RAP MUSIC

White Rapper/Black Beats



White Rapper/Black Beats

Introduction

In this article, the author, Ben Bollig is talking about the rap music in the Brazilian community, since Brazil is famous for the racial democracy in the world. People go to Brazil to study racism, as there is no racial discrimination in the country and they only discriminate people on their class and capabilities. The only kind of prejudice that exists in Brazil is social prejudice and personal, financial conditions display of status symbols. In this country, one does not judge others by their color or ethnic; however, one sees what is in the pocket of the people, or on their wrists, or how they dress. A rich white person is more respected, and, better treated than a poor person; hence whites are better people for having more money than non-whites.

Analysis

The article, “White Rapper/Black Beats: Discovering a Race Problem in the Music of Gabriel O Pensador” discusses the issues that surround racism and rap music. In this article, a White, middle-class rap artist is highlighting the problems of racism within the complex socio-political environment of Brazil. Though Brazil is popular as a racism free state, there is still racial discrimination on several grounds. White people still have more advantages and privileges than non-white people (Agier 1995, 245).

The illiteracy rate of white people is5.9%, and black Brazilian is 13.3%. 15.0% of white people have a university degree, while only 4.7% of black Brazilian gets higher education. The life expectancy rate of white people is 73.13,and for black Brazilian, it is 67.03. The unemployment rate for white is 5.7% and for the black is 7.1%. GDP per capita for white is R$ 22,699and for black is R$ 15,068. Homicide deaths rate for white are 29% and for black are 65.5%.

Hence, through these statistics, it can be said that there is a high form of discrimination on the basis of race in Brazil. The article poses two questions in consideration; one is, why the white people emphasize the racial equality in Brazil when they know that it is not the reality. The other one is that why black people do not do something for this fake popularity of their culture. To understand the article theme, we first have to understand what rap music is in reality (Dribben 1999, 331).

Rap music is a method of cultural expression. It usually expresses the culture of the place using the hip-hop genre. It is a musical style began in the black neighborhoods and Hispanic New Yorkers, is related from the beginning of 1980 to the rooms of the hip hop culture. Musical style of the latter taken as an example integrating various streams, such as break dance music, electro, urban graffiti or scratch. Hip hop is distinct by evolvement of elementary forms of religious music of the African American community in the United States, through the popular, secular expression is joined with the funk. Rap, on contrary to hip-hop, is developed mainly in two ways: severs all ties with funk and disco ...