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.

Picking What We Like

Picking What We Like

     In chapter one of Jane Naomi Iwamura's Religion and Popular Culture in America, she says, "The Dalai Lama... as a non-Christian leader, the interest he holds for millions of Americans is unprecedented.... he represents an admirable pacifism and spiritual calm ripe for esteem and emulation." While in this chapter Iwamura is primarily concerned with Americans' fascination with the Dalai Lama, she also elicits a larger issue with respect to cultural appropriation. In the last two, arguably three, decades, Rap and Hip-Hop have become among the most listened to music genres in the United States and the world. As Iwamura suggests, are we merely interested with foreign cultural phenomena like Rap/Hip-Hop, or rather do we really desire to adopt the principles and practices depicted by these unfamiliar conventions?
     As discussed in lecture this week, Rap/Hip-Hop originates from the Blues, Jazz, and all the way back to African Griots. In the United States the Rap and Hip-Hop genres are primarily followed by younger individuals across all races and socioeconomic classes; but yet, the majority of them do not conform to the what this music has a tendency to preach. For example, despite not having African-American heritage, Eminem is one of the most famous and well-liked rappers in America. Although his lyrics touch on a wide range of subjects, a substantial amount of his music is extremely suggestive of violent behavior. In the song "Kim" from his album The Marshall Mathers LP released in 2000, Eminem raps, "I hate this song, does this look like a big joke? There's a 4-year-old little boy laying dead with a slit throat." Despite the violent nature of this lyric, the song is still extremely popular among millions of people that don't actually engage in this type of behavior. Similarly to Iwanmura's argument about the American infatuation with the Oriental Monk, I strongly believe that it is innate in American culture to be interested by foreign, seemingly unrealistic ways of life and traditions, rather than to truly adopt them for its own. The only way to truly assimilate into a foreign culture is by force. Otherwise, change is simply too scary.