huge role in hip-hop culture, and presenting them to the majority groups helps others to understand the true lifestyles of hip-hop.
ReplyDeleteThe American film industry has been influenced greatly by hip-hop. Comparing the song “Lose Yourself” by Eminem with the movie portraying his (and other rappers) story, 8 Mile, you can tell they correspond pretty well. At first glance, these two may not seem to coincide, but looking deeper it becomes apparent that the movie is set up to the song. The beginning, the first verse: Eminem’s struggle to make a name. The middle, the second verse: the pain he went through with his family after he made a little headway. The end, the last verse: Eminem becoming successful and finally doing things for himself, not for the fame. In today’s society, it’s pretty easy to depict the bond hip-hop, race, and film all share. In lecture on October 18th, a definition of race, according to Robin D.G. Kelley, a historian, was shown as “not about how you look, it is about how people assign meaning to how you look.” The film industry just reinforces this definition. When a movie is made, it is made to look as realistic as possible, especially when portraying something that has an impact on culture, so they take stereotypes and generic outlooks on certain races and emphasize them. In Hustle and Flow, Terrance Howard is pretty much wearing a white tank top the whole movie, pretty much displaying a broke man, from the rough side of town, starring in a Hip-Hop movie.
ReplyDeleteBefore I enter the discussion of Hip-hop and film I start with the idea of what the image of hip-hop. The first look America had on hip-hop was 1979s Rapper’s Delight by the Sugar Hill Gang. In that video nothing that could influence society on what is black culture is shown, it’s only heard through the lyrics. Looking ahead to another nationwide hit, 1982s The Message by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, The image of the black neighborhood is shown and the first public perceptions of Black and Hip-hop culture starts to form from images shown in hip-hop media and film.
ReplyDeleteIn Spike Lee, there is a black director who grew up in New York. He had access to those poor black and other ethnic neighborhoods that would influence his work and you see that in Do the Right Thing with Blacks and Italians in a black neighborhood. Spike Lee’s character is friends with an Italian but there is confrontation between the two groups and Spike could have seen that growing up and was influenced in his film. In 8 mile you have a white guy (Eminem) and in the film he shows how both blacks and white can be part of the same group (poor blacks and whites living in the ghettos and trailer parks of Michigan working at the plants) but that the only difference is the skin color. Eminem uses hip-hop and film to show that everyone is the same.
The stories of 8 mile and Hustle and Flow follow the lives of now big time rappers as they tried to make it into the industry. The films show the struggles of living in the urban area. Such an area is synonymous with movies considered a part of the hip hop genre. Murray Forman writes, “Urban space themselves are subjected to the deconstructive and constructive practices of rap artists,” (Foreman and Neal, 201). This scenery is where hip hop was born and is what inspires many rappers today. As we discussed in lecture polyculturalism, African storytelling techniques, battles, urban blight, poverty, and crime are also facets of this type of film. These terms are associated with hip hop because they are associated with the people that the culture evolved from. Another prominent message hip hop films highlight is race. In 8 Mile Eminem struggles to be respected as a rapper not because he does not have skills, but because he is white. He has to go through these struggles because hip hop has the stereotype of being black. This is because it started in the urban spaces that were mostly inhabited by blacks and Latinos. To “keep it real” things associated with hip hop and represented in hip hop films must pay tribute to the roots from which it evolved.
ReplyDeleteErin Schaefer
ReplyDeleteFilm and Race blog
There is a lot of analysis to be done on race in film. There has been an evolution of different races being included in mainstream movies and a lot of debate on how these races plays into the way the characters are portrayed. Many movies in recent years depict black men as thugs or as pimps and drug dealers; while black women may play character’s that are poor single mothers or hookers. This has caused a lot of uproar in the black community about these roles acting as black exploitation. While this is showing a side of the black community that does exist; white people fall under those categories too but are not represented that way. There seems to be a lack of true black representation in movies these days. Some examples that counter this idea would be, “Death at a Funeral” or “The best man”. The majorities of the actors in these movies are black and portray upper class individuals. “Hustle and flow” did an excellent job of crossing the boundaries of these norms in a few ways. First, they had both representations of a black family. One made up of pimps and hoes and another couple who is religious and very straight laced. They also included a white woman playing the role of a prostitute being pimped by a black man. My favorite was that they had a geeky white actor come in to the pimp’s house as the man to write the beats for the new rap hit they were about to make. Memphis, Tennessee is also a great location for the movie to take place because it does have a close to equal combination of black and white people; this gave the director a platform to show what a place under those circumstances is truthfully like.
