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Dave Chappelle's Block Party, directed by Michel
Gondry. Rogue Pictures, 2006, 100 minutes.
The Other Side of Hip
Hop by Todd Skousen
At the 2006 Academy Awards presentation on March 5, the
audience witnessed a shocking event, one that I thought could never happen: Three
6 Mafia, a crude Southern rap group, won the Oscar for their song, "It's Hard Out
Here for a Pimp." The only question I had while watching their raucous acceptance
speech was how long it would take before that Oscar was hanging from a gold chain
around Three 6 member Juicy J's neck. Host Jon Stewart couldn't help but poke
fun, pointing out Three 6 Mafia's lead over Martin Scorsese in number of Oscars
won. Stewart's reaction, as well as my own, reflects the common misconception of
the modern rap star: all bling and no talent.
| | Todd
Skousen is a senior majoring in economics at Rollins College and an aspiring
screenwriter. |
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Underneath the widespread image of violent, greedy, sexist, and "krunk" rap
stars dominating the mainstream rap and hip hop industry lies an underground hip
hop scene which combines intelligent lyrics with jazz, blues, and funk rhythms to
deliver a constructive message for black culture. In his witty, upbeat
documentary, "Dave Chappelle's Block Party," the host of Comedy Central's
"Chappelle's Show" issues an open invitation to anyone who wants to witness the
energetic performance of these lesser known hip hop stars. Leaving his racially
driven sketch comedy behind (for the most part) Chappelle creates a casual
atmosphere which relaxes the audience and allows the music to take hold.
Chappelle loves hip hop music and is not afraid to share it with anyone willing
to listen. Throughout "Block Party," director Michel Gondry alternates between
the two elements of the party: the live musical performances themselves and
Chappelle's inviting the public to attend his free bash. Setting the tone for the
later musical performances, Chappelle is clearly being himself when speaking to
the public. Everything is impromptu, light, and free as he invites members of his
Ohio community to board a charter bus to his party. This includes everyone from
an all-black marching band to the 60-year-old white woman who sells him
cigarettes. Despite Chappelle's willingness to invite people of all demographics,
however, the audience at the show is almost exclusively black. Chappelle even
comments on stage that he sees "five thousand black people . . . twelve white
people peppered in the crowd . . . can anyone find a Mexican?" The
contrast between the audience's makeup and the high percentage of white people
who purchase hip hop albums brings up the question: if white people love the
albums, why aren't they coming to the concert? No matter the answer, one thing is
certain: they missed a great show. |
| If white people love hip
hop albums, why aren't they coming to the concerts?
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An element of hip hop overlooked by the casual observer is that many hip
hoppers actually possess musical talent. ?uestlove (pronounced "Questlove"), the
afro-sporting drummer for hip hop group The Roots, arranged all the music for
"Block Party" and plays drums throughout the film. ?uestlove assembles a racially
integrated house band that fuses jazz influenced by the improvisation of
Thelonius Monk, blues in the Chicago style of Muddy Waters, and funk a la James
Brown to create a smooth, relaxing groove over which each emcee (vocalist)
delivers his or her performance. Unfortunately, the innate problems of recording
a live concert prevent the film audience from fully experiencing the energy of a
hip hop concert; on film the songs tend to be vocally driven, whereas in person
the music drives each song. Despite these problems, ?uestlove's house band
provides excellent backup for the lyricists. The lyrical content in "Block
Party" is almost exclusively directed towards the black community, despite the
different directions each emcee takes in presentation. One of the highlights of
the concert is Mos Def's "Shine Your Light on the World," a song urging black
people to rise above stereotypes and show others what they are capable of. This
song's encouraging message is in stark contrast to the incendiary "Hip Hop" by
Dead Prez, which places blame for racial injustice on both white society and the
greedy rappers who would rather have "a Lexus than justice." Unfortunately, Dead
Prez suffer from the same problem that plagued Bob Dylan: great lyrics, but
unintelligible delivery. While rap and hip hop are usually thought of as
disdainful toward women, this concert emphasizes the love that these particular
artists have for their female counterparts. The musical numbers are marked by an
emphasis on female participation. Erykah Badu and Jill Scott provide soulful
additions to a male-dominated music scene, while Lauryn Hill reunites with her
old group, the Fugees, and finishes the Block Party with the beautiful and
ethereal song "Killing Me Softly." As "Block Party" comes to a close,
director Michel Gondry cannot help but add some politics to this mostly fun
movie. Wyclef Jean of the Fugees asks several of the black marching band members
what they would do if they were president. The kids give back the usual answers
of those who believe in an all-powerful government: scholarships to everyone who
needs one and health care for all. All the other band members cheer for those
answers. At first, I was disappointed that such a poorly thought out answer was
being promoted, but then Wyclef gave these college students a more profound
message. He said: every ghetto still has a library. If kids in the ghetto use
their minds and stop blaming problems on others, they can rise above and still
achieve great things. "Block Party" is a different kind of hip hop than
that which is reviled in the mainstream media. Intelligent, comical, and fun, it
gives an all too rare look at the other side of hip hop.
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