A bad rap

I don't understand rap music. Literally. When Eminem was on the Grammys this year, I had to turn on closed captioning to decipher his lyrics. It was like watching a foreign film with a really odd plotline.

I don't understand rap music figuratively either. It seems to me that the Black community has embraced it as a cultural possession. Liking rap music is part of "acting Black," as if there is a right way to act a color. And the literature and studies seem to suggest that many Blacks see rap as a reflection and definition of who they are.

But the videos from class depict a world that no one should want to be a part of. The violent and degrading images demean everyone involved. And from the few examples we saw, they seem to perpetuate stereotypes that are neither uplifing or empowering to Blacks. In fact, they seem expressly directed at confirming the worst perceptions of society--that Black men are agressive and unpredictable; that Black women have an attitude; that neither gender is capable of a healthy and mutually satisfying relationship. To me, the lyrics and images seem to support every prejudicial slur you could direct against that racial identity.

The comments from Black students seem to confirm this perception. They made a point to distance themselves from the sentiments expressed and defining their identity as more than social (or even ethnic community) norms dictate. Though many--Black and White--students admitted they listened to rap music, no one agreed with the content or context of the artists. Not one. It remains a mystery to me as to why this genre continues to flourish, especially amongst a group of people it continues to debase.