So I could not help but think of the "We Are The World" remake when I was reading George Lipsitz article about Hip-Hop, post-colonial era, and this concept of "diasporic intimacy". Although, this remake and motives behind it are questionable, it just amazed me when I listened to the original version versus the remake and I cannot help but laugh in the middle of the song and its "Hip-Hop Breakdown" (auto-tune and all) from Hip-Hop artists like Lil Wayne, LL Cool J, T-Pain, Kanye West, Akon, Swizz Beats, Wyclef Jean, Snoop Dogg, and Will.i.am.Lipsitz states in his article about "diasporic intimacy" where social movements, like Hip-Hop, are a response to global oppression that links cultural production and reception among people of African descent in the Caribbean (Haiti), the U.S, Europe, and African. I found this article and this song amazing because it really illustrates just how diasporic Hip-Hop is and how it was used to help people in Haiti, a country that has had its own devastating histories in this "post-colonial" era.
The song title itself explains the significance that Hip-Hop has gained throughout the African diaspora..."We Are The World" = Hip-Hop in its literal state. Quincy Jones and Lionel Ritchie must have known this as well, since it would seem rather odd to remake a song titled "We Are The World" and not have another representation of Hip-Hop present in the song or video. The fact that this "international dialogue" between African-descended people through Hip-Hop from U.S artists to the devastated African-Haitians is acknowledged in the song and video proves that even though Hip-Hop culture may have started in New York, Hip-Hop's roots come from in Haiti, the rest of the Caribbean, Africa, and Europe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Glny4jSciVI
I agree that this version of "We Are The World" is proof to the universality of hip-hop music. In "Diasporic Noise" by Georg Lipsitz this is also a central claim. In the article, Afrika Bambaataa is quoted as saying, "You can do anything with rap music...you can go from the past to the future to what's happening now." Rap has always been a form of resistance to oppression or hardship. As times change, I think that it is inevitable that the subjects and locations change as well. I think that good rappers are able to bring the ideology at the heart of early hip-hop to what is current and relevant to them now. A good example of this was Lil Wayne, who embodied his frustrations about Hurricane Katrina and the government and media's response to it in his lyrics.
ReplyDeleteI get this post and how this song is so clearly demonstrative of the African diaspora and it's connections to hip-hop, but I am also worried about something else that Lipsitz mentioned regarding the commodification of this connection. When we look at the picture attached to this blog, we see a group of different faces, background, cultural discourses and people. Amazingly, the bringing together of all of these people for the cause of Haiti is a great thing, but I am now wondering if the connection between ethnic struggle (earthquake in Haiti) and various ethno-minorities has now become the subject of commodification and a secondary means to economic gains. According to Lipsitz "The diasporic conversation within hip-hop, Afro-beat, jazz and many other Black musical forms provides a powerful illustration of the potential for contemporary commercialized leisure to carry images, ideas, and icons of enormous political importance between cultures."
ReplyDeleteI couldn't help but think after this quote of the difference between say Barbra Streisand and Will.i.am, they are not in the same economic sphere, however, they each have various political and economic connections regarding their influence, she has the money and he the culture. However, it's for these reasons that they have collaborated on this project.
I do, however, greatly enjoy this dialogue between the African, Caribbean and North American musical experience with hip-hop as a necessary agent.
I have an ideas of the possible motivations of the remake of the song “We are the world”. I don’t feel that this song was a way of commodifying the earthquake Haiti for the artist economic gain. In addition, I don’t feel that the usage of hip hop was necessary either because the song would have been profitable because of the diversity of artists on the song. There was much variation in gender, race, culture, class, and social class amongst the singers & rappers. I do believe however hip hop in this song was commodified for social gain moreso than economic. Hip hop has developed a “rough” image and with hip hop artists and rappers being on the song helped soften that image of hip hop. Lipsitz discusses this idea of social commodification in his article when he says “whatever role they serve in the profit-making calculations of the music industry, these expressions also serve as exemplars of post-colonial culture with direct relevance to the rise of new social movements emerging in response to the imperatives of global capital and its attendant austerity and oppression. Thus, I agree with Tichina’s discussion of what is being commodified from this remake and what is being gained.
