The Law of the Bluest Eye in Literature and Hip-Hop by Yeong Min Kim
“Thieves in the Night” [Talib Kweli] Yo Dee (What?) Come on (Yeah..) What? What? Come on (Yeah) “Give me the fortune, keep the fame”; said my man Louis I agreed, know what he mean because we live the truest lie I asked him why we follow the law of the bluest eye He looked at me, he thought about it Was like, ”I'm clueless, why?” The question was rhetorical, the answer is horrible Our morals are out of place and got our lives full of sorrow And so tomorrow comin later than usual Waitin' on someone to pity us While we findin beauty in the hideous They say money's the root of all evil but I can't tell YouknowhatImean, pesos, francs, yens, cowrie shells, dollar bills Or is it the mindstate that's ill? Creating crime rates to fill the new prisons they build Over money and religion there's more blood to spill The wounds of slaves in cotton fields that never heal What's the deal? A lot of cats who buy records are straight broke But my language universal they be recitin my quotes While R&B singers hit bad notes, we rock the boat of thought, that my man Louis' statements just provoked Caught up, in conversations of our personal worth Brought up, through endangered species status on the planet Earth Survival tactics means, bustin gats to prove you hard Your firearms are too short to box with God Without faith, all of that is illusionary Raise my son, no vindication of manhood necessary [M.D.] Not strong [T.K.] Only aggressive [M.D.] Not free [T.K.] We only licensed [M.D.] Not compassioniate, only polite [T.K.] Now who the nicest? [M.D.] Not good but well behaved [T.K.] Chasin after death so we can call ourselves brave? [M.D.] Still livin like mental slaves
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[both] Hidin like thieves in the night from life Illusions of oasis makin you look twice [both] Hidin like thieves in the night from life Illusions of oasis makin you look twice [Mos Def] Yo, I'm sure that everbody out listenin agree That everything you see ain't really how it be A lot of jokers out runnin in place, chasin the style Be a lot goin on beneath the empty smile Most cats in my area be lovin the hysteria Synthesized surface conceals the interior America, land of opportunity, mirages and camoflauges More than usually -- speakin loudly, sayin nothin You confusin me, you losin me Your game is twisted, want me enlisted -- in your usary Foolishly, most men join the ranks cluelessly Buffoonishly accept the deception, believe the perception Reflection rarely seen across the surface of the lookin glass Walkin the street, wonderin who they be lookin past Lookin gassed with them imported designer shades on Stars shine bright, but the light -- rarely stays on Same song, just remixed, different arrangement Put you on a yacht but they won't call it a slaveship Strangeness, you don't control this, you barely hold this Screamin brand new, when they just sanitized the old shit Suppose it's, just another clever Jedi mind trick That they been runnin across stars through all the time with I find it's distressin, there's never no in-between We either niggaz or Kings We either bitches or Queens The deadly ritual seems immersed, in the perverse Full of short attention spans, short tempers, and short skirts Long barrel automatics released in short bursts The length of black life is treated with short worth Get yours first, them other niggaz secondary That type of illin that be fillin up the cemetary This life is temporary but the soul is eternal Separate the real from the lie, let me learn you Not strong, only aggressive, cause the power ain't directed That's why, we are subjected to the will of the oppressive Not free, we only licensed Not live, we just exciting Cause the captors.. own the masters.. to what we writin Not compassionate, only polite, we well trained Our sincerity's rehearsed in stage, it's just a game
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Not good, but well behaved cause the ca-me-ra survey most of the things that we think, do, or say We chasin after death just to call ourselves brave But everyday, next man meet with the grave I give a damn if any fan recall my legacy I'm tryin to live life in the sight of God's memory Like that y'all
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[Mos Def] A lot of people don't understand the true criteria of things Can't just accept the appearance Have to get the true essence [Talib Kweli] They ain't lookin around [M.D.] Not strong [T.K.] Only aggressive [M.D.] Not free [T.K.] We only licensed [M.D.] Not compassioniate, only polite [T.K.] Now who the nicest? [M.D.] Not good but well behaved [T.K.] Chasin after death so we can call ourselves brave? [M.D.] Still livin like mental slaves [both] Hidin like thieves in the night from life Illusions of oasis makin you look twice [both] Hidin like thieves in the night from life Illusions of oasis makin you look twice [both] Hidin like thieves in the night from life Illusions of oasis makin you look twice [both] Hidin like thieves in the night from life Illusions of oasis makin you look twice [Mos Def (singing)] Stop hidin, stop hidin, stop hidin yo' face Stop hidin, stop hidin, cause ain't no hidin place * repeat 2X* (Ad libs to fade)
