RTP-area local music and culture

[bendy <bendy AT duke.edu>]

Duncan Murrell wrote:
> I won't generalize about these fans, but I will say (and I'm sure  
> that anyone familiar with the history of jazz and the blues already  
> knows this) that loving music made by black musicians does not  
> inoculate against racism.

Right. This is an excellent point. You've put your finger on what's 
bothersome about some of the criticism tossed Merritt's way; the implied 
self-congratulation of white folks who do enjoy hip hop.

It's also kinda funny, 'cause gangsta rappers have shown such 
enthusiastic appreciation of gay men, you'd think Merritt would have the 
decency to listen to the music with an open mind.

If hip hop was ever really the black CNN, it seems to trailed off a long 
time ago. Lauren Hill seemed like a big faker to me, as does most other 
conscious-raising hip hop after PE. Gangster stuff seems to document 
reality about as well as John Wayne movies documented the origins of 
America. Ghostface releases an album called Fishscale and suddenly 
everyone is like *fishscale, it's really pure cocaine, man*, like they 
knew that all along.

If I were a gansta rapper, it would be fun to make stuff up: I got a 
rubber duckie tattooed on my shin, 'cuz when my homiez would rub someone 
out, we'd give the assassin a rubber duckie. Then I'd invest in 
neon-yellow tattoo ink.

- bendy