To
what extent does 'Straight Outta Compton' represent black people negatively and
does it influence its audience?
This
critical investigation will focus deeply on the representations
and influence of black people in film, news and television in
general. This essay will also look further into the cause and root of black
stereotypes and how they have developed or changed over time. Straight Outta’
Compton (SOC) is the main text I will be referring to during the course of this
investigation. SOC is a 2015 American biographical drama film based on one of
the most influential and memorable hip-hop groups of all time (N.W.A). The film
was released on August 14, 2015, and has been a major success grossing over
$200million worldwide. “You can’t come down here and harass my clients
because they’re black!”[1] This is a quote by Jerry Heller in the film which sums
up the message that N.W.A attempts to get across about police brutality through
their aggressive music. The quote is very direct and seems to conclude life in
the 1980’s for an African American man in terms of getting harassed and
interrogated by the police simply because of their skin colour. "Officer Can I ask why you jacking us
right now?"[2] is another quote from the film that concludes life
for a black man in America with the unnecessary arrests and harassment on a
daily basis by the police department. On August 27, 2015, Straight Outta Compton became the highest grossing music biopic of all-time
in the United States with $120.9 million; the success of SOC instantly
challenges the stereotype and supports the fact that black males are capable of
success.
“Many fulfill white American’s
image of them legitimately by becoming successful gangsta rappers; others
fulfill this image illegitimately by becoming baaad-ass niggers”[3] It is clear from this
quote that the black image is inevitable to escape even if a black man shows
success in music, this will still reinforce the current stereotypes. Crime is
usually linked to black people in the book suspicion nation research was
carried out and showed “that the public generally associates
violent street crime with African Americans.”[4] Meaning the public instantly pair African
Americans with crime due to the on-going stereotype that reinforces this
thought
“I was told that all back men
were inherently aggressive and violent”[5].
Evidently, stereotypes like this exist and are often reinforced by movies or
television in general, however “Similar to television, news coverage is yet another major
source of information on crime that influences society in defining what crime
is and who is a criminal.”[6]
Many critics have stated that SOC is a movie
that seems to reinforce stereotypes about black young men that are already out
there. However, a movie such as SOC can be seen as a moment of black greatness
and huge success with the likes of Ice Cube and Dr Dre who is a black
billionaire. SOC reinforces many stereotypes with the violence, sex and drugs
which is heavily involved in the movie. On the other hand, SOC also shows
moments of success such as big hits and records being sold, also the movie
shows the rap group to be very influential during the 80s and 90s. With SOC
showing both aspects of reinforcement of stereotypes but also at times
challenging stereotypes; the audience is left to make their own judgement on
the characters but what creates these stereotypes is “The
embrace of guns, gangsterism, and ghetto authenticity brought an aura of
celebrity and glamour to the grim yet fabulously hyped portraits of ghetto
life.”[7]
In
one of the clips I analysed in SOC a black officer states that "Rap is not an art"[8]
this quote clearly shows the officer and society in general trying to discredit
these artists from what they do. This then reinforces the stereotype that black
males do nothing with their lives or waste their time however rapping and
influencing many people globally is considered a huge achievement but the
officer attempts to dismiss this fact. He also then continues to say "These 'rappers' of yours look like
bangers (gang members)"[9] This also raises the point that black
youth are often judged on how they look. This creates many ideas of these young
men, even though they are innocently eating their lunch outside the studio,
their appearance has once again raised and alert to the police department
claiming they are doing something wrong or misbehaving. This links to Dyer's
theory of stereotypes stating the more powerful often stereotype the less
powerful. This is clearly shown in the scene where the police (a member of law
enforcement) instantly judged these rappers (civilians) just because their
occupation gives them authority in society.
One critic from a guardian article
commented “It also coyly declines
to show any of the main players doing so much as a speck of cocaine, a habit
that surely drove many of the paranoid feuds, splits, outbursts and fist
fights.”[10] Meaning the movie lacked to show a lot of what was happening at the
time such as some of the group members being involved in drugs. This links to
representations because it shows the groups attempt to hide this in the movie
and avoid some of the typical representations of black people that already
exist.
The
question is, is it possible to overcome these stereotypes? “African
Americans, no matter how savvy, educated, or financially privileged,
could not completely avoid the conditioning that resulted from the increasingly
sophisticated bombardment of subtle and not-so-subtle messages created to
reinforce how different and inherently inferior blacks are when compared to
whites.”[11] This quote is from a book called
brainwashed which seems to tackle the many reasons why the black male is
inferior to the white male but also how the stereotypes seems to effect young
black men in today’s society. However with many successful and influential
black males today, it is thought that this stereotype should have been in the
past or at least put to a minimal. Obama, the president of the US and the first
black president is one figure that will play a huge role in challenging the
stereotype. An artist such as Jay-Z can be seen as a character to also challenge
stereotypes however with his music and lyrics many can say that he reinforces
stereotypes. Many black rappers such as NWA themselves seem to objectify women
and idolise money and drugs, this is one factor that definitely reinforces the
stereotype.