In today’s world, hip-hop is like rock of the 80’s, a dominate fixture on today’s pop culture that spans from music, films, and even politics (Barack Obama’s quote saying Kanye West is a “jack ass”). Growing up I have seen movies like White man can’t jump, Do the right thing, Friday, and numerous Tyler Perry TV shows that have incorporated hip-hop into their scripts and the impact it has with audiences. For instance in Do the right thing, The director gives the audience the scene when there’s a dispute about why there’s no black people on the wall and the owner later shouting get your own place and shut off the music represents what the director might have went through during his life time in an urban neighborhood that had it rough. From lecture we discussed how inter-racial conflict is not addressed and instead the movie focuses on the main character on his quest following a traditional liner model of storytelling (lecture 10/18). But in my case however, I have seen an increase of inter-racial conflict movies such as Precious, Notorious, and to an extent American History X giving society what it wants: a movie that shows us the deeper inside meaning of certain societys problems, and in this case, racial differences.
ReplyDeleteBrandt Johnson
10/20/10 “Race and Film”
The use of hip-hop in films has transformed many people’s outlooks on hip-hop culture itself. Films that portray hip-hop address aspects of the culture through the dress of characters, language, and social settings. Many films, such as 8 Mile, use the racial differences between whites and blacks to generate the stereotypical hip-hop figures. Eminem faced many hardships as a white rapper in a black dominated industry. Ironically, 8 Mile was directed by Curtis Hanson, a white male. Hanson’s outlook on hip-hop culture was very different than that of a black director because his experience with race has been different. Personally, I believe that race will always be an inevitable argument in regards to how hip-hop and rap music is interpreted. Murray Forman reiterates this saying, “Rap music is one of the main sources within popular culture of a sustained and in-depth examination and analysis of the spatial partitioning of race and the diverse experiences of being young and black in America (Forman and Neal 202).” As said in lecture, we must “think about race as bigger than black and white (Lecture 10/18/2010).” Although film and the media often play into racial stereotypes, as a culture we must open our eyes to look past race as a defining factor in hopes of change.
ReplyDeleteRace plays a major role in society and its perspective and stereotypes about many other diverse racial groups. Though these stereotypes are not true its imbedded in the mind of society, and that's what W.E.B. DuBois's idea on the double consciousness is about that a person of race that is other then white have to go through life with a double conscious. For examples all Asians are bad drivers etc... Race is also a big influence in the hip hop culture, and how others who don't listen to hip hop perceive it to be music for African Americans, but hip hop shows that its music doesn't just reach out to one certain group of people but a wide diverse group with many other rappers that are not African American for example Eminem,Pitbull, Jin, and M.I.A. these rappers like many other rappers are not just rapping for their certain race but they are rapping for everybody like the many other rappers. Film in hip hop can help show what the true hip hop lifestyle is like for example movies like Hustle and Flow, Notorious, and 8 Miles. So that public can see what the hip hop culture is all about, and its help contributing to breaking of all stereotypes and different walks of life and racial backgrounds.
ReplyDeleteHip-hop can be seen largely in films that we see. Over the past decade or so, integrating race has been an important factor in our society in everything that we do, especially in regards to film. In movies recommended for this class such as, 8 Mile and Hustle and Flow, we see different elements of hip-hop. Both of these films include hip hop artists that are aspiring to become MC’s. It is apparent that both of these films have a theme that is related to hip-hop. For example, in the film Do the Right Thing, directed by Spike Lee, I found that hip hop was not the central idea of the film but more or less a component that helped make the film more original.
