Author: Todd Boyd
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 9780253211057
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 174
Book Description
The most creative moments of African American culture have always emanated from a lower class or "ghetto" perspective. In contemporary society, this ghetto aesthetic has informed a large segment of the popular marketplace from the incendiary nature of gangsta rap, through the choreographed violence of films like Menace II Society, to recurrent debates around the use of the word "nigga," and even the assertion of this perspective in professional basketball. In each case, most of the discussion around these cultural circumstances tends to be dismissive, if not completely uninformed. In analyzing the ranges of images from the O. J. Simpson trial to Snoop Doggy Dogg, Am I Black Enough for You looks at the way in which the nuances of ghetto life get translated into the politics of popular culture, and especially the way these politics have become such a profitable venture, for both the entertainment industry and the actual producers of these topical narratives. The book follows the widening generation gap represented by Bill Cosby's pristine "race man" image in the mid-80's, culminating in the proliferation of the hard-core sentiments associated with the nigga in the 1990's. The book argues for a historical understanding of these contemporary examples, which is rooted in the social policies of the Reagan/Bush era, the declining industrial base of urban communities and the increasing significance of the drug trade and gang culture. In addition, the book follows the evolution of gangster culture in twentieth century American popular culture and the shift from ethnicity to race that slowly begins to emerge over this time period. Contrary to mainstream conservative sentiment, Am I Black Enough for You suggests that the criticism of gangsta culture is a misguided attempt which reaffirms traditional views about Black culture. This criticism is articulated across race, so that in many cases, African Americans articulate the same sentiments as their white conservative counterparts. Am I Black Enough for You offers astute analysis of the liberating possibilities of representation that lie at the core of contemporary black popular culture.
Am I Black Enough for You?
Author: Todd Boyd
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 9780253211057
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 174
Book Description
The most creative moments of African American culture have always emanated from a lower class or "ghetto" perspective. In contemporary society, this ghetto aesthetic has informed a large segment of the popular marketplace from the incendiary nature of gangsta rap, through the choreographed violence of films like Menace II Society, to recurrent debates around the use of the word "nigga," and even the assertion of this perspective in professional basketball. In each case, most of the discussion around these cultural circumstances tends to be dismissive, if not completely uninformed. In analyzing the ranges of images from the O. J. Simpson trial to Snoop Doggy Dogg, Am I Black Enough for You looks at the way in which the nuances of ghetto life get translated into the politics of popular culture, and especially the way these politics have become such a profitable venture, for both the entertainment industry and the actual producers of these topical narratives. The book follows the widening generation gap represented by Bill Cosby's pristine "race man" image in the mid-80's, culminating in the proliferation of the hard-core sentiments associated with the nigga in the 1990's. The book argues for a historical understanding of these contemporary examples, which is rooted in the social policies of the Reagan/Bush era, the declining industrial base of urban communities and the increasing significance of the drug trade and gang culture. In addition, the book follows the evolution of gangster culture in twentieth century American popular culture and the shift from ethnicity to race that slowly begins to emerge over this time period. Contrary to mainstream conservative sentiment, Am I Black Enough for You suggests that the criticism of gangsta culture is a misguided attempt which reaffirms traditional views about Black culture. This criticism is articulated across race, so that in many cases, African Americans articulate the same sentiments as their white conservative counterparts. Am I Black Enough for You offers astute analysis of the liberating possibilities of representation that lie at the core of contemporary black popular culture.
