20 Comments Wednesday, June 20th, 2007
The Other “M” Word
If we’ve learned anything from the “International Players Anthem” video, it’s that hip-hop can’t sell marriage.
A pimp couldn’t have been happier when UGK’s video for “International Players Anthem” featuring OutKast went out to the Internet some weeks ago. It had been years since I watched a music video in its entirety, and an even longer time since I had seen a video I actually had to tell everyone about. Shit, even the team over at KING couldn’t stop watching and talking about the Bryan Barber-directed masterpiece. That video is waaaayyyy better than Idlewild.
Since then, I have searched high and low for the video on television. Admittedly, the task is a little more difficult for me because my cable provider isn’t smart enough to get MTV Jams nor VH1 Soul, and since I work the kind of hours that keep me in the office long after BET’s 106 & Park, and MTV’s Direct Effect have aired, I can only hope to catch the video in the mornings when MTV, Vh1, and MTV2 are doing their music video blocks. The other thing about their morning progamming is the videos they usually play at this time feature the most popular artists playing their latest songs. Now, when I saw the video for UGK and OutKast, I definitely was under the impression “International Players Anthem” would be one of them.
Unfortunately, that dog didn’t hunt.
Due to the above mentioned dilemma, please take this observation I spew to be very general. I’m not the type to spend my days watching music videos, though some would think that’s a requirement working at KING, so I’m hardly an authority on any of the latest countdowns, but it seems to me the UGK/OutKast video is not getting the shine it deserves because the video actually portrays the beauty of our people rather than the ugly of our people. Not only does it portray the beauty of our people, it also portrays one of the holiest, important acts two human beings can partake in - the wedding. So, you would think this video is deserving of the red carpet treatment and be in constant rotation, right? Especially after all the recent scrutiny surrounding the imagery of our people in music videos, right?
You’re dead wrong and this is disturbing for two reasons:
1) It’s bad enough (but not necessarily shocking) I can’t hear this great song on the radio up here in New York. And please, for those who live in the rest of the country, spare me the whole New York radio never plays southern rap. They do. If your name is T.I. and Yung Joc.
2) I can’t say there’s an agenda against UGK, the smaller of the two groups featured in the video. For five days in a row last week, I saw Bun B on MTV’s morning block of videos, but of course, it wasn’t for “International Players Anthem”. It was his guest appearance on the video for Mike Jones’ “My ‘64″ also featuring Snoop. Trust me when I say, last week I could’ve set my watch to that video.
So what really gives with the seemingly overt neglect of the best hip-hop video since I can’t even recall? Well, I’ll tell you my theory:
To the bosses who run what you see on TV and hear on radio, the idea of a black wedding doesn’t sell to the lowest common denominator. Forget age, few people under the age demographic of 106 and Direct Effect were barely alive when UGK dropped their first album, but that isn’t why the video isn’t getting any burn. The reason is class. In some cases, the packaging and selling of rap music isn’t done by age group, it’s done by class group. To many marketers and programmers the thought process of a poor black person, male or female, has been stunted since they turned 18, and once they get that job at UPS, it’s a wrap. They believe we’ll always listen to the next hot shit, because who in the ‘hood doesn’t want the next hot shit, so why bother giving them a video with two “throwback groups” at a wedding? Neither the group nor getting married is hot to the class of people who actually love rap music. Don’t get mad at me, this is what I’m getting from their actions.
“Who in the ‘hood gets married?” is what they’re wondering out loud. To them, seeing black people get married or married died out with The Cosby Show, which is why you can only see Tyler Perry’s latest show, House of Payne, on TBS, a station no one watches. Shit, the only time I watch TBS is when I’m looking for Saved By The Bell re-runs.
So there you have it folks. Unless you have a high-speed internet connection and click here or go to a site like onsmash.com, you’re not really going to see the holy matrimony of a black man and woman (albeit they’re actors) on television anytime soon, because at the end of the day, black people don’t get married. They just roll around in hot cars all day and party like some rockstars.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 20th, 2007 at 1:52 pm and is filed under Columnists, After Further Review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
20 Responses to “The Other “M” Word”
06.20.07 at 4:36 pm
E says:
this is real spit huey…I was just askin one of the homies the other day why this video is NEVER on tv….and naw it ain’t on 106 neither…them lil votin ninjas don’t recognize game….
