From Rage to Rap and Prison to Print

Metcalf, Josephine

doi:10.14325/mississippi/9781617032813.003.0002

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Rodriguez and his narrative are elevated to the literary canon and the other memoirist, despite his criminal inclinations, is lauded by these reviewers for becoming a published author. Moreover, though I have argued elsewhere that these books can potentially be seen as part of a wider gangsta movement (both black and Latino), there is a notable absence in the reception of these memoirs of comparison with gangsta rap or ghetto films of the late 1980s and early 1990s (Metcalf, 2009). I was surprised that hiphop magazines such as Vibe and The Source , arguably read by dedicated fans of hiphop and gangsta music, did not review either of these memoirs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reviewing “monsters”: The press reception and media constructions of contemporary street gang memoirs

Metcalf

2012

Crime, Media, Culture

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In 1993, a new trend of memoirs began to emerge in the United States, exploring contemporary street gang life in the ghettos and barrios. The first memoirs in this cycle form the subject of this paper: Sanyika Shakur's Monster and Luis Rodriguez's Always Running. There have been polarised debates about such texts which have been variously demonised as violent and sensationalist or, by contrast, praised as offering a pedagogic and preventative anti-gang stance. Such contradictory responses are reflected in the memoirs themselves, emphasising the frisson of violent gang exploits and the sober, salutary reflection of politicised and educated hindsight. The memoirs developed an extensive life in the media, becoming a site for channeling charged discussions about youth, crime, race, and violence, opening up a series of discourses about black/Mexican masculinity, censorship, celebrity, and cultural commerce. This paper seeks to understand how these popular narratives, with their charged themes and topical content, came to be interpreted by commentators.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%