Thursday, October 9, 1997
Former figure of ‘Real World’ authenticates his difficult
life
BOOK:
By J. Jioni Palmer
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The eminent Algerian psychologist and revolutionary writer Franz
Fanon once wrote, "Each generation must, out of relative obscurity
discover its misson, fulfill it or betray it." Kevin Powell’s
"Keepin’ It Real" is an ambitious attempt to explore the defining
factors in the lives of Generation Xers and members of the Hip-Hop
nation, factors that ultimately shape America as a whole. Powell, a
former senior writer for Vibe magazine and an original cast member
of MTV’s "The Real World," presents a detailed blueprint for a
generation looking for direction.
"Keepin’ It Real" is essentially four long essays written in
letter format, making it conversational. This stylistic approach,
at times contrived, allows Powell to address a variety of audiences
simultaneously. Although it is doubtful that any of these "letters"
were ever written to or for a private reader, the authenticity of
Powell’s topics can never be questioned by readers.
He effortlessly switches from ebonics to academic lingo,
displaying his familiarity with both the classroom and the streets.
"Keepin’ It Real" is an "attempt to answer the questions and
contradictions" pervelant among Generation Xers. The contexts in
which this is done are the life, lessons and reflections of the
author.
The first essay, "Letter To My Cousin Anthony," is a sentimental
narrative about Powell’s upbringing in the ghettos of Jersey City.
Here, Powell speaking directly to the pains of growing up poor —
forced to share a one bedroom apartment with mother, aunt and
cousin — takes the reader on a gut-wrenching trip down memory
lane. The passion with which he writes has universal resonance. The
images of the world Powell introduces are clear enough for those
unfamiliar to fathom and too vivid for those familiar to
forget.
"The challenge for our mothers," Powell writes to Anthony, "and
for us was not to self-destruct or kill each other. So we did what
black folks from way back have done: We survived."
In the following two essays, "Letter To My Father" and "Love
Letters," Powell explores the profound sense of abandonment he felt
growing up fatherless and how these feelings would serve as the
backdrop for the many tumultuous events Powell encountered through
life.
"All the time I got into trouble at school or with the police,"
Powell tells his father, "my mother would have to get some other
man — a cousin, a neighbor anyone — to scold me for being bad.
And of course I didn’t pay any of those men any attention because,
hell, they weren’t my father. But neither were you because you were
not there."
Eternally at odds with his mother and lacking a father-figure to
learn from, Powell discovered manhood through trial and error.
Society’s pervasive sexism and Powell’s temperamental demeanor
created a volatile mix which finally exploded in an incident of
domestic violence.
It is in "A Letter Written to You," where Powell shines as a
social critic. He identifies hip-hop as not only a forum for
resistance to the underclass status imported on African and Latino
youth, but also a tool through which artists and listeners are able
to define the means of their own lives. Hip-hop music may not have
the power to change societal inequalities, yet the ability to
express one’s frustration in a native tongue is a phenomenon
mainstream society can barely grasp.
"Rap music has empowered some of us poor ghetto youth in ways no
economic analyst or political or media pundit would ever
understand," Powell writes.
Hip-hop is much more than a multi-million dollar industry which
has solely enriched artists. Rather, hip-hop influences culture,
politics and identity on international levels. Conversely,
according to Powell, this revolutionary tool has reactionary facets
that cannot be ignored.
Powell readily concedes that "hip-hop culture is poisoned with
the very same sexism that permeates America as a whole, and that
sexism is just as destructive as the racism so many of us are quick
to protest." Nothing is above reproach nor left unscathed in
Powell’s quest for what is real, not even himself.
In fact, this is the book’s beauty. There is nothing special
about the myriad experiences Powell has assembled. What makes
"Keepin’ It Real" such an interesting read is the honest and
rigorous self-examination Powell conducts. From the difficulties
growing up fatherless to the challenges of overcoming misogyny and
sexism, Powell bares all. The ability to admit biases and faults
forces readers to lower their guard, and take more seriously the
arguments and propositions presented.
While the author himself maintains that one book can only
accomplish limited social change, "Keepin’ It Real" is an important
landmark as Generation X searches for its destiny. Now what we do
with it once we find it is up to us.