"WHY?" Wednesday: Hick Hop

This has to be a joke.  Tressie McMillan Cottom wrote an article that is 12 pages long... 12 PAGES LONG - about the fusion of hip hop and country music (apparently called "hick hop").  Who in the world has the time (or wastes their time) to write 12 pages about Nelly and Florida Georgia Line, and why would it bother her so much?  This lady seems very educated and is an excellent writer, but this topic eliciting such a response/opinion is absurd.

 

This reminds me of the days in English class analyzing poetry.  In college, we read a poem by Sally Croft called Home Baked Bread.  This poem talks about bread, honey, tea and spices.  However, apparently Home Baked Bread was written about sex.  Really?  It's 2007 and you're going to tell me that you know the exact meaning behind a poem written in the 1930s?*  You're going to tell me that Sally was hinting for some guy to take her upstairs and bake her bread?  What? Umm.... Just stop. 

 

Just as I feel Sally's yeast was not worth the time and effort I put into analyzing it,** I also think Tressie worried way too much about the combination of hip hop and country.  I'm pretty sure when Honky Tonk Badonkadonk was written, Trace Adkins was most likely NOT being racist and I doubt he considers "badonkadonk" to be solely a word for black people to use.  Okay, fine... anyone immersed in pop culture can admit the origin of the word wasn't the musings of an old white man, but why can't he use it?  I have a black friend who I love to death.  He goes to City Limits and line dances***... should I be mad about this?  No...

 

Maybe I'm missing her point but the more I read the article the more it annoyed me because for the most part she was taking this situation way too personally/seriously.  Some of the things she said I can definitely agree with,**** but for the most part... if you think Cruise is "the most embarrassing remix done this month, let alone this year" then Tressie, I don't know you, but if I did, I'd tell you not to listen to it.

 

Just why?  I can't.

 

 

 

 

Yep, I wrote a blog with footnotes...

*I will say that maybe Sally noted somewhere just what her poem is about.  I have no idea if she did or not and I don't care to research it, but I am confident in a lot of cases, the meanings we understand to be true of old poems or songs today are constructed by our own analyzations.

**Just a note to any teachers reading this.  I'm not saying it is not worth the time to read/learn about poetry.  Truthfully, English classes were my favorite and obviously I love to write.  I also love to analyze songs/writing.  What I am trying to say is analyzing things to death isn't always necessary.

***you know, a typical dance white people do.  if Miley can Twerk, Antre can line dance...
****I'm not saying she didn't make some valid points, but her overall message is one I disagree with, and that is my opinion.