|
Pulse of the Twin Cities Login |
|
If you do not have an account yet
Create One.
|
|
|
Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
|
|
|
|
RE: Verb Hip Hop Column 11.26.03
Wednesday 03 December @ 14:13:17 |
 As a 47-year-old Lesbian, I understand all too well the pain and hurt that words and lyrics can cause. In the beginning I was among the many gay people who were appalled at Eminem’s lyrics. I had read portions of his lyrics printed (out of context) in the Advocate and other gay magazines.
After my girlfriend of 12 years left me for another woman, I listened to the Marshall Mather’s LP and suddenly I got It. His music is subversive and it can be funny as sh*t but it is also a very real expression of life and the pain that accompanies it. Now I don’t think that Eminem really understands what it is to be gay (like most straight men) but I don’t believe he is homophobic either. Hip Hop has never been sensitive regarding gay subject matters. But that is kind of the beauty of it as well.
Hip Hop is irreverent, politically incorrect and sometimes just nasty. Em may be white but he’s still Hip Hop. We have all done things in our youth that don’t at all reflect who we’ve become today. Whether he was 16 or 21 (is there really much of a difference when you’re talking about men) he was still a kid. He has expressed regret and he clearly does not feel that way today. Em is not a racist. No one in entertainment has done more to bridge the gap between the races.
Because of Eminem, millions of white suburban kids and middle-aged lesbian housewives like myself have been exposed to a culture that, in spite of the richness and beauty, has been absent in my world. Dave Mays and Benzino think that’s a bad thing. Eminem is ruining rap because he’s white and making money off of a culture that is not his. Ironic coming from two white guys. If Em doesn’t belong in Hip Hop, what right do these two guys have to be the self-proclaimed saviors of Hip Hop. Rap is the language of the streets and sometimes it’s just not pretty.
Rappers sing about bitches, ho’s, faggots, whitey crackers, pimpin, guns and so on. So a long time ago Eminem said the “N” word. Get over it. Maybe the most important thing that rap can do is make these words lose the power to hurt us. When I hear Xzibit or DMX rapping about some fags, I never even consider that they’re talking about gay people. When Ice Cube sings about cave bitches, I’m not offended. He’s singing from his experiences. He’s not talking about me. I do not promote the use of racial slurs and I think much of what I hear in Hip Hop is disgusting but you can not celebrate a medium that promotes these attitudes and then condemn Eminem because years ago, he said the same thing said by most other rap artists today.
Em has a different set of rules to follow because he’s white. Society has always demanded a different set of rules for blacks, whites, gays, rich, or poor. Isn’t it time that we evolve from that mindset? Isn’t that the ultimate racism?
Deb via http://www.pulsetc.com
|
|
 |
|
|
Comments -
Post Comment |
|
The comments are owned by the poster. We are not responsible for its content.
NO comments yet! Be the first!
|
|
|
