[Late] Filipino DJs
For the class reading this week, we were assigned “DJing as a Filipino Thing: Negotiating Questions of Race.” by Antonio Tiongson. From the title, I was excited to read the article, not because I am a Filipino but because I’m a fan of Nujabes, a Japanese DJ whose impact wasn’t due to his race but because of his unique approach to Hip-hop.
Tiongson brings out several issues that Filipino DJs face such as authenticating their music and accusations of perceived blackness. Growing up in the poorer parts of the Bay Area, I think I can relate to struggles. For authenticating their music, I don’t understand why they have to authenticate themselves, why does a contributor to the art (of hip-hop music), have to be the same race as the originators? This is the same problem rappers such as MC Jin and Eminem faced. As I brought up Nujabes, I believe talent overcomes the issue for being accepted in the culture.
Now for perceived blackness, I can somewhat relate because the area I grew up in had youth speaking in a certain way, and I was no exception. I haven’t faced an incident where someone thought I was trying to be black but I do put on an accent here so people don’t assume I’m ghetto.
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