If You're Not White, You're Colored

One of the scenes in Mississippi Masala that I found particularly intriguing was the one in which one of the Indian men in the motel approaches Demetrius and Tyrone trying to prevent Demetrius from suing for whiplash. It is one of the few (if not the only) instance in which he speaks in favor of solidarity among different minority groups. “As long as you’re not white, you’re colored,” he says. It’s interesting that these sentiments are only brought out when it’s strategically useful, in the context of a financial dilemma. This early scene, in which the idea of cooperation among minorities is exploited for a financial end, criticizes the possibility of genuine third-world solidarity.

I guess the story of the relationship between Mina and Demetrius demonstrates a reach across racial borders in a more genuine way than this manipulation-- and, of course, as the main storyline, this relationship is more important to the overall theme of the film. However, even this model of inter-minority cooperation is full of problems. In order to be together, both Mina and Demetrius have to leave their families, which suggests that their relationship is not possible within the spheres of their communities, and that it can only exist in some isolated limbo land (which is never shown in the film). Their ending isn’t exactly a happy one, or at least not one that holds much suggestion of future success.

As Mississipi Masala suggests, the relationship between the African-American and Asian-American communities is a problematic one. Why is it that two groups with similar histories of mistreatment by the white majority have such trouble getting along? I think a few important differences between these groups contribute to this. First, as we’ve discussed, the African-American community is larger, visible enough to create a black-white racial dichotomy that other races-- including Asians-- have trouble fitting into. Second, a key aspect of the Asian-American experience is the immigrant experience. The stories in Sa-I-Gu are part of a standard trope of the Asian-American narrative: couples who left everything in their home countries to struggle in the Land of Opportunity for their children’s sake.

I was struck by one interview in Sa-I-Gu, in which the woman tells of how she’d expected America to be, essentially, whiter. She’s surprised by the number of Hispanics in her new neighborhood and says she could have believed it was Mexico, but not America. It made me begin to wonder whether the Asian immigrant’s American dream was a _white American dream. This brings up an interesting idea. We’ve talked about the Asian-American as the perpetual foreigner; but this interview suggests that, at least to this Korean-American woman, all other ethnic minorities are just as foreign. If you’re not white, you’re colored-- and, perhaps, not quite American enough.

An early sequence of Sa-I-Gu shows a Korean church singing “Amazing Grace,” a traditional African-American spiritual. This clip perhaps suggests that Asian-Americans and African-Americans have more in common than either community will admit. Watching _Sa-I-Gu reminded me of Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing, which deals with race in Brooklyn in the late ‘80s. While it mostly deals with black-white relations (no surprise there), the film also addresses tensions between other ethnic groups, and it features a corner grocery owned by a newly immigrated Korean couple. Below are a few clips from Do the Right Thing which focus on the Korean couple (it also includes the looting/burning scene, which I think is pertinent in light of the L.A. riots).  

Especially interesting is the moment in which the mob turns away from the burning, white-owned pizzeria, toward the Korean grocery, and decides to leave it alone after the owner yells, "I'm black! I'm black! You-- me-- same!"  Is this what it takes for people to even consider minority solidarity?  Angry mobs and threats of lawsuits?  Well, if these extreme situations are what it takes, then so be it.

Nora Jones and Mulan

I’m always interested to find out about which celebrities are actually partly Asian that no one would expect (like Mark-Paul Gosselaar who played Zack Morris on “Save by the Bell”) and when I was Googling “Asian American musicians” for this week’s blog entry, I found out to my astonishment that Norah Jones is half-Bengali. She was born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar and is the daughter of famous Bengali musician Ravi Shankar. She is known for her debut album titled Come Away with Me in 2002 and has won five Grammy Awards, including the prestigious award for “Best New Artist.” She also released her second and third album, Feels like Home and Not Too Late in 2004 and 2007 respectively, which were both very successful as well. The video I attached was her hit “Come Away With Me,” which is considered to be one of her most well known songs.

