Criticism Post #6 “Gangsta’s Life”

According to Edwin Black, the second persona is an auditor who is often seen as one who is, “sitting in judgement” (pg. 56 ph.5). In other words, the second persona is the implied auditor or audience, this is who an author is potentially writing to directly. The goal of the second persona is moral judgement which “shapes decisively one’s relationship to the object judged” (Black, pg. 54 ph.2). In successfully using the second persona, you must identify the characteristics of the implied audience (who the author thought the audience was). Artists such as Nipsey Hussle live off of their audiences because without their fans they would have no success, no following, and no one to tell their story too.

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Nipsey’s Hussle’s song “Gangsta’s Love” featuring Snoop Dogg is about their lives as gangsters living on the West Coast. Both American rappers being affiliated with the Rolling 20s Crips (RTC) or for short the Rollin 20s, which is the second largest African-American criminal street gang on the east side of Long Beach, California. Snoop Dogg shows his street credibility in his lyrics :

Snoop Dogg :

“Bin doing doing this gangsta shit since 83
Back in the LBC”

The audience for this song are obviously listeners from the west coast, specifically in California since Snoop Dogg and Nipsey Hussle are both from Los Angeles, California. This song does not sound like a traditional “rap song” it has an upbeat tune and the tone, in my opinion doesn’t sound aggressive or hateful like some rap songs can come off as.

“It’s got a hold on me
The streets won’t let me go
I’m in love
It takes it’s toll on me
When I try to leave it alone
I can’t say no to the gangsta’s life”

Though the lyrics might seem restraining in the sense that the lyrics read that the streets have a hold on Nipsey and Snoop and they will never be able to leave the “gangster life” behind. Sometimes it seems that songs only reach certain audiences, for example today’s rap is known to reach a younger audience (stereotypically) and country may never reach listeners of the streets of Los Angeles. In looking at the second persona and seeing who Nipsey Hussle set out to be through numerous watched interviews, he wants to tell his story to whoever relates and whoever is willing to listen. We all may not know what it is like to grow up in Slauson and Crenshaw, being part of one of the largest gangs in Los Angeles, but we all know what it means to struggle with something in life and to “grow through what you go through.”

“I made it out of haters try to see me fall back
I was once told that everything glittering is not gold”

No matter where we are in life and who we have encounters with, there is always someone or a group who wants to see you fail or fall behind. We would hope that people have the best intentions, but in competing for a job, or getting the starting spot on your sports team, or being the BEST rapper to be heard, someone wants to do better than you and ultimately see you fall back. Unfortunately, the glittery yellow brick road is not always paved perfectly or even, there are bumps, cracks, and roadblocks, but thats the reality of the life we live. Thats what Nipsey Hussle and Snoop Dogg want to portray for their audience. You could be part of the Rollin 20s Crips, but when you grind it out and hustle everyday you could come from the worst places and still end up being the best to have lived in your career.

Citations

Black, E. (1970). The second persona. Quarterly Journal of Speech, 56(2). doi: 10.1080/00335637009382992

http://www.rapbasement.com/snoop-dogg/091415-snoop-dogg-kicked-out-of-long-beach-by-gang-members.html