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 9780253211057
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 174
Book Description
The most creative moments of African American culture have always emanated from a lower class or "ghetto" perspective. In contemporary society, this ghetto aesthetic has informed a large segment of the popular marketplace from the incendiary nature of gangsta rap, through the choreographed violence of films like Menace II Society, to recurrent debates around the use of the word "nigga," and even the assertion of this perspective in professional basketball. In each case, most of the discussion around these cultural circumstances tends to be dismissive, if not completely uninformed. In analyzing the ranges of images from the O. J. Simpson trial to Snoop Doggy Dogg, Am I Black Enough for You looks at the way in which the nuances of ghetto life get translated into the politics of popular culture, and especially the way these politics have become such a profitable venture, for both the entertainment industry and the actual producers of these topical narratives. The book follows the widening generation gap represented by Bill Cosby's pristine "race man" image in the mid-80's, culminating in the proliferation of the hard-core sentiments associated with the nigga in the 1990's. The book argues for a historical understanding of these contemporary examples, which is rooted in the social policies of the Reagan/Bush era, the declining industrial base of urban communities and the increasing significance of the drug trade and gang culture. In addition, the book follows the evolution of gangster culture in twentieth century American popular culture and the shift from ethnicity to race that slowly begins to emerge over this time period. Contrary to mainstream conservative sentiment, Am I Black Enough for You suggests that the criticism of gangsta culture is a misguided attempt which reaffirms traditional views about Black culture. This criticism is articulated across race, so that in many cases, African Americans articulate the same sentiments as their white conservative counterparts. Am I Black Enough for You offers astute analysis of the liberating possibilities of representation that lie at the core of contemporary black popular culture.
A Gangsta's Chick
Author: Leo Sullivan
Publisher: Sullivan Group Publishing
ISBN: 1946789569
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 171
Book Description
When times get hard, the ones who survive are the realest of them all. Gina Thomas is a gangsta's chick, down for whatever. Even after her man, Jack Lemon, is sent to prison, Gina does what she has to do for herself and her man. When Jack wins his appeal, vengeance is no longer just for the lord. Follow Gina as she rides out for her man, and shows how a real Gangsta's Chick gets down.
Publisher: Sullivan Group Publishing
ISBN: 1946789569
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 171
Book Description
When times get hard, the ones who survive are the realest of them all. Gina Thomas is a gangsta's chick, down for whatever. Even after her man, Jack Lemon, is sent to prison, Gina does what she has to do for herself and her man. When Jack wins his appeal, vengeance is no longer just for the lord. Follow Gina as she rides out for her man, and shows how a real Gangsta's Chick gets down.
A Gangsta's Demise
Author: Crusher
Publisher: Blueprint Publications
ISBN: 9780996947602
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 216
Book Description
Siren Montago is being forced to venture through a life of coincidental anguish. At fifteen years old, the Chicago native was placed in a psychiatric ward for the mysterious murder of her father. Upon her release, some five years later, Siren is instantly engulfed in an array of situations that make her every move a near death experience. Her quick impulse to escape from the grips of some very serious street thugs seems to only be leading her farther in the wrong direction. All of her decisions force her out of the windy city of Chicago, down to the bright Sunshine State of Florida. She leaves no trace to trail when eluding her troubles, but coincidence, or maybe the karma from her past, lands her in the calloused palms of a true Chicago heavyweight. Her past remains locked behind her piercing green eyes, and she's created a beautiful illusion to the man she knows nothing about. He, on the other hand, holds a very distinct past in the cold streets back in Chicago, but has distanced who he was then from the gentleman of distinguished nature he's created. Yet, both of their eyes are the windows of the untold. In life, we know that a woman's touch, a woman's kiss, a woman's desire, and a woman's beauty will entice, invite, and be the reason for a man's relapse to old methods, a changed man'sreversion to the drug world, which will undoubtedly be the root of "A Gangsta's Demise." Will Siren Montago's beauty be enough to keep her skeletons from bursting out of the closet? Or will the man she's falling in love with find her past too unforgivable and too close to him for his own past to accept? This is a tale of secrets, enough secrets to turn love into an ocean of rage.
