Cultural Appropriation of Hip-Hop Jason Rodriquez (Essay Sample)

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Critical essay paper for Color-Blind Ideology and the Cultural Appropriation of Hip-Hop Jason Rodriquez
Jason Rodriguez (2006) tries to understand the self-awareness and an appreciation that white hip-hop fans bring to the music. Using detailed interviews and participants observation in rap music venue in white-populated areas, he realizes that white youths operate under a color-blindnesss ideology. This colorblindness ideology focusses on sameness across different race and diminishes the lasting importance of race in social relations in the area. Color-blindness characterizes staunch white hip-hope fans. The white hip-hop lovers dilute their explicit radicalized minstrelsy in order to avoid prejudice and remain politically correct. They try and ignore the racial inequality being communicated by the composer or rapper of such music. The most important basis of Rodriguez work is the assumption that color-blindness takes of the underlying political message out of hip-hop (Jason Rodriguez, 2006). However, he does not sustain this view for long before calling hip-hop performance minstrelsy. Majority of the hip-hop artists are more conscious and perform less mainstream of rap.
This paper analysis Rodriguez views on color-blindness ideology by evaluating their application in modern-day minstrelsy. It criticizes the post-black art as a movement towards a realistic racial awareness and identity. It seeks to ask whether we should continue to align ourselves with oppressive movements of color-blind ideology to end racism. It evaluates how the notion of the black art such as hip hop is interpreted in the larger American contest in the racial and political oppression. We shall review Eminem articulation of whiteness. This paper concludes that although the color-blind ideology was meant to promote a race-neutral thinking, it currently promotes the cultivation of white dominance and subordination of the blacks.
Eminem came to prominence in rap music after releasing his second album The Slim Shady LP in the year 1999. He is the epitome of the modern white involvement in Hip-Hop. His proficient usage of black urban lexicon everywhere in his rap shows that the whites do not only listen to rap music, but also tries to develop their identity through it. Hip-hop language has can promote cross-cultural exchange and tolerance.
Critics might associate the success of Eminem with white privilege. Eminem is aware of such ironic position as illustrated in his song “white America” that was released in 2002. He says:
Look at these eyes, baby blue baby just like yourself…If they were brown shady loose, Shady sits on the shelf,Let’s do the math, if was black I would’ve sold half (Americansc, 2011). HYPERLINK "/Online/Online_2011/Rapping.html" \l "_edn32" \o "" 


In these lyrics, Eminem acknowledges that racism is a privilege to him. He recognizes that being white makes him sell more than if he were black. Eminem success is, therefore, based on voyeuristic racism. In another dimension, Eminem persona pits the white underclass as subject of white middle class. There is enough evidence that the rapper knows how to exploit his audience’s desire for hard-hit story lines and voyeuristic evidence. However, it is applicable to Rodriguez article of how Eminem success in rap sheds more light in racial dualism while at the same time allowing for improved unity and understanding of blacks and whites racial boundaries.
In 2002 film Film 8 mile, whose image is shown above, Eminem portrays a rapper, B-Rabbit who is fighting for respect from local hip-hop community. During one of the local rap competition, black rappers make ridicules based on B-Rabbit race as Eminem writes:
Take some real advice,And form a group with Vanilla Ice,This guy’s a hillbilly, this ain’t Willie Nelson music,You will get dropped so hard that Elvis’ll start turning in his grave (Americansc, 2011).
Eminem demonstrates how B-Rabbit is humiliated by the famous white artist comparison. These comparisons were meant to integrate him with the structural racism prevalent in American media at the time. This institutional racism had been mentioned by earlier black rappers such as Chuck D (Americansc, 2011). In another competition, a black rapper, Lotto, states:
I will spit a racial slur honkey, sue me…This’ a horror flick,But a black guy doesn’t die in this movie, (Americansc, 2011).
Lotto wins the entire support of the black audience by his reference to the racism portrayed and represented in most American movies. He, thereby, correlate the white rappers with the structural racism and in turns question B-Rabbit’s validity as a contributor to the Hip-Hop music genre.
Eventually, B-Rabbit wins the rap fight against Papa Doc, thanks to his adept willingness to make a mockery of his “white trash” background. This win is a precursor of hope of overcoming structural and institution boundaries and cultural alliances using skills as opposed to the color of the skin. B-Rabbit winning rap minstrelsy states:
You went to Cranbrook; that is a private school…This guys is a gangsta but his real name is ClarenceAnd Clarence’s parents have got a real good marriage (Americansc, 2011).
B-R...