Hegemony and Music

Since I don't have a TV or cable at my place, most of my posts are going to be focused on things I see or more importantly things I hear.

One thing I wanted to touch on was from a class just recently (last week because unfortunately I am absent today with the flu)

When we were analyzing the songs and came to the Kanye West track, (Diamonds From Sierra Leone). It really bugged me that as a class how easy it was to write off his lyrics in the song as Kanye just being his usual "asshole" self. Yes, comparing his label "roc a fella records" to the rocks that kids lose arms and legs over is a bit much, but there are many things people don't know about the guy that we should really stop and think about.

Yes, I am huge West fan, so my bias will be evident but hopefully my take through a hegemonic lens will help those realize why he does deserve the right to act up if he wants to.

Hegemony (or at least stereotypes) would dictate that in the United States, the clear pop culture icon is a white male with stylish good looks, an overpowering amount of charm, and the latest eye candy at his side. Anything else is criticized or at least questioned as novelty. So when Kanye rose to stardom (or as any hip hop artist does) they are immediately questioned as not "real" or not "authentic".

Kanye's views and his music are nothing but "real" and his views and artistic beliefs embody that of the hegemonic views we have been speaking about in class. As a hip hop artist its easy to be cornered into the urban wear (jerseys and hoodies) that most rappers where. But when West came out with his first album College Drop Out in 2004 he made it ok to wear polo and still wear polo. SO WHO REALLY CARES? you ask.. Hip Hop culture has long been a highly homophobic entity and the fact that West styles himself in gear that may be considered metrosexual by some, is a total hegemonic shift in the status quo.

His music has also opened doors for those who were not allowed into hip hop culture. He made it socially ok for a white boy like me to love hip hop music while my peers all listened to blink 182 (like the group just using as an example). It broke the mold saying that this music was for everyone and what you listen to should not be based on your skin color.

Although this stuff is a bit tangential, its imperative that we look at a total history of a person before we make that judgement. In the past 5 years, Kanye's lost his mother, fiance, and then new girlfriend to another hip hop artist... Some think he deserves it, but I do not believe so.

So in closing, before we make that snap judgement on a persons character, whom we do not know, we should try and analyze what they are all about (whether that be through a hegemonic lens or not is up to you).