How Cardi B's and Lil Nas X's Campiness Changes our Regimes of Representation
Media representations of Black men and women around the world, but especially in the United States, have long been controlled by the white directors and producers who influence how these minorities are portrayed without taking into consideration their voices in how they are represented. In recent years, Black artists have been a part of a changing narrative of how the Black community is portrayed not only through the music itself but also the music videos that supplement the overall message of the songs.
While the production of a music video extends beyond the control of artists themselves, there are certain aesthetic decisions that allude to an artist’s stylistic choices that are important in understanding how artists have a changing role in their production. For example, consider Lil Nas X’s provocative ‘Montero (Call Me by Your Name)’ (Lil Nas X & YouTube, 2021) and Cardi B’s ‘WAP’ (Cardi B & YouTube, 2020) within the context of Sontag’s Notes on Camp and Hall’s Spectacle of the Other.
A large part of both Cardi B’s and Lil Nas X’s personas in their music videos and their lyrics is that they are queer rappers, two identities that most people have likely been conditioned to believe are mutually exclusive, or at the very least, at odds with each other. They both push against “this racialized discourse [that] is structured by a set of binary oppositions. There is the powerful opposition between ‘civilization’ (white) and ‘savagery’ (Black)” (Hall, 1994, p. 243). In this case, the binary is not necessarily Black only juxtaposed with white, but a more intersectional approach. The binary oppositions are ‘rapper’ (Black, masculine, from a working-class background) juxtaposed with ‘queer’ (White, feminine, upper class). I believe similar binary oppositions can be seen when we consider our conceptions of ‘woman’ (feminine, tender, soft-spoken) and ‘rapper’ (Black, masculine, from a working-class background) as well. Both Lil Nas X and Cardi B, as both being Black, queer rappers and as Cardi B’s being a woman, push against these binary oppositions and force society to confront what Hall refers to as regimes of representation (Hall, 1994), or our rigid, socially constructed ideas about different racial, gender, or socioeconomic groups that we have in our minds.
In the ‘Montero’ music video, which has more than 500 million views on YouTube, Lil Nas X is featured in a computer-generated, fantastical world that initially appears to be heaven, where he is sexually tempted by male snakes that slither on the ground. He then descends into Hell, where he gives Satan a lap dance as he sings. All of his outfits and hairstyles are heavily exaggerated and highly eccentric. The background and landscape are also magically fantastical and extravagant. The video overall is certainly an illustration of Sontag’s definition of Camp, where “the hallmark of Camp is the spirit of extravagance” (Sontag, 1964, p.7). Furthermore, she explains that “homosexuals, by and large, constitute the vanguard — and the most articulate audience – of Camp” (Sontag, 1964, p. 12). Sontag is establishing the connection between the gay community and Camp, which is likely a connection that is born out of a response from the gay community’s being marginalized and pushed to the fringes. Lil Nas X’s stylistic choices support this observation made by Sontag.
Similarly, Cardi B’s ‘WAP’ music video, which has more than 478 million views on YouTube, has a very similar exaggerated, colorful, computer-generated aesthetic that ‘Montero’ has. There is also a snake motif presented throughout the video, as well as a mansion that has rooms that are absurdly bright and colorful. Cardi B is featured dancing and singing alongside Megan Thee Stallion, another Black, female rapper. Both women are dancing provocatively while singing sexually provocative lyrics.
The snake being a motif present in both videos suggests that the hyper-sexual aspect of the videos is an important contributing factor in the overarching message of the videos and of their campiness. The overtly very sexual, computer-generated grandeur is essential to how these videos fit into popular culture. The message is Camp in and of itself, not only visually but ideologically. This type of artistic expression—grandiose, bold, and provocative—is the response that these Black artists have to the binary oppositions that have been used for so long to rigidly define and limit societal expectations and connotations of Black artists. The intersectionality of race, sexuality, and gender that these artists face is conducive to the similar artistic, lyrical, and aesthetic styles found in their music videos.
