Serenaded by a chorus of boos, Amanda "The Lioness" Nunes emerged from the tunnel at UFC 207, in front of the largest UFC crowd ever in Las Vegas, cool, calm, collected and focused at the task at hand. Despite being the reigning champion for main event - just the tenth main event to feature a women's division match - the hype around the UFC 207 card was overwhelmingly centered around the return of one of the sport's most sensational figures. Ronda Rousey singlehandedly carried the women's bantamweight division of the UFC into the world spotlight. Her nasty, "All I do is beat ass" attitude combined with her ability to do just that at lighting fast speed captivated not only the country, but the entire globe. However, it had been nearly two years since the world last saw a Ronda Rousey victory and the enormous cheers from the crowd perfectly personified the excitement that existed not only in a sold out T-Mobile arena, but to all those globally anticipating Rousey's return. Afterall, it was her enormous following that catipulted her into contemporary pop culture iconography; endorsement deals everywhere from Reebok to Pantene, Hollywood cameos and my favorite Rousey moment - judo flipping Triple H at Wrestlemania 31.
Despite losing in embarasing fashion in her last fight against Holly Holms, Ronda Rousey entered the UFC 207 Octagon still as the undisputed Queen of MMA. As the sports most popular and dominant athlete, Rousey's status was hers to lose. Take for example, the fact that despite being the challenger and not having won a match in nearly two years, Rousey was guaranteed $3 million for the fight while the champion Nunes was guaranteed only $200,000. Those numbers speak volumes about who the most valuable figure in the sport is. But as Nunes would say in her post-match interview "I knew tonight would be my moment," and boy was it ever. From the moment Nunes threw her first punch she knew that the challenger was no match for her if it would become a boxing match; "Her coach put this idea in her head that she is a boxer. I don't know why he did that," said Nunes after the match. It took only 48 seconds for "The Lioness" to prove her point, drowning Rousey with right hand after right hand, stringing together two and three punch combinations in devastating fashion, stunning the icon who's "Rowdy" nickname once stood in infamy. Referee Herb Dean was forced to step in, ending the fight and quite possibly the most storied women's fighting career ever. This actually should have came as no surprise to most UFC fans; in her last fight Nunes absolutely demolished the champion Meisha Tate, Rousey's contemporary rival and a women's MMA legend in her own right. Nunes destroyed Tate's nose with those patented right hand blows, and while Tate was on the ground attempting to regain composure Nunes slipped in a suffocating rear naked choke, winning her first bantamweight title in the fight's opening round while at the same time stunning the crowd and the world. Soon after the fight Meisha Tate retired, saying that "When you get beat like that, sometimes you just lose the heart to fight for a living." Tate also said in the same interview on ESPN that she doubted whether Rousey's heart was still in fighting now that she had a career outside of the Octagon, and wondered whether or not Rousey was doing the fight because of public pressure and the need to restore her image as the baddest woman on the planet. True or not, one thing was clear Friday night - Amanda Nunes is the most dominant female fighter in the UFC. She is now on the longest win streak in the Bantamweight division, this is the third fight she has won this year, all of them dominant performances over top 10 fighters in the world. Having now ended the careers of two UFC legends in two consecutive fights and sitting as the undisputed Bantamweight champion - the most competitive women's division - Nunes didn't have the proverbial crown placed on her head, she snatched it. The sky is literally the limit now with Nunes; she's the hottest fighter in the UFC. With two emphatic wins over MMA legends in a row and a home country in Brazil which will be behind her in full force whenever she chooses to defend the belt overseas, Nunes has the potential to transform herself into the sports next sensational superstar and (of course) make buku amounts of money. Now that there is no question about who the Queen of mixed martial arts is, the question UFC fans are all faced with is; what kind of champion are we getting? When it was all said and done, Nunes had won over the Las Vegas crowd. She was showered with praise as she proclaimed "I am the champion now! C'mon! I'm the greatest fighter in the world!" Perhaps her interview gave us a glimpse of what we should come to expect from her reign as champion. Sporting a huge grin and speaking with jubilance, Nunes showed us a champion who not only loves the sport, but life. She took time to shout out her entire training staff, her home country Brazil as well as her girlfriend (did I mention Nunes is the sport's first openly gay champion?). She also touted the importance of training and preparation which she identified as the keys to her success, "I've been training to fight Ronda Rousey since I entered UFC." When asked what she thought about the fact that the promotion of the event was almost completely about Ronda Rousey she conceded that Rousey deserved the pre-match attention "She's the greatest ever she deserves it," but ultimately insisted that the world start paying attention to the deep roster of hard working women currently climbing their way up the UFC ranks, adding "Forget Ronda Rousey!" for good measure. In that way, Nunes is everything that Ronda Rousey was not when it comes to being an ambassador for the sport. Nunes shows admiration and respect for opponents where Rousey showed disdain. At two points during Friday night's main event Nunes attempted to shake the legend's hand and both times Rousey denied her, running out of the ring without saying to a word to anybody - effectively hiding her face as Nunes attempted to thank her for the fight and probably for everything she's done for women's MMA. Where Nunes shows strenghth and perseverance in the face of adversity Rousey cowered. In both of Rousey's losses she left without congratulating the winner, didn't speak to media, hid her face and ran. Nunes is not unfamiliar with losing, she has four losses in UFC and each time she has used those matches as learning experiences, gotten stronger and better and returned with a new chip on her shoulder. Where Rousey seemed like she exploded onto the scene, Nunes' road to the limelight has been a long an arduous journey; one that involved migrating to a foreign country, learning a whole new skillset in boxing and judo, changing gyms and even picking up a new language. Where Rousey approached the sport with a gritty demeanor Nunes brings a joy to the Octagon which is both refreshing and uplifting, going so far as to wear a lioness mask to her weigh-ins, a fun and boisterous way to express what she feels is the perfect symbol for her dominance. But perhaps the most glaring characteristic of the new Queen is her brutal honesty and unshakeable confidence. I was jarred at how directly she answered each question in the press conference, always grinning. When asked if Ronda would retire she responds "Absolutely. She's got to be done now." When asked about the future of the women's division she answered "[The promotion] has got to get better. This is all new now. Its exciting," and pointing at her title belt she exclaimed "It's got to be all about this. It's all about the champion, and I'm never losing this belt." When asked who she would fight next she said "It doesn't matter, I'll be ready for whoever I fight." And when asked about that viscious right hand she said "When I connect with my punches, girls can't take it." Here's to hoping she continues to put her money where her mouth is. Congratulations to the new Queen of the UFC, I for one am certainly looking forward to seeing just how many people the Lioness will prey on, how many hearts she will capture; she's already got mine!
