Some of you may have read DKos diarist LaurenMonica’s FoxNews’ outrage: Black rapper performing at the WH
Here is the actual event:
A transcript of the President’s introductory remarks remarks can be found at whitehouse.gov:
As a lover of poetry I concur with this statement by the President:
The power of poetry is that everybody experiences it differently. There are no rules for what makes a great poem. Understanding it isn’t just about metaphor or meter. Instead, a great poem is one that resonates with us, that challenges us and that teaches us something about ourselves and the world that we live in.
Artists at the event were: Elizabeth Alexander, Billy Collins, Common, Rita Dove, Kenneth Goldsmith, Alison Knowles, Aimee Mann, Jill Scott and Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers.
Lawrence O’ Donnell and Melissa Harris-Perry did a great take-down on right wing reactions to hip-hop culture (and Common) this last night.
Of course – the focus or racialists and teahadists was on Common.
Harris-Perry points out that the Tea Party has no problem using rhetoric about resistance to government but when they cherry pick the body of Common’s work and find one line which sounds just like many they have made – they freak out.
Why? Cause Common is black – and a rapper.
Thankfully, Barack and Michelle understand that a celebration of American poetry includes multiple perspectives – including those of African Americans.
Click Track – WaPo’s music blog by Chris Richards had this piece on Common:
Lists: Are the lyrics from Common’s five biggest hits really all that “vile”?
Richard’s calls Common “cuddly” and points to lyrics from his most popular tracks:
Yesterday, Common’s critics took to airwaves, zeroing in on a political poem the rapper delivered at a Def Poetry Jam event during the Bush years. But a look at his lyric book shows a much different guy. Here are some lyrics from Common’s five highest-charting songs – some of which posit him as a man of values.—
– “Reminding Me (of Sef),” in which he gets nostalgic for the good old days in his hometown of Chicago: “Before these minds got a hold to some drugs/And start thinkin’ they thugs/ We’d be at the Bismarck, and the Racquetball club.”
– “The Light,” in which he builds a romantic relationship with the help of God: “They say the end is near, it’s important that we close to the most, high/ Regardless of what happens, on him let’s rely.”
– “Come Close,” in which he promotes fidelity and matrimony: “I just want you to know/ Your whole being is beautiful/ I’m going to do the best I can do/ Cause I’m my best when I’m with you.”
– “Go!” in which he gets a little freaky, but far from filthy : “Free love I wanna see/Uh, hot sex in the third degree/Uh, you gettin’ served while servin’ me/Uh, dirty words encourage me…”
– “Universal Mind Control,” in which he recycles old school hip-hop-isms: “Some pop, some lock, some move robotic/Like cash money, I stay in pocket/You MCs ra-ra-ra rock, don’t stop it.”
I am encouraged that every event of this type at the White House reflects the diversity of American art, poetry and music, and am especially encouraged by the fact that FLOTUS has held workshops with HS students before each event.
I have not linked to any of the racist remarks, comments or news articles surrounding this event. A simple google will get you to them quickly, should you be so inclined.
This teahadist tempest is simply another furor fingering the POTUS and the First Lady as besmirchers of the purity of a white house that is from their perspective only supposed to have white inhabitants. Yet another “othering” of us.
How does their perspective differ from the DAR ban on Marian Anderson in 1939? It doesn’t.
We’ve come a long way since 1939 – but we still have a long way to go.
Thank you POTUS and FLOTUS for moving us forward.
cross posted to Daily Kos
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