Both of these artists and videos exemplify the idea that “the pure examples of Camp are unintentional … the work tells all” (Sontag, 1964, p. 7). Throughout the viewing experience of both, there is never once a feeling that the artist is trying too hard to be Camp; it just happens to be that their true aesthetic choices tend to be fun, unexpected, strange, and extravagant. Both Cardi B and Lil Nas X are not only creating great, fun music videos, but also they are also being the representation that the Black, queer community has long needed. Together, they help create an environment where we are forced to reconsider our rigid socially-constructed ideas about what it means to be Black, queer, and how gender fits in intersectionally.
References
Cardi B & YouTube. (2020, Aug 7). Cardi B - WAP feat. Megan Thee Stallion [Official Music Video]. YouTube. Retrieved Oct 15, 2022, from www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsm4poTWjMs
Hall, S. (1994). The Spectacle of the Other. In Representation: Cultural representations and Signifying practices. Mercer.
Lil Nas X & YouTube (2021, Mar 6). Lil Nas X - MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) (Official Video). YouTube. Retrieved Oct 15, 2022, from www.youtube.com/watch?v=6swmTBVI83k
Sontag, S. (1964). Notes on camp.
Allison, your piece on Cardi B’s and Lil Nas X’s music videos and their connection to Sontag’s “Notes on Camp” and Hall’s “Spectacle of the Other” was super engaging! I was particularly interested in your discussion of their queer rapper identities in the context of Hall’s writing on binary oppositions. While ‘queer’ and ‘rapper’ are typically seen as mutually exclusive, both artists reject the binary oppositions and embrace their identities in their music and music videos. Through their videos and music, Cardi B and Lil Nas X challenge society to reconsider their “regimes of representation,” their socially constructed ideas about racial, gender, and socioeconomic groups. I especially loved your analysis of the campiness of the videos and your discovery of the motif of the snake that is present in both of the videos. Even though I have seen both of these music videos, I never noticed their similarities and common themes, so this point was really cool. It was interesting how you noted that the snake is a component of the videos’ campiness.
ReplyDeleteIn your piece, you explain how these music videos challenge binary oppositions and help redefine the societal expectations of Black artists. This point reminded me of Moya Bailey’s (2021) discussion of “digital alchemy.” She writes, “When I talk about digital alchemy I am thinking of the ways that women of color, Black women, and Black nonbinary, agender, and gender-variant folks in particular transform everyday digital media into valuable social justice media that recode the failed scripts that negatively impact their lives,” (p. 24). Cardi B’s and Lil Nas X’s music videos are a form of digital alchemy as they redefine and recode the representation of Black queer rappers. Thus, this medium creates a new way of perceiving these intersectional identities. Overall, I loved reading your piece on Cardi B’s and Lil Nas X’s music videos. Amazing job!
--Sophie Barkan
Allison,
ReplyDeleteI think you did a fantastic job connecting these two music videos to the concepts presented by Staurt Hall and Susan Sontag. You make a powerful point about the way that these rappers are changing the rap sphere and forcing society to confront their stereotypical binary associations.
I believe that what Cardi B and Lil Nas X are doing could also be described as excorporation. John Fiske outlines the way that commodities can be “excorporated” out of the dominant culture into something more personal and individualized. He explains that excorporation is “an assertion of one’s right to make one’s own culture out of the resources provided by the commodity system” (Fiske 2010, p.15) While in his piece the Jeaning of America, Fiske refers to excorporation as it relates to commodity products like jeans, excorporation can also apply to pop culture items like music videos. The two queer rappers you mention are working within the existing musical industry to carve out autonomous spaces for themselves and other artists that do not fit the narrative of a traditional rapper. Moreover, these spaces they create are not only separate from the dominant culture of rap, but they actively push against it. For example, Lil Nas X embraces his femininity in the rap space that commonly centers around masculinity and often carries patriarchal themes, actively rejecting the demands of the industry and subverting expectations.
Just like Fiske believes that ripping jeans transfers at least some of the power inherent in the commodification process, Lil Nas X and Cardi B reclaim some of the power of the rap industry for themselves and for the queer community. By gaining popularity as artists, they reveal that queer people belong in spaces like rap and in any industry that may seem unwelcoming.
Overall, I think your piece shows that we should be hopeful that industries will become more inclusive in the future. Thanks so much for sharing!
Aly Kerrrigan