Other
media texts such as Boyz N the Hood also seems to reinforce stereotypes to an
extent due to the content it displays to the audience. SOC and Boyz N the Hood
both represent black males in similar ways. Black men are represented as
violent and aggressive; however there are aspects of the movie which challenge
stereotypes. Ricky, a character from Boyz N the Hood is a hard working young
man that is studying for college and is dreaming of playing professional
football at the NFL. This challenges the common stereotype and allows the
audience to perceive black males differently due to a rare but sometimes
accurate representation of some African American men. One of the scenes in Boyz
N the Hood showed ricky and trey being stopped and harassed by both black and
white police officers, this links to one of Ice Cube's lyrics as a
NWA member "Black Police showing out
for the white cop"[12].
Considering this is an Ice cube movie this was likely to be a demonstration of
what happened in reality and his personal experiences as a
young African American facing police in the 1990’s. Comparing
this historical text to a contemporary text shows
both similarities and differences. The treatment that black
males receive from police is similar and this shows
the continuous on going issue with police brutality. Straight Outta'
Compton shows similar scenes regarding the police and their unfair
treatment.
Many
believe that hip hop and rap are factors that give people a chance to create a
stereotype with the violent lyrics and its huge influence on youth, while
others believe that they are genres of music that have brought huge success for
black people. “I don’t believe that anyone fell in
love because they listened to a Stevie Wonder song, rather their feeling were
reinforced by the music. Similarly rap music doesn’t make anyone selfish but it
does help to legitimize one’s desires and the efforts to fulfil those desires.”[13] This quote explains that although many
claim that rap can influence people badly with its lyrics, it is completely
down to the consumer to make their own decisions’. However a quote from the
impact of rap and hip hop states that “American youth are a target towards the
marketers of rap and hip-hop. They are always influenced by the media and still
trying to find their identity.”[14] This implies that rap and hip hop is likely
to influence youth due to their undeveloped and easily influenced minds. “For sure, hip hop both saved and changed
my life, on so many levels: I have been deeply immersed in hip hop since I was
a preteen”[15]
This quote from the black male handbook highlights the fact that hip hop is a
significant aspect of many black men’s lives. Hip hop has been a factor that
has steered many black men from committing crimes and getting in trouble with
the law. SOC shows an example of this as the group, NWA were involved in drug
selling and violence before discovering their talent and love for rap and hip
hop. Rap and hip hop helped the group become successful in their craft and
influence many people which resulted in the group eventually challenging the
stereotype by showing their capability and talent. “Other observers have
asserted that hip hop is the result of young people’s being locked out of the
American economic mainstream.”[16]
The two quotes differ hugely and show two different views of hip hop. The quote
explains that hip hop is the reason for young people feeling alienated from the
rest of society because they are highlighted when being involved with this
genre of music. Hip hop can be viewed from many different angles whether that
states it is a benefit for the youth or a disadvantage causing stereotypes to
grow and continue. “Hip-hop no longer speaks exclusively to the marginalized
populations within the United States. The genre is now not solely about
expressing discontent or serving as a mouthpiece for the powerless.”[17]
On the other hand, Hip hop is seen as a chance to give young black people a
‘voice’ in society allowing them to express how they feel about important issue
such as police brutality which is still a problem today. SOC write and preform
a song called “F the police” in the movie, this song expresses how they feel
about the police and why they feel that way. However, the track includes a lot
of profanity and shows their feelings in a very aggressive way. This can be
seen as a way to reinforce stereotypes although this is giving them a voice; it
is also showing black people to be aggressive and reckless due to their methods
of expression.
With
all into consideration the writer of SOC has written this in a specific way in
order to inform, educate and entertain the audience. Movies usually aim to
strictly entertain the audience however this is a biographical drama film that
aims to inform and educate the audience of the rap group and their rise to
fame, money and power. The representations that are created in the film of
black people were made in order to create an almost identical story of the
reality involving NWA. “Some rappers like NWA have used songs like, “F**k the
Police”, to express police brutality.” However with songs such as F the police,
it is hard to represent the rap group in a good sophisticated way, many would
argue that this was only a way to express their feelings for police brutality
which they have faced individually but also as a group.
Many
say a movie such as SOC misrepresents black people and doesn’t give a fair
representation. SOC gives the audience the impression that young black men are
naturally troubled and constantly involved in crimes. In comparison, a movie
like Coach Carter which is also based on a true story, represents black youth
as hard working and determined resulting in many of the characters going
college or becoming professional basketball players. A character such as Timo
Cruz from coach carter can be compared to Ice Cube in SOC and it is evident
that the representations differ significantly. Timo who is one of the
main characters in Coach Carter is seen as an intelligent and hardworking black
man that faces many obstacles such as his cousin’s death however Timo shows
strength and courage throughout the movie which represents black men
differently. “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear
is that we are powerful beyond measure.”[18] This
is a quote by Timo which sums up his character to be intelligent and a
character that believes in himself. “Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to
me the movie theatre shootings have been at the hands of white people, right?