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In the eternal words of Kelly Rowland “Oh no, oh no, can’t nobody do it like me”
Okay, I admit, when Queen Kelly put those words on the track she probably didn’t have in mind the likes of Russel Wilson, Cam Newton, Colin Kaepernick or Dak Prescott. But somewhere in the mix of black vernacular, polyrhythmic 808s, and her urgent R&B dance melody is the very spirit that makes the men I mentioned earlier a force that is taking the NFL – and football at every age level – by storm. To understand the Black quarterback, it may be best to start with that age-old tradition of music that is central to Black American life. From the moment Black people landed in America music was crucial in maintaining and passing cultural traditions from Africa that were central to Black identity. These traditions included emotional urgency, emphasis on individual expression, and the ability to perpetually improvise. These characteristics were passed down, form by form, through musical traditions we call our own all the way up to today’s Hip-Hop. It’s the emotional potency of blues, formed by long curling blue notes which were developed in the field hollers of the plantation. The ability for jazz artists to make their instruments sing and dance as if they had a life of their own. Or of course the powerful (and sometimes bizarre) hollers and screams, hops and skips, we see when gospel combined with the power of the Holy Spirit hits us in our core – praise JESUS hallelujah! But music was not the only place where we used these key characteristics to define ourselves. Look at any dance floor today filled with black people and you will see these same things; all of our moves are improvised on the spot, individual expression – everybody hits dem folks with their own swagger – and of course emotional urgency, you better!!! Its these same things that make the athletes we love great. Take for example Michael Jordan, perhaps the greatest American athlete of all time and certainly the greatest NBA player ever (LeBron is on his way but that’s a different essay). What made MJ magical was his ability to do those things nobody else could do. His ability to stop on a dime and elevate for a jumpshot without thinking, his ability to improvise mid-air and twist and turn his body in a way to get the ball in hoop, and that emotional drive which he used to will himself over the mountaintop when his team needed him most, in the process creating some of the most iconic clutch moments in recent sports memory. He epitomized what it meant for a black body to create on a basketball court. To this day that emphasis on creativity and individual expression is the standard for evaluating NBA superstars; from Steph Curry to James Harden our favorite players are those who do things never seen or done before, just look at Harden’s latest Adidas commercial which ends “I’m here to create”. In the same way, we can look at football as a cultural expression. It should be no surprise that football is perhaps the most popular sport in America. The goal of the game is to conquer; at any point in the game one army is trying to conquer the field 10 yards at a time while the other is trying to defend territory. At the center of the offense is the quarterback, for all intensive purposes he is the general. The head baller shot caller. Traditionally his job has been to manage personnel, read the defense, stand tall in the pocket, and deliver the ball on time and on target. Rinse, wash, repeat. This model leaves little room for improvisation, individual expression, emotional urgency outside of the occasional scramble situation. What makes the Black Quarterback so revolutionary is his ability to completely deconstruct that model. Russel Wilson won the hearts of fans not because his ability to rigidly succeed in his offense – though he is certainly one of the most cerebral quarterbacks in the league. What makes him special is what he does outside of the pocket on the run. I don’t think I’ve ever seen somebody who can twist, turn, sprint, stop, start again all while keeping his eyes downfield and eventually make a perfect throw. What’s amazing is that Wilson does this time and time again. All while looking calm, almost serene, as if he planned to work in chaos. The other day I watched him step up into the pocket and sprint left. “Surely” I thought “He’s going to have to tuck and run the ball.” After all he’s a right-handed quarterback and throwing while sprinting left is nearly impossible. But then as if to defy physics he reaches his arm all the way back and flicks the wrist, delivering a dart to his tight end. My jaw dropped, but what truly put me into a state of awe was that when they showed the replay Wilson threw the ball to a spot on the field where nobody was at: he literally threw his tight end open. It’s this individual, improvisational magic which makes Black Quarterbacks so special. As Joe Buck said in exasperation “there’s just no defending that.” And just like with blackness wherever you look, no two black quarterbacks are alike. Dak Prescott leads with youthful invigoration and yet uncharacteristic patience, Colin Kaepernick loves to just fling the ball around the field, stepping up sometimes and flinging downfield and other times just taking off towards the sideline and dancing around would be tacklers. RG3 dances around while still inside the pocket often throwing dimes while off balance or on his back foot. Tyrod Taylor loves to use uncanny plays; speed option and read option, plays which require quarterbacks to read defensive players and make split second decisions on whether to keep the ball or give it away. Jameis Winston prefers the classic style of play, stays in the pocket, and just throws people off his back, every now and then calling his own number and using a play in which utilizes his size and speed to barrel downfield at defenses, essentially turning himself into a fullback. This type of individual expression was traditionally reserved for wide receivers, tight ends and running backs, players whose job it was solely to catch and carry the ball up field. Adding the Quarterback to this arsenal is a change that is going to take years for the league to adjust to. To truly understand how dynamic the change in play has been these last 4 years or so one need look no farther than perhaps the biggest black star quarterback in the league – Cam Newton. In 2015 Cam and his Carolina Panthers enjoyed monumental success, going 15-1 in the regular season, and nearly winning the Superbowl against the Denver Broncos who had arguably one of the great defenses in NFL history and also had Peyton Manning at the helm – not too shabby. Cam and the Panthers gained the national spotlight not just because of their on-field success but also because of the personality of the team and the way they were winning and celebrating their victories. Cam created a lot of pop culture controversy when he popularized the dab as a celebration. Towards the end of the year the team would take pictures midfield after wins with everybody posing doing the dance move. Some, myself included, loved it. Others complained, saying that there was no room for dancing, suggestive gestures, etc. It’s hard to argue that America’s bias against Cam wasn’t only that he was black, but also that he was performing an explicitly black form of dance to celebrate. In fact, Cam might be the blackest of quarterbacks yet. He never erases his giant, ear to ear grin off of his face, celebrates flamboyantly after major plays, and even compared the Panthers slow growth to greatness to collard greens. However, the true revolutionary value of Cam Newton was in his on-field play. When you look at his stats, you wouldn’t guess that he’d be one of the great game changers in the NFL. His pass completion percentage, just over 58%, is average at best. His yards per attempt, passing yards per game, and touchdown to interception ration are similarly run of the mill. This baffled analysts all year; how is this offense so dominant with a quarterback who on paper is just, well, normal? The fascinating thing about all of this is that time and time again Eurocentric evaluation standards fail to capture the value of those things that make black quarterbacks, well, black. Cam Newton’s greatness isn’t in his ability to rigidly apply his offense, it’s in his ability to make plays when they break down. He’s average yes, but every game he has plays where instead of taking a sack he’s able to extend the pocket and at least throw the ball away, or even better gain five or ten yards and keep a drive going. His willingness to call himself a designed run from time to time creates matchup problems for defenses, and on third down and short – the most clutch and crucial moments in any close football games – his dual threat prowess makes defensive playcalling nearly impossible. On top of that he has a certain mental toughness that can only come from his confidence in the ability to create when all seems lost. Finally, there is an emotional energy that radiates from him in big spots; something about him gets crowds and his teammates fired up, especially with the game on the line. And with the game on the line, much like MJ he delivered moments which left you speechless; I specifically remember him diving over the top of two defenders into the endzone superman style to give his team the lead with less than a minute left and I just thought “this guy is out of his damn mind.” These things, impossible to measure the true value of, meant that Carolina would come out on top in close game after close game. In many ways, he WAS the Carolina Panthers. This means for the NFL and all football leagues moving forward there are two big challenges. 1) how do you design an offense which captures all this new potential in the most efficient way? 2) How in the hell do you stop an offense with a quarterback who adds completely new elements to the game? THIS is why I get so excited to turn on the t.v. and watch football. The plane of possibility in the sport has never expanded so rapidly. Its new, it’s exciting, and once again it’s all thanks to black people. When Gucci Mane started the night with a gray scale on-stage music video complete with an all-white piano, futuristic silver plant sculptures (what were those things?), geometric stage furniture, and a perfectly oversized black fur coat, I thought, “This might not be bad”.
