I tuned in to the the new sketch comedy show Chocolate News last night and I honestly don't know if I should be entertained or embarrassed by the show. On one hand I thought it showed just how ridiculous we look at times. The PSA by fictitious rapper Phat Man was to promote the No Child Left Behind policy(NCLB). The video shows girls dressed in raunchy school uniforms with the almost standard booty shaking and liquid being poured on the girls. Here's a little bit of the lyrics "Yeah ho, yea bitch, let me see yo coochie twitch". Maybe David Alan Grier was trying to show rappers just how ridiculous and degrading rap videos have become. Perhaps his hope was that the rappers and directors that produce such trash would stop and evaluate the current state of rap videos.
The segment continues and shows Phat Man performing his PSA in front of a group of kids; kids I'm guessing between 8-10 years old. The lyrics weren't edited and the message wasn't tailored to children. I find it interesting when people say rappers should go into schools and talk to the kids. No, they shouldn't, real lyricist should. Many don't know how to tailor a message to kids nor do they realize the impact they have on kids. Or perhaps they don't care if their lyrics negatively affect kids. What would Lil Wayne say to motivate kids? Don't write nothing down and devote your minutes seconds hours to the almighty dollar. How about 50cent, is he going to talk about getting shot? I know, let's send Three 6 Mafia... SIKE!!!!!!! Why would we want morons talking to our kids in person? Isn't it already bad enough they talk to our kids on the radio and videos. I know some folks will say they are just making the music that sells and are actually intelligent but, if you you have to "play dumb" and create mentally retarded music that degrades women, glorifies the streets, and encourages hurting your own people(intellectually and physically via selling drugs and violence) that makes you a puppet and therefore a buffoon. We should be done shucking and jiving.
On the other hand I see the show as just another platform for us to make dam fools of ourselves much like Flavor of Love 1-3, Hell Date, I Love New York etc... Why do we keep joining shows that are designed to humiliate us? I'm going to see the glass as half full in this case. Grier is trying to get us to stop and evaluate ourselves. I guess this is why some people like or dislike the Boondocks. I see the Boondocks as trying to get black folks to stop and look at how messed up certain things in our community are and figure out how to fix them. Some just see it as junk.
Here's a clip of Chocolate News
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNXpjCoZXPo
How Far is Too Far?: Simping Male Edition
13 years ago
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the marketing scheme for the shows is let's try to reveal the buffoonery while being a buffoon in the process
ReplyDeletei saw the commercials for chocolate news and was thinking it was going to be like a Colbert or daily show but from a black perspective but i was wrong. not much cynicism or wittiness, it's silliness we have all seen b4. but maybe my views will change as the show evolves over time.
and don't even get me STARTED on the concept of "playing dumb"! i can go on for days but I'll just say that I'm sick of it and it makes me sad and furious that people would rather conform and be dumb rather than showcase their intelligence.
UNTIL I VIEW ANOTHER EPISODE, I'LL SEE THE GLASS AS HALF FULL, TOO. I LIKED THE SKIT ABOUT THE "N" WORD. I THINK THAT THE SHOW MAY HAVE POTENTIAL.
ReplyDeletedid you happen to see d.l. hughley's new show on cnn?
ReplyDeleteI can that I am guilty of watching such shows, however I know the koonery behind some shows. Therefore I don't become stuck in this ignorant ditch called the media. Someshows do take us back, but we can't allow the T.V. to dictate how we act as a whole. I do enjoy "Chocolate News" I find it very entertaining in the say way I found Chappelle's Show to be hilarious, but thought provoking. Sometimes it's good for us to laugh at ourselves, just as long as we don't act in that manner. We just need to start ating more civil.-Expressionz
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