Branded Social Justice, Hip-Hop, And
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The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School College of Communications PRODUCING THE CAUSE: BRANDED SOCIAL JUSTICE, HIP-HOP, AND THE PROMOTIONAL PUBLIC SPHERE A Dissertation in Mass Communications by Chenjerai Kumanyika © 2013 Chenjerai Kumanyika Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2013 ii The dissertation of Chenjerai Kumanyika was reviewed and approved* by the following: Matthew P. McAllister Assistant Graduate Program Chair Professor of Communications Dissertation Co-Advisor Co-Chair of Committee C. Michael Elavsky Associate Professor of Communications Dissertation Co-Advisor Co-Chair of Committee Matthew Jordan Associate Professor of Communications Nicole Webster Associate Professor of Agricultural and Extension Education Civic and Youth Development Marie Hardin Professor of Communications Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Graduate Education *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School iii ABSTRACT Many contemporary forms of culturally based civic engagement—including what might be called “hip-hop” activism—blur the lines between entertainment, activism, and corporate efforts. Such civic and cultural activities prompt several questions: What constitutes effectual communicative action in the contemporary public sphere? What are the limits of hip-hop activism and branding in helping organizations respond to the contradictory pressures of the promotional public sphere? What dimensions of meaning, participation, advocacy, protest, and human relationship slip through the brand's dynamic processes of enclosure? Ultimately, what is the social and cultural significance of different forms of hip-hop activism in the age of social media and branding? This dissertation explores these issues and others through a comparative case- study of the social-change efforts of two organizations, 1Hood and Street King (SK). While the organizations under analysis operate on very different understandings of what constitutes substantive social change, they both deploy heavy use of social media, the rhetoric of “movement," the promotional capital of hip-hop celebrities, the language and techniques of branding, and the communicative tools of the hip-hop genre. 1Hood is a Pittsburgh-based, media savvy, grassroots coalition led by political hip-hop artists Paradise “the Architect” Gray and Jasiri “X” Smith. The coalition uses the texts and tactics of hip-hop activism to address a variety of injustices including local and national police brutality and murder, economic inequality, unequal media representation, and other civil rights issues. Simultaneously, local and national political issues serve as platform for the “hip-hop careers” of both artist/activists. The intentional development of iv 1Hood as a brand assists these artists in mobilizing the efforts of an ideologically diverse range of local and national organizations, but also may complicate its relationship with other constituent organizations working on similar goals. Alternatively, SK offers a model that its founders claim will eliminate the need for “inefficient” progressive coalitions like 1Hood. Associated with Hip-Hop artist and entrepreneur Curtis “50 Cent,” and a brand of energy drink, SK promises to donate 1 meal to a child in Africa for each energy drink sold. The company partners with the U.N. World Food Program and claims to be an example of “conscious” philanthro-capitalism at work. In addition to working to overcome the inherent contradictions of corporate, “bling" philanthropy, the brand is also strongly tied to Jackson's entertainment career rebranding. After exploring theoretical concepts related to the promotional public sphere, the brand commodity, promotional capital, and constitutive rhetoric, this study uses a combination of political economy, textual analysis, interviews and participant observation to examine and compare the historical and ideological origins, specific branding practices, creative and cultural work, and constitutive rhetoric of the two cases. The study argues that conceiving of complex sets of social relations as brands helps activists, entertainers, and corporate actors to gain leverage in the promotional public sphere. But the promotional mandate and discourse of the brand can quickly become predatory and all encompassing, foreclosing critical questions, fully democratic participation and alternative solutions to important social challenges. v TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures..............................................................................................................vii Acknowledgements......................................................................................................viii Chapter 1 Branded Hip-Hop Activism: Justice or “Just Capitalism” ......................................1 The Cases .........................................................................................................................17 Research Questions ..........................................................................................................19 Research Design and Methods .........................................................................................22 Data Collection.................................................................................................................23 Preview of chapters ..........................................................................................................29 Chapter 2 Promotional Public Sphere, The Brand-Commodity, and Promotional Capital .....33 What is the Promotional Public Sphere?..........................................................................34 The Commodity Logic of Brands.....................................................................................42 Promotional Capital..........................................................................................................46 Social Media in The Promotional Public Sphere .............................................................51 The Meaning of Media Texts in the Promotional Public Sphere.....................................55 Conclusion........................................................................................................................57 Chapter 3 Behind the Cause: The Roots of SK and 1Hood .....................................................59 Introduction to SK............................................................................................................61 Foundations of Philanthro-Capitalism .............................................................................74 SK in Context: Concluding Thoughts ..............................................................................94 1Hood in the Context of “The Public Sphere Ecosystem”...............................................95 Early 1Hood Actions........................................................................................................116 Conclusion........................................................................................................................127 Chapter 4 Branding the Cause: Social Justice and the Logic of Brand Commodification ......129 The Connotations of Street King......................................................................................133 Branding Street King........................................................................................................137 Branding 1Hood and 1Hood Media .................................................................................169 Chapter 5 The Constitutive Rhetoric of Branded Hip-Hop Activism......................................196 Key Concepts ...................................................................................................................198 The Basic Narratives ........................................................................................................204 “African Kids” and Western Saviors: Victims and The Audience in SK’s Narrative .....214 Now The Whole Community Wants Justice: Victims and the Audience in 1Hood Media’s Texts ...........................................................................................................221 vi Consumer-Activist Heroism and Wealth Pedagogy in SK’s Texts..................................237 We Came to Crash Your Party: Heroic Action in 1Hood Media’s Texts........................248 Chapter 6 The Cultural Work of Branded Activism ................................................................257 Keeping the Energy on Message: Public Relations in the SK Campaign........................267 Community Relationship Management: 1Hood Media’s Public Relations .....................274 Producing the Cause: Media Production in the SK Campaign ........................................282 Producing the Cause: Media Production in the 1Hood Campaign...................................291 Social Media, Brand Building, and Self-Promotion: SK .................................................295 Social Media, Brand Building, and Self-Promotion: 1Hood Media ................................304 Chapter 7 Conclusion: What’s the Use of Hip-Hop Activism? ...............................................319 Limitations .......................................................................................................................341 Future Research................................................................................................................344 References................................................................................................................................347