5 minutes later, after an outfit change which featured Gucci Mane using his own body as a fashion accessory and Travis Scott releasing Young Thug from a Telephone booth which rose from beneath the ground I was firmly convinced that the BET Hip-Hop Awards Show was going to be one that I remembered for a very, very long time. I must admit, I’ve had a long streak of turning my nose up at BET programming, especially awards shows. The camera work is almost never up to par (and wasn’t great last night either), I’m usually unfamiliar with whatever host they trot out and more times than not I find the performances to be understimulating - mostly due to the fact that I tend to listen to alternative artists and honestly, not that much rap (shoot me). My internal protest of BET programming also has to do with my frustration with the overall quality and diversity of images that BET portrays because it is undeniable that market influences have skewed the ways that Black people and Black life are portrayed on-screen even within the outlet that is supposed to be for us. Maybe that’s why I was so excited throughout the duration of the program. Because to be black and young oftentimes means to feel exiled from the world, even by Black people older than you who still grip tightly to the way things were done in their time. The struggle of the black millennial is the struggle of any black generation as they come of age; that is, to carve an image of yourself into a stone cold world which refuses to acknowledge your existence. Yet somehow last night BET painted an audacious portrait of the Black Millennial - a glimpse into our own imaginings of the black self which displayed a dynamic duality to young black life. On the one hand we saw Black Millennial as an agent all too capable of not only understanding his/her political reality, but also extremely competent in being able to discuss and navigate that reality through avenues provided by hip hop. Perhaps the most solid aspect of the show were the ciphers which consistently showcased a crop of young rappers who twisted their way through complex flows while also navigating equally complex themes - whether it be street knowledge, hip hop credibility, police brutality, or larger sociopolitical messages (props to NYC rappers by the way they took the cake by far). These ciphers, which are the essence of the purist Hip Hop mentality and the bread and butter of any BET Hip Hop Awards show, were augmented by other socio-political messages which were delivered by a variety of different means. It was Kendrick spitting us some game from the heart, Sway standing up and spreading a message of self-care and self-sustenance - even going so far as to declare political war - heroic spoken word performances by Big K.R.I.T. and LeCrae, and DJ Khaled’s own do-it-yourself advice paired with a sneakily brilliant jab at Donald Trump, saying to the demagogue that he is unworthy of the keys to success because “You are They,” a statement which comedically drew the line firmly in the political sand. Last night, the political identity of the Black youth was firmly chained to the BlackLivesMatter movement, a decision which was both a brilliant and obvious one. On the other hand, through its on-stage performances BET also showed us the carefree side of Black youth. A carefreeness which seeks to find its place in a world filled with persecution, violence, depression and anxiety. I thought that Snoop Dogg winning the lifetime achievement award was perfectly fitting in constructing this imagination. One of Hip-Hop’s great storytellers, Snoop Dogg made a career of making music about “Who I [was] not necessarily who I want to be.” His music explored themes of violence, sex, drugs, materialism, partying, and self-interrogation; all themes which (SURPRISE) young black people deal with today. Snoop even blessed young artists and their fans with some words of encouragement, advising them not to worry about criticism and essentially to explore yourself without bounds because as people that’s what we deserve to do. This brings me back to the likes of Gucci. Fresh out of jail and not a care in the world he ends his performance by leaving the stage to join the crowd topless which is how he enjoys the rest of the show; happy just to be naked and exposed to the world again. He gave me life early on in the show and in my opinion set the tone for a night full of carefree self-exploration as artists performed songs about navigating (and coping with) life through music, drugs, sex, violence, and fashion. I must say I found the performances to be A1. Whether it was the background dancers and performers alike dancing to trap music - doing dances I find myself doing on a daily - D.R.A.M. performing on stage while walking around with a poodle on a leash, Young M.A. turning the stage into her stomping ground along with her hilariously entertaining hype-woman (the mighty ducks themed outfit was raw af btw), Lil Uzi Vert turning street imagery (barbed wire fences and streetlights) into his own rainbow fantasy, or Isaiah Rashad being completely comfortable while presenting his alternative hip-hop self through dress, dance, and sound; the performances had shots of life for any young black person who considers themself a fan or follower of hip-hop. If we are to thrive in this world we must first understand our place in it. This is why the project of identity formation is so essential to our own liberation, and is why even through the bad (TIP and 21 Savage were pretty bad) we must continue to - dare I say it - follow in BET’s footsteps when we are constructing ourselves in our everyday lives. This is not the be all end all of constructions of black youth in the Black Lives Matter movement, which is perhaps why this moment is so important. We are just now beginning to see ourselves actualized everywhere we turn. This project is not a magnum opus, rather it is a prototype, a rubric for how we can create ourselves as a collective through imaginative and courageous programming. If there’s anything to be gained from last night, perhaps that is it. In many ways Hip-Hop is all we’ve got, as Kendrick said best, this is the way we cope with our world and we can’t let anyone - lest ourselves - take that away. Randy Orton ret-
RKO. OUTTA NOWHERE. Sorry, couldn't resist. Okay, now that I've gotten that out of my system, let's dive in. WWE Battleground was overall pretty enjoyable, and exciting when you consider the fact that for the first time in recent history, the WWE had two back-to-back solid pay per views. The Bad I'll start with Darren Young vs. The Miz. While the match was surprisingly entertaining as Darren Young exceeded expectations by fighting pretty even with Intercontinental Champion The Miz. However, the match ended in what was a very, very bizarre and kinda awkward sequence of events that left you with an unpleasant taste in your mouth; a perfect metaphor for the entire Darren Young vs. The Miz "rivalry". The whole story started when Bob Backlund, WWE Hall of Fame wrestler, decided to coach Darren Young, creating the catch phrase "Make Darren Young great again". Just so you know, Darren Young is black, so the Donald Trump reference makes me uncomfortable. What makes me even more uncomfortable is the fact that Darren Young only won the #1 contender spot after a fluke victory in a Royal Rumble which he won because he was knocked out in the center of the ring when Apollo Cruz and Barron Corbin eliminated themselves, making Darren Young the winner without him even realizing it. The partnership with Backlund seems a lot like Rocky coaching Apollo Creed, a magical old white man who is past his prime coaching up the young, hard-working, head-on-straight African American boy into the champion he deserves to be. Whatever. Fast forward to the end of their match at Battleground; after saving Darren Young from getting pinned, Backlund got slapped in the face by The Miz's wife, Maryse. Then Bob Backlund had the creepiest meltdown ever, ripping off his shirt and yelling at the top of his lungs like a mad man. THEN to make thing's worse, The Miz gets out of the ring and shoves the old man to the floor. Of course Darren Young loses his temper defending the old man's honor and gets himself disqualified. Apparently, the only thing the WWE could do to keep this awkward rivalry interesting was, well, make it unimaginably more awkward. Then there was the New Day. For those of you who don't follow wrestling, the New Day is a faction of three Black wrestlers (who happen to be among the best in the whole company) who were dealt a failed gimmick