Fritz Pffafpffaf and I made this movie addressing identity in hip-hop for the hip-hop class we were all in this semester, Hip-Hop & Racial Politics. It stars Johnston darling Ryan Kessler and features the music of everyone's favorite 2007 era rapper, Lil Ru.
Please love it. Please.
Here's an artist statement in case you were left baffled. Here it is baffled viewers:
For
our film we decided to pay homage to the single element that allowed both of us
to become hip-hop fans: the music video. More specifically, we decided to focus
on the stereotypical music video that was presented in mid-2000s pop rap songs.
Many of these videos featured cliché signifiers of masculinity, including
fashion, drug use, violence, and objectification of women. We have addressed
all these topics as well as others in our film.
The
film opens with Cooper theatrically walking to where he attempts to smoke a
cigarette, an item often falsely associated with “coolness”. Images of rappers
(such as The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, and Kanye West) smoking tobacco products
are commonly seen and are often used to extenuate their supposed
sophistication. The purpose of using this as an opening scene is to display how
a confused listener can easily be manipulated by hip-hop images and aspire to
behave like them, ultimately making a regretful decision.
Cooper is now seen posing in front of cars, a materialistic object often heavily referenced in the hip-hop world. Although he is assumed to not fully understand what a cool car looks like he makes an effort to pose in front of a rather bland looking car, emphasizing his misinterpretation of a heavily displayed theme in many rap music videos.
In
an attempt to fully become a true hip-hop fan, Cooper decides to try graffiti.
He tags his name with pencil on a power box. Only to regret this decision
immediately, returning and erasing the marking due to paranoia.
At
certain points in the careers of many rappers, like Mos Def, KRS-One, Lupe
Fiasco and recently Snoop Dogg, a decision is made to become more conscious and
shift focus to their Black roots. Cooper’s way of sampling this idea is
purchasing a dashiki. He tries it on and quickly abandons the idea, returning
to the hip-hop style he is more comfortable with, as seen through his outfit he
goes back to.
In
one scene, he watches Scarface, a
film heavily cited as an influence amongst rappers due to its depiction of
graphic violence, successful drug dealing and promiscuous sex. Cooper is shown
watching two scenes: one in which the protagonist shoots a man to death during
a drug deal, the other shows a bikinied woman being summoned over to a car. As
he watches these scenes, his enthusiasm builds and it is clear that he has been
affected in some way.
Being
inspired by the film, Cooper chugs down the only drugs he had access to,
prescription medication. In a haze, he begins stumbling around while waving a
knife. It is clear that he is very disoriented as Cooper takes the weapon
outside during the night. He then wakes up sick and cries, realizing the
consequences of what he has done.
Cooper
tries one last way of proving to himself that his identity is truly in hip-hop,
through sexuality. He sends a girl a harassing text, expecting that the results
will work towards his advantage. When she does not reciprocate, Cooper begins
to respond to her in a way similar to how rappers address women in their
lyrics, from here she does not respond. This shows how hip-hop’s way of
depicting women is something that does not go over well when taken further then
lyrics and into conversation.
After
the frustrations resulting from Cooper’s attempts to become the rappers he
understands strictly from imagery and lyrics, Cooper concludes that he is
living without a true identity. He symbolically throws his few rap memorabilia
out of a window. We see him for his true self now as he is left without an
identity.
