I bet you never heard of a playa with no game, Told the truth to get what I want, but shot it with no shame. Take this music dead serious while others entertain. I see they makin' they paper so I guess I can't complain...or can I? I feel they disrespectin' the whole thang. Them hooks like sellin' dope to black folks, And I choke when the food they serve ain't tastin' right, My stomach can't digest it even when I bless it.
Interpretation
The quote addresses the complexities of authenticity in art and commerce.
In this quote, Andre Benjamin reflects on the struggle of creating meaningful art amid commercial pressures. He acknowledges the tension between artistic integrity and the need to succeed financially, expressing dissatisfaction with the superficiality surrounding the music industry, particularly how it can commodify culture to the detriment of its authenticity and depth. His metaphorical references reveal a critique of how art can sometimes serve harmful stereotypes rather than elevating the community it represents.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of genuine creativity, I might say, 'As Andre Benjamin once reflected, we must be cautious of superficiality in art.'
I met a gypsy and she hipped me to some life game,_x000D_ _x000D_ To stimulate, then activate the left and right brain._x000D_ _x000D_ Said, 'Baby boy, you only funky as your last cut._x000D_ _x000D_ You focus on the past, your ass'll be a has-what.'_x000D_ _x000D_ That's one to live by, or either that's one to die to.
I don't know where my songs come from... If I knew, I'd know too much, more than we are allowed on this plane.
Let your fiction grow out of the land beneath your feet.
The world has kissed my Soul with its pain, asking for its return in Songs.
When the uncreative tell the creative what to do, it stops being art.
I dance for no reason, for reasons you can't dance, Call me an activist of intellectualized circumstance You can't learn my steps until you unlearn your thoughts Spirit, soul, can't be store-bought.
So often when Black men have to play roles on TV, we're either the noble savage or we're completely a savage, and there's no nuance.
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