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Toni Morrison’s compelling and imaginative literary works have provoked multiple dramatic and cinematic renditions- most of which remained fairly loyal to its literary sources. Beloved, in addition to inspiring the American opera Margaret Garner, was developed into a critically received Hollywood film. The Bluest Eye, in turn, was adapted into a successful fulllength stage production. In addition to prompting this relatively faithful visual adaptation, Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, was an inspiration for the song “Thieves in the Night” from Black Star, a collaborative hip-hop group featuring acclaimed artists’ Talib Kweli and Mos Def. The duo’s aural adaptation- or, rather, reinterpretation of The Bluest Eye is successful in encapsulating the themes that are explored in literary form. The two medium’s difference in the mode of transmission and the narrative structure, however, bring about contrasting impacts: Morrison’s literary original is more subtle and hesitant in making definite judgments and providing closure; Black Star’s auditory rendition, on the other hand, contains more forthright and easily accessible observations and critiques on the angst and predicaments of the modern African American society. Known for its political content and underground style1, Black Star’s “Thieves in the Night,” clearly reveals its source of inspiration and is candid in its criticism. Near the beginning of the song, Talib Kweli asks “[his] man Louis […] why we follow the law of the bluest eye” (8), making an immediate and conspicuous reference to Morrison’s The Bluest Eye. From the very beginning of “Thieves in the Night,” Kweli provides his audience with a clear and concise statement about the message of the song, stating that “[his] question was rhetorical [and] the answer is horrible” (11). It is made explicit by Kweli, the first person narrator of the song, that he
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The underground style, as stated by renowned scholar Michael Eric Dyson in Know What I Mean?: Reflections on Hip-Hop, is an authentic expression of a kind of hip hop that has not been emptied of its moral or aesthetic meaning by commercial dictates” (7).
finds society’s aesthetic that privileges blue eyes or, rather, whiteness to be problematic. Kweli then proceeds to proclaim that “we findin’ beauty in the hideous” (15) and that it is the “mindstate that’s ill” (18). Morrison, in The Bluest Eye, however, is less explicit and more cautious. Rather than making pronounced statements, she employs multiple narratives and narrators to convey her message. Through voice of the young first person narrator Claudia, Morrison subtly questions the concept of whiteness being the yardstick to measure beauty and personal worth: I had on only one desire: to dismember it. To see of what it was made, to discover the dearness, to find the beauty, the desirability that had escaped me, but apparently only me. Adults, older girls, shops, magazines, newspapers, window sights- all the world had agreed that a blue-eyed, yellow haired, pink-skinned doll was what very girl child treasure (20). Here, young Claudia destroys the so-called “beautiful” doll in efforts to “find the beauty” in it. She pokes the “glassy blue eyeballs” (21), removes “cold and stupid eyeball” (21), and pinches “little white girls” (22) whose “eyes-unlike the crazed glint of the baby doll’s eyes- would fold in pain” (23). The negativity that imbued in the language Morrison uses to describe the doll’s eyes once again alludes to the questionable standards of beauty. Morrison also illustrates the devastating consequences of giving into white beauty standards by including Pecola’s distorted point of view: Each pale yellow wrapper has a picture on it. A picture of little Mary Jane, for whom the candy is named. Smiling white face. Blond hair in gentle disarray, blue eyes looking at her out of a world of clean comfort. The eyes are petulant, mischievous. To Pecola they are simply pretty. She eats the candy, and its sweetness is good. To eat the candy is somehow to eat the eyes, eat Mary Jane. Love Mary Jane. Be Mary Jane (50). Unlike Claudia’s white baby doll, Pecola’s Mary Jane’s smiling face is white-not pink, her gently disarrayed hair is blond- not yellow, and her pretty blue eyes looks at Pecola out of a world of clean comfort. While Claudia fails to find the beauty in the “cu-ute” (19) Shirley
Temple and desires to dismember blue-eyed baby dolls, Pecola adores the dimpled Shirley Temple and fervently wishes for blue eyes. The structure and narrative voice of Black Star’s “Thieves in the Night” is relatively predictable and consistent. Following Talib Queli’s verse is a chorus that consists of alternating lines between Mos Def and Talib Queli, although both artists’ voices come together when nearing the end of the chorus: [M.D.] Not strong/ [T.K.] Only aggressive/ [M.D.] Not free/ [T.K.] We only licensed/ [M.D.] Not compassionate, only polite/ [T.K.] Now who the nicest?/ [M.D.] Not good but well behaved/ [T.K.] Chasin after death so we can call ourselves brave?