Special “New Black Man” Feature : It’s Just a Song? Guthrie Ramsey on the Context(s) of Beyonce’s “Bow Down”.White Man Dance! Justin Timberlake and the Strange Career of Blue-Eyed Soul.42, Jackie Robinson and the Aesthetics of Integration.RT LeftOfBlack: LeftOfBlack wishes multi-time guest DrGuyMusiQology a #HappyBirthday 1 month ago RT wayvwilson: Yall tell my OG DrGuyMusiQology happy birthday!!! 1 month ago Kelley on a wonderful book from early in his career, & how he would write it differently now, gi… 1 month ago RT seminewblack: The brilliant Robin D.G. Never happened to me before.! /12InchesOver/s… 5 days ago When an interview turns into a great round of golf. RT NewBlackMan: When the Homies Chop It Up.Ī CONVERSATION BETWEEN LISA B. Link to Henry Adaso’s blog about Wale’s signing with Maybach Music Group: It’s apparent through his lyrics that he won’t be compromising his intellectual skills to “chap dance” or “snap jam” anytime soon.Ĭheck this: Video of Wale’s reference to chap dancing Though entering a “hostile” territory for his particular brand of artistic expression, Wale tells his fans to “expect the same music, better energy”. Wale has recently signed with Maybach Music Group, a record label founded by rapper/producer Rick Ross. He refuses to produce hits solely to entertain and amuse the masses even as he references the late Charlie Chaplin’s famous dance routines. Wale’s criticism of the industry’s hindering of his visibility is a motif throughout his work. His music tackles everyday issues with creativity with which anyone can relate. His very stimulating work goes beyond making clever pronouncements about being rich and getting girls. Wale, one of my favorite artists, has been around for some years now but continues to straddle the underground/mainstream line because while he is known in the inner circles of the rap world one can’t readily hear him on radio or other popular media. Neil Postman, a media theorist and cultural critic believes complexity “is a superhighway to low ratings.” In the rap world, mainstream artists are compelled to invent catchy yet superficial lyrics, leaving the more “intellectual” lyricist to go underground. This artistic chokehold constricts artistic output. Clearly, if you want success, the recording industry requires that you produce club bangers, dance music, and radio singles. Rap, in my view, no longer incorporates deeper messages in its “mainstream” work. Wale, “Mama Told Me” (Attention: Deficit, 2009) Charlie won’t chap dance, and f*ck the radio for tellin’ me to snap jam” “As much as I wanted to be minuscule the fact is, they’d only be happy with a minstrel actor, Sorry Mr.

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