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."
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