Publisher: Blueprint Publications
ISBN: 9780996947602
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 216
Book Description
Siren Montago is being forced to venture through a life of coincidental anguish. At fifteen years old, the Chicago native was placed in a psychiatric ward for the mysterious murder of her father. Upon her release, some five years later, Siren is instantly engulfed in an array of situations that make her every move a near death experience. Her quick impulse to escape from the grips of some very serious street thugs seems to only be leading her farther in the wrong direction. All of her decisions force her out of the windy city of Chicago, down to the bright Sunshine State of Florida. She leaves no trace to trail when eluding her troubles, but coincidence, or maybe the karma from her past, lands her in the calloused palms of a true Chicago heavyweight. Her past remains locked behind her piercing green eyes, and she's created a beautiful illusion to the man she knows nothing about. He, on the other hand, holds a very distinct past in the cold streets back in Chicago, but has distanced who he was then from the gentleman of distinguished nature he's created. Yet, both of their eyes are the windows of the untold. In life, we know that a woman's touch, a woman's kiss, a woman's desire, and a woman's beauty will entice, invite, and be the reason for a man's relapse to old methods, a changed man'sreversion to the drug world, which will undoubtedly be the root of "A Gangsta's Demise." Will Siren Montago's beauty be enough to keep her skeletons from bursting out of the closet? Or will the man she's falling in love with find her past too unforgivable and too close to him for his own past to accept? This is a tale of secrets, enough secrets to turn love into an ocean of rage.
Death at Dead Man's Stake
Author: Nick Oldham
Publisher: Severn House Publishers Ltd
ISBN: 1448314844
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 292
Book Description
A life or death decision leads Sergeant Jessica Raker to swap the Metropolitan Police for trouble up north, but old enemies are on her tail . . . A split-second decision has life-changing consequences for Metropolitan Police firearms officer Jessica Raker when she fatally wounds the son of a notorious organized crime chief during a robbery in Greenwich - and discovers her husband has been having an affair. With her career, her marriage and her life in danger, Jess is sent back to her home town of Clitheroe in the Ribble Valley to take up a sergeant role in Lancashire police. But as she throws herself into dealing with a hostage situation up on Dead Man's Stake Farm and a body discovered in a reservoir on her first day, her enemies are plotting their revenge - and they're closer than she thinks . . .
Publisher: Severn House Publishers Ltd
ISBN: 1448314844
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 292
Book Description
A life or death decision leads Sergeant Jessica Raker to swap the Metropolitan Police for trouble up north, but old enemies are on her tail . . . A split-second decision has life-changing consequences for Metropolitan Police firearms officer Jessica Raker when she fatally wounds the son of a notorious organized crime chief during a robbery in Greenwich - and discovers her husband has been having an affair. With her career, her marriage and her life in danger, Jess is sent back to her home town of Clitheroe in the Ribble Valley to take up a sergeant role in Lancashire police. But as she throws herself into dealing with a hostage situation up on Dead Man's Stake Farm and a body discovered in a reservoir on her first day, her enemies are plotting their revenge - and they're closer than she thinks . . .
The Black Guy Dies First
Author: Robin R. Means Coleman
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1982186534
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 336
Book Description
An exploration of the history of Black horror films. Delves into the themes, tropes, and traits that have come to characterize Black roles in horror since 1968, a year in which race made national headlines
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1982186534
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 336
Book Description
An exploration of the history of Black horror films. Delves into the themes, tropes, and traits that have come to characterize Black roles in horror since 1968, a year in which race made national headlines
The Gangster Film Reader
Author: Alain Silver
Publisher: Hal Leonard Corporation
ISBN: 9780879103323
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 428
Book Description
In the 1930s the gangster film in the United States coincided with a very real and very sensational gangsterism at large in American society. Little Caesar (1931), The Public Enemy (1931), and Scarface (1932) borrowed liberally from the newspapers and books of the era. With the release of just these three motion pictures in barely more than a year's time, Hollywood quintessentially defined the genre. The characters, the situations, and the icons-from fast cars and tommy-guns to fancy fedoras and fancier molls-established the audience expectations associated with the gangster film that remain in force to this day. As with their Film Noir Reader series, using both reprints of seminal articles and new pieces, editors Silver and Ursini have assembled a group of essays that presents an exhaustive overview of this still vital genre. Reprints of work by such well-known film historians as Robin Wood, Andrew Sarris, Carlos Clarens, Paul Schrader, and Stuart Kaminsky explore the evolution of the gangster film through the 1970s and The Godfather. Parts 2 and 3 comprise two dozen newer articles, most of them written expressly for this volume by Ursini and Silver. These case studies and thematic analyses, from White Heat to the remake of Scarface to "The Sopranos," complete the anthology.
