Re: my new fascination for rap as a form. I say rap as a 'form' and not as (misguided definiton of) 'lifestyle', because I have seen pictures of stupid NRI gangsta-rappa-wannabes and I cannot understand why people should wish to ghettoise themselves. I will be honest and admit that what I dig most about music is melody. And I haven't been listening to any rap lately. I also know very little about the history of rap beyond what was mentioned by the ubiquitous Professor Lal in one of the Lit & Other Arts classes. By the way, I like the name 'the ubiquitous Professor Lal', it has a lovely gangsta feel to it, I shall call him that from now on.
I took an interest in the work of Tupac Shakur and of Notorious B.I.G. - see, any art form or instution will be rife with Dead Males, whether Black or White. No I will not quote Michael I-love-children Jackson, thank you. Who else? Hmm, does Eminem count? I think him tiresome, immature and masturbatory to a disturbing extreme. Yes, and of course Public Enemy's 'Fears of a Black Planet', whose cover I once spectacularly misread as 'Fears of a Black Plantaganet' (I blame History cramming, but it's still charming).
Let me put it this way. I am going to listen to rap this summer and contemplate how a young brown middle-class feminist can appropriate and transfigure that experience. I have been writing rap, and because the internet is a crazy place and I am a crazy person I shall record my songs in .mp3 and force my friends to listen to them. Thence, naturally, to a lucrative record deal. Don't expect any gyrating women in the video, though - oh, all right, I'll throw in some dashingly pretty multiracial dancer boys. Happy? Good.
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It's not just the NRI's who are doing that ludicrous, underwear-exposing, gangsta shit. It's EVERYBODY. From Tokyo to Hawaii, people of all races are acting like they were born in South Central LA with an Uzi in their hands. Makes my jaw drop.
As for rap, I don't like it much either - given that I too am a fan of melodies. But you might want to give a bit of a listen to the work of A Tribe Called Quest and the Wu Tang Clan.
I like some Eminem too. Otherwise, I hate rap.
M : Forgot to *wave hi belatedly*
Abhimanyu: Sigh. And I knew I'd forgot something else - I've heard some Wu Tang Clan :]
Anirudh: I once had someone tell me that I'm a 'racist' because I don't like rap. It made me laugh out loud.
Please do tell me when you make that video. There is a severe dearth of dashingly pretty multiracial dancer boys (of course, I might be watching all the wrong stuff). I will, however, be watching it on mute, so you will have to send me the lyrics separately.
Aditya: But I was going to do something radical and amazing with rap lyric!
Okay, I'll bite. But only if you swear at all the right people. ;)
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