I'm gonna keep this one short, but basically I've been thinking a lot about the direction of this blog. I originally did the whole "Robot" thing to sort of take my own biases out of the equation when I write (even use of the word "I" was pretty sparse at first). And though that has worked pretty well in my humble opinion, I'm starting to feel like it is limiting me in what I can and can't write. This has something to do with the lessened number of posts since I first started, which was July? August? Since I started this thing, I've had maybe 10 or 12 ideas for posts, that after a paragraph or two in just didn't feel right to me. I would try and wait for the writer's block to pass, and pretty soon the story itself was yesterday's news and not worth publishing. Even now, there are maybe two posts I have that I wasn't able to publish as is. My new direction is for me to write what I feel should be published, not trying to conform to any particular alias. Robot or otherwise. But I was supposed to keep this short. New alias, new layout, new address, new topics.
In less than ten words: the-redefinition.blogspot.com coming soon.
Maintenance and Changes to the Site
The Progressive Spider-Man?
I know I'm pretty late, as this was an inauguration issue of the Amazing Spider-Man!1 but it came back to mind after seeing this via Twitter via Questlove via Toure via some guy's comic book blog. It's one of many attempts by various comic book series to ironically throw race relations in the face of a comic book demographic that typically has "relations" rarely, if at all. The particular issue of Superman in the link, for those of you who don't want to bother reading it, basically revolves around Lois Lane becoming a (way hotter) Black version of herself in order to do an assignment in the "Little Africa" section of Metropolis. Of course, in typical comic book style, this can only be done using a machine(the Plastimold) that has virtually no utility outside of this particular story 2,3. One flip of the transformoflux pack (what?) and Lois Lane gets blown off by a taxi, stared at on the subway and shot at by gangsters in no time; the everyday Little Africa (read: Black) experience.
This type of (albeit corny) socially aware comic is not that rare. There have been other times in which topical issues were woven into comic book storylines. This was most common in the Silver Age, which not surprisingly occurred during the bulk of the Civil Rights movement in the United States. When my grandfather went to the hospital to stay shortly before he died (I was six or seven when he left), he gave me a dozen or so comic books, some older than others, dating back to the 70s. A few of them were Green Lantern comics, some with John Stewart, the native of fictional South Nambia. This particular issue not so subtly puts South Africa on frontstreet about Apartheid and racial injustices in the country. I believe I remember one frame in which a guy gets whipped, which I thought was bizarre, since by first grade a rather mild depiction of slavery was the only experience I had with such a scene. This comic, combined with the A, B, and C encyclopedia "collection" we had, I was soon the youngest kid in the neighborhood that knew the politics of South African Apartheid (Thanks, Green Lantern!)
At any rate, I think that it's pretty cool that guys like Denny O'Neill and whoever wrote that Green Lantern issue would incorporate whatever racial issue of the day into a media with a fanbase who could probably give a f*ck less about Apartheid or what it's like to blow out an afro. Even if it is out of some cheesy attempt to appeal to Black people (doubtful), they still deserve props, in my opinion, for stepping out of the box when it wasn't popular, unlike Stan Lee and the minds at Marvel, who had waited until Obama took office to try and capitalize on a first Black president. Not to mention the obvious "Terrorist Fist-Jab" thrown in.
1. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I feel like Peter Parker would be way too goofy to effectively "pound it".
2. Apparently this is an issue of "Lois Lane", which was basically a noncanonical offshoot of the actual Superman series exclusively about the exploits of Lois Lane (cooking, cleaning, reporting). Which explains how this ridiculous machine was introduced several issues back.
3. Doesn't the Plastimold remind you of the machine they used in Interstella 5555 (made popular by Daft Punk in "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger")? It must have been the prototype.
currently listening to:
"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger"
by Daft Punk
Discovery
Real Hip Hop?
The question (which technically isn't a question since it's not a sentence) is almost inescapable now. Personally I'm tired of hearing it, but I know that it isn't going away. This probably isn't a stance that you would expect from me, but I think people are taking it TOO seriously. In fact I think people are deluding themselves into thinking they like particular artists so they can be seen as eclectic or what have you, when in actuality they're becoming more close-minded by only listening to your Asher Roths or Charles Hamiltons. Not that I don't have anything against them (actually I don't like what I've heard from either that much, so guess I retract that last statement.) The point is that way too many people feel like conscious rap is the only thing worth listening to. But they fail to see that rap is more then the lyrics, or the music, or the sum of the two. Not that conscious rap always has great lyricists; and with everyone trying to be different, they're really being more of the same.
I like UGK (RIP Pimp C). Always have, always will.
I like Outkast. Even though they didn't achieve star status until Speakerboxx/The Love Below, I stay nodding my head to Aquemini, which was much more loyal to their Southern roots.
Hell, I even like listening to Young Jeezy and Gucci Mane from time to time.
But I don't like the fact that people write off Southern rap as if it's second tier. To be honest, a lot of artists aren't talking about anything, even some of your favorite "Alt-Rap" purveyors. Kid Cudi isn't exactly spitting gems in "Day and Night", but people are so wrapped up in being "different" that he's somehow supposed to be the next big thing. I might sound like I'm hating, but I like to think I'm firing off on behalf of the South. Lil' Wayne catches a lot of flack, even though he's currently running the game. I've said as much as anyone that my problem with Wayne is that he's pretty inconsistent, and frequently does better guest verses than he does on his own albums.
Essentially my problem with this new wave of artists is that they are receiving more credit than they are due, in my opinion. One thing that my favorite generation of rappers all have in common is that they were grinding for a long time before they became famous. From Jay-Z to Scarface to Master P, to any number of artists that made their name known in the 90s, they ALL had to pay their dues. Whether you like them or not, these guys worked very hard for whatever success they ended up getting. The presence of the internet now lets anyone post any sort of content however they want for everyone to see... er, not that there's anything wrong with THAT (looks around nervously). My point being, its hard for me to take anyone seriously who doesn't seem to take their own craft seriously. So when I hear of Kid Cudi entering retirement, it makes me just shake my head, don the earphones, and transport myself to the time when artists made music like it was their way of life, not just their way to fame.
currently listening to:
"Music For Life"
by Hi-Tek featuring J. Dilla, Nas, Common, and Busta Rhymes
Hi-Teknology2: The Chip