MovieChat Forums > CB4 (1993) Discussion > Context of 'I'm Black, Y'all' scene

Context of 'I'm Black, Y'all' scene


After looking at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFY2kJ96jNY what I perceive this to be about is black rappers being unable to come up w/anything more creative than being black, angry, and black-angry. Is that it? This seems a very unlikely thing for Chris Rock to joke about especially in 1994.

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I think it was just making fun of Euripides going off the deep end as a solo artist. He needed the rest of the group to balance him out.

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In the context of the film...
Dead Mike had become engrossed in a book he bought from a guru who wanted to build a boat to bring African-Americans back to Africa. This is Dead Mike's solo single after the group breaks up. I think it's poking fun at how people can go overboard with embracing new directions in their lives. In this case it was Dead Mike embracing his African roots - hence his "I'm black I'm black I'm blacker than black" lyrics.

If you haven't seen the movie check it out. It's good.

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yes, you have a point.
the two posts above mine give full answers, in the context of the movie it meant that the guys had to stick together, because in the movie they show that the third member (Otis) had made some "solo work", too, and it was even less impressive. They had to work as a group, not take on solo careers.

on a side note, "I'm black, yo" is really great, I actually LOVED it lol, I agree that it could be mocking *SOME* rappers incapability to rap about anything else.
one of the best scenes in the movie imo, it had some pretty sick beat, too :)

Scar Jokes, u didn't like my joke. Why not call me a cnt, but call me a fake on Y!A?!!

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They are spoofing the Back to Africa scene back in the early 90's.
It's a Hip Hop comedy. Don't overthink it.

"Don't look down on yourself, just because other people do."
youtube.com/morbidchid

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yup. for example people like poor righteous teachers and "paris" up to a certain point.

"laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone." - Dae-su Oh

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It wasn't "Back to Africa" you idiot. It was music that made black folks have more knowledge of self.

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Funy thing he was the less black of the three, could pass as a white or a latino...

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Caribbean Latino, maybe. White? Hell no. Not even half white.

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It was a parody on former Public Enemy member Professor Griff.

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I have a feeling most of you haven't actually listened to much of the music this movie parodied. Dead Mike is a direct spoof of M.C. Ren, and the I'm Black Y'all song is directly poking fun at Ren's solo career, distinctly his first album after the NWA breakup. That album was titled Kiss My Black Ass, and his follow up album Shock Of The Hour was a Nation Of Islam influenced album filled with songs about being black, blackness and all other kinds of black.

This explains the I'm Black Y'all goof.

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They also played his black nationalist solo songs during the movie.

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