06.21.07 at 2:08 am
Belve says:
I can’t agree with this article anymore than if I had written it word for word myself (except that Saved by the Bell part.. I mean do you but WTF?) I remember thinking if they run this every 1 hour and 20 minutes like most “HOT” videos I would actually sit through about 2 blocks of the programming of whatever network is there. But instead I have to count on my high-speed connection. And what is the deal with TW not having access to MTV Jams and VH1 Soul? I went to visit some fam in the STICKS of Alabama (Shout out to the Black Belt) and they had those stations on like constant rotation, and nothing faster than souped up dial-up internet. I would think they would package those stations with TVOne and Black Starz and ram it down our throats. TW = the Wile E. Coyote of cable companies to those that don’t know i.e. they have great ideas and run them off cliffs and into stone walls all the time.
06.21.07 at 9:53 am
Robert Smith says:
Totally agree with everything that author stated.Marraiges strengthens communities and who will empower us but ourselves. It is time for us to put the “Thug Life” crap in the garbage and embrace the ideals of the “Cosbys” again. We have hurt ourselves enough.
06.21.07 at 4:41 pm
Heru says:
The video was truly a refreshing site - it almost reminded me of my weddings day - except when the fight broke out. Infact I’ve been to several weddings within the last 10 years and nothing like this ever happened. Yeah I’ve seen my share of the aggressive single female jocking for position inorder to catch the bouquet but it never got the level of throwing punches and recking the place. I guess what I’m trying to say is that when show the best of ourselves (eventhough they’re acting) there should be no need to include the non-sense…save that stuff for the other videos.
06.24.07 at 7:37 pm
William H says:
Brilliant!! you on point with this one homie. And whats funny is most of these young kids I meet out in the skreets really do have this attitude. They wanna be fed this same bull-*!%$ over and over again. I still got faith in the few intelligent black folks who see thru the mass media hypnosis.. We are few and far but we do exist. props 2U huey you da man..
06.24.07 at 11:51 pm
gk says:
Classic song, nice video…but it is not that different from what is shown on the regular. Still got video girls shaking it, fur coats and cars, and there is a fight at the wedding?? How is that showing any class? With the exception of Dre’s verse, I dont see how this song is about marriage with lines like “Cause whats a hoe with no pimp, and whats a pimp with no hoes” and they are clearly trying to talk him out of it. Cant figure out why this song is not all over the place tho…
06.25.07 at 3:54 pm
keith says:
well I love the song and video. I guess its sad how over exposed we are to the soft porn to other videos, I was like wow the women are really covered in the vid. Still I no problem with sexy women in the video but sometimes a change is nice. Overall a nice song and mostly positive for the most part. Too bad 8ball and mjg wasn’t there then we could have had all of the old school southern supergroups in it. I feel bad for this guy without those channels. That is the only way I watch videos, without commercials and cory ass terance and horse face roxi yelling and screaming like its f***king chuckie cheese
06.25.07 at 5:10 pm
jersey says:
sorry to let everyone know (and i was surprised myself when i saw it this weekend) but the video is #10 on the 106 & park countdown. dont ask why i was forced to watch that show this weekend.
06.25.07 at 5:55 pm
Neesh says:
you’re so right, it is in regular rotation on MTV jams and those other channels(you gotta get ‘em) I love the song and the video, always love a video that actually goes along with the song, tells a story and has some meaning…
06.25.07 at 7:35 pm
lovelifeandlipgloss says:
WELL SAID WELL SAID!!!
06.26.07 at 9:38 am
bebegrl976 says:
I agree with your article..except what’s wrong with working at UPS? My father has worked at UPS and he has been married for 21 years to my mother. Maybe some of the people you know who work there are not successful, but my parents have proven to be just that. Raising my brother and I in a good environment. He worked there to put my mother through school so that she could get her master’s degree, putting his education on hold. So before you stereotype a certain job, know that there are people there who are not concerned with trivial things like flashy cars and when the next mixtape is going to drop.
06.26.07 at 12:04 pm
VEE says:
Okay I have to admit that I had not seen the video though I’ve been bumpin the song for a minute. So I was feeling your column. And I’m thinking damn that’s true and that’s f*%ked up. But after seeing the video I must recant my feelings. Love the video and love me some Outkast and UGK but there is just as much misogyny in that video as any other. Let’s be REAL. Is there such a big difference between two women in tight ass dresses fighting in wedding cake and two women fighting with booty shorts on while being sprayed with champagne. Nice try but no cigar. It had great potential at the beginning but their was just as much making it rain and candy paint car, partying like rockstars going on. I think it’s important that as we try to be conscious we understand that women—black women—women of color are not one of two things either dressed in white virtuous brides or hating half naked money hungry winking at the groom get it girls. I’m not shooting you down. I still agree to a certain degree with what you said but before we go blamin it on “the man” lets get our stuff together. But I appreciate you addressing it. And the video is still fabulous and deserves more air-play.
06.26.07 at 1:15 pm
sci says:
i agree. Similar to the story of little brother’s “Right Here” video, which BET didn’t play because it was too “intelligent”
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