Hello Everybody! I’m Kwende Kefentse. It’s very cool to be involved in this exchange with all of you. For my part, I’m a DJ and student from Toronto and currently living in Ottawa. My work focuses on understanding the relationship between place and the development of culture, specifically in the city – what’s been termed “urban culture.”
Just the idea that there is a genre of music that is spatially defined is something that Richard and I agree is relevant – does this imply that we have some kind of shared idea about what “urban” means. How does the physical urban space relate to that construct? I’ve been engaged in study and in developing my ideas for a long time, and I’m looking forward to sharing them with you all and getting feedback about the way that urban arts/music and youth scenes work in your cities, and your ideas about the effect of space on expression.
I thought that for the first blog, we could start with something general to give you a sense of my perspective: The Dark Knight. I know that comic book movies have been all the rage this summer, but how good is this movie though?! However many billions of dollars later, this movie has (nearly?) become the biggest box office blowout of all time. It’s that good. Kudos to DC Comics for reinvigorating that franchise.
During the previews, at least in North America, DC began the hype-machine for their next feature film: Watchmen. The original 12 comics were written by Alan Moore, a master of his craft if there ever was one. I can say without a shred of hyperbole that it is one of the most nuanced, morally complex, structurally ingenious, transformative works to be printed to paper in the last century. If you don’t believe me, Google will tell you the same.
The hype-machine pumped out seven posters and released them to the web the other week. As I was trying to figure out what to say to all of you in my first post, this poster spoke to me:
Not to ruin any of the story for the people who are going to see this film, but when Dr. Wally Weaver makes that comment he is talking about the character Dr. Manhattan, it’s that blue gentleman with his back to us, floating in the lotus position. Dr. Manhattan used to be a regular human being and a scientist, but he changed and has become something much more than human. Dr. Weaver is trying to say that in his transformation Manhattan also transformed what mankind imagined it could be. There had been nothing like him before, and moreover we couldn’t go back to the way things had been. He represents a fundamental system change.
It’s a typical Moore-type metaphor – one that rings right through time and space. The image of Manhattan has been associated with that very kind of change since the island was gridded out in 1807. There had never been a space quite like it before. Its critical mass represented an opportunity for change. Changes in housing law out of New York (the 1879 and 1901 tenement laws) affected lot sizes in cities all over North America. When they were thinking to call the WWII Nuclear project “The Knoxville Project” (Thanx Wikipedia) , they thought better and settled on the name “Manhattan” for the project that would change the face of the world forever. The U.N. would eventually establish its headquarters there. Modern architecture would transform the idea of the city in New York. System change is part of its profile. We have been in the shadow of Manhattan for quite some time now it seems.
On the north side of the island in the South Bronx there was light though. In 1973, as the tax base fled, emerging out of the shadow of Manhattan, kids were collecting their feelings and observations about the city and unleashing them as either b-boying/breakdancing, djing, emceeing, and writing graffiti. As natives of the space – the first real natives of the modern city – the social innovators in the community collected the individual art forms into a culture and system of expression that would literally become synonymous with the modern city as we know it. The entire content and formation of it was the urban experience. Eventually it would be a beacon to youth, whether urban or suburban, American or otherwise. As it became disseminated through the media from city to city around the world, hip hop culture would affect not only the way we walk and talk, but the way we think about art, and the possibilities of expression as young people in cities. It would represent a fundamental system change in the way young people in cities identified themselves and related to each other.
This isn’t to say that all young people are into hip hop, but it’s just to acknowledge the fundamental changes that have taken place. How many people in my age bracket really think that graffiti is a crime? How many young people think that DJ’ing is a cool thing to do? When did your parents learn the word “dis”? Why do they say it like it ain’t no thang – how did that become normalized? Why is Barack Obama’s hip hop mannerism so explosive? I won’t make mention of the entire industry of music that came literally out of nowhere in the late 70’s to dominate the world in the late 90’s and beyond.
It’s easy to be glib about all of this, but we have to remember that it hasn’t always been like this. Not cities, and not the culture of the city either. How did this specific expression of place transcend culture and resonate so strongly all over the globe? I remember being almost the only kid in my school that liked hip hop or even really knew about it. Is that even possible now?
