Young, Black, Rich and Famous: The Rise of the NBA, The Hip Hop Invasion and the Transformation of American Culture - Hardcover

Boyd, Todd

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0767912772 ISBN 13: 9780767912778

Publisher: Doubleday, 2003

Synopsis

In this controversial look at the impact of cutting-edge black urban culture on contemporary America, Dr. Todd Boyd, the man CNN deemed “the hip-hop professor,” uses the intertwining worlds of basketball and hip hop as a powerful metaphor for exploring the larger themes of race, class, and identity.

In the 1970s, as a direct result of both the civil rights and the black power movements, black popular culture became a visible, influential presence in mainstream film, television, music, and sports. Basketball, in particular, reflected the changing landscape. The NBA came to be dominated by young black men whose potent combination of fame and wealth, often coupled with a defiance of white mores, profoundly disrupted the status quo. At the same time, hip hop music was emerging from the streets of New York City. An expression of and a response to urban conditions, it served as a way of being heard when many other forces attempted to suffocate the black voice. It, too, aroused strong reactions.

In Young, Black, Rich and Famous, Todd Boyd chronicles how basketball and hip hop have gone from being reviled by the American mainstream to being embraced and imitated globally. For young black men, he argues, they represent a new version of the American dream, one that embodies the hopes and desires of those excluded from the original version. Shedding light on both perceptions and reality, Boyd shows that the NBA has been at the forefront of recognizing and incorporating cultural shifts—from the initial image of 1970s basketball players as overpaid black drug addicts, to Michael Jordan’s spectacular rise as a universally admired icon, to the 1990s, when the hip hop aesthetic (for example, Allen Iverson’s cornrows, multiple tattoos, and defiant, in-your-face attitude) appeared on the basketball court. Hip hop lyrics, with their emphasis on “keepin’ it real” and marked by a colossal indifference to mainstream taste, became an equally powerful influence on young black men. These two influences have created a brand-new, brand-name generation that refuses to assimilate but is nonetheless an important part of mainstream American culture.

A thought-provoking examination of basketball and music—“the two rarefied spaces where the most fundamental elements of blackness are articulated and played out, both internally and for the masses”—Young, Black, Rich and Famous brilliantly captures a culture and a sensibility that are at once unique, influential, and sometimes intimidating to so many.

About this title

About the Author

TODD BOYD, Ph.D., is the author of five books, including The New H.N.I.C.: The Death of Civil Rights and the Reign of Hip Hop and Am I Black Enough for You?: Popular Culture from the ’Hood and Beyond, and has published numerous articles and essays. He is a popular media commentator, having appeared on NBC, CNN, CBS, ESPN, HBO, A&E’s Biography, Politically Incorrect, and NPR, among others. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa and is currently Professor of Critical Studies at USC School of Cinema-Television. He lives in Los Angeles, California.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

1 Young, Black, Rich, and Famous

'Ball, Hip Hop, and the Redefinition of the American Dream
The streets is a short stop / Either you're slingin' crack rock or you got a wicked jumpshot.

--The Notorious B.I.G."Things Done Changed"

Not Guilty
One of my favorite items of clothing is a #3 Philadelphia 76ers jersey. This is, of course, the number that Allen Iverson wears on the basketball court. Whenever I wear this jersey it is guaranteed that I am going to hear all sorts of unsolicited comments from a range of people. Living in LA, I always get the Laker fans who think that I am in league with Philly. This was especially true during and after the 2001 NBA finals when the two teams met. This is minor though, because what I most often get are looks of disgust and comments that reek with judgment and moral indignation. "Why are you wearing that?" "Why do you wear his jersey?" "I hate him." These are just a few of the many hostile barbs that this jersey generates.

One day while walking on the USC track, I encountered a colleague of mine. He immediately launched into his own form of Iverson bashing, without prompt, mind you. "Allen Iverson? Well, he's not much of a team player, is he?" On another occasion I was set to speak at an academic conference and a female friend of one of my other colleagues came up to me and asked, straight up, "Why are you wearing a wife beater's jersey?" I was momentarily confused. What did she mean? I know that people now routinely refer to white tank top undershirts as "wife beaters" and so I thought that maybe because I had on a tank top, she thought it inappropriate attire for an academic conference and was using "wife beater" to refer to any tank top. No, this is not what she meant at all. She was referring to Iverson as a "wife beater," and I was surprised because I had never heard that he had been charged with such a crime. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised because people have accused him of everything else, so why not add "wife beater" to the list?

In the early days of July 2002 news broke that Iverson was being investigated for his involvement in a bizarre domestic ordeal. Iverson, supposedly, had gotten into an argument with his wife, Tawanna, put her out of the house, and later went to look for her at the apartment of his first cousin, whom his wife had left home with after the argument. As the allegations go, Iverson, upon not finding her at the apartment, forced his way in, revealed a gun tucked in his waistband, and proceeded to threaten the two men who were occupying the apartment, one of whom was his cousin's roommate. The Philadelphia police eventually issued a warrant for Iverson's arrest, charging him with fourteen criminal infractions ranging from gun possession and criminal trespass to making terroristic threats, among other things. Somehow this all got translated into "wife beater" for the inquiring female.