So why are we worried about violence, again? Oh, maybe because the cops dropped
bugs in the ears of certain press people suggesting there might be a higher
risk of violence?”[19] Quote
analyses the misrepresentation of black people and the under
representation of white people being involved in theatre shootings in the
USA. Linking this to SOC, CNN reported a segment stating that they were shocked
that SOC’s release didn’t cause any shootings at movie theatres. It is evident
from this that a movie such as SOC doesn’t encourage violence of any sort due
to no shootings at the theatres. In comparison a movie such as Batman has
previously involved shootings which highlight the fact that SOC’s reality
doesn’t encourage violence but may also motivate the audience, watching the NWA
group become a huge success.
“The popular fixation of black people as criminal, lazy,
witless miscreants in American popular culture has been well documented.”[20] Meaning news and film play a big role in
ensuring that the image of black people stays the same and shows them to be
violent criminals. It is often said that
the elite are in control of these stereotypes because of their ability to feed
the audience with misrepresented information or exaggerated news. This links to
the Marxist view because it believes that the elite are responsible for creating
and also reinforcing these stereotypes with what they choose to show the
audience i.e. biased news segments. It can be argued that this is done
deliberately in order for the elite to maintain power and control over the rest
of society, giving them fewer chances to speak out or voice their opinions.
SOC and other media texts seem to
reinforce stereotypes to an extent however there are other factors that play a
role in the creation of stereotypes such as news. The audience also
however have the ability to make their own judgment depending on what they
consume from distributors in film, news and television. Meaning that although
some films misrepresent black people and create stereotypes, it is up to the
audience in how they perceive this in terms of NWA being a success for their
influence and music or a negative figure that reinforces current stereotypes.
Words: 2,910
Works Cited
Books:
Rome, D. (2004).
Black demons the media's depiction of the African American male criminal
stereotype. Westport, Conn.: Praeger.
Burrell, T.
(2010). Brainwashed: Challenging the myth of Black inferiority. New
York, NY: Smiley Books ;
Bloom, L.
(n.d.). Suspicion nation: The inside story of the Trayvon Martin
injustice and why we continue to repeat it.
Powell, K.
(2008). The Black male handbook: A blueprint for life. New York:
Atria Books.
Bowser, B.
(2012). Gangster rap and its social cost exploiting hip hop and using
racial stereotypes to entertain America. Amherst, N.Y.: Cambria
Press.
Ogbar, J.
(2007). Hip-hop revolution: The culture and politics of rap.
Lawrence: University Press of Kansas.
Watkins, S.
(2005). Hip hop matters: Politics, pop culture, and the struggle for
the soul of a movement. Boston: Beacon Press.
Internet:
Guardian Article- http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/aug/27/straight-outta-compton-review-how-hip-hop-pioneers-nwa-took-on-the-world
Ice Cube Lyrics-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51t1OsPSdBc
http://thinkprogress.org/culture/2015/08/17/3692315/cnn-straight-outta-compton/
Works Consulted
Internet:
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/08/ice-cube-straight-outta-compton-critics-dr-dre-nwa-movie
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/08/ice-cube-straight-outta-compton-critics-dr-dre-nwa-movie
[1]
SOC Police harassment scene- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_lKAOeZT8Y
[2]
Arrest Scene- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVFOoYpmOB8
[3] Book-
‘Black Demons: The deception Of The African American Male Criminal Stereotype’
[4]
Book- Suspicion Nation (Trayvon Martin)
[5] ‘Black
Demons: The deception Of The African American Male Criminal Stereotype’
[6] ‘Black
Demons: The deception Of The African American Male Criminal Stereotype’
[7]
Book- Hip Hop matters: politics, pop culture, and the struggle for the soul of
a movement
[8]
SOC Police harassment scene
[9]
SOC police harassment scene
[10]
Guardian Article-
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/aug/27/straight-outta-compton-review-how-hip-hop-pioneers-nwa-took-on-the-world
[11] Brainwashed:
Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority
[12]
Ice Cube F*** the Police lyric
[13]
Book- The Socialist’s Journal: The Effects of Rap Music
[14] Book-
The impact of rap and hip hop music on American youth
[15] Book-The
Black Male Handbook” A Blueprint For Life
[16] Book-Gangster
Rap and its social cost: Exploiting hip hop and using racial stereotypes to
entertain America
[17] Book-Gangster
Rap and its social cost: Exploiting hip hop and using racial stereotypes to
entertain America
[18]
Coach Carter Timo Speech
[19]
CNN Segment on shootings
[20]
Book- Hip-Hop revolution: The culture and politics of rap
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