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Hip Hop Forums => Hot Traxxx => Topic started by: 3000 BC on June 28, 2007, 11:25:12 AM
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Wiggaz: whites with black souls (and style)
August 28, 2004 Edition 1: "The Star Online"
Dipuo Tshoagong [/u]
In an increasingly cosmopolitan South Africa, the number of young white people influenced by black urban culture is rapidly on the increase - but resistance to their choices is coming from right across the racial spectrum.
Eminem, the award winning rap star, is a good example. He is a white boy that grew up listening to "black music" - hip-hop - and is now an icon for teen angst and the universal nature of music.
He, as the street-smart language goes, is a "wigga" (white nigger) - and he influences many young people and is probably one of the main reasons why so many young whites are turning into hip-hop fanatics. But he has met with some resistance from the industry.
The hip-hop magazine The Source, has been on a vendetta against the star, since it emerged that in his earlier years he recorded a racist, misogynistic song after being dumped by a black former girlfriend. Apart from accusations of racism, he has been called a "wannabe" and a fraud for embracing black culture and profiting from it - a la Elvis Presley.
Click on your television today and you might come across a hilarious Sprite advert featuring Eminem clones - with the sagging pants and bling bling - embarra**ing themselves, much to the amusement of some nearby black brothers. The pay-off line is "see through it", implying the young men's fakeness.
While some white youngsters are following the hip-hop culture, walking around in their over-sized jeans, some are just very stylish dressers, who think their dress sense has nothing to do with race.
SABC1 continuity presenter Rowan Cloete and musicians Danny K and Francois Henning - better known as kwaito artist Lekgoa - are white South Africans who have adopted urban black culture and are comfortable with it, no matter how much criticism they may get.
To make matters worse, Cloete and Lekgoa grew up in Afrikaans communities where following or even a**ociating with black people was totally unacceptable.
"I have followed black music and culture from a very young age. I didn't just wake up one morning and decide to release a kwaito album," said Lekgoa.
Lekgoa said that as a young boy, Mercy Phakela and the late Brenda Fa**ie were just some of his icons. He also said that he learned how to speak Sotho as a result of his interest in black cultures and music.
"When my friends would listen to Duran Duran, I would come with my Brenda Fa**ie tapes and they would say that I had totally lost it. I was an outcast in my school and among my friends," he said.
Lekgoa said that his friends were brainwashed by their parents to only listen to "white music" and he was glad that his family was understanding and open-minded.
"My family was cool and allowed me to live my life and not restrict me. I'm glad that the perception of white people is gradually changing," said Lekgoa.
He still gets curious looks from people who think that he has no right to be a kwaito artist because he is white and doesn't understand black culture, but on the whole, he said, things were getting better as people were beginning to accept him as an artist.
"Their argument was that kwaito was a black music genre that expressed the hardships of being black in South Africa and how could I, a white boy, know anything about that," he said.
Cloete, along with Danny K, is seen as a trendy dresser whose sartorial code is influenced by black urban culture.
Cloete, an Afrikaans boy working on a television station which has a largely black audience, said although some of his friends had issues with his job, he didn't care.
"I don't see this as a black or white thing, not even my style of dressing. It's more of an urban energy and I wear what looks and feels good to me."
He considers himself fortunate and privileged to be working for a channel for black viewers. He sees it as a challenge to teach white people to learn and embrace other cultures because they fear it.
"I got criticised when I started working on the channel but I told those people to either take it or leave it. It doesn't have to be a colour thing and I'm living proof of that," he said.
R&B singer Danny K believes that you are a product of what influences you. And since he is an R&B musician, his dress sense will have to be in line with what he does.
"There is a black influence in the way I dress. I'm also very comfortable with the blings (gold chains) that are hip-hop influenced," he said.
While growing up, his peers found him very strange because he would buy hip-hop CDs and attend Sipho "Hotstix" Mabuse's concerts.
"In the end, I converted all my friend to be hip-hop and R&B fanatics as they weren't exposed to it," said Danny K.
Kara Heritage Institute chairperson Dr Mathole Motshekga said that he saw nothing wrong with white people embracing the black culture. According to him, human spirits are the same and manifests themselves in different forms and they appreciate beauty in whatever sense.
"Being white is only about colour and there's no reason why whites can't embrace and appreciate black culture and African beauty," Dr Motshekga said.
:D :D :D :D :D
HAS SA GONE NUTS TODAY? OR IS IT JUST MY RECURRING SENSE OF HUMOUR? SOMEONE PLEASE SHOOT THE WRITER!!!
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Its called ingratiation. I remember a time (hobbles) when white kids who liked rap would get smacked and teased by everyone (tear). f***in new Jacks (shaking and looking defensive). On some--I AM THE ONLY WHITE GUY ALLOWED TO HANG IN TOWNSHIPS AND LISTEN TO HIP HOP!!!! Nywee nywee why are we all like that? Whatever. More power to whoever.
