Chapter Twelve: Street Cred

Hip hop performances present another case when opponents dissing each other attract a crowd for harnessing the energy between attendants. The slur appropriated by the artist representing a discriminated group illustrates the principle: use the energy of the simplex instead of evading it. Immunity through contagion. Far from representing an ideology, the artist lets inspiration in and sings the message which can be felt to have collective reason. The tensor of street cred de-simplicates politics. Artists claiming a ‘moral self’ in opposition to ‘immoral others’ are simplicating the situation with a unidimensional message, whereas frame-shifters, like Professa Jay, Mbembe or 50 Cent, turn the tables on themselves to temporarily impersonate the immoral. Their ironizing renders their comparison of frames viable instead of hegemonic.