White House poetry night is one of those ceremonial events that you never hear about unless there's a controversy. Or a fake controversy. But today's conservative kerfuffle over a White House invitation for Common -- a socially conscious, mainstream hip hop artist and sometime actor (most recently in Tina Fey's Date Night) -- is interesting, since the faux outrage targets an artist who actually embodies many values of his critics.
In a different universe, where conservative culture warriors listened to music before demonizing it, Common would perform at pro-life rallies. Take his famous duet with The Fugees' Lauryn Hill, Retrospect for Life, which strongly questions abortion. "Musta really thought I was God to take the life of my son," he raps, "from now on, I'm using self-control, instead of birth control, because $315 aint worth your soul." The last line, comparing the cost of an abortion to the value of life, is a repeating hook. Common also uses the song to dialogue with his unborn child, saying "Knowing you the best part of life, do I have the right to take yours?," and lamenting the thought of turning his "woman's womb into a tomb."
Common's musical messages are not predominantly conservative. Among rappers who have achieved commercial success, however, he is known as one of the most conscious and positive artists. Not to be harsh, but if anything, he is considered soft and goofy -- certainly not a violent or "gangsta" rapper who would be a political liability in a reality-based universe. I mean, the guy raps about his daughter's favorite movies -- "My daughter found Nemo, I found the new primo" -- and jokes about stuff white people like -- "While white folks focus on dogs and yoga, my people on the low end trying to ball and get over." Those lines are from "The People," which was named one of top 30 "best songs of 2007" by Rolling Stone. The track's music video shows Common rapping with a baby in his arms. Come on.
So how do you turn "Free to Be You and Me" into "Straight Outta Compton"?
The Huffington Post's Jason Linkins shows how desperately conservatives went digging in the crates, and came up with an old poem challenging police authority and a song questioning the murder conviction of a member of the Black Liberation Army. (Like "Hurricane," but more controversial.) This thin case bubbled up from the conservative website Daily Caller to a Palin tweet -- yes, the media still covers those -- and then, on Wednesday, to ABC News' Senior White House Correspondent, Jake Tapper. He could not get administration officials to comment on the "issue." In fact, on Tuesday, before covering the Common outrage, Tapper joked on Twitter about the premise of holding the White House accountable for views of invited entertainers. Pointing to Steve Martin, who was invited along with Common to poetry night, Tapper cracked that in the movie "The Jerk," Martin "juggled kittens. IS THIS WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE STANDS FOR?!?!" Indeed. In his coverage on Wednesday, Tapper did add some musical context:
Common ... is not known as a gangsta rapper, or particularly hard core, having appeared on the UPN series “Girlfriends,” the Tina Fey-Steve Carrell vehicle “Date Night,” and starred in the Queen Latifah romantic comedy “Just Wright.” He’s appeared in ads for The Gap and PETA... One JET profile called Common a “conscious rapper,” since his work of late has avoided the 50 Cent mold and focused instead on subjects like fatherhood, personal growth, and the African-American community (emphasis added).
Sometimes even fatherhood and anti-abortion songs aren't enough. The last GOP Chairman said the party needed a "hip hop makeover" -- but clearly that was far too ambitious. They need to start with some headphones.
Ari Melber writes for The Nation, where this post first appeared. He is on Facebook and Twitter.
Follow Ari Melber on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AriMelber
They work to fix things that are not broken in some lackadaisical, la la fashion, draw their pay and run out the clock with hopes of more gains come general election. ~
The only way the GOP might do this is if democrats across this nation don't both to engaging the system and fail to show up.
Lets us not permit that to happen.
OUCH!~
Police spouses are coming from around the country to have their loved ones names put on a Memorial Wall for being killed in the line of duty and you have a rapper, soft or hard core it does not matter, who has rapped about killing cops.
Just imagine what you would say if Sarah Palin did this? We see in two years.
We are borrowing 188 million dollars a day..... not spending but borrowing from China or who ever wants to buy our debt.
For a president who wanted to be the most transperant, he has failed on that too.
The point that you have appearantly failed to grasp is that crying about birth certificates, rappers, etc. will NOT fix our debt issue. Ending the Bush tax cuts, subsidies for record- profit making businesses, and our need for world empire- now there are some sources of revenue.
I watched the little fluff piece/movie "Just Wright" a number of times and loved his character; a man of good will and integrity. Once upon a time conservatives tried to make Queen Latify controversial and look at her celebrity status today. The public loves her.
To those who will want to point out that he was playing a role - I get that so save your time.
Talent and integrity such as his will win and again the right wing will have egg on its face.
"We know you've been wondering: How exactly did Marco Rubio stir the conservative fire in his belly before jumping onstage during the campaign? Reading George Will? Watching O'Reilly grill some hapless liberals?
Nope: Straight-up gangsta rap. Rubio liked to crank Tupac and NWA before his speeches, the Weekly Standard reports in an embarrassingly fawning feature. A reporter also caught him blasting David Guetta's "Sexy Bitch" before a key debate with Crist and Meek."
http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2010/11/marco_rubio_loves_gangsta_rap.php
Hypocrisy, thy name is "Conservative."
Now that was something to tweet about, Sarah...
As Bonnie Raitt says "let's give them something to talk about."
Art is supposed to give you pause, make you think.
Same Thing lyrics
Somewhere between prayer and revolution
Between Jesus and Huey P. Newton
That's where you find Jonny 5 shoot shootin
Water guns at the audience while ya scootin'
Your gluteous max due to the fact that I'm tootin'
On the horn gonna warn you that I'm rootin'
For the other team in the culture wars
So I stab the beast belly while the vulture roars
YO JOE!
Let it blow with convulsive force
Til walls fall off their false supports
Til Jericho's aircraft carriers alter course
And all brave young Americans are called ashore
Cause we've already lost the war they keep wagin
Splattering the streets in battles that keep ragin
Bloodyin each page of the story that we're studying
Each day the same just the names keep changin
Saying the same things over again
Repeatin the same slogans we don't know where we've been
We've been all over the globe on our government's funds
Leavin man woman and child dead bloody and numb
saying the same things over again
Repeatin the same slogans we don't know where we've been
We've been overthrowing leaders with legitimate views
Democratically elected but we didn't approve....
more...
http://www.elyrics.net/read/f/flobots-lyrics/same-thing-lyrics.html
Stand up, we shall not be moved
Unless we're takin? a route we have not pursued
So if you've got a dream and a lot to do
Put your hands up and I'll copy you
I said, "Put your hands up and I'll copy you"
Put your hands up and I'll copy you
If you've got a dream and a lot to do
Put your hands up
This as has been pointed out several times is "much ado about nothing" - oh - sorry that was Shakespeare whose one play had a son murder his father and marry his mother - shouldn't use that reference eh?
But the point still holds. I mean we no longer have to make true statements as long as we say "not intended to be a true statement" at the end of it. : )
It's early and I'm sure you're just flummoxed at this faux outrage aren't you? I am too.
I'd also say it's safe to say this individual song is probably not what earned him an invitation, but rather his entire body of work.