Kung Fu Kenny?

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prosecutorgodot
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Kung Fu Kenny?

Post by prosecutorgodot »

West Coast rapper Kendrick Lamar has Kid Capri call out "New Kung Fu Kenny!" at various points on his new album DAMN.
Then, he performed at Coachella this past Sunday 4/16. He played video clips on the big screens of himself as a star in a golden-age Hong Kong kung fu movie. He dressed himself in Chinese garb and displayed large Chinese characters.
After that, in the "DNA" video, he does a similar thing.

At first, on the album, I had no problems with Kendrick giving himself a bizarre nickname. But after watching the Coachella performance and the DNA video, I don't feel quite right, and although maybe some on the forum aren't the perfect people to speak on this issue, I would still like to hear your opinions.

Is this:
  • cultural appropriation and Orientalist BS?
or:
  • benign aesthetic experimentation?
or something else?

I love Kendrick and his music. I'm sure he doesn't have bad intentions. But that doesn't stop this from feeling weird to me.
Harold
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Re: Kung Fu Kenny?

Post by Harold »

I would strongly advise that you avoid the Wu-Tang Clan.
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bootsy
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Re: Kung Fu Kenny?

Post by bootsy »

Harold wrote:I would strongly advise that you avoid the Wu-Tang Clan.
:happy-partydance: Wu-Tang is for the children.
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notbrianeno
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Re: Kung Fu Kenny?

Post by notbrianeno »

prosecutorgodot wrote: Is this:
  • cultural appropriation and Orientalist BS?
or:
  • benign aesthetic experimentation?
or something else?

I love Kendrick and his music. I'm sure he doesn't have bad intentions. But that doesn't stop this from feeling weird to me.
While cultural appropriation in the music industry is a rampant issue, I believe that context matters greatly when evaluating whether or not orientalism is present. Artists like Wu-Tang Clan and Kendrick Lamar do use references to martial arts films, yes, but I would argue that they do so in the context of the rich crossover history between Martial Arts films and Blaxploitation films (apparently the Venn Diagram overlap in which Quentin Tarantino resides). Here are some links to that cultural crossover:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmbl ... -audiences

https://m.thevintagenews.com/2016/12/20 ... the-1970s/
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prosecutorgodot
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Re: Kung Fu Kenny?

Post by prosecutorgodot »

notbrianeno wrote: While cultural appropriation in the music industry is a rampant issue, I believe that context matters greatly when evaluating whether or not orientalism is present. Artists like Wu-Tang Clan and Kendrick Lamar do use references to martial arts films, yes, but I would argue that they do so in the context of the rich crossover history between Martial Arts films and Blaxploitation films (apparently the Venn Diagram overlap in which Quentin Tarantino resides). Here are some links to that cultural crossover:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmbl ... -audiences

https://m.thevintagenews.com/2016/12/20 ... the-1970s/
Thank you! Very informative. I haven't watched many blaxploitation films. Also, didn't realize the resonance with to the African-American community.
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bootsy
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Re: Kung Fu Kenny?

Post by bootsy »

notbrianeno wrote:
prosecutorgodot wrote: Is this:
  • cultural appropriation and Orientalist BS?
or:
  • benign aesthetic experimentation?
or something else?

I love Kendrick and his music. I'm sure he doesn't have bad intentions. But that doesn't stop this from feeling weird to me.
While cultural appropriation in the music industry is a rampant issue, I believe that context matters greatly when evaluating whether or not orientalism is present. Artists like Wu-Tang Clan and Kendrick Lamar do use references to martial arts films, yes, but I would argue that they do so in the context of the rich crossover history between Martial Arts films and Blaxploitation films (apparently the Venn Diagram overlap in which Quentin Tarantino resides). Here are some links to that cultural crossover:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmbl ... -audiences

https://m.thevintagenews.com/2016/12/20 ... the-1970s/
This is pretty accurate. I loved kung fu movies growing up as a kid. Often imitating the characters in those movies, the fighting style as well. Artists like Kendrick, Wu-Tang are paying homage than making fun of. Another good example is the movie The Last Dragon.
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