Publisher: Hal Leonard Corporation
ISBN: 9780879103323
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 428
Book Description
In the 1930s the gangster film in the United States coincided with a very real and very sensational gangsterism at large in American society. Little Caesar (1931), The Public Enemy (1931), and Scarface (1932) borrowed liberally from the newspapers and books of the era. With the release of just these three motion pictures in barely more than a year's time, Hollywood quintessentially defined the genre. The characters, the situations, and the icons-from fast cars and tommy-guns to fancy fedoras and fancier molls-established the audience expectations associated with the gangster film that remain in force to this day. As with their Film Noir Reader series, using both reprints of seminal articles and new pieces, editors Silver and Ursini have assembled a group of essays that presents an exhaustive overview of this still vital genre. Reprints of work by such well-known film historians as Robin Wood, Andrew Sarris, Carlos Clarens, Paul Schrader, and Stuart Kaminsky explore the evolution of the gangster film through the 1970s and The Godfather. Parts 2 and 3 comprise two dozen newer articles, most of them written expressly for this volume by Ursini and Silver. These case studies and thematic analyses, from White Heat to the remake of Scarface to "The Sopranos," complete the anthology.
A Gangsta & His Shawty
Author: Natisha Raynor
Publisher: Sullivan Group Publishing
ISBN: 1648401058
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 143
Book Description
When it comes to the kind of drama that goes hand-in-hand with the street life, none have dealt with it more than the Baptiste family. The question is, do they have what it takes to make it through and remain victorious or will the demons of the street win in the end? Jules Jr., better known as J2, is exceptionally smart.But no matter how gifted J2 is academically, the Baptiste blood runs through his veins, and despite his father’s disapproval, he decides that he wants in on his father's street legacy. No one can juggle running a drug empire and being a college student better than J2 and he's set on proving it. But his father always told him that when it comes to hustling, the bad outweighs the good, and J2 begins to see that. When he’s not dealing with incompetent, thieving workers, he has to deal with hustlers from out of town trying to infiltrate his blocks. Before he can spring into action, Jules comes to the rescue, making J2 feel some type of way. How can he prove that he’s just as good a boss as his father if his father won’t let him handle his own business? On top of that, J2 finds himself in a love triangle when he grows a little too fond of his homegirl Jazlyn, when his heart is supposed to belong to Natori. With all this happening around him, will J2 prove that he can live up to the legacy his father started before him and keep a hold on the matters of the heart? Jules always forbade his daughter, Reign, from dealing with hustlers, and she always listened. And when she starts dating a rapper by the name of Tre da Don, Jules is definitely not pleased. Jules doesn’t trust him as far as he can throw him, but Reign is smitten with the charming man, and soon she’s all in. It doesn’t take Reign long to realize that her father may have been right about Tre, and when he betrays Reign in the worst way, he may just have to pay with his life. Marital bliss should be a given but for Kymani it isn't. Although she hasn’t caught Jacques cheating in ages, she still has this unsettling feeling that something is going on behind the scenes. The feeling is nagging her to the point that Kymani takes drastic measures to find out the truth. They say be careful when you go looking for something because you just may find it, and she has to learn that the hard way. Kymani and Jacques’s relationship will never be the same, but in the end, will the changes be for the better? Lyric and Jules are happily married, and their love is stronger than ever, but Lyric is fighting a demon that no one knows about but her. She understands that she’s playing a dangerous game; however, no matter how much she tries to pretend, Lyric no longer has control over her life. When Jules is made aware of the secret, all hell breaks loose, and Lyric is forced to face her problems. The only thing is, she doesn’t think that there is anything to fix. Lyric thinks she’s fine, and that puts a strain on her marriage. Jules will never give her up without a fight, but Lyric may need help that even he can’t give her.