ReplyDeleteSpike Lee is one of the most well known African American directors and he has directed some amazing movies that are not only filled with hip hop but a good theme too. An African American director would probably have a more spot on point of view, using past experiences or specific examples explaining African American culture within a movie, where as a white director would have to go off of stereotypes. By incorporating race in to films, it allows its viewers a different view of the issue on race. It allows viewers to look at a specific issue in different ways rather than their own.
When thinking of this subject for the blog, the first thing I think of is movies like “Boyz N The Hood” and even the “Friday” movie series. These movies are great, sometimes comedic ways of portraying the life and struggle that these rappers went through in places such as Los Angeles and Compton, California. Although these movies don’t deal exclusively with hip hop, other movies like Get Rich or Die Tryin’ and 8 Mile, deal exclusively with hip hop and the struggle to become recognized for your talents and find a way out of the streets. Beyond the film aspect of hip hop, this musical genre also sees great success on soundtracks as well. “Across the spectrum, rap has found its way into the soundtrack and themes of movies both big and small.”(Forman and Neal 354). Just as the hip hop community tries to show their struggle through the stories they tell in their songs, hip hop likewise can tell this story through the film medium as well as being on soundtracks. Now its not hard too find a hip hop artist promoting Sprite or Vitamin Water, or Dr. Dre making his Beats headphone company. While these are not on film, they are on commercials and have a big enough influence on mainstream society for these big companies to want them to publicly endorse their product.
ReplyDeleteFilm has become an ideal showcase to visually represent various elements of Hip-hop culture and movies focused around Hip-hop provide an excellent platform for people to learn about the history and stories of people involved in the Hip-hop genre. Watching movies allows the audience to get the chance to relate to the main characters in a way that is sometimes difficult for people to do through music. Inaccurate interpretation of hip-hop music and culture based on judgments and stereotypes can result in a misunderstanding which often leads to negative generalizations and assumptions about various races, locations, and or socioeconomic statuses associated with hip-hop culture. With movies this mistake is much more difficult to make because when viewing a movie, it is difficult for an observer to remain apathetic to the protagonist. Hip-hop film has a way of opening up a dialogue about core social issues such as race. Forman states, “Rap music is one of the main sources within popular culture of a sustained and in-depth examination and analysis of the spatial partitioning of race and the diverse experiences of being young and black in America”(p.202). The benefit of presenting Hip-hop to a global community in this way is that previously conceived stereotypes can be laid to rest while the topic can also be expanded to raise awareness of the subjective differences among all races.
ReplyDeleteThrough the use of film, filmmakers have been able to present an idea and image of hip-hop to the masses. With the creation of films such as 8 Mile and Get Rich or Die Trying, filmmakers have created a mainstream aesthetic in which the image that they present may not actually represent the authentic culture that it is supposedly portraying (Chang 306). Issues such as social oppression and conditions, class disparities, and inter racial conflict are all subjects that can usually be seen in films about hip-hop (Lecture 10/18). Images such as graffiti style writing, representations of the hood, and overt displays of female sexuality are what constitute many rap music videos as well as box office hits. In the film 8 Mile, clear interracial conflict is marked due to the fact that Eminem is a white rapper trying to make a name for himself in an industry marked by black performers. Documentaries offer other views of hip-hop culture because they try to show the unheard voices of the culture. In the article “Put Your Camera Where My Eyes Can See”, Michael Wanguhu states that “documentaries are the quickest and easiest way to communicate people and that when you’re doing a documentary, you reach people a certain way that another film cannot do” (Chang 316). While the view of hip-hop in today’s popular culture is slightly skewed from what it used to be, there are those out there trying to regain the control to present their culture the way that they see it should be.
