Cb4 Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography

Traber, Daniel. “The Identity Joke: Race, Rap, Performance in CB4.” American Studies (00263079), vol. 52, no. 1, 2012, pp. 123–142. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, libproxy.library.unt.edu:9443/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=82789084&scope=site. Accessed 9 Oct. 2017. Traber’s essay provides a provocative take on what it means to be ‘black’ and racial identity as a social construct. The author also explores the advantages to the overuse of stereotypes perpetuated in a satirical movie named CB4. In the forefront, Traber seems to criticize the black community because of the ostracization of their white counterparts, “rather than seeing this form is mere racial imitation or racial

It is established that hip-hop can only be authentic to the black community because of the common experience shared through its lyrics. Eminem’s mimicry of a predominantly black industry within a predominantly white society is described as both ‘authentic’ and ‘grotesque’. The author suggests that Eminem’s success is due to the authenticity and acceptance in his socioeconomic status. The rapper can genuinely relate to his audience not by pretending to know what it’s like to be black, but by using a commonality, poverty, to reach an otherwise unreachable audience. Eminem establishes his racial identity as being ‘white trash’, but focuses on class over race to build his reputation in his early albums. “Eminem’s representations where he invokes both his whiteness and his lower-working-class identity, situated within the dominant discourses regarding race and class, implicitly suggest that because of the former he does not belong in the latter.” The author goes on to say that since Eminem is the only successful white rapper at the moment, hip-hop is still firmly grounded in the black identity. This essay has strong implications of if a rapper does not have something common to the black community, i.e. poverty, racism, or a criminal record, they have no chance of being

Nyawalo suggests that “keepin’ it real” is the concept of putting inner city hardships on display that are otherwise ignored. The author says not only is rap a way of focusing on socioeconomic discrepancies, it’s also has a nostalgic tone that makes it authentic. “Nostalgia has therefore been used as an authenticating device, sometimes employed in order to counter “the commodification and commercialization that comes along with the mainstream appeal that threatens notions of community and authenticity in hip hop” (Perry 55).” The use of incendiary language in this quote shows the author’s distain for mainstream or “inauthentic” exploitation of the rap genre. The essay then argues that a rapper must ground themselves in the knowledge of where they came from to fully reach authenticity. It concludes with the idea that rap’s use of the gangsta trope is merely a medium and not a true depiction of the message. The author is most likely speaking to those who question the meaning of gangsta rap and its purpose to society. The essay also challenges the audience through provocative language such as “nigga”, “badman”, and “trickster” to make the audience hyperaware of what the piece is trying to say. The overall purpose is to educate, and the implications are that the black community is exploited through the mainstream media and must stick firmly