Black art should display how life should be, not how it is

[Ya' Cousin Cleon]

there’s a lot of local black art out there

just got to remember to log off and actually talk to people.

 

[PhonZhi]

When black rappers make songs and music videos about life in the ghetto, mumbling incoherently, shooting other black people, poverty and dissing black women etc my basic response to that is to get depressed and/or ambivalent.

When black painters paint murals of cops viciously assaulting unarmed teenagers I am not inspired or moved to change anything.

When black filmmakers and actors portray black characters as down and out pimps, dumb athletes, drug dealers, or goofy white sidekicks for comic relief rather than nuanced and complex human beings with diverse backgrounds and perspectives I feel like throwing my remote through the TV screen and saying "fukk it" with black movies.

Notice a pattern? When artists make art it should give you hope, inspiration, motivation, and upliftment. It should display the best of life and human potential. That is what's most vital about it. Black art is unique in that it mostly shows black people in subservient positions or as victims of circumstance.

The standard response by the "keep it real" crowd is this is "how shyt is". Maybe. But not how it should be.

For all the bad-talking and critiques here on Black Panther, it was the first movie in recent memory to completely reject any and all negative stereotypes about black people AND also present an uplifted vision of Africa. I think that's what drew people the most about it. That resonated with people on a deeper level.

Art is about what could and should be, not about depravity and degeneracy and the worst possible examples the artists can come up with.

This is precisely what we don't need.

We can do better.

Peep the whole vid but specifically 7:25 on

 

[Easy-E]

We lost.

Positive.Positive.Positive.Positive.Positive.Positive.Positive.Positive.Positive.Positive.Positive.Positive.Positive.Positive.Positive.

That's all I hear about. Grown folks celebrating when shyt ain't fixed.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile...


The 'Forgotten People' Of New Orleans' Upper 9th Ward

The ‘Forgotten People’ Of New Orleans’ Upper 9th Ward Eleven years after Hurricane Katrina devastated much of the city, decaying homes are blighting neighborhoods and spreading sickness.

bu..bu..but, keep it positive...

 

[Wild self]

Respectability politics is summed up by "how will we look to white people? Do we have their approval?"

My point has zero to do with white people. Their opinion matters even less than they themselves.

This is 100℅ about BLACK people and the art we create for black consumption.

Will you continue to create art that puts yourselves down, debases and destroys your soul or start creating art that up lifts you and makes life worth living?

Cats dont wanna hear that

 

[King Jae]

Plenty of positive art out there...just not promoted as much as the negative aspects...its human nature to focus on the negative...brain wired like that to see potential threats on some survival...problem is ppl dont see positivity paying as much as negativity...if nagas go in the booth and make some thought provoking shyt...u gonna buy it cuz its positive even tho the song is shyt?...u won't...nagas will jus say the song shytty and keep it moving....life aint positive all the time....some time u need that feel good/stress relief music...sometimes u need that "I'm a whoop a nagas ass" music for adrenalin to get thru workouts...black art ain't a small box...never has been...

 

[Wild self]

@Nicole0416

 

[videogamestashbox.com]

bump

 

[Wild self]

All those posters that disagreed with me, are banned now

 

[humminbird]

a good read I agree there should not be FICTIONAL imaginings of the black struggle simply because there are so many great individuals and periods where a black person preserved through racism. A creative should be able to fit their narrative around them. (queen and slim)
This does not mean we get rid of films that promote the black struggle since this is the only way some people remember and learn. (the central park five documentary for example.)

 

[FromStLouis]

This is why black science fiction is so important and should be pushed further to the front of our arts and culture.

It doesn't have to be black panther it can be as grounded as a Thanksgiving dinner 25 years in the future.

We have to be able to imagine and create futures.

 

[Neuromancer]

This is why black science fiction is so important and should be pushed further to the front of our arts and culture.

It doesn't have to be black panther it can be as grounded as a Thanksgiving dinner 25 years in the future.

We have to be able to imagine and create futures.

They gonna call you a c00n breh. I agree with you.

Peepgamecomix.com

 

[⠝⠕⠏⠑]

This is why black science fiction is so important and should be pushed further to the front of our arts and culture.

It doesn't have to be black panther it can be as grounded as a Thanksgiving dinner 25 years in the future.

We have to be able to imagine and create futures.

But then people tell u that’s just escapism.

Blks aren’t even allowed to dream and the trajectory of a lot of our media reflects this.

We call blks thinking in speculative fiction or fantasy goofy or weird. Even blk children are forced to grow up too quick.

Mythos is important b/c innovation and creativity and inspiration can come from that space.

I don’t think we have to completely replace being real with romanticism but we have a glaring absence of fantasy and epic mythos portrayed in the media representative of our community. The irritating part is that it isn’t b/c many in our community don’t want it. It’s because the avenues available to us used to produce what we consume or don’t consume will not go there.

I dream in color.

 

[FromStLouis]

They gonna call you a c00n breh. I agree with you.

Peepgamecomix.com

I'm in no way in support of ignoring the day-to-day realities or it being reflected in our art.

What's going on is still a powerful relevant record and should be championed as such.

I just think in addition to that, we need art that reflects where we want to go and want to be.

They'd have to call their hero NaS a c00n then too.

Speculative fiction isn't new to to us. Look at If I Ruled The World or the better track Nellyville.

 

[Neuromancer]

I'm in no way in support of ignoring the day-to-day realities or it being reflected in our art.

What's going on is still a powerful relevant record and should be championed as such.

I just think in addition to that, we need art that reflects where we want to go and want to be.

They'd have to call their hero NaS a c00n then too.

Speculative fiction isn't new to to us. Look at If I Ruled The World or the better track Nellyville.

I 100% agree with you. I write comics and scifi. I'm just telling you The coli is basically High school.

 

[Savvir]

Article definitely wasn't written by a creative.