by Da CogNegro
I was already ready to write about the Black Panther reveal last Friday! Eagerly, I began to jot down notes on the wording and format I would utilize to express my excitement. I had decided that I would use the fan favorite "Take Five" as the framework to explain the road this unprecedented film will travel as it relates to universal appeal as well as the grand task of creating a brand new narrative in the realm of heroes of color. And then I stumbled upon this:
2 Chainz new virtual reality Trap House guides fans through the personal story of his own “trap house” aka drug den, on Riverdale Road in Atlanta.The rapper teamed with VRTGO and VRLIVE to create the immersive, interactive virtual reality experience.Fans can go room-to-room, where they can discover new songs off the Pretty Girls Like Trap Music album, while interacting with new characters and objects inside of the 2 Chainz’ Trap House
Good to see that college education being put to good use sport ! So basically, we are transforming the concept of a drug house into some interactive exercise of amusement! Now I can spend the bulk of this entry meticulously dissecting this puppet and shaming him for being a tool in the exploitation of his own people. But let's do something a bit different. Let's focus on what contrarians are bound to say:
Why are you getting bent out of shape. It's just entertainment!!
You know what else was entertainment? Mandingo Fights!
Mind you, these are the same individuals who are persistently telling you to "Stay Woke knowing damn well I've been up since 7:30 am! What I find interesting, about the whole "entertainment" argument ,is that it is clearly justification for such exploitation to exist. But what some of us seem to be oblivious to is that such experiences are not based upon fantasy. This isn't some simulation where a person is fighting dragons or someone is riding a winged horse. No, these experiences, and tales, are steeped in a reality replete with despair and pain that comes at the expense of others. Take a look at the following pictures mind you:
Did you find yourself two stepping to these pictures? Did the following illustrations put you in the mood to gather a couple of your partners or round up some girlfriends to purchase a bottle at the club? Disconnection is the foot that kicks the crutch from a handicapped reality! I highly doubt that the virtual trap house will have rooms displaying these images!
Why are you hating on this man's hustle? He's making money!
If anyone else was peddling this contraption, we would call it racism. Since it's one of our own, however, it's cultural. And giving way to such reasoning proves that we have fallen for THE ULTIMATE JEDI MIND-TRICK! We have allowed outsiders to dictate what is deemed culturally significant! And you know what's more mind boggling? When the "others" attempt to emulate these manufactured symbols of culture, we label it appropriation! That's right, we fight for ownership of symbols and depictions that negatively represent us! "Hey! You can't rap about weed and hoes! You're not authentic enough to do so!? That's all ours! So the real question is this: Why do we allow ourselves to be duped ,especially those of us in the know, into participating and defending our on cultural demise? The answers may surprise you! CgN
Hmm! Well said. Y'know, I always wondered why he calls himself "two chains." Now? I know. It's a shame that the masses would rather be "lit" than enlightened. Despite that, I'm going to do my best to have this message seen and read by as many people as possible, from as far a range in demographic as possible, as a means of outreach. Far too often, the ones who read such powerful content are fully aware of what is going on. I have to speak for myself by admitting that I've been preaching to the choir for quite some time, and I'm sure others who are on their deem feel like they've been doing the same with messages such as these. This needs to be heard, read, and felt by these other "links in the chain", brought to debate and rebuttal, and shown a better way. We need a 'Shawshank Redemption' from this trap house mess--more now than ever.
ReplyDeleteThis is just sad 👎👎👎
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