Meet The Rapper...

In Oriental Monk, Iwamura highlights the ways in which the West internalizes different cultural phenomena into western reflections. Her example of the Oriental Monk, for which the article is titled, showcases how western society perverts non western cultural ideologies into a reflection of western cultures sense of self. While the Oriental Monk plays on a distinction between the Orient

and Occident, it highlights the issues with how we think perceive of other non-western traditions. Some traditions such as hip hop develop from western perception, but a rarely heard one. This distinction, gives rap a unique western perception. The icon of "the rapper" seems like a noteworthy advance from African Americans being non-human.and in fact it is. As Iwamura argues, these non-western icons do "display an air of increasing tolerance and respect" for their culture. In rap, like other examples of non-western traditions, the western perception misrepresents the complexities and details of the tradition. By misrepresenting, the western perception  re-inscribe certain racist notions within the icon of "the rapper."

Though Hip hop has grown to a global art form, all represent a evolution and in some ways a perversion of the culture of hip hop. Hip hop originates from a distinct context of African american and Latino lifestyles. Its creation was a cause and reflection of the urban youth of the New York City and the jazz and soul cultures of the generation before them. Hip hop reflected the concerns, despairs and hopes of a generation of people who wanted a escape from the day-to-day, whether that was at a party or alone. Despite these origins, hip hop has developed into a art form so misunderstood that it is primarily criticized because of its fundamental purpose; of being skillfully and tactically expressive. The idea of "the rapper" is pervasive icon that portrays a violent, misogynistic, crude, ghetto youth. Because of its simplicity and visability, it can easily be reproduced in the media and even on the news (see Bill O'Reily on Common or Lupe Fiasco). In his song "The Lounge," Asher Roth touches upon the effect of the icon of "the rapper." He raps, What's a rapper look like?/Is he tan? Is he black? White?/Is he blacked out, high on the crack pipe?/Or more the cats that'll ride on the half-pipe/Don't want to act like I know about the rap type" The simplification of rap through the icon of "the rapper" has re-inscribed certain racist notions about the mentality of African Americans and typifies Iwamura's Oriental Monk icon. Despite this, hip hop continues to be immensely popular around the world and has evolved into a marketable example of the western musical canon.

The examples of "the Oriental Monk" and "the rapper" showcase the growing inter-connectivity of societies and narratives and raise the question: What happens when these "icons" eventually become assimilated into mainstream western narrative?