The Rap-manticization of Trauma: Open Ears, Closed Hearts
Substance abuse, violence, and popular rap culture make it seem like you can't have one without the other. But why is that? Is it because of the centuries of generational trauma weaved into the very fabric of the psyche in the modern black youth? Anyone looking at the history of the United States through an unbiased lens can come to this conclusion quickly. However, this article is not a history lesson; the reader who chases knowledge can find this truth independently. In this article, we will be looking at the average consumer of this culture. More specifically, the ignorance of the average listener and the influence subtle biases have on mainstream rap.
"They love our culture, but they don't love us."
You may have heard this axiom or reached this conclusion through your perception and participation in popular culture. For instance, one of my favorite examples of this axiom in the hip-hop sector of the music industry is the rise of (and I use this term very loosely) rapper "Lil Mabu." He is one of the most blatant examples of the aforementioned term. Here comes this young kid(at the time) rapping/glorifying a life of crime and violence when his entire life he's lived lavishly in multimillion-dollar homes. He completely fabricates his identity while mimicking his peers in the industry's songwriting styles in such a blatantly disrespectful and uneducated way that it inherently comes off as mockery(which it essentially is). "Lil Mabu" can do all this and still rise to the top of the charts, much faster than his black and brown counterparts that have been in the "rap game" for years. It's not like "Lil Mabu" is doing anything new and intuitive; he is just New York drill repackaged in America's favorite color. But that is also the thing: this life of crime and violence that many artists in the New York drill scene rap about in their music is not African American culture as so many tend to think. Instead, it's better defined as the industry's and the average consumer's "Idea" of African American culture. The axiom mentioned before is too simplistic and doesn't highlight the real issue. Rather, I think it's better said like this: "They love their concept of our culture; they don't love us." This is especially evident in how the average consumer interprets the drug use in rap culture; rather than hearing this apparent cry for help from the artists or seeing how this constant abuse of drugs is from all the trauma and pain in their lives and the systems set in place from our government have brought to them and their community. The average consumer (which is not limited to only "outsiders") interprets some message that makes them think this lifestyle is desirable or, for lack of a better term, "cool." Then, they will try to replicate this bastardized view of what they believe is our culture, subconsciously upholding stereotypes that only go on to further damage the "genuine culture" even more. One of the most abhorrent and prevalent thought patterns that have risen from this lack of media literacy and empathy is fetishism. One type I'm sure most readers have heard recently in some form or another is the term "Snow Bunnies." I think proud fetishes such as these are the proudest and in-your-face racism one can experience because they're not attracted to you specifically. They're attracted to the idea of you and the stereotypes surrounding your appearance. Even if it is entirely subconscious, it's still prejudice in one way or another, and the strongest emotion they will ever feel for your genuine self is lust. They never only date/prefer one race for any reason that doesn't involve a negative aspect or stereotype of your culture. Even in simple everyday interactions, the truth of the axiom, as mentioned above, is evident, for instance, in the misuse of AAVE( African-American Vernacular English). Often, the standard reasoning for being called out for this is to say in some form or another, "It's just slang; don't think about it too much." Ignoring the fact that these sayings that are denoted just as simple slang or "unprofessional" speech have a deep history in many communities, the misuse of these sayings is inherently a direct mockery of these communities while upholding implicit biases that AAVE is an uneducated form of standard american english even though true AAVE is a lot more grammatically correct than the standard American English taught in academia. It universally is more straightforward and easily decipherable for non-English speakers
Who are the perpetrators?
Honestly, I find a tremendous amount of typical social commentary slightly humorous; when it comes to social commentary, we can often assume, especially from the contextual standpoint of this article, that commentary tends to be simplified as an "outsider vs. insider" dilemma. But that can not be false when it comes to the romanticization of trauma because anyone and everyone can be equally apart of this issue; as black and brown people, we also romanticize prevalent problems in our communities just as what some might call "outsiders" do too, for example, prominent names in the industry such as Rick Ross and even up-and-coming underground artists like OsamaSon who have also fabricated their identity just as much as artists "Lil Mabu" have. Look at artists like Lucki vs. someone like OsamaSon. Sure, they both rap about drugs and violence, but assuming that they are the same is a vast understatement and overgeneralization of their music; when we listen to Lucki, he raps about the heartbreak in his life, the people he's lost, regrets from his actions in the past and present, essentially just all of the trauma he's accrued from living a lifestyle such as he does. All of the tribulations from past and present culminate to explain why he heavily abuses substances, more specifically, downers such as Codeine, Percocets, and Xanax. Lucki also conveys to the listener in his lyrics he doesn't want to be addicted to these substances. He continues to partake because of the many regrets and trauma in his life and from his choices; he abuses these substances as a coping mechanism. If the audience were to actually listen with empathy to his music/lyrics, nobody should want to replicate a lifestyle such as his. Then we have OsamaSon, and I could delve into his lyrics, but there is nothing of substance. He raps about gang violence even though he has been far from it all of his life for what? He has never lived a lifestyle like this. Still, artists like him who deem these issues as "cool" or their only way to "make it" in the industry are causing irreparable damage to the community just as much as the consumer who desires to replicate their "lifestyle." They are continuing the cycle of violence and substance in these impoverished communities where such issues have already been woven into their everyday life. They also contribute to why these issues have become increasingly more predominant in recent years. Influencing the generation after them to chase such destructive lifestyles, especially the impressionable kids in these communities who need proper role models in the industry and their "In-Person" lives to tell them and, most importantly, show them other ways to live. Still, all the available role models are regurgitating an abhorrent lifestyle and mindset that the community is already pursuing and has been, with no one to show the younger generations that there are other ways to live; this cycle of violence and substance abuse continues.
As a community, we need to stop supporting artists and people in our everyday lives who uphold such harmful and destructive stereotypes about our culture and our communities; such people are no different from those who use their race for traction and monetary gain in political sectors and are not better than industry executives who just want to get richer off the culture. Even artists who have lived in these impoverished areas get some form of traction and leave the community in the dust, never looking back or giving back. At the same time, They abuse and further destroy the culture and our communities for their own gain. The degradation of our culture, our children, and our speech is not just an insider and outsider issue. It's a humanity issue, and the only way to solve this significant issue is to unite and further the fantastic qualities of our cultures, support good influences for the youth, and especially leave behind the people who don't want to abstain from living such harmful and destructive lifestyles and upholding negative stereotypes.
