"consciousness," commercialization, and the complex moral economy of reggae and hip-hop

*yeah, this has pretty much no connection to anything this blog is ostensibly about, but, meh..*

in "honor" of his recent cocaine trafficking conviction (and grammy award!), i've been enjoying a little buju banton in the office today. arguably one of dancehall and reggae's more influential voices in the last 25 years, i was still hesitant to post a link on my facebook page as unofficial song of the day (as is my wont), largely because of his horrifyingly violent homophobic streak, something that's incredibly common in a genre of music (well, reggae, more than dancehall), that styles itself as protest music, among artists who style themselves as champions of social justice, peace, and love.

at the same time, i realized i wouldn't hesitate to post songs from any number of hip-hop artists, despite the violence, misogyny and homophobia that is all too often a defining characteristic of the genre. ok, well then, is my discomfort greater with reggae because of the gap i perceive between the genre's stated mission and ethos, and its promotion of homophobia? if it is, it probably shouldn't be. just check out the lyrics of "conscious" hip-hop artists like tribe called quest, mos def, and common (rapwhitepeoplelike.com?), all of whom get significant play on my itunes.

how do we rationalize our engagement with (and enjoyment of) songs and artists that we find technically adept, musically compelling, and yet, at least in some circumstances, morally objectionable? one of my favorite answers to this is bryon hurt's documentary "beyond beats and rhymes",

"a riveting documentary that examines representations of gender roles in hip-hop and rap music through the lens of filmmaker Byron Hurt, a former college quarterback turned activist. Conceived as a “loving critique” from a self-proclaimed “hip-hop head,” Hurt examines issues of masculinity, sexism, violence and homophobia in today’s hip-hop culture."

as part of his thesis, he talks about how these are part and parcel of a strategically constructed and commodified portrayal of modern american black masculinity within a genre which, nonetheless, began as legitimate protest (explicit and implicit) against a system of structural violence and oppression of every stripe.

this new york times article from 2004 touches on a couple of interesting issues presented by reggae and dancehall on major record labels (as they increasingly are). commercialization pulls in two directions, with inter-genre and roots reputations being staked on "underground" releases with violent themes intact (and often a sense of a neo-colonial censorship by major labels), and the money being made in mainstream venues in which those themes are no longer acceptable. this is not in any way to claim that record labels, concert promoters and sponsors have an monopoly on the moral high ground. it's just what the market demands. i would suspect that maybe reggae's biggest market, dreadlocked middle class white kids in the global north*,  don't like their "peace and love" package too contradictory or culturally complicated. on the other hand, hurt shows evidence that the commercialization of hip-hop on major labels resulted in the marketing of a certain black masculinity that the demographic with the largest purchasing power (white, suburban, male adolescents) wanted to consume: a violent, misogynist, homophobic hyper-masculinity.

anyway, nothing too coherent here, ultimately. just throwing out some monday afternoon thoughts, and wondering whether anyone has recommendations for articles and books that look at the history, commercialization, and controversies of reggae, the way hurt, bell hooks, jay smooth, and others have considered hip hop.

*yeah, yeah, i know. i don't exactly have citation for this one. whatevs. you live through three tourist seasons in kathmandu and tell me if you don't end up with a serious antipathy for balloon pants, blond dreadlocks, and bob marley cover bands.