I was scrolling through my Instagram feed this morning when I came across a video someone tagged me in. It featured a DJ going in on his turntables. Dude went all out. He had the sleek green screen going as he was #beatjuggling and performing turntable body tricks with Onyx's #slam, a Hip Hop song. This was truly a spectacle to watch, down to the Serato waves he edited into the 60 second clip. Then, below the video, I noticed the caption that accompanied his post contained all the wrong hashtags, "#edm #edmlife #rave #raver #plur #plurlife #plurvibes #emdvibes #keto #diet #exercise #cardio". I tried scrolling to make sure I wasn't missing something but I was. There was no mention of anything remotely tied to Hip Hop. This is the epitome of Black cultural appropriation and that shit has to stop.
To understand the damaging history of Black cultural appropriation throughout Hip Hop (in this case DJing) and how Whiteness has become entitled to the visions and developments of Black people without the appreciation behind said person's interpretation of Hip Hop, we must first begin to understand the context of who pioneers like GrandWizzard Theodore and Grand Mixer D.ST are. Simply put, the skill sets that were showcased in dude's polished 60 second Insta clip couldn't be if it were not for the oppression that inspired it. Pillars like Theo and D.ST created the most popular form of DJing today from waste. Yes, Hip Hop is the music of the oppressed and while the fathers of this art form freely shared it across the globe, it doesn't give a dude with a social media profile the right to possess Hip Hop without ever seeking to understand it or their creators.
I don't think dude meant to offend me. But honestly, I doubt he had any of the pioneers in mind when he decided to film himself performing the techniques they created. This is a recurring problem within a genre of Djing that has culturally erased Blackness or at best, regulated it to the background. So with that, before we get to the epic 1999 X-Ecutioners performance at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (go figure), I'd appreciate it if everyone, especially you DJs and "Turntablists", who watches this video takes a long hard look at the BLACK FACES in the first 5 minutes of the video.
#turntabletuesday #hiphopdjs #grandwizzardtheodore #grandmixerdst #rocraida #mistasinista #totaleclispse #robswift #turntablism #pioneers
Негізгі бет Музыка X-Ecutioners at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (1999)
Пікірлер: 11