/ [M.D.] Still livin like mental slaves/ [both] Hidin like thieves in the night from life/ Illusions of oasis makin you look twice (35-46). Mos Def’s verse ensues, and is completed by the duo’s chorus. Interestingly, the lyrics of the chorus is echoed within Mos Def’s verse, but with the addition of some improvisations: Not strong, only aggressive, cause the power ain’t directed/ That’s why, we are subjected to the will of the oppressive/ Not free, we only licensed/ Not live, we just exciting/ Cause the captors own the masters to what we writin/ Not compassionate, only polite, we well trained/ Our sincerity’s rehearsed in stage, it’s just a game/ Not good, but well behaved cause the camera survey/most of the things that we think, do, or say/ We chasin after death just to call ourselves brave/ But everyday, next man meet with the grave (82-92). Each time the lyrics of the chorus are repeated, the message that is contained is reinforced and accentuated. The alternations of Mos Def and Talib Queli add to the rhythmic flow of the composition, and the union of both voices gives the message much impact. The song nears to an end with the chorus, thereby further underscoring the importance of the message. Finally, the song is completed with Mos Def’s repetition of “Stop hidin” (119). Fascinatingly, the lyrical contents of the chorus are quoted from the very last chapter of Morrison’s text almost verbatim: “And fantasy it was, for we were not strong, only aggressive; we were not free, merely licensed; we were not compassionate, we were polite; not good, but
well behaved. We courted death in order to call ourselves brave, and hid like thieves from life” (205). Compared to the constant repetition of the passage in “Thieves in the Night,” The Bluest Eye is indeed less assertive in its manner of conveying its message. The style, narrative structure, and point of view of The Bluest Eye, unlike that of “Thieves in the Night, is anything but predictable or consistent. The novel begins with an excerpt from a Dick and Jane primer, but the typography becomes increasingly unreadable as the language breaks down. The point of view shifts between that of a young Claudia, the adult Claudia, Pecola, Cholly, Pauline, Soaphead Church, and Geraldine, adding to the sense of instability. There are flashbacks, digressions, Furthermore, portions of Pauline’s narrative is written in first-person, with a distinctly spoken grammar, while a section of Soaphead Church’s narrative is devoted to a letter written to God. The sections of the book- divided into the four seasons autumn, winter, spring, summer- seems to be the only element that is stable and predictable. However, according to Linda Dittmar, in “Will the Circle Be Unbroken? The Politics of Form in The Bluest Eye,” there is nothing stable or reassuring about the structuring of the narrative into seasons: Inherent in the notion of the seasons is the fact that they are an annually recurring condition from which there is no escape. As a metaphor, they are a closed form, sufficient unto itself and allowing for only minor variations. Even the sequence Morrison sets up for these seasons, starting with autumn’s decline and ending with a summer edging once again towards such a decline, accentuates the negative aspects of this metaphor (143-144). Thus, the cycle of despair is never-ending. Dittmar also argues that Morrison’s writing “withholds at least as much as it gives” (139). “Her looping narrative lines, flashbacks, and anticipatory predictions similarly veil and qualify meaning, [and the] rich syntax, resonant imagery, dispersed chronology, and shifting viewpoints inscribe an ambivalent mode of reading” (139).
Morrison, in “An Interview With Toni Morrison,” likens her narrative to the structure of jazz, which resists the sense of closure and resolution: Classical music satisfies and closes. Black music does not do that. Jazz always keeps you on the edge. There is no final chord. There may be a long chord, but no final chord. And it agitates you. Spirituals agitate you, no matter what they are saying about how it is all going to be. There is something underneath them that is incomplete. There is always something else that you want from the music. I want my books to be like that- because I want that feeling of something held in reserve and the sense that there is more- that you can’t have it all right now. […] They will never fully satisfy- never fully (McKay and Morrison 429). Indeed, the ending of The Bluest Eye offers no concrete resolution and is anything but uplifting and satisfying. Pecola believes that she has finally acquired her much-desired blue eyes, but only by becoming mentally ill. The Bluest Eye finally ends in a note of despair, with Claudia’s negative declaration that “It’s too late. […] it’s much, much, much too late” (Morrison 206). Like the blues and jazz, hip-hop is also a musical manifestation of African American sentiments, albeit a rather misunderstood and undervalued one. “Same song, just remixed, different arrangement” (65), says Mos Def, in “Thieves of the Night.” Much like how Morrison employs different narrative techniques and interesting structures to better portray her themes, “Thieves in the Night” uses impressive rhyming, internal rhyming, and multisyllabic rhyming, to bring out its desired stylistic and rhythmic effects and to maximize the transmission of the song’s lesson. Thus, despite the difference in the mediums of expression, both are conveying a similar, if not the same, message.
Works Cited Def, Mos, and Kweli, Talib. “Thieves in the Night.” <http://www.metrolyrics.com/thieves-inthie-night-lyrics-blackstar.html> Dittmar, Linda. “Will the Circle Be UnBroken? The Politics of Form in The Bluest Eye.” NOVEL: A Forum on Fiction. 23 (1990): 137-155. Dyson, Michael E. Know What I Mean?: Reflections on Hip-Hop. Philadelphia: Basic Civitas Books, 2007. McKay, Nellie, and Morrison, Toni. “An Interview with Toni Morrison.” Contemporary Literature 24 (1983): 413-429. Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. New York: Vintage Books, 2007.