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Gangster rap is often cast aside as a commercial project, an advertisement which exploits urban violence and societal drug problems in order to create the image of the gangster, a figure condoning overconsumption and violence. I would like to analyze the lyricism and aesthetic of the lone gangster rapper figure as a poet. Although gangster rap certainly glamorizes violence and monetary excess, perhaps this glamorization calls to attention greater systemic problems within the community from which this figure originates.

One of the most infamous figures in the ganster rap tradition is the Notorious B.I.G. aka Biggie Smalls. Biggie died at the age of 24 in a drive-by shooting. Biggie was known for affiliations with east coast gangs and his rise to fame and wealth are often associated with these dubious allegiances. Biggie’s death marked an opportunity for media to condemn the event as the crystallization of a music culture which glorified the accumulation of wealth at any cost. But Biggie’s image and his music treat his socioeconomic background with far more nuance than critics credit him. I believe Biggie is quite self aware of his media image, which his label coopted to glorify a lifestyle of overconsumption in order to gloss over larger social problems. His lyrics reference his relationship to the drug scene and also situate his image in relationship to a broader cultural tradition of the crime lord figure.

His song, “You’re Nobody (Till Somebody Kills You)”, ironically released posthumously, exemplifies Biggie’s dialogue not only with media criticisms of the contemporary gangster rap image, but with broader historical social structures of capitalist oppression and the cultural tradition of crime as the manifestation of underlying structural violence.

The song begins with a reference to Christ’s 23rd Psalm:

“Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil — for you are with me
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me
You prepare a table for me, in the presence of my enemies
You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows
Surely goodness and love will follow me — all the days of my life
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever”

Biggie references Biblical morality and complicates this moral compass by positioning the gangster as the figure seeking spiritual absolution. The question implicit to this formulation is: can criminals who have forsaken the law of the land still have access to its mercy? Is a figure outside the law of the land forsaken of its justice? Moreover, if the law of the land is exclusionary, if a figure born of this oppressive exclusion actively defies the law, is it not their social marginalization the real sin, and not the vile acts the criminal commits?

In the next verse, Biggie establishes the gangster as a figure caught between two opposing worlds: a life of socioeconomic exclusion which push the impoverished criminals into a life of violence, and a legal system ready to kill gangsters without considering the circumstances that have caused them to act outside of the law. As Biggie notes, “Strictly gun testing, coke measuring…/Shit’s official, only, the Feds I fear”. Gangster have created an alternative system of existence to support themselves in the face of economic subjugation, an official system outside the law. Paradoxically, any attempt to create a legitimate system outside of the law is necessarily illegitimate. There is no escape from economic subjugation, because any attempt to form resistance can only be done so with reference to the dominant oppressive system – it’s a catch 22.

Biggie goes on to demonstrate an awareness of the cultural tradition of criminal alterity: “Watch Casino, I’m the hip hop version of Nicky Tarantino”, draws reference to the cinematic tradition of the Italian-American gangster. Cinema studies notes the formation of the Italian-American gangster figure as an explicit critique of exclusionary legal and social structures. Driven outside society, the gangster is left with few options other than to commit to a life of crime in order to survive. Biggie notes a cultural parallel between this cinematic tradition and the contemporary state of gangster rap music.

We’re back to that time of year again:

Less sleep.

Crappier meals.

Fewer showers.

Shorter runs.

Smellier socks.

Sweatier pants.

Warmer sweaters.

Fluffier hats.

Bigger scarves.

Clunkier boots.

Stronger coffee.

More coffee.

Earlier alarms.

Dirtier sheets.

Later arrivals.

Greener Blue Books.

Higher stakes.

Fuller auditoriums.

Busier libraries.

Longer lines.

Crazier naps.

Louder screams.

Crankier roommates.

Worse headaches.

And, of course, sweeter relief.

 

Until then, some music to get you through the next week or so. Keep your heads down, everyone.

https://soundcloud.com/donnietrumpet/donnie-trumpet-the-social-experiment-sunday-candy

^the latest from Chance’s ensemble, the Social Experiment, with accompanying vocals from the amazing Jamila Woods, the lead singer of Milo & Otis, a group I’ve written about many times. Awesome sound, beautiful harmonies, catchy lyrics.. the whole package. on repeat, for sure.

