Page 129 - Cultural Studies A Practical Introduction

Music 113

Ali Baba is a character in the ancient Arabian story collection One Thousand
and One Nights who eavesdrops on a group of thieves and uses what he ’ s
heard to unlock a magic cave containing stolen treasure. DAM ground
their appropriation of hip hop in the imagery and folklore of their native
culture. DAM, like Ali Baba, listens in to the discourse of “ outsiders ” – in
this case, American rappers – then uses the knowledge gained to “ open
doors, ” that is, to make their voices heard in a society that denies its citizens
freedom of expression.
The title “ Love Us and Buy Us ” must be read ironically, as the song
is a critique of the hedonism and materialism which have come to
dominate much contemporary American hip hop music. For example,
DAM asks,

Wanna shake? Go ahead and shake your head to expel your thoughts
But if you only shake your ass all you ’ ll do is expel shit
Ohhh is it forbidden to say that? I can ’ t say it?
You can ’ t say “ you can ’ t ” in hip hop music, it ’ s free
Now check it out.

DAM seek to establish middle territory between the polarized positions of
Islamic extremists who reject hip hop ’ s decadence and immorality on reli-

gious grounds, and hip hop aficionados who celebrate decadence and
immorality for its own sake. Shaking the head – a gesture of pious negativ-
ity – is likened to thoughtlessness, while shaking the posterior – a gesture
of impious carnality – is presented as equally unproductive. DAM suggest
that secular Western civilization is debased by its addiction to the pleasures

of the flesh, fundamentalist Islamic culture is misguided by its obsession
with the sanctity of the spirit, and that thoughtful moderation is the best
alternative. “ Moderation ” is not a theme we ’ ll fi nd very often in American
hip hop, but as we can see, the genre is adaptable to contexts that extend
far beyond its country of origin.
You may have noticed the preponderance of geographical metaphors in
this chapter, words like space, lines, territory, boundaries, and grounds.
Popular music is a tool people who lack adequate physical or symbolic
space in society can use to make their presence and needs known.

Sometimes this takes the form of name - checking specific places or regions
in songs, such as references in rap to Eastside or Westside , which denote
New York or Los Angeles affiliations. In other cases, it is a matter of