Black and Brown in Hip Hop: TenuousSolidarity

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Black and Brown in Hip HopTenuous-Solidarity

• Robert Tinajero
• UT-El Paso
• www.blueletters.com
• Black love, Brown Pride/
• We might fight against each other/
• But I promise you this/
• Well burn this city downjust get us pissed
• -Tupac Shakur-

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Black and Brown in Hip Hop

• Intro. Tension Solidarity
• Solidarity
• Tension (Historical in Hip Hop)
• Conclusion

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Black and Brown in America

• African Americans and Latinos are the two largest
  minority groups in the United Stateseach
  comprising approximately 13 of the total
  population

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Black and Brown in America

• I propose that Latino Americans and African
  Americans, as highlighted in specific rap lyrics,
  videos, and film, are in a constant state of
  tension and solidarity. They interact in a
  physical, linguistic and rhetorical borderland
  (Anzaldua) and co-exist in what LuMing Mao might
  refer to as a state of together-in-difference

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Tension and Solidarity

• As some of the lyrical and visual rhetoric
  creates and highlights tension it also creates
  and highlights understanding, empathy, and
  solidarity.
• thus, the notion of tenuous-solidarity

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Solidarity Illustrating and Perpetuating an
Ethos of Struggle

• A reigning metaphor in rap music is that of the
  Soldier, which represents purposeful struggle.
• Dead Prez

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• Cypress hill Tupac
• no limit soldiers
• Public Enemy south park
• mexican

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Tension An Extension of Historical Conflict

• The tension between these two populations
  certainly did not begin with the emergence of rap
  music and Hip Hop culture,
• though rap music and Hip Hop culture certainly
  play their part in illustrating and perpetuating
  these tensions.

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50 Cents Just A Lil Bit
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Ice Cubes Next Friday
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Conclusion

• as these two communities work against one
  another, they also form part of a complexly
  unified force that constantly interacts and
  pushes up against dominating hegemonic forces

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What does the future hold?

• together
• In difference
• Blueletters.com