Monday, April 27, 2009

The first nigga that I saw--hit 'em in the jaw/Re: So Aggressive

I would be lying if I claimed the ability to take NWA's album seriously the first time I heard it. With lines like the title, I was laughing the entire time--no room to be offended or horrified or anything but amused; it sounds like a parody of itself. 

Of, course, once one gets past the incredibly dated early 90's vibe and takes another listen, there's the fact that these lyrics are supposed to represent a real place, real people. I have to agree with Emily post: that in many ways, they've failed at the latter by refusing to acknowledge one side of themselves that surely exists. I would argue (and her post did not negate this) that by hiding it, though, they lend themselves even more credibility by staying within this ridiculous masculinity because it is what is required where they come from. 

What I liked even more, though, was something I noticed in Fuck Tha Police. After MC Ren is entreated to "give his testimony," he says 
       
 Fuck tha police and Ren said it with authority
because the niggaz on the street is a majority. 

which just brings the whole thing back to this machismo power struggle. More niggaz means they get to say whatever they want, and he's bringing the police into it. He keeps it up by accusing the police of being afraid of him and of having a "fake-assed badgeBasically, I think he's accusing the police of putting up a front when that's exactly what he's doing himself, as Emily so aptly noted. Whether he notices this contradiction is up in the air, but I would guess not. 

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