Starr and Waterman suggest that the popularity of Minstrelsy can be understood as more than a projection of white racism and that “working-class white youth expressed their own sense of marginalization through an identification with African American cultural forms (Starr/Waterman 2007,).” In addition, it was during the Minstrel era that “the most pernicious stereo types of black people,” including “the big-city knife toting dandy (the “bad negro”) - became enduring images in mainstream American culture, disseminated by an emerging entertainment industry and patronized by a predominantly white mass audience.” (Starr/Waterman 2007,). Like Minstrelsy, Hip Hop music is steeped in images and iconography relating to African American culture and is popular with predominantly white audiences. Author Bakari Kitwana explores the multi-racial appeal of Hip Hop music in his book Why White Kids Love Hip Hop: Wangstas, Wiggers, Wannabes, and the New Reality of Race in America Hear Kitwana's interview and answer the following questions:
1. Why does Kitwana suggest that white kids love Hip Hop? What are the most important similarities and differences in the presentation of Hip Hop music and Minstrelsy?
2. Do you think that white audiences in the late 20th Century and early 21st Century express “ their own sense of marginalization through an identification with African American cultural forms” like Hip Hop music? Explain your answer.
Note: For specific examples of the stereo typical images of African Americans popular with white audiences during the Minstrel era.