“Black Men and Public Space" BRENT STAPLES

“Black Men and Public Space"BRENT STAPLES Decoded Part 4

“Black Men and Public Space” • Brent Staples grabbed my attention right away. • It immediately separates black men with public places, showing there's an issue. • Before reading the story, what did you think it was going to be about?

Brent Staples • “black man-a broad six feet two inches with a beard and billowing hair, both hands shoved into the pockets of a bulky military jacket” • Seems very intimidating • He’s very cleaver and aware • What would your initial thought be if you saw him walking alone at night?

the language of fear • Staples didn’t have this problem until he was about 22. He grew up in Chester, Pennsylvania where gangs, street knifing, and murder was a part of life. • After loosing people close to him for trying to be that “tough guy” he decided to keep to himself. • “I chose, perhaps unconsciously, to remain a shadow-timid, but a survivor.” • After leaving home he then started having the problem of people mistakenly relating him with fear. • The most frightening of these confusions occurred in the late 1970s and early 1980s when he worked as a journalist in Chicago. • When he rushed into the offices with his deadline story he was mistaken for a burglar.

Its clear that this is something that really bothers Staples because it seems like he is constantly thinking about it. • He hates the fact that people cant even tell the difference between him and a criminal. • However he knows people don’t mean it and he understands. • What are some things he does to make himself look less threatening? • The best technique he has found is to whistle melodies from Beethoven and Vivaldi and the more popular classical composers. • “Even steely New Yorkers hunching toward nighttime destinations seem to relax, and occasionally they even join in the tune.”

Decoded Part 4 • Jay-Z wanted to get three important things in his book. • The first thing was to make the case that hip-hop lyrics are poetry if you look at them closely enough. • The second thing was to tell a little bit of the story his generation went through to show the reasons of their choices. • The third thing was to show how hip-hop created a way to take a very specific and powerful experience and turn it into a story that everyone in the world could feel and relate to.

Till this point Jay-Z couldn’t picture himself doing anything besides hustling, that’s all he knew. He still didn’t take writing seriously and just did it as a release. • His friend Dame wanted him to get off the streets and take his music seriously. Out of respect Jay-Z worked with him and traveled with him on some small tours. • After every single record label in the industry turned Jay-Z and Dame down they both took it personal. • Jay-Z’s life changed once he realized that he was scared of failing like Jaz and him did back in London. Most important though he knew he had to get off the streets.

With determination Dame, Biggs, and Jay-Z formed Roc-A-Fella Records. • This is how Jay-Z wanted to do things. He wasn’t interested in working for a record label, he wanted to have it his way or no way at all. Besides that’s all he has known since the age of 16. • At the beginning they didn’t quite know the business but they had a plan and began hustling in a whole new way. • The first record they made was the single “I Can’t Get With That.” • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu4UG8uLHZ8

After making it big Jay-Z couldn’t believe how his life turned out and how much his music connects with people. • “My songs are my stories, but they take on their own life in the minds of people listening. The connection that creates is sometimes overwhelming.” • After reading Decoded, has your outlook over hip-hop changed?

“Black Men and Public Space" BRENT STAPLES