seraphcelene (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
seraphcelene) wrote2012-09-05 09:47 pm
seraphcelene) wrote2012-09-05 09:47 pm
Entry tags:
One of a Kind - G Dragon and the Great Cultural Appropriation Debate of Doom
I kinda love kpop.
But maybe that's an overstatement of what I mean to say when I say that I LOVE Big Bang. Big Bang is very possibly the most popular Korean boy band ever. Big Bang crosses genres between hip hop, R&B, disco and electropop. Depending on the "concept," the style of the song and video are transcendent of the group image. They are ever changing. Big Bang is truly international, having won the Best Worldwide Act at the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards. Except in the US they are little known because we don't get down with international music like that.
Generally, I don't mind the idea of that kind of mixbag musical experimentation. Big Bang is really good. I like their music. What I don't like is the habit amongst some Korean bands, in general, here highlighted by Big Bang and G-Dragon's most recent videos, of wholesale cultural appropriation just because you think it's cool.
G-Dragon's One of a Kind is a perfect example of how appropriation goes horribly, horribly wrong. The song itself is fine. I like it. The video, however, is a sad rip-off of every hip-hop/rap video you've ever seen minus all of the black people. It feels in-authentic and insincere. I'm all aware that there is some meaningful symbolism buried in there; however, the overall result is a plebeian send-up of the kind of slick, over produced Hype Williams-esque hip hip/rap videos from the late 90's and early 2000's. GD rocks a mish-mosh of gangsta chic styles of cornrows, bandanas, baseball caps, sagging jeans, and oversized shorts. He chills with some adorable blasian babies to highlight how unique he is, and gets jiggy with a cadre of skinny mini's in bastardized unitard Marine uniforms.
It's all been there, done that, and someone brought me back the t-shirt to prove it. From the cornrows to the giant bling and the Jamaroqui hat, there wasn't anything new that didn't kind of piss me off except maybe the kids and GD's blase, tongue in cheek attitude which just may be the point. If his point is that all of this is just surface and it changes constantly. But the meaning of the references beneath the artifice is what concerns me. I'm fairly confident that he has some kind of interest in hip hip culture, mostly the video implies that he's borrowing because it looks cool. Adopting appearance and posture in order to distinguish himself in a field full of boy bands. Personally, I think he's talented enough musically not to need the props.
Here's the other thing, in One of a Kind GD is singing against stereotyping and typecasting, but while he's articulating his desire to be individual he is also enacting behaviors that are themselves stereotypes. It all becomes costuming with GD moving from an Axel Rose wannabe to a flat-brimmed cap wearing, gangsta wannabe. Because the meaning behind the referents are lost and because he's steadily shuffling through so many styles, GD presents a mixed message, all sound and fury that in the end signifies nothing. But again, maybe that is the point.
But maybe that's an overstatement of what I mean to say when I say that I LOVE Big Bang. Big Bang is very possibly the most popular Korean boy band ever. Big Bang crosses genres between hip hop, R&B, disco and electropop. Depending on the "concept," the style of the song and video are transcendent of the group image. They are ever changing. Big Bang is truly international, having won the Best Worldwide Act at the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards. Except in the US they are little known because we don't get down with international music like that.
Generally, I don't mind the idea of that kind of mixbag musical experimentation. Big Bang is really good. I like their music. What I don't like is the habit amongst some Korean bands, in general, here highlighted by Big Bang and G-Dragon's most recent videos, of wholesale cultural appropriation just because you think it's cool.
G-Dragon's One of a Kind is a perfect example of how appropriation goes horribly, horribly wrong. The song itself is fine. I like it. The video, however, is a sad rip-off of every hip-hop/rap video you've ever seen minus all of the black people. It feels in-authentic and insincere. I'm all aware that there is some meaningful symbolism buried in there; however, the overall result is a plebeian send-up of the kind of slick, over produced Hype Williams-esque hip hip/rap videos from the late 90's and early 2000's. GD rocks a mish-mosh of gangsta chic styles of cornrows, bandanas, baseball caps, sagging jeans, and oversized shorts. He chills with some adorable blasian babies to highlight how unique he is, and gets jiggy with a cadre of skinny mini's in bastardized unitard Marine uniforms.
It's all been there, done that, and someone brought me back the t-shirt to prove it. From the cornrows to the giant bling and the Jamaroqui hat, there wasn't anything new that didn't kind of piss me off except maybe the kids and GD's blase, tongue in cheek attitude which just may be the point. If his point is that all of this is just surface and it changes constantly. But the meaning of the references beneath the artifice is what concerns me. I'm fairly confident that he has some kind of interest in hip hip culture, mostly the video implies that he's borrowing because it looks cool. Adopting appearance and posture in order to distinguish himself in a field full of boy bands. Personally, I think he's talented enough musically not to need the props.
Here's the other thing, in One of a Kind GD is singing against stereotyping and typecasting, but while he's articulating his desire to be individual he is also enacting behaviors that are themselves stereotypes. It all becomes costuming with GD moving from an Axel Rose wannabe to a flat-brimmed cap wearing, gangsta wannabe. Because the meaning behind the referents are lost and because he's steadily shuffling through so many styles, GD presents a mixed message, all sound and fury that in the end signifies nothing. But again, maybe that is the point.