Lester’s main argument he makes in Hip Hop and the Neoliberal Turn, is that there is this sense of increasing growth of neoliberalism present in black politics. He argues hip hop is the response to the neoliberal shift found in US cities, this is seen from increases of financialization and deregulation, cuts to public funding and the push for the free market (p.2). Lester proves this by relating hip hop to past workers songs of resistance and solidarity (p.2). He argues rap is now seen as the new post-industrial work songs, promoting resistance, just as seen years before in the enslavement of African Americans in the US within field labour songs of justice (p.3). An example used was with Kanye and Jay Z and their lyrics and songs revolving
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What I take away from this is Lester touches on that fact that higher powers pit lower classes against each other to blindside the public that these ruling classes have taken over society to primarily benefit them, and the lowest classes suffer and are impacted the most. An example of this in the article being Bill Clinton’s welfare reform bill. This impacted lower classes and black america the most by which lifelong benefits were replaced with nonsecure temporary ones, and increasing arrests to primarily african americans …show more content…
In the song Ice-T raps about how money and success is the key to escaping this capitalist, neoliberal society, with lyrics such as “I got nothin to lose, much to gain, In my brain, I got a capitalist migraine” and “Sleep on silk, lie like a politician”. This connects to Lester’s example of Jay Z and his rise of power in this society, working his way up to drug train. This finally connects to Lester’s theme on the increased divide between the black poor and middle class. This is seen in the song with the banter between the kid and Ice-T on how he can make it in this society and have this lifestyle, where Ice-T yells to step back and do it himself. This reinforces the idea in the black community of the hustler, trying to play the system in order to escape the normative life that neoliberalism provides/expects for the urban
What I take away from this is Lester touches on that fact that higher powers pit lower classes against each other to blindside the public that these ruling classes have taken over society to primarily benefit them, and the lowest classes suffer and are impacted the most. An example of this in the article being Bill Clinton’s welfare reform bill. This impacted lower classes and black america the most by which lifelong benefits were replaced with nonsecure temporary ones, and increasing arrests to primarily african americans …show more content…
In the song Ice-T raps about how money and success is the key to escaping this capitalist, neoliberal society, with lyrics such as “I got nothin to lose, much to gain, In my brain, I got a capitalist migraine” and “Sleep on silk, lie like a politician”. This connects to Lester’s example of Jay Z and his rise of power in this society, working his way up to drug train. This finally connects to Lester’s theme on the increased divide between the black poor and middle class. This is seen in the song with the banter between the kid and Ice-T on how he can make it in this society and have this lifestyle, where Ice-T yells to step back and do it himself. This reinforces the idea in the black community of the hustler, trying to play the system in order to escape the normative life that neoliberalism provides/expects for the urban