Black and Brown in Hip Hop: Tenuous-Solidarity

1. Black and Brown in Hip Hop:Tenuous-Solidarity Robert Tinajero UT-El Paso www.blueletters.com Black love, Brown Pride/ We might fight against each other/ But I promise you this/ We’ll burn this [city] down—just get us pissed -Tupac Shakur-

2. Black and Brown in Hip Hop • Intro. – Tension & Solidarity • Solidarity • Tension (Historical; in Hip Hop) • Conclusion

3. Black and Brown in America • African Americans and Latinos are the two largest minority groups in the United States—each comprising approximately 13% of the total population

4. 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”…

5. 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

6. 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

7. Cypress hill; Tupac no limit soldiers; Public Enemy; south park mexican

8. 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.

9. 50 Cent’s Just A Lil’ Bit

10. Ice Cube’s Next Friday

11. 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

12. What does the future hold? together… In difference Blueletters.com