As the planet enters its first urban age, one of the things I’m trying to figure out is this: As one of the first modern cities in the world, how long is Manhattan’s shadow? How bright is its beacon?
I’m looking forward to thinking about that and more with you all.
And now some music to help it all go down. I’ll keep it shorter next time, I promise.
Peace,
-K
August 7th, 2008 at 2:30 am
whether it was your intention or not, it sounds a bit like you define the genesis of hip-hop culture as being created by the first real natives of the modern city. -i would have to debate the exact time line of when the first real natives of a modern city came into being… the marx brothers wouldn’t exist if they hadn’t been raised poor as dirt in new york, -and they created a wholly original cultural experience from their poverty as easily identifiable “big city scam artists” who had unique styles of music, dance, speech, philosophy, humour, mime, etc… -this is just one example of many that springs to mind… -bat it back man! -oh, and if you haven’t seen a marx brothers movie yet, well… you haven’t lived… -groucho was one of the wittiest humans to ever live… check out ratings and watch one of the best to have your senses assaulted by jackhammers of talent… -great blog entry, b.t.w….
August 8th, 2008 at 5:39 am
actually, i guess what my subconcious was really trying to say was… VAUDEVILLE!!! the marx brothers came out of vaudeville, and as soon as there were cities to make a circuit of, artists and performers were on it, developing thousands of original acts that were comprised of dozens and dozens of styles of performance… and before that, ooopahh! gypsy caravans and other wagon loads of creative freaks! party!
August 10th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Hey Coyote,
Thanks for your comment! When I said modern New York, I was referring to New York as redeveloped by Title’s I, II and III of 1949’s National Housing Act and the example of city building that it represented. As Bruce Kuwabara’s post points out, New York was considered the capital of the 20th century. It became that by changing it’s built environment in many ways subsequent to that 1949 Housing Act – by that time Zeppo and Gummo had already left for Hollywood.
We’ll get further into what exactly I mean by “modern” in future posts, but that was a great pitch to bat back. You also make a great point in your second post about the city being a incubator for innovation and performance through the scenes it creates and the outlets that those scenes provide. That’s exactly what we’re here to talk about!
August 11th, 2008 at 3:52 am
G’day – I like what you’re trying to draft here by discussing how Manhattan and New York’s social atmosphere has had a huge impact on the cultural fabric of the city, and through the American mass media machine the rest of the world.
Immediately after reading your post Coyote, I started to imagine other aspects of world culture changing in tune with the urban landscape – French Impressionism painting, 20th century stream of consciousness literature. Now for some reason, these art forms have not had the same lasting impact on global mass culture. Rather, they retained an element of the elite that didn’t bow down to popular sentiment. (Are Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell the heirs of Groucho Marx and the vaudeville tradition?)
So, Kwende, I wonder if this is your main thrust: that the current global culture has grown up in the shadow of American capitalism more than Manhattan’s unique urban landscape?
August 11th, 2008 at 4:04 am
And just to go beyond that little capitalist rant, I wanted to draw your attention to my new favourite disc spinning round down here in Auckland.
Tiki Taane grew up in the drum ‘n bass scene here in NZ, moving into the burgeoning dub reggae scene with Salmonella Dub, and now is hoisting his sail in the hip hop/dub/reggae scene with his solo project.
Check out http://www.tikidub.com
His solo album is in te reo Maori, the spoken language of the Maori people. The album features traditional Maori instruments, taonga puoro (literally, singing treasures)raps and lyrics in spoken Maori, and the typical hip hop beat and rhythm that is common around the world.
So not only is Manhattan inspiring the urban soundscapes of the world but it is also helping a disparate group of indigenous people, both rural and urban down here in NZ, find their own voice.
So what this opens up is the whole discussion of how music opens up the dialogue of identity, protest, and change. Is the self-affirming identity of Maori musicians comparable to the self-affirming identity of the urban Manhattanites that strut their stuff around the music videos and dancehalls of the world?
Eric in Aotearoa