in an effort to eliminate them from the company. To accurately track their history, we have to go back to August of 2014 when they disappeared from the show for months after the riots in Ferguson only to return as, well, there's not really a word to describe it. The premise of their new gimmick was "The Power of Positivity"; if you didn't roll your eyes you should have. These men were literally scripted as coons; yes the WWE made what could have been one of the best factions ever into a Minstrel show. The New Day runs around the WWE universe making jokes out of EVERYTHING. The gimmick was so bad that crowds booed them EVERYWHERE, as they should, the gimmick sucked. Ironically though, the New Day actually prevailed, working their ass off and taking the gimmick to the corniest of limits dawning bright pink centric outfits, playing trombones mid match, wearing unicorn horns and even created their own cereal called Booty-O's which they now use as their slogan "They make sure, you ain't booty". For real their gimmick is really, really racist. And last night they lost to the Wyatt family, meaning it could be the beginning of the end of the New Day, which isn't such a bad thing. They've worked their way to the longest Tag Team title reign in WWE history. They still COULD defend the title against the Wyatts, though its not likely. Even if they all split up and go solo, they would all probably begin a feud with each other over the USA title. Or maybe Big E and Kofi stay together and Woods goes after the USA title by himself. Or maybe something completely unexpected happens, but probably not. All in all, even though they have made it a long way, if it weren't for systemic racism, they'd be a lot farther. Fitting. The Good Most of the matches though, and the story lines, were great. The first match was given to the Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks rivalry, a surprising move on the surface, but not really when you consider the fact that the Women's title is the most undervalued title in the company due to their own inability to invest in the Women's division and therefore needed the boost pretty bad. Although I didn't like the decision to call on Baylee for a guest appearance, it was still a very entertaining decision, and an entertaining match. I still don't think the match did the women much justice, mostly because of recent history, but I will get to that later. All in all though, it was an improvement. Enzo Amore and Big Cass gave their stock a huge boost again as they propelled their teaming with John Cena to a win, pulling Cena and WWE long-time-snub AJ Styles even at a 1-1 draw in their rivalry. I think that the New Day deserved to be a part of this storyline, the second biggest in the WWE, instead of Amore and Cass. Not only have they put up with a BUNCH of bs, but they are also carrying the tag team title into Raw and it would have been interesting to see what possibilities would have cropped up with that story. Instead, the WWE's closest-to-black tag team was chosen, and I have to give them credit; they've been amazing. Amore is magic on the mic, his Italian-based one liners have been hilarious, and his in ring charisma has been unmatched. Big Cass has been, well Big Cass (he's 7 foot tall and you can't teach that!) Handing out huge moves in every match consistently for weeks. Styles was amazing as always and Cena came up with a new move for once to end the match! Overall I was satisfied. However, the best thing that came from Battleground was its main event. Somehow, the WWE has managed to make a good situation out of what was a terrible one with the Shield in just 3 months. Roman Reigns returned from his suspension, wrestling with pure aggression (and much less talking) finally giving us flashes of the Roman Reigns we loved from the Shield era. A Roman Reigns which is not a complete total douchebag, doesn't wrestle like somebody he isn't, and loses every once in a fucking while. The match was an amazing, testosterone filled, adrenaline fueled rollercoaster ride with plenty of "Holy Shit!" and "NO FUCKING WAY" moments. There were points at which you thought each different member was going to come out victorious. Rollins and Ambrose teamed up at one point to try and destroy Reigns, which was much needed. Just before the end, Reigns began to surge and the crowd started to get behind him, if only a little. Some fans even screamed with him as he set up one of his finishing moves which was a great sign that he might be on the road to recovering his image. Finally, the WWE managed to successfully toe the delicate line of finding a way to make Reigns take the pin while still looking strong. 10/10, well done. The Ugly Meltdown coming in 3..2..1... WHAT THE FUCK IS THE WWE DOING WITH THE WOMEN'S DIVISION? I am seriously tired of the WWE giving symbolic gestures to the Women's division and then not rewarding their work with storylines and opportunities to put them at a level of relevance equal to the men. They drafted Charlotte 3rd overall last week in the first round of the Smackdown vs. RAW draft, and they also gave the Banks vs. Charlotte match the opening spot in the Battleground PayPer View. However, behind the smoke of symbolic gestures rests a cesspool of negligence and creative mediocrity which has soured the Women's division for years. First of all, if the decision to bring Baylee on for a guest appearance with Sasha Banks to reunite the old NXT partnership seemed like a no brainer, that's because it was. And not in a good way. It was the easiest decision to make without having to actually write a story to make it work. I thought the best thing they could have done was bring on Nia Jax. The reason that it didn't happen is because past, present, and future, the WWE consistently decides to put as little real effort into creating successful storylines for the women as possible. It all starts with the story leading up to tonight. Its the classic old vs. new storyline when it comes down to things between Sasha Banks aka the Boss and Charlotte flair, Hall-of-Famer Ric Flair's daughter. What's disappointing is that the storyline has the potential to be a WrestleMania main event, in my humble opinion, if the writing wasn't so fucking terrible. First off, Charlotte is Ric Flair's daughter: RIC FLAIR. She should be hell bent on a mission to prove that she's not just daddy's little girl, she's out to show the world that she can live up to the Flair name and become one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time period. Instead she's been reduced to a pretty face who is a spoiled petty troll. Sasha Banks is "the Boss" and her character should be treated as such. If it were me writing her character, I would have her be the epitome of a head baller, shot caller. If her character was written correctly with plenty of detail and flamboyance then it would have been no problem for "The Boss" to find a fitting partner; she always finds a way to get what she wants, that's how she got to this position in the first place. Naturally she would have bought out the best sell-sword in the WWE and that would be Nia Jax who is not only a beast, but is hungry to prove herself at the highest level (she just got drafted to RAW) and what better way than to do so then at a PayPer View event against the Women's champion? Instead, the writers don't do Banks any justice; she's only "the Boss" because she gave herself that name and is Snoop Dogg's cousin. They gave her no opportunity to build herself any credibility, so they had to go with a surprise pick from Banks' past because there's no way they had time to write a story which would make sense. Baylee was picked because she's still on NXT, and they wouldn't have to follow the move up with a quick next chapter in the story because, well, Baylee won't be around anymore. If Nia Jax had been used, or anybody from the RAW roster, then the Banks vs. Charlotte rivalry would have had a fresh new twist for the start of the brand split. Instead it continues to be pretty stale and unimaginative. But what's happening with Becky Lynch and Natalya is worse, it's straight up sabotage. Becky and Natalya got drafted to Smackdown because RAW is taking on the new Cruiserweight division and as a result only has room to write one half-ass women's story on the show. That means that the Women's championship belt will be on a different show and without any Women's tag team title (barring a surprise from Smackdown management) Becky and Natalya's rivalry will probably end in the slow ugly death of any momentum they had before Battleground. Again, the match proved as a