Material Witness (VHS)

Race, Identity and the Politics of Gangsta Rap

Duration: 42 min
ISBN: 1-893521-25-7
Date Produced: 1995

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Material Witness (VHS)
Race, Identity and the Politics of Gangsta Rap

In this scintillating 42-minute lecture, Michael Eric Dyson -- then Professor of Communication at the University of North Carolina, now Professor of Sociology at Georgetown University -- combines critical theory with an appreciation of popular culture, rap lyrics with classical poetry, and anecdotes of personal history with a sweeping geo-political analysis. As literary critic Houston Baker remarks, Dyson is able to move "from hip-hop to Heidegger without missing a beat." Fusing a style of Baptist preaching with the accessibility and sophistication of an outstanding college teacher and media-savvy communicator, he leads us on a breathless intellectual journey that helps us to think in new ways about issues of identity and representation.

Sections

Living with Difference
The Denial of Race
Race and Language
Black Essentialism as Defense
American Hybridity
Complexity of Black Identity
An American Mix: DuBois & The Classics
Hip-Hop Culture as Material Witness to Urban Neglect
Representin' the Afflicteds' Story
Gangsta Rap and the Market
The Burden of The Race Artist
A Limited Choice: Purity or Stereotype
A Wrong Response: The Elders React
Towards a Politics of Anti-Essentialism

Filmmaker Info

Executive Producer, Director & Editor: Sut Jhally
Director of Photography: Charles Pappert
Cameras: Sut Jhally, Will Steven, Charles Pappert, Heather Odom
Music Composed & Performed By: Joseph Bartone
Assistant Editor: Sanjay Talreja
Production Assistants: Heather Odom, Tom Gardner, Patricia Mangan, Mike Trenuth
Thanks To: Julie Grahm, Susan Jahoda, Lucas Wilson RM, Solomon Moore UVC