Memph-10

(ed. note: This post is a little late. I wrote it on Monday, march 6, the day after the Oscars were awarded.)

I think that it's a good day for hip hop, and a good day for black folks.

"It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp". Facially, this may be a repugnant image of black folks. But the song must be examined in context. The song is the story of the movie character, who was in fact a pimp. And it was a good movie at that, as evidenced by T. Howard's nomination for best actor. Therefore, if viewed in context of the film, the song is a creative, artistic placing of the plot of the movie over music. What is wrong with interpreting a film in song? Come on. Thus, if you have a problem with the song, you have a problem with the movie.

Now, if we look at the song standing alone, we may not want to laud "it's hard out here for a pimp". Why? Because some say that this is not the image of our people that we want publicized. Furthermore, it's not a great rap song; it would probably be an obscure album track if it were not associated with the movie. But it was the best original song created for a movie. It is something to celebrate that with all of the movies released last year, and all the songs created for those movies, three Memphis boys created the one that the academy deemed best. I for one, am proud of that.

(Side note: to laugh at 3-6 like they did last night, and to bring up the Martin Scorsese comparison is really racist. Three Six has nothing to do with Scorsese, they aren't competing, or anything like that. That discussion is really just to highlight the racist opinion that these rappers are not "supposed" to be winning Oscars.)

And as for the whole "this is the representation of rap music being put out there for the world to see", that is also ludicrous like Chris Bridges. (Ha!) The truth of the matter is that hip hop is Mos Def, and Three six. Hip hop is The Roots, and Cash Money. All of it, in its own way, is a representation of some facet of our people that really exists; people that live and breathe and express themselves in different ways. Some of us got degrees, and some don't. Some burn incense, and others gangsta walk.

When we get into the discussion of the image of black people that we want "others" to see, to me that is code for "push the bougie black people into the spotlight and call them 'positive', and shun the others while calling them the 'negative element' ". That invalidates a whole lot of black lives because they do not comport to the white American standard of achievement and "success".

Three Six doesn't conform, and that is why some of us are upset about them winning. But the fact is that with their win, they have forced the element that they represent into the nation's consciousness, for better or for worse. I would rather have a segment of our people recognized than ignored. Only when people face the fact that a gangster, slumming, pimping, poverty riddled element exists, can they be compelled to do something to help improve it. The world cannot be made aware of the ongoing condition of some of our people if Blacks choose to promote only Black middle class images, and do not make room for our struggling peoples' stories too.

I think that a huge lie has been sold to all of us, that we are a homogenous people. Black Americans are as diverse a people as there are on the planet. Thus, while Three Six may not be my favorite rap group, they do represent my people, and I am proud to see them kick in the door on the world's biggest stage.

Memphis, stand up.