Okay, so you know I haven't watched Saturday Night Live since the Charles Barkley episode, but the Black History Month presentation spoof 28 Reasons had me DYING ever since GhettoManga Minister of Education and Media Assassination Salina Gray sent me this YouTube video on Sunday...
When dude starts rapping I almost stopped the video and opted out of the whole thing. I mean, who needs to hear bad late night comedy raps? But I was curious what the 28 Reasons would be, so I hung in there and the payoff was worth it.
I can see critics getting mad because they think this skit is actually poking fun at "angry black people" who are always "playing the race card" by bringing up slavery, which (of course) it is. But I would say it is an important feature of black consciousness to use humor to deal with tough issues. There is a lot of good stuff in there, and white people are invited to laugh, listen and learn on some Richard Pryor type isht.
Inviting white people to be in the audience laughing helps see the legacy of slavery in America as a national problem, not just black people's problem. While giving them permission to laugh, the skit also reminds them that it's still serious business, not to be reduced by false equivalency.
That's dope.
peace...
-samax.
Samax Amen draws people, places and things for fun and profit. Whenever possible, he makes it awesome. Because you demanded it (well, maybe not YOU, but somebody did), his freestyle comic Spontaneous will be returning this year. He also wants to draw at least 14 album covers in 2014, so click here if you need album art.
comics. hiphop. news. art. culture
When dude starts rapping I almost stopped the video and opted out of the whole thing. I mean, who needs to hear bad late night comedy raps? But I was curious what the 28 Reasons would be, so I hung in there and the payoff was worth it.
I can see critics getting mad because they think this skit is actually poking fun at "angry black people" who are always "playing the race card" by bringing up slavery, which (of course) it is. But I would say it is an important feature of black consciousness to use humor to deal with tough issues. There is a lot of good stuff in there, and white people are invited to laugh, listen and learn on some Richard Pryor type isht.
Inviting white people to be in the audience laughing helps see the legacy of slavery in America as a national problem, not just black people's problem. While giving them permission to laugh, the skit also reminds them that it's still serious business, not to be reduced by false equivalency.
That's dope.
peace...
-samax.
Samax Amen draws people, places and things for fun and profit. Whenever possible, he makes it awesome. Because you demanded it (well, maybe not YOU, but somebody did), his freestyle comic Spontaneous will be returning this year. He also wants to draw at least 14 album covers in 2014, so click here if you need album art.
comics. hiphop. news. art. culture
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| Album art by GhettoManga |
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