Blogger #5 Activism in Art & Music

Friday, October 30, 2015

Part 1:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNEyiuUsgjk

Crooked Officer by The Geto Boys/Hip Hop Music

In this song, The Geto Boys are rapping about being fed up with the constant mistreatment of black people. They are tired of crooked police officers beating up black people and then celebrating with high five hand gestures. They are also tired of being falsely accused of crimes they did not commit. Crooked police officers have forced them to dislike all police officers. They plan to take matters into their own hands, especially since justice is blind.  They will shoot to kill any police officer that attempts to mistreat them, even if the crooked police officer is black.

The lyrics are saying that police brutality is an issue in the black community.  Black men are tired of being beat, the way Rodney King was beat by police officers. Black men are tired of being falsely accused and imprisoned for a crimes they did not commit. The Geto Boys plan to retaliate against police with gun violence. It’s time for crooked police officers to choose their coffin because The Geto Boys plan to shoot and kill any officer who tries to mistreat them.  

http://www.activistpost.com/2014/08/police-brutality-continues-unchecked.html

The title of my art piece is Good Cop/Bad Cop by Anthony Freda. The genre is activism. The art piece I chose represents a good cop/bad cop. The police officer in this art piece looks normal on the outside but underneath he has hatred towards people. The skull represents evil and death which is hidden within.

I chose this art piece because it is a good representation of my social issue. I do believe that there are good police officers and there are also crooked police officers.

Part 2:

The Geto Boys are discussing my social issue because they are people of color and they are very aware of police brutality because of the neighborhoods they lived.  The Geto Boys are speaking about police brutality because they have witnessed people of color being brutalized by the police.  They are also speaking about police brutality because they have come in contact with the police and crooked police officers.

The group’s connection to the social issue is the fact that they are people of color and they more than likely know someone who has been a victim of police brutality. I believe the musicians are a credible source to discuss the issue of police brutality because of their current and past interaction with the police.

I don’t believe we should listen to this song or take what they are expressing seriously.  They are expressing their hatred for the police and also expressing how they would like to kill the police. I don’t believe retaliation is the solution to the issue of police brutality. I’m not a fan of rap music and I don’t care to listen to people rapping about murdering a human being. I believe male victims of police brutality would listen to this music because they would be able to relate to the way the artists are expressing themselves.

A total of three people were involved in making the song. Two of the three people are group members. The music video that goes with the song displays real video footage of police brutalizing people of color, which does add meaning to the song. The song was a well known song when it was first released in 1993. The song could have been effective if the lyrics were not so offensive.  The song spotlights a national issue, but at the same time, promotes violence.