Political pop that could actually change the world

[imomus]

Eminem Mosh. He says 'Fuck Bush'. He says 'No more blood for oil'. He says 'Kerry on, give me hope'. He says 'Vote on November 2nd'. And the imagery in the video says a lot more. A message like this, from a star as big as Eminem, could actually change the outcome of the US election. Who says pop music is all neutered, spayed and tame? Who says that nothing anyone says makes a blind bit of difference? As brilliantly political as anything Bob Dylan did at the height of the 60s protest boom. Positively Brechtian.

Comments

8 Mile to the Polls

[transient-poet.livejournal.com]

Have you seem 8 Mile the eminem story? Sure his music is fucked up, but he also admits it is a persona, a kind of perfomance art. And if you view his pop success form that perspective he becomes a radically fascinating character. Sorry to give away the ending, but 8 Mile concludes, with the main character going home to get some rest before he has to return to work the next day to support his little sister who has been essentiall abandoned by their mother.

The point of a lot of his violently agressive lyrics is to point out the absurdity of contemporary culture. This is VERY different from 2Pac Shakur who wrote eloquent and beautiful poetry about the upliftment of woment and the strength of the female character while he went around raping them.

KRSOne's life, who grew up homeless, is an amazing story about the ability of art to raise you above your given circumstances. The Beastie Boys have increqased the awareness of the plight of the Tibetan people to a whole generation of young people.

I know its often trendy to take a certain pleasure in disparaging hip-hop(and pop-culturegenerally), but if you actually take the time to delve into the culture you can find brilliant art, writers, painters, poets, activists, dancers, everything.

A good friend of mine teaches a rap composition class to innercity youth. It is a way to give these kids who otherwise have little going for them a means of artistic expression that they understand.

Hip-hop is a culture.

It is a powerful thing.

One love.