TV Show Analysis

There have been countless television shows that focus on black people and black cultural issues; for instance Family Matters and Fresh Prince of Bel Air more recently Everybody hates Chris and Black-ish. Although each show focuses on black families and certain cultural issues and stereotypes, there is always the underlying presence/influence of white culture whether it be the fact that the show was produced by a white person or a white character. This essay will analyze how rapper childish Gambino more commonly known as Donald Glover new tv show Atlanta addresses common black cultural issues and stereotypes head-on without any influence of white culture. More specifically this essay will use the first episode: “Streets on Lock” which first …show more content…
Almost immediately viewers are exposed to gun violence. In the very first scene Earn finds himself in the middle of a confrontation between his rapper cousin Paper Boi and another black male. The confrontation ultimately ends with Paper Boi shooting the other man, the screen then goes black and the title of the show appears. Although this opening scene is very powerful and eye catching it serves a far greater purpose when it comes to the issue and stereotype of gun violence in the black community. Bt staring this way the audience has an expectation of what is to come as well as a preconceived idea of each character.

Throughout the duration of this episode the viewer is exposed to more gun violence, a few minutes after the first example of gun violence viewers are again exposed to it when Ernest goes to his cousin 's house which is in what looks to be a lower income area and is meet with a gun to his head when the door opens. This episode brought awareness to the gun violence that is happening in black communities, that being said it also brought awareness to the fact that there are people in the community that are trying to stop …show more content…
There is a scene in the middle of this episode where Earn is trying to convince Paper Boi to let him manage him and Paper Boi responds “Rappers need managers i 'm just trying to get paid real quick.” There he is basically fulfilling the beliefs of many that think that rap is solely about making money. Earn however, puts a stop to that mentality or at least attempts to by telling Paper Boi “This is not about rap, if we do this right your kids can live good my kids can live good.” By saying this Earn is saying that rap should not just be looked at as a quick way to make money but an actual career, rather than just a quick cash grab Earn explains why rap is so important. It is an outlet, another way out for black men and women rather than the violence that often traps young black men and women. Rap can be used as a tool to further people 's life and improve it and that is exactly what Earn is trying to tell Paper Boi as well as make it aware that it is so much more than just money but the betterment of the artist 's life and those close to