ReplyDeleteI believe this post goes back to a lot of our previous blogs on hip/hop and hip/hop style becoming so easily commodified and this is definitely another example. And in the Lipsitz article he talks about the universality of that culture which is also shown through this song seeing as it was something shown to the nation for the purpose of raising money for a terrible disaster. I agree with Tichina's discussion as well....Because it is interesting to see how the picture above is dominated by r&b and hip/hop artists. Although this is being done for a good cause is commodification occurring?
ReplyDeleteI just watched the music video of this song and I don't think I've cringed so much in years. The whole time I was wondering "where is Bono? Where the hell is Bono!?"
ReplyDeletepoxiejunior asks "Although this is being done for a good cause is commodification occurring?" My answer is hell yes! I think the Lipsitz reading led us to question whether working within the system (as new social movements do) and therefore necessarily becoming commodified in the process is "bad." But here I think the music has been polished so much that the subversive power inherent in the hip-hop genre has been eliminated. As a friend just said about this song: "it's pure kitch."
I like the connections with Lipsitz you're making. Thinking about how Hati refers to the article, it's successful slave revolution comes to mind as well as the difficulties in remedying a colonial past while making a new future. What I'm struggling with is how this song/video is being used as a tool for progressive social change, a key idea in Lipsitz' piece. In "We Are the World." The lack of defining actors and roles in the historical dialogue that brought Hati to where it is today is frustrating for me and I don't really see any contradictions being explored or examined outright which is where this song and Lil' Wayne's songs referencing Katrina split: Wayne brings up a history of racism and marginalization and points to actors.
ReplyDeleteMy understanding of “diasporic intimacy” from Paul Gilroy’s article is that it can be a shared experience of powerlessness. “It is not the culture which binds the people who are of partially African origin now scattered throughout the world but an identity of passions” (Ellison, 1964:263, quoted by Gilroy 1991:159). I would like to elaborate on Lena Foote’s use of “international dialogue”: it is the sentiment - the sentiment of being or becoming as a whole – which makes the “international dialogue” possible. The musical form and style (rap, hip hop, R&B) are sort of secondary. They just serve as a medium or a tool.
ReplyDeleteI think this song "We are the World" remake has just put this notion that Hip hop culture want to care, but as we see the different rappers and singers are trying to show there 'concerns.' By them doing that society would care because the so called big shots in media is expressing the need of Haiti. Haiti is a predominately black people, so by the blacks, who are engaged into the hip hop culture, it show the connection. It also show the African Disaporic of hip hop exposure across the world. In this video you see people from different culture but are still seen as blackness. But to put Black people who ap about violence shouldn't be representing to the media that their concerned because they're only trying to help the audience to get involved in commodification.
ReplyDeleteI think I agree with Kourtney's and Steve's response the most. I can see the connection in the Lipsitz reading in comparison to diasporic intimacy. I feel the song had excellent intentions. And that when just looking at the image and caliber of the individuals part of this song. But I also do feel that the song as whole is a great representation. But hip hop was being commodified. I don't feel hip hop was necessary to use to have an effect on the nation to help Haiti. I actually feel hip hop was misunderstood when represented in this song. I mean when "We are the world" originally came out, hip hop was present and very big but was not commodified. It was totally different respect and appreciation I believe. i think this video just shows a lot on commodification on things that people feel has a major effect on others.
ReplyDeleteI found Priscilla's comment to be very helpful in understanding this case. While hip-hop has very specific origins, it can be used as a medium itself to represent a message - for instance Gilroy's "diasporic intimacy." This is not to say that hip-hop is actually a neutral medium, but it has the ability to become a global medium for creating meaning. As an art form, it has its roots in subversiveness and counterculture - and thus I can see how it can be used by those that share diasporic intimacy.
ReplyDeleteLipsitz wrote that "the significance of these seemingly ephemeral works of popular culture goes far beyond their role as commodities" because the "potential for commercial leisure to carry images, ideas, and icons of enormous political importance between cultures." In my opinion this recording does not qualify as a work of cultural significance. It does have value beyond simple commercialism- the artists are trying to raise money for Haiti. The original song was recorded as a charity single as well, and this remake is a super collaboration that does little to create any cultural dialogue, but it does serve its purpose to raise money. It is simply a reality that hip-hop, which was once a subversive alternative culture, is now often watered down and packaged to appeal to a mass audience in order to make money. Of course songs recorded for a good cause are elevated to a level of kitsch that would be unforgivable under ordinary circumstances. The commodity here is not as much what is being said, but who's participating.