perfect metaphor. Natalya and Becky Lynch wrestled in the absolute worst spot on the ticket. Right after the amazing Cena/Enzo Amor/Big Cass vs. AJ Styles and The Club match, and right before the Miz vs. Darren Young for the Intercontinental title. While the match was going on fans were up in the concourse getting refreshments, or in their seats resting and not paying attention. Not because the match wasn't good, it was amazing wrestling, just not compelling. Because STORYLINES make matches compelling, and for Becky and Natalya, they were given the random feud of death. Pretty much, after losing a fatal four way to Charlotte, Natalya just started attacking Becky Lynch for no reason and that has been the extent of their whole feud for six weeks; Natalya attacking Becky Lynch for no reason. Which is the absolute laziest writing that the creative team could have possibly came up with. With the brand split coming and nothing except random girl beef to fuel the competition it isn't looking good for any of the Women on Smackdown, or in the WWE in general. That is because this is nothing new, it's been going on for years. Recently, the talent in the Women's division has been so off the charts that they have earned a few small opportunities, but its not much, and its certainly less than what they deserve. What the women deserve is true investment. They deserve writers who are taking the time to write real stories (not necessarily the writers fault either), they deserve air time to play those stories out, they deserve their own women's division manager who looks for talent and manages the talent that already exists, they deserve to be the main event on both the weekly shows and pay per view every once and a while, they deserve to be the face of the company. These women are not only incredibly hard workers, but also incredibly gifted wrestlers, and its almost evil for the WWE to deny them the glory which is rightfully theirs (wow, I just came up with a great idea for a Women's storyline, on accident). If the WWE wants to get back to the days where it was one of the top sports entertainment businesses in the country then it needs to double down and rid their women's division of mediocrity. This isn't the 90s, you are gonna need to come with more than a bunch of white men and one speck of brown to be successful. If it can do that, then it can do anything. Until then, they're only halfway into earning my satisfaction. One of the hardest - or THE hardest - things about being a black person in today's America is that it is damn near impossible to get away from the seeming inevitability of your own demise. This summer has been one filled with violence, bigotry, turmoil, pain, sorrow, despair, and death. As was last summer, and the summer before it. It's almost as if when the season comes for us to finally relax, let loose, or maybe even enjoy some fresh air there's another battle to fight. Another Charleston six, or Sandra Bland, or Rachel Dolezal, or Michael Brown, the list of names and events which are worthy of absolute rage against the machine are literally innumerable. And at times, it gets to be too much for me.
That's right I'll admit it; sometimes I get tired of talking about race. Actually, to be specific, I get tired of talking about racial oppression. Usually I'm the first one to jump into a discussion (or in many cases, argument) about race, discrimination, oppression, the nuances, the ins and outs, the things that most people just don't see. Trust me, it is one of the few things in life I feel I have a firm grasp on. But even for a race "fanatic" like me (funny how racists are never told they talk about race too much *thinking emoji*), sometimes enough is fucking enough. I get tired of seeing dead bodies y'all. It's really that simple. I've stopped watching the videos and reading the articles and just started taking niggas' word for it. When I started really becoming analytical it was after the death of Mike Brown. As they threw his picture up on MSNBC (hey, I was still a kid gimme a break) I saw a young man clad in his high school cap and gown just as I had been not even two months before. I saw a kid who was planning on going to college in a month, just as I was. When I heard his friends tell stories of him, I got this weird feeling. As I watched and time went on, it felt as if I was watching the story of my own murder play out on tv in front of me. If it's never happened to you, that shit will change your life, as it did mine. I went downstairs and told my mother that I had to go to Ferguson. I had to do something, march, protest, shout and scream, riot, SOMETHING. I had to fight back. Her being the protective (and low key smart) mother she is told me absolutely not. After a few minutes and a screaming match I was being hugged by mother and father both. I broke down, I felt trapped, I literally couldn't even breathe. But I can't do that shit every time another black man, woman, or child is murdered. I'd literally suffocate. So this is my reminder to myself that it is okay to be happy! Actually, it is essential. This summer, has been one in which I've explored what it means to actively search for your own happiness again, and it has been one of the most rewarding ventures I've ever taken. I took the time to learn how to actually take care of my hair. It's crazy how something so simple and essential to your own body can be overlooked, and taken for granted. This summer, and from now on, I won't overlook anything if it can make me a brighter, happier person. I twisted my hair out and I love it. It's new and fun and I actually think it looks good on me. And ya know what else is new and fun? POKEMON GO. I've spent an irresponsible amount of time chasing after pokemon and going on adventures with my friends and girlfriend. Pokémon was the first anime I watched, and the first video game I was good at. And now that this new break through in the ability to waste time on your phone has been accomplished, I feel even more like a kid again. To go along with that, I started watching anime for the first time since Dragon Ball Z ended with the Boo saga. Let me tell all you dbz fans out there; if you haven't started watching Dragon Ball Super, do so, you're welcome. I watch wrestling now too, which I gave up because of its lack of diversity, pro black characters, and also the fact that its "lame" for grown men to watch wrestling. What I've found is that, while all those things are still true, wrestling still gives me joy to watch just as it did when I was little. It's a live soap opera on testosterone and the silliness yet beauty of it all still just does something for me. There's still problems with the show of course - it's mostly a bunch of white men who beat each other up and the women are not given actual human characters by the writers. But hey, if anything, I can become a writer for the WWE and write the character(s) that inspire the next generation of black boys and girls the way the Rock inspired me. See, and that's it right there. This summer I've realized that having a problem to fix really only gives me half of my drive and passion to keep going. I've spent all of this time learning how to reject my own oppression and never stopped to make sure I was still loving myself through the process, and that's what true inspiration comes from. I'm young, and it happens, but not again Satan. This time around, I've supplemented that passion to make progress with self-care, and it has overall improved the quality of everything I do. I broke through a writer's block this summer. I've actually had so many ideas and so much inspiration pop up that I'm having trouble sitting down and focusing on just one. I would elaborate on specifics but, I honestly kinda want to keep it close to the vest for now. But the point is, smiling is good for you Matthew! Plus you look good when you do it, so fuck it, why not. I'll end with this piece of advice, especially for all the artists out there; don't forget to take time to love yourself and be happy! Your voice is going to come out so much clearer that way, even when making art about something you hate or want to destroy. Remember that if you want to create anything it should always come from a place of self expression, and there is no better expression than that which comes from self-understanding. Always understand that every once and a while its okay to smile, its always been a part of who you are. And that's my corny self love quote of the day. P.S. HOW DID I FORGET TO MENTION THAT MY ALL TIME FAVORITE PLAYER GOT A RING THIS SUMMER. CONGRATS ANDERSON VAREJAO YOU FINALLY DID IT.
