| Sharpshooter005 | 03-24-2006 11:36 PM |
First off, I blatantly plagarized this off another forum...then again, I'm the one who wrote it to begin with. So basically I need to now lambast myself for stealing my ideas. I'll be taking me to court soon.
ILL Mitch, as you well know, is a faux rapper who claims to be from Russia. And who sings about skateboarding in a vest.
On the surface, this seems to be a harmless little joke circulating the internet. But upon closer study, it becomes a cunning and incisive parody.
Let's study some of his lyrics, shall we?
"When I use microphone I'm the best you need".
Aside from the obligatory poor english (which, while part of his facade, is also a very overt slam at the bastardization of the language prevelent in the genre.), this is a red flag. What he's trying to say, is that rap music at its core is pure entertainment. And that "the best" one requires is a self-aware parody of the subject.
"Look at my helmet wear my vest for speed".
Sounds like a throwaway lyric, right? Wrong.
This is, of course, a way of mocking the obsession with "bling", apparent in most rap music. And how it clashes with the cultural meme that consumerism is something the "rich" experience solely. While the same people who espouse this put the bulk of their savings into new Nikes.
(The lyric "wear oakley shades,yes i do" also is indicative of this.)
"on full-moon i ride with boner
looking for target its a missile crissis
wait for impact
this is pricless,boom!
dust cloud, cover ears ill mitch bust loud"
This lyric not only references the crude seuxal metaphores which are a pillar of the "hip hop community", but also says something deeper.
Those who call themselves criminals, do not deserve to be mourned when they die.
I cite as an example Tupac. When Tupac died, apparently someone painted a mural near the site reading "live by the gun, die by the gun". However, his fanbase mourns his passing as a horrible calamity, and eulogizing films on him are churned out every other year (tupac: resurrection, tupacalypse, etc.).
Again, we see a fundamental hypocrisy. If an individual is truly accepting of their fate, and the threats awaiting them when they pursue a certain lifestyle or course of action, how is their death anything but an inevitability? Or, even, a furtherance of their goal?
ILL Mitch teaches us much in his lyrics. And tracing his server proves..he lives in Illinois.
And in many ways, this most obvious gag is also the most telling. He is, a man pretending to be a crazed immigrant from Russia who emulates American culture. A culture he is very obviously a part of.
A parallel to the typical Rap mogul who lives in the hamptons, drives a cadillac escelade, probably pays capital gains taxes, and yet still tries to play themselves off as being "from the streets" is very apparent in this. They are what they claim they oppose, much as Mitch is what he professes to be an alien participant in.
In conclusion. ILL Mitch is amusing as a simple jester, but this belies the wit (and, dare I say, wisdom) of his satirical jabs at a subculture gone awry.
(I thought that with the recent surge of rap related threads, this would be relevant. The website of ILL mitch can be found here)
ILL Mitch, as you well know, is a faux rapper who claims to be from Russia. And who sings about skateboarding in a vest.
On the surface, this seems to be a harmless little joke circulating the internet. But upon closer study, it becomes a cunning and incisive parody.
Let's study some of his lyrics, shall we?
"When I use microphone I'm the best you need".
Aside from the obligatory poor english (which, while part of his facade, is also a very overt slam at the bastardization of the language prevelent in the genre.), this is a red flag. What he's trying to say, is that rap music at its core is pure entertainment. And that "the best" one requires is a self-aware parody of the subject.
"Look at my helmet wear my vest for speed".
Sounds like a throwaway lyric, right? Wrong.
This is, of course, a way of mocking the obsession with "bling", apparent in most rap music. And how it clashes with the cultural meme that consumerism is something the "rich" experience solely. While the same people who espouse this put the bulk of their savings into new Nikes.
(The lyric "wear oakley shades,yes i do" also is indicative of this.)
"on full-moon i ride with boner
looking for target its a missile crissis
wait for impact
this is pricless,boom!
dust cloud, cover ears ill mitch bust loud"
This lyric not only references the crude seuxal metaphores which are a pillar of the "hip hop community", but also says something deeper.
Those who call themselves criminals, do not deserve to be mourned when they die.
I cite as an example Tupac. When Tupac died, apparently someone painted a mural near the site reading "live by the gun, die by the gun". However, his fanbase mourns his passing as a horrible calamity, and eulogizing films on him are churned out every other year (tupac: resurrection, tupacalypse, etc.).
Again, we see a fundamental hypocrisy. If an individual is truly accepting of their fate, and the threats awaiting them when they pursue a certain lifestyle or course of action, how is their death anything but an inevitability? Or, even, a furtherance of their goal?
ILL Mitch teaches us much in his lyrics. And tracing his server proves..he lives in Illinois.
And in many ways, this most obvious gag is also the most telling. He is, a man pretending to be a crazed immigrant from Russia who emulates American culture. A culture he is very obviously a part of.
A parallel to the typical Rap mogul who lives in the hamptons, drives a cadillac escelade, probably pays capital gains taxes, and yet still tries to play themselves off as being "from the streets" is very apparent in this. They are what they claim they oppose, much as Mitch is what he professes to be an alien participant in.
In conclusion. ILL Mitch is amusing as a simple jester, but this belies the wit (and, dare I say, wisdom) of his satirical jabs at a subculture gone awry.
(I thought that with the recent surge of rap related threads, this would be relevant. The website of ILL mitch can be found here)
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| nice find sharp. |
