Tag: race

video review : All In The Family : Archie And The KKK

video review : All In The Family : Archie And The KKK

“We’re not gonna be driven out of our house screaming in terror,” Michael Stivic insists in response to a threat from The Ku Klux Klan. “What are we gonna do,” his wife asks in a state of panic. “We’re gonna leave quietly,” he says. It’s the funniest bit of the episode; a two-parter that doesn’t start to get good until the second half.

The drama begins when Archie inadvertently becomes a KKK member after he’s overheard at the bar condemning the social unrest happening; black people rioting and such; in the neighborhood. He may be racist but regrets being duped into joining, especially when he catches wind of their plan to burn a cross in front of his family’s house.

my rating : 3 of 5

1977

audio review : Black Woman ( song ) … Jungle Brothers

This is a homage to black women. The Brothers seem to think that particular group of people should be not only admired but worshipped. “You started out just a little girl, given the power to change the world,” one verse goes, “And though some of your ways to man are odd, you are the proof that there is a God.”

Such claims are absurd, of course. Some black women deserve praise. Others deserve a punch in the face. In either case, I don’t see what race or, for that matter, gender have to do with it. This is a nice song though, mainly because of the tribal beat, which is led by a Commodores Assembly Line sample.

my rating : 4 of 5

1989

audio review : Done By The Forces Of Nature ( album ) ... Jungle Brothers

audio review : The Curb Commentator [ Channel 2 ] ( EP ) … E-40

audio review : The Curb Commentator [ Channel 2 ] ( EP ) ... E-40

It’s disappointing to hear E-40 jump on the BLM bandwagon. “Racism is heavy; it still exists,” he complains, but he only focuses on white people, ironically enough, when black people are just as racist. Racism isn’t exclusive to certain races. Neither is violence, but he ignores “black on black crime” to cover “police brutality”, which, in the mind of a black racist, automatically means the white cop is racist when the victim is black. That said, Channel 2 is what Donald Trump would call fake news.

Conceptual disagreements aside, this second Curb Commentator EP is about as decent as the first one if not a little better. The aforementioned race anthems, Black Is Beautiful And The Funk Is Still Pending, are on-point musically. The latter has a weak hook, but the rapper makes up for it by talking during the breaks, which he should do more often. The best song is Born In It, featuring Chippas and Milla, which does have a good chorus. It’s about growing-up in the inner city.

my rating : 3 of 5

2020