Being an NBA fan in America may be one of the most dynamic social experiences that American culture has to offer. From crazy dunks to wild ankle breakers, game sevens to top five debates, all-star games and celebrity courtside appearances, the gravitational pull of the NBA has the ability to make all other aspects of American society bend towards its bright lights and big stages. And for good reason; at its core basketball in its highest is the physical manifestation of human expression. As a young black boy struggling to find a way to make the world his own, watching LeBron James embody the combination of power, grace, and technical genius on the hardwood inspired me to do the same in my own life. However, LeBron’s magic on the court was not the only thing that I took notice of and connected with my own life. As I sat down to watch “The Decision” I fought to suppress my feelings of nervous excitement; if the reports were true LeBron would be going to play in Miami alongside THE Flash: Dwyane Wade. I knew that if this happened we might be afforded four or five years of the best basketball the world had ever seen. Apparently the world around me saw not an opportunity for greatness, but of evil. That summer was a tough one for me, as it was I can imagine for LeBron (although dude was moving to Miami and getting a pay raise, so all-in-all not a bad deal). His jersey was burned throughout the streets, he was told by his former boss that the city which he was born in no longer welcomed him home, he was called a cheat, a liar, a punk, accused of betrayal and the murder of the hopes of oh so many lost Clevelanders. Fast forward 6 years and now we come to a situation with glaring similarities. Kevin Durant, whose silently lethal jump shot and devastatingly explosive ability to finish at the rim have launched him into conversations of the league’s best, made a decision similar to LeBron’s: leave the only franchise you’ve known your whole career in search of personal development, a great city, and of course, the holy grail of basketball: the Larry O’Brien NBA Finals Trophy. I watched the reactions of America unravel and as I sat at my TV and on Twitter I was forced to come to this conclusion: that the institution of NBA fandom is incredibly racist. In a major way, racism in NBA fandom revolves around the notion that fans and franchise officials have complete ownership over the lives of black players. When you examine NBA franchises as a plantation, then it becomes easy to see the ways in which racism infiltrates the way in which we consume sports. When Kevin Durant left Oklahoma City he was not without his great reasons; Oakland is a HUGE upgrade over OKC, one of the smallest and least desirable markets in the NBA. Kevin Durant’s growth as a player had been stifled over the past couple years, especially by the presence of ball-guzzler Russel Westbrook and the inability of the Thunder to spread the floor for Durant in crucial possessions. Oklahoma City’s chances at a title were already running thin, given that Westbrook’s contract is up next year as well, and the team still has not landed a major piece which would vault the team into major title contention. Then of course, THERE’S THE MONEY: Durant still landed a max contract in Golden State, so in other words, IT’S THE PERFECT DECISION. However, racism in America has a way of wiping all reason from situations in which the autonomy of black men and women is involved. The only part of the decision that so-called fans of basketball saw was that Kevin Durant took power into his own hands and changed the competitive balance of the NBA. Think about how impactful that is. With one signature Kevin Durant changed the trajectory of two major corporate entities, and possibly the direction of the league overall, which is worth billions. That is true power. Which is exactly the problem that the majority of sports fans in the country had with the decision. Furthermore, the burning of Kevin Durant jersey’s shows that his value to Thunder fans is only connected to his ability to produce a commodity for them, in this case, W’s in the win column. Forget that the Thunder only landed in OKC after an illegal relocation of the team from Seattle. Forget that Durant put his body on the line for nine years on a team which was absolutely horrible when he arrived. Forget that Durant was the Thunder’s first ever superstar, an MVP, and the life of the organization for almost a decade. Racism leaves no room for gratitude. Kevin Durant left the Thunder and can no longer produce a commodity for its fans. Should he be missed? Of course. But to deny him the respect, dignity, and love he deserves for literally putting his body on the line for a city is nothing short of disgusting. The same goes for Dwyane Wade, who after sacrificing his body for 13 years in Miami (suffering through multiple back and knee injuiries), winning 3 championships and recruiting the greatest Heat team of all time while NEVER being the team’s highest paid player, was refused the pay raise he felt he deserved. When Wade subsequently left for Chicago, his hometown his jersey was burned by the #HEATNATION which he was the heart and soul of for over a decade. NBA Commissioner said recently in an interview that he wishes that NBA players didn’t have the power to essentially take their careers into their own hands and form super teams, saying instead that he would prefer a collective bargaining agreement in which it made it easier for every team to have a superstar. How convenient, to strike a deal in which every NBA town got its own black man to idolize, fetishize, and toss in the dumpster when his body gives out on him only to bring a new one into town. This is the way the league used to operate, with every market, big or small, afforded one or two superstars so as to create parody, regardless of what it meant for the players. Imagine landing in a city across the nation from your family, not being able to negotiate the contract you deserve, being pimped out for sponsorships and endorsement deals, not being able to gain leverage in contract negotiations, and not being able to prevent yourself and your family from being traded and having to start life over in a completely new city. LeBron James is not only a pioneer in that he has changed the way the game is played, but also the way in which the entire league operates. Now players in a league which the talent is overwhelmingly black and the ownership and fan base overwhelmingly white, are experiencing increasing power over the everyday operations of the league, and it’s giving basketball fans all over the country fits. Today, players from every team network and forge relationships with each other. This is evident in the reports that Kevin Durant had an ongoing friendship with Steph Curry and Andre Iguodala, which started on the 2012 US Olympic team. Of course LeBron and DWade’s friendship is one which will go down in history books as the friendship which changed basketball history. This absolutely rejects the plantation model of isolation, and brings the dismay of both fans and ownership alike, who want to see players despise each other and form confrontational relationships which would prevent them from coming together and taking the trajectory of their own careers and subsequently the Association into their own hands. With increased power, of course, comes increased autonomy, which can’t be good for your everyday fan who previously was afforded the privilege of turning on the tv, or filing through a turnstile, without ever having to take into mind the humanity of the players which they were paying to see perform. Expressions of humanity such as celebratory dances and trash talk alike are now seen as over the top. LeBron wore an “I Can’t Breathe” TShirt last fall and threw the sports world into a frenzy. The nearly all-black Los Angeles Clippers team was heavily criticized for their black tshirt pre-game protest of Donald Sterling, Donald Trump’s contemporary, and then when the team threatened to strike, its fans threatened to abandon them all together. Imagine the backlash that would ensue should the whole players association pressure the country to take action on police brutality and systemic racism as Carmelo Anthony suggested. In American sport, white fans assuage their privilege, prejudice, and bigotry for a few hours and root for black men under the conditions that they don’t taint their beloved game with too much blackness, put their bodies on the line with unquestioning loyalty, and don’t disrupt the status quo or the bottom dollar. Black athletes in the NBA have violated all of these terms of agreement, and now its fans are finally starting to show their teeth. It has become the story of a generation perhaps. A tale about the exposition of the true working class conservative, the mom and pop neighbors, which occupies the position of the "average American" in our collective imagination. Their support for a candidate who openly assigns the labels "rapist" and "murderers" to Mexican immigrants made us uneasy. The blatant sexism rubbed us the wrong way. The suggestion that Muslims not be allowed in the country was an obvious red alert. The advocation of violence towards black protesters, reminiscent of pictures featuring police dogs and water hoses tearing at the flesh of black citizens, pushed us over the top. We have since seen op-ed after op-ed, article after article, about how Donald Trump's overt bigotry speaks to the nature of the Americans which support him. These articles are not wrong; there is something to be said about thousands of people cheering at the physical beating of a black protester, or at the labeling of a people as rapists, or at general disgusting conduct not fit for a respectable human being, let alone a presidential candidate. Donald Trump's candidacy has brought chauvinism to a national political stage in a way which has not been present certainly in my lifetime. His conduct and rhetoric has played into the anger of troubled white Americans, restless after 8 years of a black man named Barack Hussein Obama representing their sacred country. It has also attracted the likes of white supremacy groups, salivating at the chance to have a flesh-and-blood public bigot in the white house again. However, Donald Trump's appeal reach extends far beyond the Tea Party, "Obama is a