Dumb it down.

This is a great social Commentary. Read and listen to the lyrics,

I'm fearless
Now hear this
I'm earless
And I'm peer-less
That means I'm eyeless
Which means I'm tearless
Which means my iris resides where my ears is
Which means I'm blinded
But I'mma find it I can feel it's nearness
But I'mma veer so I don't come near
Like a chicken or a deer
But I remember I'm not a listener or a seer so my windshield smear
Here, you steer, I really shouldn't be behind this, clearly cause my blindness
The windshield is minstrel, the whole grill is roadkill, so trill and so sincere. Yeah, I'm both them there
Took both pills, when a bloke in a trench coat and the locs in the chair had approached him here
And he clear as a ghost, so a biter of the throats in the mirror
The writer of the quotes for the ghosts who supplier of the notes to the living
Riveting is rosy, pockets full of posies, given to the mother of the deceased. Awaken at war, 'til I'm restin' in peace

[Chorus 1:]
You goin' over niggas' heads Lu (Dumb it down)
They tellin' me that they don't feel you (Dumb it down)
We ain't graduate from school nigga (Dumb it down)
Them big words ain't cool nigga (Dumb it down)
Yeah I heard Mean And Vicious nigga (Dumb it down)
Make a song for the bitches nigga (Dumb it down)
We don't care about the weather nigga (Dumb it down)
You'll sell more records if you (Dumb it down)

[Verse 2:]
And I'm mouthless
Which means I'm soundless
Now as far as the hearing, I've found it
It was as far as the distance from an earring to the ground is
But the doorknockers on the ear of a stewardess in a Lear
She fine and she flyin, I feel I'm flying by'em 'cause my mind's on cloud nine and in her mind at the same time
Pimp C the wings on the underground king
Who's also Klingon
To infinity and beyond
Something really stinks, but I Spinks like Leon
Or lying in the desert
I'm flying on Pegasus you're flying on the pheasant
Rider of the white powder, picker of the fire flowers, spit hot fire like Dylon on Chappelle's skit
Yeah, smell it on my unicorn, don't snort the white horse, but toot my own horn (sleep)

[Chorus 2:]
You've been shedding too much light Lu (Dumb it down)
You make'em wanna do right Lu (Dumb it down)
They're getting self-esteem Lu (Dumb it down)
These girls are trying to be queens Lu (Dumb it down)
They're trying to graduate from school Lu (Dumb it down)
They're starting to think that smart is cool Lu (Dumb it down)
They're trying to get up out the hood Lu (Dumb it down)
I'll tell you what you should do (Dumb it down)

[Verse 3:]
And I'm brainless
Which means I'm headless
Like Ichabod Crane is
Or foreplay-less sex is
Which makes me stainless
With no neck left to hang the chain with
Which makes me necklace-less
Like a necklace theft
And I ain't used my headrest yet
They said they need proof like a vestless chest 'bout the best, fair F-F-jet in the nest
Who exudes confidence and excess depth
Even Scuba Steve would find it hard to breathe
Around these leagues
My snorkle is a tuba, Lu the ruler around these seas
Westside Poseidon, Westside beside'em, chest high and rising
Almost touching the knees of stewardess and the pilot
Lucky they make you flowered
Personal floating devices, tricks falling out of my sleeves
David Blaine
Make it rain
You Make a boat
I make a plane
Then, I pull the plug and I make it drain
Until I feel like flowing and filling it up again..(Westside)

[Chorus 3:]
You putting me to sleep nigga (Dumb it down)
That's why you ain't popping in the streets nigga (Dumb it down)
You ain't winning no awards nigga (Dumb it down)
Robots and skateboards nigga? (Dumb it down)
GQ Man Of The Year G? (Dumb it down)
Shit ain't rocking over here B (Dumb it down)
Won't you talk about your cars nigga? (Dumb it down)
And what the fuck is goyard nigga (Dumb it down)
Make it rain for the chicks (Dumb it down)
Pour champagne on a bitch (Dumb it down)
What the fuck is wrong with you? (Dumb it down)
How can I get on a song with you? (Dumb it down)

[Gemini: talking]
Look B, here's my man, my two way, (hey) uh, what should I - ah here take this (hey) that right there, fuck what my boys talk about nigga, (hey) nigga you hot to me, I like you (Dumb it down)

[Lupe:]
Bishop G, they told me I should come down cousin, but I flatly refuse I ain't dumb down nothing
Send "Dumb It Down" Ringtone to your Cell

wow !

