Once upon a time in a universe far, far away, HipHopDX used to host blogs. Through Meka, Brillyance, Aliya Ewing and others, readers got unfiltered opinions on the most current topics in and beyond Hip Hop. After a few years, a couple redesigns and the collective vision of three different Editors-In-Chief, blogs are back. Well, sort of. Since our blog section went the way of two-way pagers and physical mixtapes, Twitter, Instagram and Ustream have further accelerated the pace of current events in Hip Hop. Rappers beef with each other 140 characters at a time, entire mixtapes (and their associated artwork) can be released via Instagram, and sometimes these events require a rapid reaction.
As such, we’re reserving this space for a weekly reaction to Hip Hop’s current events. Or whatever else we deem worthy. And the “we” in question is me, Andre Grant and Ural Garrett. Collectively we serve as HipHopDX’s Features Staff. Aside from tackling stray topics, we may invite artists and other personalities in Hip Hop to join the conversation. Without further delay, here’s this week’s “Stray Shots.”
Did Spike Lee or Chance The Rapper Have The Better Point?
Andre: That trailer lit a fire under the arses of a great many people. Spike Lee, the most precocious and arguably the most brilliant black filmmaker of our generation has been attacked with real vitriol after his Chi-Raq trailer hit the web. Jumping to conclusions has never been more on point. He’s been accused of making a film about Chicago but not with Chicago. First, it was casting Nick Cannon in the lead. Then it was not using enough Chicagoans in the film (Jennifer Hudson doesn’t count) and then it was the premise: why make a film about as serious a situation as Chicago’s murder rate using Lysistrata? For those that don’t know, that play was created in Athens sometimes around 411 BC. It’s about Lysistrata crafting the audaciously ridiculous plan to get the women of Greece to stop making love to their husbands or lovers, forcing the men into negotiations for peace. The goal that time was ending the Peloponnesian War.
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It just so happens that the problem of violence in Chicago has reached that of Greek proportions. So here comes swaggering in our general to show that through satire. It would be an understatement to say that nobody got it, at first.
Chance The Rapper had these things to say about the film:
Yeah. That sort of reaction is problematic for the young G considering he hadn’t seen the film when he tweeted those things. Here are a few things wrong with his gut:
- It’s strange that an artist should lambast another artist purely for being provocative.
- Spike is not without reproach, but, at least, ask J-Hud or Nick Cannon for a copy.
- His father is at least tangentially related to the political system in Chicago
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Then the reviews started to roll in. First, a glowing review from the Chicago Sun-Times and then another glowing review from NYMag. They’d continue. All of a sudden, the jury that was once firmly on the side of Spike exploiting their pain for profit were confronted with a possible alternative. Maybe the damn thing was actually good.
So for all the criticism, Spike Lee seems to have made another film that shook up the notions of being black in America. It’s awkward that, even now, as some unknown black person is being gunned down in the street or dying in their cell at the hands of those we pay to protect us, that we continue to participate in the stereotype of the black person who can’t face their races issues. It’s tough, but necessary sometimes. Especially when Spike offers you a chance to take a second look at things from a different perspective. So was Chance wrong? Absolutely. Just not as wrong as you might think. And while that doesn’t make Spike right, at least, make up your own minds and go see the movie.
Ural G: Viewing Chi-Raq during a midnight screening around the time of its release, the film is not only Spike Lee’s most inventive film since Bamboozled, but features the best commentary on American gun violence since Michael Moore’s classic documentary Bowling For Columbine. Using Lysistrata as a base was a clever idea for two specific reasons. First, the original Greek play featured dialogue of rhyming couplets and Chi-Raq mostly stays in line with that notion. Considering Lee’s track record in placing Hip Hop near the forefront going as far back as Do The Right Thing, it’s a fairly fresh blend of historic theater and rap sensibilities. Second, Lysistrata’s ridiculous narrative device of utilizing a sex-strike allowed Lee to speak the dangers of hypermasculinity in the present context. If anything, Chi-Raq could have taken place anywhere within the United States. Using the media’s favorite go-to city in referencing everything from contemporary “black-on-black” crime to police brutality gives the film a hyper-realism that is slated to make folks uncomfortable on various sides of the coin. This is what great, thought provoking cinema does. Lee is really the only mainstream black filmmaker left that doesn’t have to solely rely on dramas, romcoms or action romps for attention. Yes, the Hip Hop generation is intelligent enough to get satire.
Clearly, the film has divided Chicago’s community. Chi-Raq’s opening scene features cameos from Young Chop, Vic Mensa and even extremely local acts like Don Perrion. That’s beside homegrown acting talent from the Windy City including Jennifer Hudson, John Cusack, and Harry Lennix. Hell, Father Pfleger does the film’s opening monolog. Then there’s the soundtrack itself featuring everyone’s favorite pedophile R. Kelly, Tink, and other Chicagoans. On the flipside Lil Durk said the film should have been like Straight Outta Compton, Rhymefest took various shots at Lee and then Chance The Rapper became the official anti-Chi-Raq critic following some fairly straightforward tweets. In the most Spike Lee way possible, the clap back was filled with wit and hard truth:
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“Chance the Rapper should say, full disclosure, his father works for the mayor. If he’s so concerned about Chicago, do your research, show me where he’s made a criticism about the mayor. I think your findings will be surprising. He has not criticized the mayor. Why? His father works for the mayor.”
As the streets of Chicago are now littered with protesters demanding current mayor Rahm Emanuel to step down, that’s a brutally honest assessment. Everything from the week-long Chicago Teachers Union strike of 2012 to the recent controversial murders of both Laquan McDonald and Jason Van Dyke all happened on his watch. Let’s not even forget Rekia Boyd or Tyshawn Lee. Placing the Surf emcee as a direct beneficiary to someone working for a clearly corrupt government administration leaves lots of questions. This is almost the equivalent to rappers outing other rappers for working with the feds. Is it safe to say that Chief Keef has more balls than Chance in calling out probably one of the most devious mayoral administrations in recent history? Probably so. Then again, Chance is slated to have a guest appearance on this week’s episode of Saturday Night Live. He’s reached a level of pop culture acceptance that makes him impervious to the “angry black man” notions of Lee.
And for the record, Nick Cannon’s role in Chi-Raq could be the equivalent to Marlon Wayan’s breakout role in Requiem For A Dream. Dude can really act despite coming from a comedic background.
Andre Grant is an NYC native turned L.A. transplant that has contributed to a few different properties on the web and is now the Features Editor for HipHopDX. He’s also trying to live it to the limit and love it a lot. Follow him on Twitter @drejones.
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Ural Garrett is a Los Angeles-based journalist and HipHopDX’s Senior Features Writer. When not covering music, video games, films and the community at large, he’s in the kitchen baking like Anita. Follow him on Twitter @Uralg.