Muslim", Fox News subscription, ultra-right fringe. He has attracted the support of the GOP's core; the Mitt Romney, John McCain, Jeb Bush voters. He has not done this through the brash bafoonery tradition of racial bigotry. Rather, he has done it by tapping into a more nuanced narrative - equally as historically significant - of racism in a way which is on his part, political genius. Genius not only because of its effectiveness as a mode of manipulation, but also in the ease in which it can be disguised as something other than a manifestation of white supremacy. White working class fear and distress has been possibly the most potent social and political phenomena throughout our country's history. In times of economic hardship and social disorganization the white working class's dissatisfaction with the current system normally translates itself into political unruliness. A phenomena which should be predictable; in a country which is supposed to cater to them, hardship and depression are unacceptable. Time and time again, rather than directing this unrest at the governing powers of capitalism and corporate hegemony for which responsibility normally lies, politicians have turned this political energy towards the classic enemy: people of color. It is in line with some of the country's most effective politicians. Nixon became president by popularizing the narrative of the welfare queen. Reagan's war on drugs saved his approval ratings. Clinton cracked down on "crime" as well (with the help of his beloved wife no less). Presidents have also used other nations of color as a rallying point; an enemy which all white working-class Americans can get behind in opposing. Trump's Mexico, Trump's China, is no different than (both) Bush's Iraq, Johnson's Vietnam, Truman's Korea, and FDR's Japan. Through both of these narratives Donald Trump has tapped into the mobilizing power of white supremacy. It is not just the angry rhetoric, the unapologetic racism, which has appealed to this mass of white working class citizens which have turned out to support the demagogue. It is this idea of cleansing America of the black and brown problems which have muddied its integrity which has propelled him into the pole position. The power, and subsequent danger, of this rhetoric is that the "black and brown problem" goes without being said. When he says "Making America great again" we know what is implied. White working-class America's yearning to restore the codified means of maintaining white supremacy provides the rhetorical base for which Trump to build his candidacy on. His tapping into this imagery is possible because the fear, the infrastructure, for the whole narrative already exists. Trump, or anybody really, need only push the right buttons. It is this less salient racism which has captured the mainstream conservative in this country, and many whom don't consider themselves conservative, for it allows the exploitation of racist fears without responsibility for the oppression which it inevitably leads to. This is the phenomena we should truly fear, for it needs not Donald Trump to advance it. The absolute circus which Donald Trump has brought to the campaign is unique to him. He is a true imbecile; his primitive ridiculousness is that which cannot be replicated perhaps by anybody else. It is the absolutely ludicrous nature of his campaign which has drawn all forms of media sensationalizaiton. However, the method of tapping into the subtle racism of colored politics to win over working-class, and possibly middle-class, Americans can be picked up by many more a seasoned and polished politician. One who could gain respectability and legitimacy even among those who disagree. This would be the true disaster. We must realize the nuanced ways in which white supremacy seeks to infiltrate our politics, and we must rebuke it in the same way in which we rebuke the politics of racial violence. For if America wants to truly see a racial uprising, it needs only to elect another Ronald Reagan. In many ways the 2016 presidential race has been one which has turned America on its head. A race which has explored new channels of conservatism, showcased the ugliest most bigoted versions of America, presented the stale yet ever present classic polished version of liberalism. But perhaps most interesting is an old white haired seemingly mad-scientist like self proclaimed socialist. It is this "socialist" which has arguably sparked the most optimistic growth in American political imagination since - well perhaps, ever. Yet even in the grandest, the most lucid and courageous expansion of the American political mind it is apparently impossible to envision an America separated from white supremacy. The 2016 race has shown us that while universal health care, free college, and general massive re-distributions of wealth are now seemingly political possibilities, the dismantling of anti-black racism is, to even the most "radical" leftists, "not feasible". In his own words (paraphrased of course) Bernie Sanders' plan to solve white supremacy somehow does not include ending white supremacy. Instead, when it comes to racial equity in America, the imagination of this apparently daring political maverick is limited to the same liberal policy formulations which for over the past 40 years have already done virtually nothing to help ease the weight of blackness in America. We have seen in our history that "liberal" and "anti-racist" are not synonymous. The new deal had sharecropping stipulations. The FHA had redlining. The Homestead act and GI bill had anti-black clauses. Welfare reform had work for pay options. Prison reform had the three strike policy. Obamacare had the public option. In nearly every step that we have taken towards a more progressive America white supremacy has found a niche in which it not only survives, but becomes more profound. Policies supposedly aimed at assisting the most downtrodden in our society actually serve as a mechanism for further entrenching white supremacy. What I mean to say is: white liberal policies help white people. Why? Well honestly, it shouldn't be that hard to understand: If you throw resources into a society which bends towards white people, why should it be surprising to find that the resources also ends up disproportionately in the hands of white people? Yet it seems that in large part black people have again forgot what the past has taught us. What is frustrating to me is that we don't need to go to the history books to know that liberal policies don't translate into anti-racist policies. We have a liberal president - a black liberal president - who has presided over 8 years in which black people have lost ground in every major category. In which the police state continues to occupy black communities. In which the carceral state has grown while crime declined. In which k-12 school segregation and inequality remained at massive proportions. In which black healthcare accessibility remained dismal. In which housing disparities went nowhere. We are not even out of this presidency and yet we are already experiencing Democratic amnesia. Some of us still refer to Bill Clinton as the man who presided over America's glory years. A man who was in many ways worse for Black America than was his successor. Some have argued that Sanders' self proclaimed title "democratic socialist" (which itself should be put up to debate) separates him from liberal policies of the past, that somehow socialism (which is pretty much a more intense liberalism) can by itself bring an end to systemic racism in America. These people have been fooled, confusing the idea of economic equality with racial equality. We must understand that socialism, just as with liberalism, is certainly compatible with white supremacy. Bernie Sanders is not a breath of fresh air; he is the same rancid odor that has filled the lungs of Black America for over a century. My question is; How long are we going to keep voting to extend the deadline on white supremacy? “Home to more than 30,000 students and some of the nation's top scholars and researchers, the University of Iowa offers more than 200 areas of study on a vibrant and diverse campus”
There exists an experience on this campus which, despite the cheerful and pluralistic rhetoric that its administration is so fond of, happens to be marked by struggle, depression, and isolation. To be a Black Hawkeye is to be pushed into the margins, vulnerable to psychological violence, tokenized, forgotten, exploited, and – in times of resistance – co-opted and quarantined. Experiences evidenced by the defense of KKK effigies and disconcern with exacerbated graduation and retention gaps, among other things. There is perhaps no more recent an example of this than in the case of the Young, Gifted and Black LLC which black students designed and proposed to the University this summer. In the University’s inability (or unwillingness) to protect its black students from harassment, bias, and discrimination in the Residence Halls came also an inability to recognize that students have more than majors: they have heritages and histories. From this deficiency came a ray of brilliance: Black students at the University decided they’d had enough and drew up a proposal for a Black LLC which would not only celebrate Blackness, but would provide black students with an environment for success at a PWI. Unfortunately, on par with history, from the moment it reached the proverbial hands of the administration the long tedious hours of hard work on this proposal became co-opted and whitewashed for mainstream liberalism. Not only effectively erasing the efforts of marginalized students from the narrative, but also making their work ineffectual. The Young Gifted and Black LLC will only provide justice if adhered to in its purest form. Anything less is a wash. For those of you who don't know, Kendrick Lamar is my favorite artist. Like, ever. And being the nerd that I am being a fanatic entails unnecessary amounts of timing diving into lyrics, interviews, videos, and performances trying to find the messages that he leaves for us. This I guess is really the reason for my adoration of his work; a rhetorical analysis of a Two Chainz video I'm sure would be somewhat short winded. However KDot provides us so much substance that I can feed my nerd cravings for hours on end with just one video.