ReplyDeleteI think Olivia's comment brings us back to square one, the artists ARE trying to raise money for Haiti; and I agree completely with her post. Although we are trying to relate this hip-hop charity single to Lipsitz' discussion on the African diasporic nature of this genre, I feel that we may be stretching our arguments to make a point. Indeed, as commenters have said, people in Haiti are black, and yes African Americans do perform hip-hop. Yet, I highly doubt that this was a ploy to reach out to the nature of the African community, rather a well constructed song that Americans would buy and indirectly donate to a country desperate in need. Gilroy refers to black's "universal identification," yet I truly believe that this song is much more than a representation of color and understanding. As Olivia so brilliantly says, "[hip-hop] is now often watered down and packaged to appeal to a mass audience." Indeed, this was the sole intent of the song.
ReplyDeleteLipsitz says, “[h]ip hop expresses a form of politics perfectly suited to the post-colonial era. It brings a community into being through performance, and it maps out real and imagined relations between people that speak to the realities of displacement, disillusion, and despair created by the austerity economy of post-industrial capitalism”…”it blends music and life into an integrated totality, uniting performers, dancers, and listeners in a collaborative effort” (36). Going of off Steve’s comment, the re-creation of “We are the World” is taming the counterculture and subversiveness of hip hop in order for it to be consumed and deemed a social movement over a capitalist one. As we discussed in previous classes, difference has to be easy and safe to consume. The group singing this rendition is a representation of performed diversity in that it is a “unified” community from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds coming together for a good cause. Yet, all of the singers involved are famous and a league above, in status, of the individual groups they represent. Therefore, this remake perpetuates a privileged discourse and feeds the notion that it is the powerful who will be heard. This song can be seen as a humanitarian effort because of its relief efforts toward Haiti, but there are political, economic, and cultural tendencies inextricably attached. It is seen as a collaborative effort of involvement between the famous, the desperate (Haitians), and “commoners,” yet there is a discourse of imagined equality and unity here. Another thing to thing about is how Michael Jackson comes into play. His “person/icon” continues to be commodified after his death. It is interesting to compare the Michael Jackson performance and this new communal performance of “We are the World.” In a sense, Michael Jackson could be seen as embodying blackness, whiteness, adulthood, childhood, wealth, poverty, respected, repulsed, etc, in what could be termed his “freakish” body. The new communal performance embodies these notions as a whole to represent diversity. Although both renditions may have had good intentions of being a positive, unifying social movement, it would be superficial to not consider the economic tendencies underlying- commodification.
ReplyDeleteI agree with many people who posted but the ones that stick out the most are Kortney and Antionette. I do think that the connection was trying to be made by the group being primary black and the people of Haiti and i do think that the video give hip hop a softer more caring appeal. I can definitely say that they commodified the heck out of this video but what can we do now a days anything that can be commodified will be commodified.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all the previous comments “We Are The World" is a great example of how hip hop has been a universal language for black people. In this instance this song was use to bring people of all different backgrounds together in efforts to help Haiti victims. I think when ever Hip Hop is used it will always have diasporic intimacy because of its history …music has always been used as a tool to fight oppression in the black community so that connection will never end.
ReplyDeleteYou all make great points. However, there were a few things that stuck out in my mind. Lipsitz makes a great point when he states that, "Hip-Hop culture brings to a world audience the core values of music from the most Sub Saharan African cultures. It blends music and life into an integrated totality, uniting performers, dancers, and listeners in a collaborative endeavor"(36). I agree with Audrey when she states that we must see that the purpose of choosing this article is not to point out the methods in which the song was made-raising money. Yea, that's a given in my opinion. However, I feel that this entire discussion is definitely one that is packed with many discrepancies and ambiguities. One thing is clear based on the quote from the article is that Hip-Hop goes past New York as some of you mentioned earlier. This also ties into the myth of discovery in which we determine the roots of true Hip-Hop and where would we say its authenticity lies. However, I think a collaboration of all different types of people coming together is crucial to carry out a point in which it doesn't matter if you're black or white or an Oriental, as long as you give in this case. However, one other issue i had with this choice of song and diversity in people represented here shows that they unite together for cause greater than themselves and seemingly to mask the fact that we still live in a society where racism exists, and we be it marginalized or privileged people, can look at this image and listen to this song while trying to enjoy the freedom and "equality within difference" that our country has grown to be a "representation" of.
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