Publisher: Sullivan Group Publishing
ISBN: 1648401058
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 143
Book Description
When it comes to the kind of drama that goes hand-in-hand with the street life, none have dealt with it more than the Baptiste family. The question is, do they have what it takes to make it through and remain victorious or will the demons of the street win in the end? Jules Jr., better known as J2, is exceptionally smart.But no matter how gifted J2 is academically, the Baptiste blood runs through his veins, and despite his father’s disapproval, he decides that he wants in on his father's street legacy. No one can juggle running a drug empire and being a college student better than J2 and he's set on proving it. But his father always told him that when it comes to hustling, the bad outweighs the good, and J2 begins to see that. When he’s not dealing with incompetent, thieving workers, he has to deal with hustlers from out of town trying to infiltrate his blocks. Before he can spring into action, Jules comes to the rescue, making J2 feel some type of way. How can he prove that he’s just as good a boss as his father if his father won’t let him handle his own business? On top of that, J2 finds himself in a love triangle when he grows a little too fond of his homegirl Jazlyn, when his heart is supposed to belong to Natori. With all this happening around him, will J2 prove that he can live up to the legacy his father started before him and keep a hold on the matters of the heart? Jules always forbade his daughter, Reign, from dealing with hustlers, and she always listened. And when she starts dating a rapper by the name of Tre da Don, Jules is definitely not pleased. Jules doesn’t trust him as far as he can throw him, but Reign is smitten with the charming man, and soon she’s all in. It doesn’t take Reign long to realize that her father may have been right about Tre, and when he betrays Reign in the worst way, he may just have to pay with his life. Marital bliss should be a given but for Kymani it isn't. Although she hasn’t caught Jacques cheating in ages, she still has this unsettling feeling that something is going on behind the scenes. The feeling is nagging her to the point that Kymani takes drastic measures to find out the truth. They say be careful when you go looking for something because you just may find it, and she has to learn that the hard way. Kymani and Jacques’s relationship will never be the same, but in the end, will the changes be for the better? Lyric and Jules are happily married, and their love is stronger than ever, but Lyric is fighting a demon that no one knows about but her. She understands that she’s playing a dangerous game; however, no matter how much she tries to pretend, Lyric no longer has control over her life. When Jules is made aware of the secret, all hell breaks loose, and Lyric is forced to face her problems. The only thing is, she doesn’t think that there is anything to fix. Lyric thinks she’s fine, and that puts a strain on her marriage. Jules will never give her up without a fight, but Lyric may need help that even he can’t give her.
Ordinary Reactions to Extraordinary Events
Author: Ray Broadus Browne
Publisher: Popular Press
ISBN: 9780879728342
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 284
Book Description
The essays in this collection present communities beset by unexpected social and physical events. Some outline immediate responses that soon pass and some that will not go away. Who would have foreseen that Elvis would be a phenomenon apparently as lasting as the faces on Mount Rushmore? Cultural history will not allow us to forget the H. G. Wells account of the Martian attack, nor can we ever forget the continued terror of the Chernobyl explosion. Ordinary Reactions to Extraordinary Events catalogues on the Geiger counter of human emotions societal reactions to events both earthshaking and culture-disturbing.
Publisher: Popular Press
ISBN: 9780879728342
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 284
Book Description
The essays in this collection present communities beset by unexpected social and physical events. Some outline immediate responses that soon pass and some that will not go away. Who would have foreseen that Elvis would be a phenomenon apparently as lasting as the faces on Mount Rushmore? Cultural history will not allow us to forget the H. G. Wells account of the Martian attack, nor can we ever forget the continued terror of the Chernobyl explosion. Ordinary Reactions to Extraordinary Events catalogues on the Geiger counter of human emotions societal reactions to events both earthshaking and culture-disturbing.
