Never Scared; the Sociological Impact of the Work of Chris Rock

Personally, I believe that his most compelling routine is the “I hate Niggas” routine. The courage that it takes for a black man to stand up and say “Everything white people don’t like about black people, black people hate even more. I love black people but I hate niggas.” He jokes about the fact that every time black people try to get together and have some fun like going to a movie, some “nigga” pulls out a gun and shoots at the screen. It is most powerful when he utilizes this rhetoric in the presence of a more affluent black community.

By performing in D.C., Rock intentionally markets himself towards the wealthiest blacks in the United States, giving him all the more power once he is able to form a community within the room. But, this community Rock creates must be structured on some form of values with which he knows everyone can basically agree, and that will create an atmosphere of familial comfort. Rock does this perfectly in his stand up, and the structure can be noted from start to finish.

We can also observe the moral erosion of rap music. It used to be a positive influence in the black community. Chris Rock has played an important role in promoting rap music. Although, in Never Scared, He mentions the fact that it keeps getting harder to defend this popular urban genre. He states that it used to be easy to defend groups like Grand Master Flash because they represented the black urban culture as a whole. Then he goes on to state that he hates to defend it now because of lines such as the famous line from Li’l Jon;

“To the windows, to the walls, “til the sweat drips from my balls.”

These lyrics can”t be defended. They do not spell anything positive for black society and the song certainly shows no respect for black women whatsoever. Granted, there were some pretty vulgar lyrics in the early days of rap also but not to the extent of today.

If we observe the work of Chris Rock, a strong argument can be made that he has created some of the most powerful rhetoric concerning the degradation of his own race in America. He stands by his values and doesn’t squirm under the microscope like some stars. He has used his influence to create a teachable understanding of the social inequalities that occur in America. But, more than this he has made it simple for the average black family, or any family, to understand the major social issues surrounding black culture today. I think the most important thing that Chris Rock has done for the black culture and every culture in America is created a vital understanding for accountability within our own cultural social dynamic.

I have heard many people say that Chris Rock is a comedian, but he is an activist as well. Others say that his comedy is racially motivated against the white population of America. Still, some just won’t watch him or listen to him because of his language usage. There are a number of labels we can put on this man and he allows us to do so liberally. Chris Rock may have missed his true calling as a social scientist. Maybe one-day comedians like Rock will receive honorary PhDs for their body of work in stand up comedy but for now, he’s just a great comedian.