Hughes' essay on "The Racial Mountain" was very eye-opening to me. I'll admit - I wasn't sold at first on his claim that saying "I want to be a poet - not a Negro poet" meant in essence "I want to be white;" however, as he defended this stance I became more and more convinced of the truth of his statement. Hughes was in essence saying that by conforming, black artists face quite a mountain, and I do tend to agree with him. Particularly striking was his commentary on music: he says in the essay that he often tries to embrace jazz in his writings - but is jazz the "inherent expression of Negro life in America" that he claims it is? Perhaps at that point in history (the mid-20's) it was... and I couldn't help but wonder if that statement could apply to certain sub-genres of rap/hip-hop being the expressive outlet of today's black culture? Artists like Mos Def, Talib Kweli, The Roots, Nas, Common, etc. say many poignant things and provide what (for me anyways) is amazing and sometimes genius social commentary, offering critiques and reflections on black life in modern America. So yeah, I'd argue that hip-hop (in this way that Hughes was referring to it, at least) is the new jazz, actually!
Here's an example for you all: pay close attention to some of his lyrics...
Mos Def - Mathematics (with lyrics)
during class i remember feeling stuck between which was "worse" for black artists: to conform or to accentuate what sets them apart? from a pre-civil rights era perspective, it'd be a much more difficult choice than today. so long as the truth isn't over-exaggerated to the point of being untrue, nearly every artist is golden.
ReplyDeletealso, i thought of this immediately after reading your post:
http://www.makemymood.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/8976-500sq.jpg
I agree with that feeling and think it is an awkward position to be in as an African American. Giving somebody a choice like that is very alienating because there is really no room for individuality, only social identity.
ReplyDeleteGood reflections here. Which poets have the privilege of enjoying an "individual" identity that appears to be free of race or social identity?
ReplyDeleteToday there are white rappers, and from the beginning there have also been white jazz musicians as well. This doesn't mean that rap and jazz aren't primarily African American cultural forms, but rather that they have entered the mainstream and have thus been appropriated by many artists from different racial and cultural backgrounds.
Prescriptions for what artists SHOULD do are always troubling. Hughes was trying to give Black artists permission to embrace their heritage--but today we are much more aware that Blacks don't have just "one" heritage, but many.