A Gangsta's Chick 3
Author: Leo Sullivan
Publisher: Sullivan Group Publishing
ISBN: 1946789585
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 261
Book Description
The Saga Continues from critically acclaimed author, Leo Sullivan, it's the long awaited Essence Best Seller, A Gangsta's Chick 3. When self-made gangsta and millionaire , Jack Lemon, finds himself desperately to get out of Cuba, he encounters some of the most ruthless foes he's ever faced. Deeply amid the original Cuban thugs, Jack races against time to get state side and save Gina. Will he make it? Or is he finally too late. Once again, Gina finds herself in the mix of mayhem and murder. Except this time, it's a deadly plot ...... designed to bring her down.
Publisher: Sullivan Group Publishing
ISBN: 1946789585
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 261
Book Description
The Saga Continues from critically acclaimed author, Leo Sullivan, it's the long awaited Essence Best Seller, A Gangsta's Chick 3. When self-made gangsta and millionaire , Jack Lemon, finds himself desperately to get out of Cuba, he encounters some of the most ruthless foes he's ever faced. Deeply amid the original Cuban thugs, Jack races against time to get state side and save Gina. Will he make it? Or is he finally too late. Once again, Gina finds herself in the mix of mayhem and murder. Except this time, it's a deadly plot ...... designed to bring her down.
The Rise and Demise of Black Theology
Author: Alistair Kee
Publisher: SCM Press
ISBN: 0334041643
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 256
Book Description
Black Theology emerged in the 1960s as a response to black consciousness. In South Africa, it is a critique of power; in the UK it is a political theology of black culture. The dominant form of Black Theology has been in the USA, originally influenced by Black Power and the critique of white racism. Since then, it claims to have broadened its perspective to include oppression on the grounds of race, gender and class. In this book, Alistair Kee contests this claim, arguing that Black and Womanist Theologies present inadequate analysis of race and gender and no account at all of class or economic oppression.With a few notable exceptions, Black Theology in the USA repeats the mantras of the 1970s, the discourse of modernity. Content with American capitalism, it fails to address the source of the impoverishment of black Americans at home. Content with a romantic image of Africa, this 'African-American' movement fails to defend contemporary Africa against predatory American global ambitions. Blacks in the West, Kee claims here, are no longer the victims; they are the voters and consumers who should be able to influence western governments - the American government in particular - into changing policies towards Africa in particular and the third world in general. This book does not argue that Black theologians should give up, but that they should move on, for the sake of the black poor in America, the black poor in Africa and the third world. The failure of Black theologians to do so is a cause for concern beyond the circle of practitioners of Black theology.
Publisher: SCM Press
ISBN: 0334041643
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 256
Book Description
Black Theology emerged in the 1960s as a response to black consciousness. In South Africa, it is a critique of power; in the UK it is a political theology of black culture. The dominant form of Black Theology has been in the USA, originally influenced by Black Power and the critique of white racism. Since then, it claims to have broadened its perspective to include oppression on the grounds of race, gender and class. In this book, Alistair Kee contests this claim, arguing that Black and Womanist Theologies present inadequate analysis of race and gender and no account at all of class or economic oppression.With a few notable exceptions, Black Theology in the USA repeats the mantras of the 1970s, the discourse of modernity. Content with American capitalism, it fails to address the source of the impoverishment of black Americans at home. Content with a romantic image of Africa, this 'African-American' movement fails to defend contemporary Africa against predatory American global ambitions. Blacks in the West, Kee claims here, are no longer the victims; they are the voters and consumers who should be able to influence western governments - the American government in particular - into changing policies towards Africa in particular and the third world in general. This book does not argue that Black theologians should give up, but that they should move on, for the sake of the black poor in America, the black poor in Africa and the third world. The failure of Black theologians to do so is a cause for concern beyond the circle of practitioners of Black theology.