So when Kendrick came out with the video for his first interlude, "For Free?" I was more than excited because this happens to be the track with in my opinion the best lyrics on To Pimp A Butterfly which is saying something for an album that I don't think has been matched lyrically in this generation. Imagine my disappointment when I go to read the reviews of the video and they were all shallow, poorly thought out, and lacking deliberation. I mean, no one that I read really got it, no one really took the time to study the video, the costumes, the setting, the underlying themes, motifs, etc. Which is sad, because Kendrick Lamar is probably the best writers and rhetoricists (is that a word?) we have in 2015. So I decided to do it myself. If you haven't seen the video I got you right here Lyrics The lyrics of For Free? are presented as a fight between America and Kendrick Lamar (who also is doubling as Black people on a macro scale). The gist of the song is that Kendrick is telling America that "This dick ain't free", playing on the title of the album as Kendrick constantly uses sexual imagery to describe ways in which Black People have been pimped by America. In the song he refuses to work for America, make her rich, make her beautiful music, without being properly compensated for not only his labor, but also his suffering; "Living in captivity raised my cap salary, celery tellin me green is all I need evidently all I seen was spam and raw sardines" and "I need 40 acres and a mule not a 40 ounce and a pitbull". He goes on to get angrier at America, expressing his disgust for her deceitful ways, how she sold him the American dream taking advantage of his trust, while at the same time only being given "Pornos and Poverty" (which again also plays on the sexual imagery of only getting a cheap porno instead of the real thing). He finally cusses out America "Fuck your feelings, Fuck your sources all distortion/ if we fuck its more abortion more divorce courts and portion", and ends with a one liner that wraps everything up "Oh America you bad bitch/ I picked the cotton that made you rich now my dick aint free". The Mansion The setting of For Free? is a mansion which is apparently owned by America who is embodied by a strikingly gorgeous Black woman (I'll get to that later). The beginning scene we are started with a young black man wearing an LA Dodgers hat playing the sax and hanging out of a window which also has an American flag hanging from it, which I think not only is symbolic for what Kendrick sees as his people (young black people from LA) but the flag also asserts that the house is indeed a physical metaphor for America. As we pan out we see that the lawn has been taken over by a black jazz band and choir while America stands angry and disgruntled, next to an Uncle Sam who seems unworried, and a serious looking Kendrick Lamar. America (who I think represents the psyche and conscious of American society) is visibly angry, most likely because she has been confronted about her mistreatment of black people. Kendrick has also asserted Uncle Sam as the American Government in the song proceeding this track on the album, additionally Uncle Sam also serves as to protect America's status quo and comfort her conscious (America tells Kendrick later "I'm gonna get my Uncle Sam to fuck you up") so Uncle Sam could also be institutions such as the media, education, politics, etc that are used to perpetuate American society's pimping of black people. Kendrick goes on to haunt the mansion. Blinds open without anybody opening them on two instances to reveal Kendrick's waiting face, he teleports across a balcony, he makes doors close on their own, he turns from a Jim Crow era statue into himself, he appears in different costumes, makes the lights flicker and change colors, and in the end of the movie the mansion grounds are occupied by what has to be a dozen different Kendrick Lamars. This haunting to me is a metaphor for how the horrors of what Black people have been subjected to so that Americans can live in the "mansion" of American wealth and comfort that they inhabit. This mansion was built on these horrors and Kendrick is the embodiment of them. The mansion is filled with Jim Crow era statues that are caricatures of black people, one of which actually turns into Kendrick Lamar. They portray black people as inhuman, as monkeys, apes, as caricatures of their real selves. I think Kendrick does this to show that America still houses these negative portrayals of Black Americans. These statues could be a metaphor for what is today the "thug" or "ratchet" image that is attached to many black men and women today which allows for America to continually justify subjugation. The cellar scene is of particular interest to me. Kendrick dresses himself as Uncle Sam, America's protector, and tricks her into following him into the cellar where he is shoveling coal into the mansion's heating system. This seems to be a metaphor for the condition in which black people live. Kendrick and his band are housed in the cellar, where they work to keep the mansion running, a possible metaphor for the ghettos and prisons which were created so that suburbs and towns thriving on prison economies could also be erected. As Kendrick angrily confronts America images of the statues pop up again, supplementing Kendrick's anger with grotesque images of how black people were and still are being portrayed. America as a Black Woman??? This threw me for a loop as well. I think Kendrick is trying to show how we've internalized our own oppression. We no longer need white America to feed us the lie of the American dream, and to fill our head with stereotypes of how Black people should live because we've internalized the lies ourselves. The black woman also shows how one dimensional portrayals of black women are in the media. Whether it be rap videos, movies, news clips, magazines, etc. images of scantily clad black women with an attitude is not an uncommon caricature of our ladies. I think it's also worth noting that To Pimp A Butterfly's cast was all black, which I don't think was an accident. Jazz I also saw metaphorical connections with Jazz music and the musicians. Jazz music was the music of the Jim Crow era, an era which contains very strong imagery for Black struggle and so the music and musicians could be a metaphor for black struggle.. The statues in the mansion and which flash on screen in the cellar and are everywhere in the house are also Jim Crow era statues. The jazz music could also be from the era in which the mansion was built so the music and the musicians have always been haunting the mansion and Kendrick Lamar is a new addition which gives the music a voice, just as other artists and leaders have given black struggle a voice. Conclusion The video ends with a scene in which at least a dozen Kendrick Lamar's have taken over the mansion grounds. Some are playing croquet, some are drinking champagne, others are trimming hedges and making the yard their own, the mini van from Kendrick's previous album Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City is in the driveway with several Kendrick Lamar's sitting in and on top of it, and there's even one Kendrick Lamar sitting in the shade of a tree reading a book. I think this is a metaphor for Kendrick and subsequently black people getting the payment they deserve for the services, or rather the takeover of a property that they and their ancestors had built. Many reviewed the video as comical, which to me seems like an ignorant assessment, willful or otherwise. To watch the images given to us in the film and think that the purpose was to be funny is exactly the OPPOSITE of the point is. These images and portrayals are ancient, and were once used for humor. To think that Kendrick would take all of these images and use them for humor is just beyond me. This video was to me an extension of the metaphor that Kendrick had already set up in the audio only version of the track, not comical relief. Congrats Kendrick, you've done it once again. -515 |
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October 2018
Matt BruceViva DSM!! |