The minute someone accuses Iverson, he is immediately guilty in the minds of his detractors. As a matter of fact, he is already guilty, before even being charged. Never mind that eventually all those fourteen criminal charges against him were dropped. His critics choose to ignore that there was even a strong suggestion that extortion was at the root of these accusations. All of this notwithstanding, most people will remember the charges brought against Iverson, but few are probably even aware, nor do they care to be made aware, that all the charges were eventually dropped.

I wear the Iverson jersey, one, because I am a master agent provocateur, but more to the point because it is my form of protest against the racial profiling of another young Black man. I love the fact that he has become the nigga you love to hate on the basketball court. He is about as misconceived a figure as one could possibly imagine and, as I myself have found out, there is a certain "guilt by association" that comes with simply wearing his jersey. The Iverson haters see a reprobate, but these same people often fail to see his hard work when he plays through all sorts of pain and defies all odds as often the smallest man on the court in a sport dominated by height. His critics ignore his desire, his will to win, his pimp-or-die attitude toward the game he plays so well.

Many want Iverson to be a quiet, unassuming, passive, seen-and-not-heard negro who goes out and does whatever he's told and is grateful for the opportunity. Iverson though is a loud, boisterous, aggressive nigga who does not give a fuck and demonstrates his gratitude by parking his drop-top Bentley in the T.G.I. Friday's parking lot, blastin' hip hop, and hangin' with his boys.

There is a story that Reebok, Iverson's athletic-shoe sponsor, wanted some time with the star to film a new commercial during the NBA finals of 2001. As the story goes, Reebok felt that Iverson's likable counterpart, Kobe Bryant of the Lakers, was getting too much of the attention, as his Adidas commercials were seemingly on television all the time. Iverson though blew off several of the commercial shoots, and when questioned about why he would disregard something so important to his career and, more important, to his bank account, he reportedly told a close friend, "I give them muthafuckas a commercial every night. What the fuck else they want?" This supreme indifference to convention, taste, or standards is what makes Iverson such a lightning rod for controversy and a hero for hip hop.
When the original charges were levied, Iverson awaited the return of his lawyer from a European vacation so that he could surrender to the police. During this wait Iverson was effectively put under house arrest by the authorities. Told not to leave home or be seen in public, or risk being apprehended, the notorious baller, in keeping with the dictates of hip hop culture, threw a lavish party at his home in full view of the media and the rest of the viewing world to help pass the time. This gesture was about as in-your-face as one could be, and especially true to form for the man often referred to as "The Answer."

This situation, of course, resonated throughout the culture as Iverson's immense success on the basketball court has consistently been contrasted against his problematic media image. Iverson has been labeled a thug since coming to the NBA in 1996. He has often been closely linked to hip hop culture as a part of this stereotyping. Iverson is as much a hip hop icon as he is a basketball player, and this has led to much contentiousness between the player, the media, and the sports establishment, who have found fault with the way he carries himself.

When the allegations arose, many, I am sure, loudly proclaimed an emphatic "I told you so!" Iverson has never tried to argue that he was anything other than what he had been labeled: a real nigga. In the parlance of hip hop culture, he has been intent on "keeping it real," being true to his calling, and remaining authentic, in spite of what others might say. Iverson has never been interested in providing a positive image nor has he been interested in altering his image to fit with what the media and others want of him.

He is a young Black man from an impoverished background whose close connection to the world of single-parent households, crack cocaine, and gun violence, along with other regular features of the ghetto, have continued to inform his life in spite of the fact that he is now a wealthy basketball player and visible celebrity. Iverson continues to hang out with many of his friends from back in the day. He dresses like a hip hop gangsta: multiple tattoos, a 'do rag, cornrows, and abundant platinum jewelry. Iverson even recorded a gangsta rap album which, though never released, caused a great deal of controversy nonetheless.

Throughout Iverson's career in the NBA he has had frequent run-ins with his coach, Larry Brown, and with members of the media. Iverson and Brown have publicly feuded over Iverson's supposed insubordination, including being late to practice or often not showing up at all on so many occasions. For this, Iverson is also unapologetic. During a press conference after his team was eliminated from the 2002 playoffs, Iverson even ridiculed a member of the sports media for chiding him on not going to practice. Iverson pointed out that his performance in games, which has always been outstanding, was what he should be judged by, not practice. Many took Iverson's comments as another indication that he was simply a thug in a basketball uniform, intent on breaking every rule possible and obeying no one in particular.

For all of these reasons Iverson has become the menacing face of a merger between basketball and hip hop culture that has angered many individuals. To these people Iverson is a thug who represents the worst possible image of a modern-day basketball player. He is considered selfish, arrogant, incorrigible, flamboyant, and he is always located against a backdrop of some potential criminal intent. His detractors see Iverson as someone who might just as well be out robbing banks or selling dope were he not so occupied with basketball. Therefore, his indictment on these criminal charges goes right along with the negative perceptions; guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt.

The excessive nature of the charges in this case became highlighted by the counts involving the making of terrorist threats. In the aftermath of September 11, the allegations of terrorism against Iverson reveal just how hyperbolic this particular indictment is. To equate Iverson's supposed actions with terrorism, even rhetorically, after witnessing the real terror of September 11, is not only irresponsible, it is unequivocally racist.

This situation also brings to mind the accusation of "maiming by mob" that Iverson was originally charged with back in 1993 when as a prominent high school athlete he was involved in a racial confrontation that re...

Edition details

• Publisher: Doubleday
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0767912772
• ISBN 13: 9780767912778
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 184