Newspaper Page Text
March 18, 1992
Flagpole Magazine
Page 15
Book Marks
The Emergency of
Black and the Emergency of Rap
Edited by John Michael Spencer
(Duke University Press, 1991)
Rap as we all know one of the most popular and influential forms of music today. What many people don’t know,
however, is the true heritage of the musical form. The Emergency of Black and the Emergency of Rap is a new literary
compilation that has brought together a number of scholars of African American culture to discuss the origins of rap and
the implications that the music has on our society today.
The book is a special issue of Black Sacred Music: A Journal of Theomusicology and it provides a good balance of
thought on rap's history, influences, and controversies. The first essay, for instance, deals with the coming of age of hip
hop culture in the mid to late eighties. The piece provides a chronological survey of artists who turned rap from what was
perceived to be a passing fad into a fixture in our society. Other essays explore the religious influences in rap. For example,
the Islamic ideas in Public Enemy’s music is discussed in one piece, and the image of MC Hammer as a Shaman is written
about in another.
The book also goes on to address some of the more controversial issues that rap has created or exposed in recent
years. One essay is an interesting evaluation of 2 Live Crew’s lyrics from a feminist’s standpoint as well as a look at the
harsh and potentially racist public treatment that many rap artists have received. The essay draws its evidence from recent
controversies where groups such as Public Enemy and 2 Live Crew were subjected to heavy criticism for their lyrical
content, while other performers such as, Andrew Dice Clay, Madonna, and Motley Crew were given considerably softer
treatment.
The Emergency of Black and the Emergency of Rap is a book that gives deep insights into what rap is all about. Many
people see rap as only a passing fad but the longevity of the musical form disproves this type of thinking. The music is
now a part of mainstream society but many people don't really understand where it came form and where its going. This
book has done a good job of clearing up some of the myths and mystery that surround rap and it leaves you with a better
understanding of what the music is trying to accomplish. If your interested in getting a copy of this book you can write to
Marketing Department, Duke University Press, 6697 College Station, Durham, North Carolina, 27708.
Charles Weeks
Earthworks
Lousiana Pacific Pollution
Some things will never change...like public hearings,
went to the Louisiana Pacific wafer board plant re-permitting
hearing that took pace in Nicholson on March 10. It was just
a friendly suggestion. Stephen didn’t know that I would end
up spending a night like many others I’d-spent before. It
was like watching that Star Trek Movie where Spock really
dies, but without the hope of a sequel. I knew the action
going on in front of me was all wrong. Every citizen who
spoke at the hearing was begging for the LP plant to be shut
down. People who live near the
plant described their health
problems, people described
smoke of several different col
ors emanating from the stacks,
and the fact that LP has been
operating outside of state pol
lution regulations for several
years was brought up At the
end of the meeting the repre
sentative from the Georgia En
vironmental Protection Division
(EPD) said that he was going to recommend that LP be
re-permitted despite the fact that LP has a decades long
record (which spans 14 plants of this type) of tying up the
government of various states in permitting requests and
court actions while they continue to pollute. By looking at
LP’s history of repeating the same tactics in each state it
builds a plant, some have come to the conclusion that LP
knew that they were building a plant that didn’t comply with
state pollution regulations.
The citizens of Jackson, Madison, and Clarke
counties stated that they did not approve, but the plans
move on. More Public Hearing on this issue may still occur
as Gwen O’Looney has requested a hearing in Clarke
county. Keep an eye and ear out for further activity on this
issue, and be sure to let your state representatives know
that you won’t allow this state to sacrifice the health of the
citizens or the environment for the purpose of economic
growth. Just like Spock can’t die on Star Trek, the EPD can’t
allow a LP to continue taking advantage of Georgians.
Anniversary
500 years since Columbus stumbled into the Americas
and caused a great deal of ghef for those who were ajready
living here, a friendly European invasion is scheduled to
take place this year, The European Peace Pilgrimage 1992.
This group is going to
walk from King’s Bay Tri
dent Submarine Base in
Saint Mary’s Georgia
2,700 miles to the Nevada
Nuclear Test Site to urge
for 1) recognition of Na
tive American land rights
2) adoption of a Compre
hensive Test Ban Treaty
for all nuclear weapons
(often tested on native
people’s lands) 3) a clean environment. If you would like to
walk with the Peace Pilgrimage March 23 would be an
excel lent day as the group will be hitting all of the happening
spots in Atlanta. For details call Pamela Blockey-O’Brien
between 12-4 PM on Tuesday through Friday.
Spring has sprung...or at least it will have by the vernal
equinox on March 21. Do something outside. Hike through
a wild area, walk by a river, canoe in a puddle, take off all
your clothes and dance around a bonfire, get out of the
house lit is important that we all see the splendor of our
world. We need to have grand happy memories of our world
if we are going to maintain the energy and will power
neeaed to preserve it. After you write your angry letters to
the State and after you march for peace, take a nap outside.
Tony Abbott
...LP has a
long record of tying
up the government in
permitting requests
and court actions
while they continue
to pollute.
SPRING HOUSE
“The old fashion taste”
BBQ: Beef • Chicken
• Ribs • Pork
Try our Grilled Tuna <& So/.. Burgers
Ice Cold Beer
?' . ILu-pi's. JVS40 Broad St.,
v 11-10 — Sun f _> (next to the Stop)
(\l i <?
U . I V
546-0697
Make Room for the Art!
We Did...
Art, Art, and More Art
Books and Prints
LlmJj
Near the Bluebird
A Portrait of Historic Athens and Clarke County
Fran Thomas, University of Georgia Press
Hot off the UGA Press
and available at Athens’ finest
independent locally owned bookstore
THE OLD BLACK DOG
549-2449
Call now to reserve your copy!