While Nora Jones might not be known as an Asian American artist, a soundtrack that I consider to be “Asian American” would definitely be the soundtrack for the Disney film Mulan. At first, I sort of thought about this jokingly, but the more I thought about it, the more I realize that there is some truth to it. Songs like “Honor To Us All” and “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” describe the gender hierarchy of Asian culture and reflect upon the concept of the Asian body. Simply because of her gender, Mulan is considered to be a weak character whose purpose in life is to tend to her husband and family. When Mulan is thought to be a man, she is treated as one who can control her future, serve her country, and be respected by others for her success. However once it is revealed that she is a woman (*gasp*), she loses all credibility and is instantaneously considered to be inferior to her male peers although she physically performs equally as well. In this film, Disney hits on the notion that the Asian female body is often considered to be docile, weak, and fragile. Mulan fights these stereotypes when she goes off to war. I consider Mulan to be a important animated product of Asian American culture because it depicts Asian women in a positive, more aggressive position, unlike the place they are often given in American media.

Nora Jones ("Come Away With Me"):


Mulan ("Honor To Us All"):

American Idol: ASIANS

Jasmine Trias (Season 3)


William Hung (Season 3)


Paul Kim (Season 6)


A few notes about Paul Kim: 1) I think it's interesting that Paul Kim uses William Hung as a source of motivation. He finds it necessary to combat the negative stereotypes that Hung created in his infamous She-Bangs auditions (see video above). 2) What's the deal with the barefoot performance? Perhaps it is telling that Kim was then immediately eliminated. Did the lack of shoes deter viewers from voting for him because it made him (and I'm being serious here) too eccentric, too different, and in other words too Asian?

Sanjaya Malakar (Season 6)


Notes: Sanjaya somehow coasted his way through a good deal of the competition despite Simon Cowell's constant berating. The reasons: fangirls who cry and VotefortheWorst.com

Danny Noriega (Season 7)


Ramiele Malubay (Season 7)

Asian American Songs: Commercial Innuendo?

The two songs that I found were not written and sung by Asians, but rather used themes that the artists try to associate with all things Asian. The songs are "Turning Japanese" by the Vapors and "China Girl" by David Bowie and Iggy Pop. The former was a hit in the UK and performed modestly on the US charts. Though David Fenton, writer, vocalist and guitarist for the Vapors, denied any implicit sexual innuendo associated with the song (claiming it was just another love single), many listeners interpreted the phrase "Turning Japanese" as a euphemism for ejaculation; the song subsequently became something of an odd to masturbation. David Bowie, in "China Girl," refers to her multiple times as "my little China girl." He goes on to say he'll give her things like television, implying that the China girl has never been exposed to modern culture; this makes her seem more foreign as she and Bowie seem to be from different worlds. The song performed well in both the US and UK, peaking at number 10 and 2 on the charts respectively. Seeing as how both songs were hits, I was wondering what to make of the public's reception towards these songs, and in turn, whether it parallels the general public's perceptions towards Asians in general.





Some other songs/music videos I came across that mentioned/portrayed Asians were "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" and "Girls Girls Girls" both written by Jay-Z for his album "The Blueprint." In the latter he uses the line,"Had this Chinese chick// had to leave her quick// cuz she kept bootleggin' my shit" and in the "Izzo" video we see an Asian American teen rocking out in a convenient store. Again, these songs were also hits, causing us to wonder what is the impact of seeing these popular portraits of Asian Americans in the media

Dan the Automator--Superproducer

Dan the Automator, born Daniel Nakamura in San Francisco, CA, is known internationally as one of the most creative and groundbreaking producers of Hip-Hop music. He first achieved critical and commercial success in 1996 with the esoteric Dr. Octagon album, and followed suit with a slew of landmark recordings and remixes that established him as not only a producer to be reckoned with, but as a remixer and songwriter as well. His collaborations with hip-hop legends Prince Paul (Handsome Boy Modeling School) and Del tha Funkee Homosapien (Deltron 3030) resulted in success on a larger scale, and he went platinum as the producer of the debut Gorillaz album in 2001.