^for a full EP, check out the wonderful Lorine Chia. The first chunk of tracks are mediocre, but as soon as you reach the song “Livin’ In Vein,” the quality picks up enormously. Great for a smooth sound while studying.

^Nothing says long hours in the library like Mr. Misch. This beautiful British voice will subdue you with its relaxing, soothing vibes. Feeling a bit stressed? Need to block out the voice of panic without distracting yourself with harsh music? This is your ticket to mental serenity. Fill up your study rooms with this mix of jazz, hip hop, soul and Britishy-ness.

https://soundcloud.com/triedandtrueco/selector-series-kronika

For a bit more variability, take a look at this extended mix. You’ll find a great blend of Erykah Badu, A Tribe, Common and Craig Mac. When you need some energy but can’t stomach any more coffee or granola bars, look here for some inspiration.

Good luck everyone!!

There’s light ahead in this tunnel, yet.

Every year, the Penny Stamps School of Art and Design has a juried exhibition of artwork created by its loyal undergraduate students. The stakes are high; two participants whose work is deemed “best in show” are awarded a whopping $2,000 prize each, with several honorable mentions bringing in $100 as well. The jury usually consists of University affiliates, this year being made up of three alumni of the Stamps School (before it was the Stamps School). The decisions of said jury are always much debated for weeks after the cuts are made.

This year, the exhibition consists of many design projects, from toothpaste lids that hold your brush in place to vegetable peelers that fit on your thumb, a few tables, prints, and various other media. The winning projects were Hillary Butterworth’s mesmerizing drawing machine that changes what forms it creates based on how close people are standing to it, and a presentation of video and collage made with a jaw-operated pinhole camera by Nick Williams. Of course they deserve the award, and had it been up to me, I would have chosen the same two projects.

In addition to the juried show, however, something a little different took place. The students who didn’t make the cut put together their own exhibition, affectionately titled “The Shit Show”. It was installed in the street gallery outside Slusser, right next to the work that was deemed higher quality by the panel of alumni. On the night of both openings, December 2nd, there were also installations put up in the senior studios, videos in a room played on a large digital projector, and performances to augment the work in the street gallery.

Upon entering the building, one first encounters the unjuried work leading up to the large open room scattered with objects and images. The general consensus was that if nobody had expressed there were two distinct exhibitions going on, they would have thought it all the same show, judging by the quality of work. The biggest difference, it was said, was that the work in the Shit Show actually had something that the juried work lacked in some cases: character. While not every piece in the street gallery is a masterpiece, there is a definite diversity of media, content, and form that’s exciting in comparison to the cleanly finished pieces all spaced out along the walls and floor of the Slusser Gallery. I even heard one or two brave souls venture to posit that the Shit Show was maybe even better than the Salon – I mean the Stamps show.

While I think it’s good to give students an opportunity to show their work in a professional setting, and a little friendly competition to be healthy, it seems like the pressure exerted on students to make what the University defines as “exceptional” work can be overwhelming, and leads to tension between friends and fellow artists who may or may not have gotten in. It is especially difficult to walk through the Slusser gallery with the idea that every piece inside was specifically and individually decided to be “better” than yours, despite what people have said or your own judgments about the work. When it comes down to it, the process of comparing two completely different projects about different things made with different materials is ultimately completely subjective. It’s probably helpful in the long run to get used to being denied access to exhibitions, as keeping our expectations in check results in happier surprises when things do work out. All in all, every artist has to learn to deal with rejection – but is their undergraduate University the right place for this kind of put-down? Ask around and your answers would likely be split by the line drawn between those artists who were good (or lucky) enough to make it into the show this year.

Both the Juried Exhibition and the Shit Show will be displayed for the next week or so: come on up to North Campus and decide for yourself which show is “better” – or appreciate them both for what they are, without marginalizing one collection of work in favor of the other. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, is it not?

This is how i feel.

This is how I want to feel.

The journey from point A to point B is challenging only based on my own self-imposed obstacles. And I know that I will eventually get over this hump of procrastination. But sometimes it doesn’t help to realize that I will never hit the point B that I imagine, because it is all in my head.

Then again, I guess what is important is that I get past the hump

One step at a time…one step at a time.

The early bird gets the worm. I am not the early bird. And there’s more than just worms out there.