Ghetto Metal, huh? Wow. At the very least, this challenges the assertion–backed up largely by much of Maureen Mahon’s scholarly work–that Black rock has resided in the province of the Black middle class. Like Jay-Z gives props to Dre on "The Watcher", these guys–DMX, M-1 of Dead Prez, and Bazaar Royale–give props to the Black Rock Coalition but, I suspect, that’s where it may stop. As M-1 says in his PSA: "It’s a whole ‘nother interpretation when it’s been on crack. It’s a whole ‘nother interpretation when it’s been in prison all its life." Fair enough. Take a look at M-1’s PSA:
Now, check out Mr. Man’s
There are also PSAs from Bazaar Royale, DJ Mark Ronson and NYOIL.
Of course, there’s a whole site devoted to this, which you can get to here.
Good news is that the idea of rock being something that Black people can own seems to have finally made its way into the ‘hood. The downside is that they may be painting themselves into the same corner as hip hop. I wonder if the rock sound is just being used as another way to highlight aggression and the frustration of that exists in the nation’s inner cities. That’s fine, but I would hope that these Ghetto Metal-headz reach out to the larger Black rock and Afropunk communities, which could at least help shape a broader discussion of, and engagement with, political issues in the African American community. It could be the start of a youth movement that crosses and galvanizes across socio-economic lines.
That’s exciting.
Major hat tip to Clyde Smith for the heads-up.