Trained in classical violin as a child, he became more interested in Electronica and Hip-Hop. He started to DJ and produce, taking on small gigs and projects until he made his break teaming up with Kool Keith producing the Dr. Octagon album. Nakamura's work tends to integrate significant amounts of overlooked 1970s and 80s cult classics and B-grade 90s television material. His work also tends to make heavy use of classical music and science fiction overtones and references.
Hip-hop is a genre that has proved itself far more flexible and groundbreaking than anyone might have predicted at its genesis: from its massive worldwide popularity to its seemingly endless "next levels", as it were, hip-hop music continues to be full of surprises, thanks largely in part to record producers like Dan The Automator. While paying homage to his heroes and influences, Dan has crafted a career as unique as his records, always walking the line between music that makes a serious statement and music that delivers undeniable hooks and knows when not to take itself too seriously. [myspace.com/dantheautomator}
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNDcEaC1xkg

The Jimi Hendrix of the Ukulele

Jake Shimabukuro is a renowned fifth-generation Japanese American musician who has reshaped the public perception of the ukulele. Originating from Hawaii, Jake's music never remains confined to one specific musical category. He successfully plays jazz, funk, blues, classical, bluegrass, folk, flamenco and rock, all on a ukulele. As a musician, Jake serves as an iconoclast to the stereotypical Asian American image publicized in American pop culture.

Aside from several Hawaiian music awards, Jake has been an active promoter of US-Japan relations having served as an official promoter for Hawaii Tourism Japan (HTJ). He has also received an official commendation from the Japanese Foreign Minister for his grassroots work aimed at fostering ties between the American and Japanese people.

Jake has appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and has toured with famous musicians such as Diana Kroll, Fiona Apple, Bobby McFerrin, Jamie Cullum and Blues Traveler. The energetic ukulele star was also featured on Ziggy Marley's album Love is My Religion.

Here are some music clips of Jake:

"Let's Dance" (Flamenco influenced track)

"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (Homage to George Harrison)

"Dragon"

You can find more of his music and clips on his personal website and YouTube.

http://www.jakeshimabukuro.com

YouTube Search

P.S. Since Jake Shimabukuro payed respect to The Beatles with "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", here is another YouTube treat featuring perhaps a future music star.

"Hey Jude"

Enjoy!

Blue Scholars

Hailing from my hometown of Seattle, Washington, Blue Scholars is a politically charged and relevant hip-hop duo.

The hip-hop duo formed in college at the University of Washington in 2002 through a student-based hip-hop organization, SHOW (Student Hip Hop Organization of Washington). DJ Sabzi and rapper Geologic have taken off as one of the most powerful underground duos in hip-hop to date. They have blown up especially in the Northwest and on the underground rap scene.

"The name "Blue Scholars" is a play on the term "blue collar," which is an idiom for workers who often earn meager hourly wages for manual labor. Their music and lyrics often focus on struggles between socioeconomic classes, challenging authority and youth empowerment," [Wikipedia]

I have a lot of respect for Blue Scholars. Not only are they putting my home city on the map and producing most(if not all) of their music out of Sabzi's home studio, more importantly, they are bringing up a lot of important issues within their music. With their catchy beats and hooks, Blue Scholars delve into topics ranging from class issues, social justice movements, U.S. foreign policy/imperialism the revival of hip-hop and so much more.

Both members of Blue Scholars create a unique duo, rapper, Geologic, is Filipino American and Sabzi is Iranian American. Blue Scholars are carving an important space in hip-hop as Asian American. I think the reading by Oliver Wang is an interesting read on Asian Americans in hip-hop, but I'm not quite sure where to place Blue Scholars. From what I see they are not trying to attain mainstream recognition or success, but rather spread their message underground and to a larger audience not on the mainstream tip. Commercial viability and a mass target audience does not appear to be on the forefront of their agenda.

I think Blue Scholars evoke less of an Asian American consciousness in their hip-hop music but make central identity politics, inequalities, and make call to action for social injustices. What I think they're doing is just as important as racializing their music but, I do think they're music is lacking the racialized element of being Asian American, children of immigrants, etc.

At the same time, they are presence with young Asian Americans in the Northwest, often performing on the college scene, interviewing with Asian magazines/newspapers, and drawing a largely Asian following. The emphasis is on the music just as much as the message. In an interview with Northwest Asian Weekly Geo said, “it’s just beats, rhymes and life. Keep the formula simple.” The artist have a deep passion and commitment to social justice not only in their music but in their work outside of the studio. This includes, running free workshops visiting schools, youth programs, speaking engagements, working with WAPIFASA (the Washington Asian Pacific Islander Families Against Substance Abuse). Geo is also involved with a student group within Bayan USA, a progressive umbrella organization that brings together Filipino groups from all different backgrounds working for social change.

I think Blue Scholars are the future of hip-hop. They are putting activism to music.

btw, my younger sister met Sabzi and has been to his home studio... so cool.