ANOTHER SOCIAL COMMENTARY: A CRITICAL REVIEW OF A MUSIC VIDEO THAT GIVES A SAVAGE AND HISTORIC, DEPICTION OF THE BARBARITY OF RACIAL INJUSTICE IN AMERICA...WITH HAUNTING ‘FLASH-BACKS’ FROM ITS EARLY HISTORY OF BLACK SLAVERY AND JIM CROW POLICIES - AN INSIGHTFUL HISTORICAL RECONSTRUCTION…INSPIRED LARGELY BY THE PRESENT SPATE OF POLICE BRUTALITY AND THEIR RECKLESS SHOOTING OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS ON AN ALARMING SCALE THAT HAVE CURRENTLY EARNED THEM MUCH UNWHOLESOME WORLD ATTENTION. By - Wil-a Pluck (Art and Social Critic). I CANT BREATHE...DONT SHOOT...BLACK LIVES MATTER! Amid the on-going sense of daily unrest that currently stalks the streets of America, the imposing relevance and the enduring irony of the following expressions by Emam Lazarus cannot be denied... GIVE ME YOUR POOR...YOUR TIRED; YOUR HUDDLED MASSES...YEARNING TO BREATHE FREE; THE WRETCHED REFUSE OF YOUR TEEMING SHORE. To many Americans whose fore-parents were forcefully ripped from their ‘mother continent’ – Africa and brought to America …in light of past, bloody “Civil Rights” struggle of the 1960’s and mow… the current ferocity of the daily street protests, such bold utterances may now seem meaningless and probably echo with an annoying sense of cynicism…amid a growing perception that conceives the intended merits of such words by Emam Lazarus, as being such…to which the only ‘true beneficiaries’ may have only been intended for others from other continents, but Africa. If so, such a perception may hold some deserving merits, since acceptance or rejection are applied with preferential selection. In such a scenario, it is regrettable that African descendants, whose fore-parents had long set foot on the “teeming shores” of America, are today being treated with disdain by white police officers and as the ‘least disirables’. NARRATIVE CONTENT… SEEKING A BLACK CONSCIOUS AWAKENING’: The narrative of this video was skilfully conceived and well executed. It powerfully captures the disturbing brutality...inflicted mainly by the hands of white slave masters, white authorities or even self-appointed, so-called white supremacists, such as the Kru-Krux-Klan and also…predominantly white or Caucasian police officers in these current times. In every brutal and bloody encounter, the hunted and captured victims still…to this day, continue to be overwhelmingly Africans and their successive generation of off-springs. This musical video is a teeming with ‘stinging punches’ of Social Commentary - delivered with poetic rhythm and clarity of lyrical expression. The expressed narrative is a general appeal against ‘imposing stench’ of racial injustice and also, to engage public conscience for a ‘black conscious awakening’…especially in light of current social unrest and as it seeks to appeal to public conscience for a ‘black conscious awakening’ - provoked largely by an obvious lack empathy and humane sensitivity by members of the police forces (not only in America) and a feeling of hopelessness among the ‘black minorities’- amid a heightening awareness and rage at unprovoked and senseless police brutality. Convinced by such an awareness, this artiste felt compelled to produce and present this video in a ‘blaze of fiery rhetoric’ that lays bare the truth about the prevalence of police brutality…unleashed from among the racially toxic and the otherwise complacent elements among the various police departments within the urban environment of Ferguson, Missouri; Los Angeles, California; New York, Washington D.C.; Atlanta, Florida, New Orleans and elsewhere. In the video, the chosen genre of “Rap” as its lyrical rendition and visual imagery have been put to effective use and therefore affords itself an adequately qualified acceptance to be labelled as “justifiable black rage”…within the context of present-day American life. It is in response to the savage barbarity…relentlessly inflicted for centuries upon people of African descent…too which all could relate – irrespective of the country or continents, that this video was appropriately unleashed with its deadly ‘ethnic venom’ on the ‘breathless racists’ in America and an equally stubborn world community at large. TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS: In this video, the noted profanity as part of its lyrical content may have been unnecessary...for artistic material - posters, paintings, videos and other expressions, with topics on social commentaries that seeks to appeal to the publics moral conscience, could easily slip and fall into a frozen, danger zone - to being dumped as offensive discards. Such could be the unfortunate fate for this product (video) that also seeks commercial viability...even if it is just to off-set its cost of production. Beyond the entertainment value, there is always a financial consideration in the marketing of any work of artistic production. So every artist/singer must learn, since such could be no fault of the consuming public. Rather...the video would then become a victim of the artistes own, moral insensitivity or a his /her unbridled sense of Artistic Freedom of Expression or Freedom to Express oneself without any prudent caution. So then...his/her most valuable message could become lost or ignored by many whose moral, religious and spiritual sensibilities could be offended by such unnecessary profanity. Otherwise...the message portrayed in the visual narrative is sufficiently powerful, graphically appealing and visually convincing enough for any audience...except...only to the blind (visually impaired). As it is...in spite of its artistic merits, partly due to the artiste chosen genre of expression, it could be easily cast, or discarded as an otherwise cheap Gangster Rap video. Nevertheless, the video is teaming with ‘black rage’ and symbolic relevance. - Wil-a Pluck (Art & Social Critic –January 3rd. 2015.
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 06:08:34 +0000
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