Bill Cosby defents criticism of Hip Hop...music industry "glorifies the wrong things..."

xpost

Anyway, I was just gonna say that Michael's "Old Man" description still makes it sound astoundingly prescient from a hip-hop perspective. How often did people do ANYTHING like that, in the pre-rap years??

Chuck, you'll be amused to know Mr. Miccio parodied your style brilliantly here -- down to the brackets.

-- chuck (cedd...) (webmail), July 29th, 2004 12:33 PM. (later) (link)

"deck of cards"!

-- chuck

I totally agree with this. Kids making their own world in a decaying city has become a theme of early hip-hop & that was definitely true of the Cosby Show.

this reminded me of how awesome bill cosby is.

That was the first movie I saw alone in a theater (7 1/2 years old). My mom periodically checked in on me and brought me chocolate chip cookies.

OT, I know, but there is an entire series out there called "Classroom Scare Films". I wonder how the crack films compare to the LSD ones we had to watch. "Dead is Dead" - that's not the one where the kid is in his coffin but doesn't realize he's dead, is it?

Hey Cosby, how about taking your message into the projects, instead of speaking at colleges? His whole "black man, help yourself" screed doesn't play out as well when he's telling it to people with degrees.

Curious. When was the last time that he actually taught a class of kids? And since educators tend to use music lyrics to educate their students these days, hip hop isn't totally useless.

eh?

It's ridiculous. People have been going to the movies to see sex and violence and various extreme situations for a hundred years now, and has it totally destroyed our Social Fabric? Sure, many American black people indulge in the stupidest things and maybe they ought to be reading Henry James and rebuiding their neighborhoods...in fact, many of them are engaged in rebuilding their communities. The problems many non-rich folks in this country face have far less to do with pop culture than with deep systemic problems in the larger culture. Bill Cosby may have been a funny guy at one time but he really needs to shut the fuck up.

no I know, I love that track and a lot of what km sez on it, I'm just sorta obligated by persona to squawk y'know

john at the risk of getting ultra-flamed by you I don't think it's your place to school a black artist on how to represent himself - hate if you gotta hate, whatever, but when a white writer starts telling a black artist what his community responsibilities are...shit man I can't see you putting up with that from somebody else!

some of this stuff transcends/supercedes specific ethnic communities doesn't it...? I mean on some level this is stuff that applies to and affects all Americans, not just black (or white) people.

(I mean the pants thing is stupid and who cares really - but the endless homophobia/glorification of consumerism/violence/etc those are not ethnicity-specific issues that affect and involve just black people)

i though baggy pants as a style signifier originated as a way to easily hide guns?

i thought it was meant to signify that the wearer enjoyed phil collins and showed up late to appointments

"for eazy access baby"

you been holdin' that one in for over 24 hours huh eth

"No no, see, when someone says 'who is it', you're supposed to say who it is!"

(knock knock)

"Who is it?"

'WHO IT IS!'

john at the risk of getting ultra-flamed by you I don't think it's your place to school a black artist on how to represent himself - hate if you gotta hate, whatever, but when a white writer starts telling a black artist what his community responsibilities are...shit man I can't see you putting up with that from somebody else!

-- and what, Friday, 26 October 2007 22:24 (1 month ago) Link

You can't really talk about this as though it were just "black artists" and "how they represent themselves." The industry has a good deal of say in how major rappers come across, what they rap about, how they act in videos, etc. So although I don't dismiss mainstream rap on objection to the lyrics, an honest discussion of this has to reflect the larger forces at play, and saying a white writer has no right to criticize the lyrics of a "black artist," is avoiding that difficult issue.

ethan at the risk of getting ultra-flamed by you I don't think it's your place to school a black artist on how to represent himself - hate if you gotta hate, whatever, but when a white writer starts telling a black artist what his community responsibilities are...shit man I can't see you putting up with that from somebody else!

-- J0hn D., Thursday, October 25, 2007 3:16 PM (2 months ago) Bookmark Link

What's The Deal With Saul Williams?

Sorry, didn't see the first post. Point stands though.

I mean a lot of people in non-mainstream hip-hop, including black artists, blame the music industry for the way black people are portrayed in mainstream hip-hop, feeding to a mostly white audience a hyper-sexual, hyper-violent hyper-capitalist fantasy projected onto black people.

u really think i would use a word like 'ultra-flamed'

i dont give a fuck john hates on or not i think every head has got the right to tell artists what they wanna see them doing but i got the right to call it racist/corny/played/clueless/whatever

And there is probably a big difference between Saul Williams, who I'd imagine has a great deal of say in how he represents himself, and mainstream hip-hop. I don't mean to say that mainstream rappers are all patsies either. A Jay-Z or a 50-Cent is obviously making a very clear choice, but that choice is based largely on what will make money, and they don't seem to particularly care if that feeds a negative stereotype. It's the system, man!

No, I don't really think you'd say that - sorry dude. Wasn't really trying to call you out as much as just call the whole debate out.

oh fuck it
http://m.assetbar.com/achewood/autaux?b=M%5ea11f09b8576e606bcb5038dfdb92fb821&u=http%3A%2F%2Fachewood.com%2Fcomic.php%3Fdate%3D12242007

"mad-rutty" vs. "ultra-flamed"

And there is probably a big difference between Saul Williams, who I'd imagine has a great deal of say in how he represents himself

My Dearest Friends and Fans,

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love,

Saul

During the first Lollapalooza tour, Jane's Addiction brings out Ice-T to perform a rendition of Sly & the Family Stone's "Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey (Don't Call Me Whitey, Nigger)". Perry Farrell sings the white part, Ice-T sings the Black part. Black quartet Living Colour comes onstage afterward and bandleader Vernon Reid announces "I'll never be anyone's nigger for entertainment..."

I really hate being called whitey

I really hate Achewood

I love that story about Vernon Reid.

Living Colour was my first show.

i was never into living colour but that story is whats up

Living Colour was my first show.

ha same. Trent woulda been at that Lolla show, so it all comes full circle.

Well then.

omg the last sentence

laz112 said:
I actually have this old album with Cosby and Quincy Jones. Cosby been rapping since before rap started yo. There is this one track called "Hicky Burr" he tore that shit down yo. I think it was released in 1974 or something.

Got a Cosby sweater
Rep it cuz it's better
Follow to the letter.
Yo.

Fingers crossed for a Jello reference

"They think they're hip. They can't read. They can't write. They're laughing and giggling, and they're going nowhere."

with the laughing and the giggling and the jibber-jabber night-train going to nowhere

He's against laughter now?

The beef is on (maybe).

okay at this point everyone involved just needs to stop

Dyson is that dude, but I don't look forward to his mic moment.

i saw michael eric dyson speak at my school a couple weeks ago, hes a supremely intelligent and dynamic guy and because i have a lot of respect for him i am just going to pretend that this doesnt exist

i took a class from that guy! the day michael jordan retired (the first time) prof dyson wore a bulls jersey under his tweed jacket

Can we put together a rap album titled SHUT THE FUCK UP, BOTH OF YOU?

c'mon dan you don't want to hear cosby doing a bjork cover?

Only if it's "Ancestors" (or whatever the Gremlin-fucking song on Medulla is called).

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=UfIBAWAneoo

omg flashbacks

ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Oof they've played this a bunch on KPFA recently.

^^^ Sooooo 1998.