Cats are doing what they believe is good for them, and yes, shoot the writer.
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wow, this is redundant. i don't see the humour at all. especially now that i've read it and no one says anything about how whites should all just die next week.
endzi: i love your music! can i have it!
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wow, this is redundant. i don't see the humour at all. especially now that i've read it and no one says anything about how whites should all just die next week.
:twisted:
hayibo guerillapopsoup, that's not very nice...put your rainbow-nation-thinking cap back on! ngiyadlala
anyhu, i just find that whole "ke-Lekgoa-but-there's-nigga-in-me" approach 2 damn silly. . .ain't meant to instigate nothing...
besides not all white people are tryna be black & there's enough blacks tryna be white too, just they haven't found an appropriate term for them yet, i don't know 'coconut' just ain't rollin off the top of your tongue like yo what's up wigga? (anyway, i think that's wut the writer thinks of the term...that's it's nice...) eeeeeng!!!!
otherwise i still can't figure his/her angle really...
endzi: i love your music! can i have it!
of course, of course...not sure where u @ though, but u can go to my myspace - the link is below - & take a listen and if u wanna buy, there's a blog on the page that tells u where in SA my cd's available...godspeed!
ola!
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I'm amazed this was written in 2004. It sounds like it was written in 1994.
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I'm amazed this was written in 2004. It sounds like it was written in 1994.
true...victim of tunnel vision :(
the writer i mean
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* sigh *
this thread is really begging for a response and I am fighting it..obviously it won't be pretty coz I am shallow and see things on face value...IF honestly these people who are white but black at heart or visa versa really were genuine they'd choose colorless spouses..Em's wife and kids are white, and a LOT of black souled artsts even Danny K dates whites..Jonny Clegg...open to correction probably has a white wife
Tandeka PL Powers is married to white person I a**ume...whats my point? How much do really embrace of the "black" aspect? the cool dress sense, cool speech, cool accent, cool attitude but when push comes to shove WILL you really accept the entire package that comes with being black?
i'll be back
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The sad reality is that we still and forever will see each other through those race boxes.
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Honestly though..is there any example of white people embrasing an uncool aspect of black culture?
I have seen white sangomas why? coz its cool to be connect with the ansestors..neat.
I seen white Zulu's, Legoas etc f*** it this is old forget it
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dont get me started on the blacks that are white DONT that shit will make blow a fuse
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[briK wrote:]dont get me started on the blacks that are white DONT that shit will make blow a fuse[/quote]
Elana Afrika
:x :x :x [/b]
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*yawn*
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[briK wrote:]dont get me started on the blacks that are white DONT that shit will make blow a fuse
Elana Afrika
:x :x :x [/b][/quote]
Dick-able tho :lol: :wink: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Dick-able tho
Ja yena o sexy
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Well, after reading the article (some of it), it seems that South Africa's society is still trying to accept the "Urban" White boy culture but I think the whole world is trying to accept that other cultures and races will be influenced by another.
It took VH1 a Pop Music TV channel here in the US, 20 years to accept Hip-Hop culture. And MTV was already had programs devoted to the
genre 15 years before VH1 one. Now VH1 has a document on Hip-Hop,
Biography on MCs, Flava Flav had 3 reallity shows, and also a show devoted to White rappers.
Example would be Lady Soverign, the UK Garage MC. When she became popular in England, people hated her because she seemed to be a "chav"
(poser of Black culture). Here in the US, she was the Female Great White
Hype! She was signed to Def Jam and most white kids think she's Hip Hop.
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Maybe the music these days has gone past the element of Race But_ rather adopted the impact and influence scenario that artists bring about to the fans.
But some Catz "Wigga" are straight up fronters of what they say they really about. They just wanted to see if they could the next eminem. My e.g. Eamon! Am not hating, but that's how i saw it.
Am down if Cats talk about what they've experienced. As for those who pretend.... It's on them.
On the other hand it goes both ways, Niggaz wanna be white too.
Sometimes it ain't the man who make the clothes they're in, But rather the clothes who make the man.
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I didn't find the article too interesting; it was pointing out the obvious with a lot of chest-puffing and bits of trivia. But another interesting point did strike me while reading a few of the posts.
Black Africans, as opposed to African Americans. Blacks in Africa trying to be like African Americans. It's the same thing. "Ay yo magne, that was the deally deal, on the real fo'shizzle" , wearing their plastic 'chains', calling each other 'nigga', putting on the accent, and generally acting like their American counterparts. GTFO. It's the same thing. Obviously not all Africans do it, but it seems like every day more and more are.
How ironic this thread struck me as.
Btw, I am proudly of mixed descent.