The Spirituality of "Noise"

Anthony Pinn articulates the spiritual nature of music throughout American history and how modern rap illustrates this deep spiritual quest. He writes that "blues had a humanizing effect, pointing to the tenacity of the human spirit," (5) suggesting that music has historically embodied the emotions of life experiences. While new-age rap can be criticized by the media for promoting negative ideologies and explicit visual images in their music videos, rap originally "expressed the concerns and preoccupations of young people living in urban centers" (13) and "[spoke] to people who [were] in need" (16).

Marshall Mathers, better known by his stage name Eminem, articulates hardships and life occurrences in his song "Lose Yourself". On a literal level, he describes the struggles of becoming a respected rap artist and the personal obstacles that momentarily set him back. Pinn suggests that "much of what is expressed in rap music is not meant to be taken literally, in the same manner in which numerous biblical stories are quite troubling if taken literally" (18). I often look to this song before an athletic match, not for its literal rap motivations but because the spirit the song embodies. In this way, rap artists are able to express similar spirituality about their life experiences that religion commonly promotes through myths and rituals.

A Creative Escape: Buddhism and rap as a means to handle contemporary struggle

      Buddhism and rap. At first these two themes appear to totally contrast eachother, yet Iwamura and Pinn raise many parallels between the two. Both Buddhism and rap have been used in popular culture as a means to battle against various challenges, adversity, and frustrations. Both offer creative alternatives, the opportunity to think different. In the case of Orientalism, westerns have adopted the religion for their own benefit, to escape the materialist, chaotic society they created for themselves. (Ironically through this process of appropriation the fresh religion becomes trapped in the commercial world, essentially spoiling its purity). Similarly, music for black culture was "a style wrestling with life. It is a way of 'moving' through harsh circumstances with dignity and integrity... creatively expressing outrage with the status quo." Unlike Buddhism, however, this is a tradition African Americans built to escape adversity such as slavery and discrimination forced upon them by white society.
       Ultimately, both have been appropriated by western culture, more specifically white Americans who have jumped on to these new trends under the false impression that they truly understand them. Americans look to these outside cultures because they take a sense of pride in their ability to be worldly, learned in the ways of others, and overall accepting. In Karate Kid (The Remake) this idea of American openness and anti-racism is further promoted when Jaden Smith becomes the young prodigee. Iwamura and Pinn warn, however, that Westerns are fairly oblivious to the deeper messages rooted in these cultures. As Pinn states, there is part of the significance they "fail to get." Westerners think they understand the Asian and African American cultures they are absorbing, but they overlook what this phenomenon says about their own identity.
        One of Iwamura's examples that most interests me is that Americans are oblivious to the politics underlying Orientalism. Orientalism wraps all Eastern ideologies into one, but western culture specifically selects which region or country to use as the figurehead depending on political climate. Iwamura points out "The long history of the icon of the Oriental Monk has demonstrated a preference for the Japanese or Chinese model" when their "challenge in the arena of international politics and world market was quite contained." As their political and economic influence grew, the West shifted to celebrating Tibet, which was more vulnerable. Offering refuge for this victimized figure makes the United States appear heroic. The same narrative is used in many fictional stories featuring the Oriental Monk. These gurus train and convert young Americans, but in the end the East "requires the help of the protagonist... "who has come to signify salvation." The Oriental Monk's wisdom is enough to guide one single character, but only the American can save an entire culture. Through appropriation, the West maintains the power. This way, we are able to try something new, but still regulate it, keep it "safe." In allowing the victimized East to help us, mighty super-power that we are, America triumphs as the ultimate hero.