Popular Culture Review Vol. 5, No. 1, February 1994 | Page 68

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ideal of economic individualism—for one must hold that blacks do
have the intelligence to succeed financially in the white economic
world, while holding that they do not want to succeed because the
white economic world is oppressive. Furthermore, the ideal of
economic individualism is a largely implicit one, strongly embedded
in American culture, making it more difficult to question.
Returning to rap, the implicit ideal of individualism is
manifested in several ways. One way is the boasting element of the
music. Of the various themes of rap lyrics, this is by far the most
frequent. Boasting and lyrical skill are part of the African-American
tradition of signifyin(g): they are a source of pride within the
conununity. This tradition further helps to explain the violent lyrics
found in songs such as "Gangsta Gangsta" by NWA which celebrates
the violence and power of gang leaders: 'Takin' a life or two/ That's
what the hell I do/ You don't like how I'm livin'/ Well fuck you!"
This celebration is a recognition of power and success within the black
community and recalls the "bad man" tales which were part of
African-American culture in the mid-twentieth century. According to
Lawrence Levine, these characters were respected for their strength
and fearlessness, and these tales saw the only way to succeed in an
evil world was to be equally evil (Levine 402-470).
While NWA's song describes the pride derived from the gang as
a group, the boasting involved in rap mostly reflects an individual
pride; the skills come both from individual effort and through
"natural ability." The combination of these two individualist
elements can be found in the title of Big Daddy Kane's song "Young
Gifted and Blac k," the word gifted traditionally being associated
with a natural ability, and in his lyric, "Understand that the way I
live that's positive," implying that his success comes from the
individual motivation to live well. The song "Only the Strongest
Survive" by Donald D alludes to influences beyond the individual
with the line "Grade school shouldn't be a mystery/ Teachin' blacks
about black history." Yet, the title and the line "My pen in my hand
is my personal slave, I rock every way with a gift God gave," again
place the source of success in the individual.
The ideal of individualism also manifests itself when rap songs
portray the overcoming of desp>erate conditions and poverty. For
example, in his song "It's Not Where You're From, It's Where You're
At," ^ k im portrays himself escaping the ghetto through individual