ReplyDeleteRace and class have been a prominent theme within African-American films for many years. Racism, as described by Robin Kelley in the lecture Monday, is not about how you look, it is about how people assign meaning to how you look. This directly correlates with hip-hop influenced films. Race plays a key role in the film 8 Mile. In 8 Mile, rapper Rabbit, played by Eminem, is discredited as a rapper due to the fact that he is white. He is the subject to many racial punchlines from other rappers in the movie. Also, class played a big role in 8 Mile. Eminem plays a character that has gone through many tribulations faced by the lower class people of Detroit. Class also plays a big role in Hustle & Flow. Hip-hop, musically, plays a big influence in many films of that genre. Films such as 8 Mile and Hustle & Flow as already discussed, but also films like Step Up and You Got Served that don’t necessarily focus on race or class, but on the other aspects of hip-hop, more specifically battling. The battle, whether it be dance or rap, is a big focus all of these films. Hip hop becomes influential in these films where the “background music is rap and Hip-hop is the atmosphere” (Forman and Neal 355). 8 Mile was the first film with a Hip-Hop song to win an Academy Award, and Hustle & Flow won an Academy Award for Best Original Song, for Three 6 Mafia’s “It’s Hard out Here for a Pimp”.
ReplyDeleteRace has always been integrated in society. It’s a part of our lives everyday. Hip-hop, stereotypically associated with African Americans, is used by MCs to show their experiences in life based on race and background. As Hip-hop grew over the years, it began to have a large impact on society, pop culture, and what is shown in films today. The depiction of Hip-hop in films has become very diverse in the sense that all different elements of Hip-hop are shown. “8 Mile” shows the life of a struggling lower-class white male; and how he used that experience to grow as an MC. “Step Up” and “Save the Last Dance” show the art in Hip-hop style dancing. They also show the hard-work acquired to master that art in order to get into school. “Save the Last Dance” shows many different elements of Hip-hop. For example, the view of “club” dancing and DJing; and how Hip-hop can be sampled into other dance styles, such as ballet. Also, in the scene where the character is arriving at the club for her first time, the film shows the clothing style of Hip-hop when her friend fixes her outfit. Throughout the rest of the movie we see how her personal clothing style transforms as she becomes more acquainted with Hip-hop styles. Even when the theme of Hip-hop is not being “shown” in films, it is being heard. Hip-hop music is used for all different genres: comedy, action, drama, etc. Hip-hop has had a significant influence on society and pop culture; and it has encouraged people to open their minds. Hip-hop in films has shown the diverse backgrounds and experiences people have in life. Through this opened door, people’s minds have also opened up to a more polycultural state of thinking.
ReplyDeleteHip hop in film can be traced back to the 1980’s (Lecture 10/18). By the late 1980’s, hip hop was growing, and with the growth of hip hop, it’s influence on film became greater and greater. You had movies like Juice, and Menace II Society where you see the struggles of young black men just trying to make it. In Menace II Society, you have the main character as someone who grew up in the hood, has positive influences in his life with his grandparents and girlfriend, but yet has the negativity of his friends pulling him back from what he needs to do, which is move out of the “hood.” As he is moving out, he gets shot up. I think you can take from this film that it is indeed hard to leave the “hood”, or wherever you are from. I think from these types of movies like Juice, Menace II Society, and Hustle and Flow, we can see the in film the different types of social oppressions and conditions that some people live in (Lecture 10/18). It opens up individuals views on society through viewing in their own personal living room.
ReplyDeleteFilms that use the hip-hop aesthetic to tell and retell narratives appropriate images and ideas about race and American culture. Films like Do The Right Thing go beyond using hip-hop’s four elements in creating a new type of narrative. This film is located in the quintessential hip-hop space, the postindustrial city (Forman 201), posing questions about racism and circumstance in New York’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. Blacks, whites, Koreans, and Italians struggle to create and affirm community within an economically depressed neighborhood. Like hip-hop on a general level, Do The Right Thing presents “analyses of public discourses pertaining to youth, race, and space” (Forman 202). The film presents complex characters who “sample” different aspects of their identities in order to interact in different contexts. They constantly readjust in different “domains of authority and dominance” (Forman 203). The film paints a portrait of one neighborhood and of one complex yet very real community in New York. This is characteristic of hip-hop, and other artists reconcile similar ethnic complexities through affirmation of place (KRS-One, Ice T, Sir Mix-A-Lot, etc.). Like hip-hop more generally, hip-hop film reconciles complexity by constantly sharing, fusing and co-opting multiple narratives, traditions, and identifications.
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