So After i totally botched presenting in front of class i decided to use big boy blog words to tell you guys where i am going and what i am finding with this paper.

So. originally i had though i could talk about this small box that masculinity has been put into and how it is flattening our perceptions of minorities and hip hop as a culture. I saw this perception of a man being strong, and in control and able to provide. be played out in music videos mostly at the expense of women (by protraying them solely as sex objects) and at the expense of other men by promoting violence against other men(Bitch ni**a ) and any deviation from this small box of masculinity resulted in someone being stigmatized and identified as other (soft, pussy, bitch, wuss, weak)

When you see men from the older generations of hip hop they are much softer, smoother, there was a different value system, for them, one of being smooth and swave, and could woo a woman, was self expressive, and knew how to navigate violent situations, some what more of a trickster archetype. I was wondering why I encountered a lot of dancers today who had not adopted the braggadocio form of masculinity promoted in main stream hip hop, i came to the conclusion that the dance had not been influenced by the main stream because it could not be made into a commodity and was not asked to fit to the standards being pressed into it from the dominate culture.

after examining the the effects that this limited definition of manhood has I wanted to explore what the causes are. why are we being taught these specific definitions of man ? i am finding that a lot of external factors are helping propel theses stereotypes. economic , racist , and geography . as well as some catch 22 chicken or the egg stuff with violence in the media. a lot of the landscape for young black men are very grim. founder of the jabbawokiez dance company calls the system the pushes black men into entertainment "the ghetto lotto" like everyone is just hoping their skill will get their number caller and they can leave poverty.

the third area i wanted to examine is a cultural myth that Hip Hop is a "Black" thing. that keeps white men out, it devalues anything associated with white, and one gains validity from hard times and struggle. this is something that is profitable for the record companies but not true to the values of hip hop.

my conclusion to the paper falls along the lines of: unless hip hop adopts its original mindsets the white man will not be valid in hip hop, and with out going into a slippery slope argument of what will happen if these ideals continue i argue that the problems we see in hip hop, racism and America today will continue. its a caustic system for men and women, black and white that needs to change.

Sources so far

Here are some of my sources that are available online, if you have any interest in the Culture of hip Hop or the American construct of masculinity these are informative and eye opening. Careful not to overload on this stuff though it can become discouraging to see how truly caustic masculinity has become.

Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes.

Specifically addresses masculinity within hip hop. it is about 6 years old now and the landscape of pop culture has changed, though I don’t thing it is at all for the better.

Hip Hop: Beyond Entertainment

Part 1:

Part 2:

This is a two part KRS-One Lecture at Temple University in Philadelphia where he talks about origins of Hip Hop and the Evolution of mindsets that hip hop has, Great concepts and insight from a Hip Hop legend who was around at the beginning of hip hop.

Tough Guise

This was the first exposure I had to critically thinking about masculinity about six years ago. Sociologist Jackson Katz takes a look at masculinity as it is portrayed in the media in the wake of Columbine Shootings in 1999. He does a great job articulating some of the more racist factors to masculinity and the end is inspiring. It shows places in the media where healthy forms of masculinity are displayed.

Other material that is not on line:

Prophets of the Hood: politics and poetic in Hip Hop By Imani Perry

This book has a whole chapter dedicated to Masculinity in Hip Hop and is really informative to the racial elements that surround Masculinity. The perception of black men in the media is well explained here. She uses a lot of ethnic studies vocabulary that takes a few reads through to fully understand.

The Hip Hop Wars by Tricia Rose

I am only just beginning this book but so far this one has touched on some Issues of violence in Hip Hop and reason that the American public is so ready to receive these violent images.

Mission Statement

The cultural myth I have decided to explore is Masculinity within hip hop. Specifically the origins of the Hyper Masculinized persona demonstrated within the mainstream culture and its effects on the Perception of masculinity to the primary consumers of Hip Hop, young white men. The small confines of masculinity are kept in place by an appropriated culture that has barriers aimed at maintaining a false Racist Binary. This false binary has septic values that promote violence against women, and reckless abandon for money chasing. It labels any out pouring of emotion as weakness, and allows for manhood to be maintenance of appearance not rooted in reality. As popular the lyrics of Atmosphere song Like today say “we teach them to make a fist but not to resist”.