Revolution Televised.pdf

Conclusion 183
like I’m part of a minority of Black folks that want to do the right
thing. . . . No, I’m in the majority. . . . I’m no freak of nature. 24
Rock’s monologue actually indicates quite the opposite of the press’s
interpretations and targets a black audience very aware of the numerous
class divisions within African American society. In Rock’s
perception, the press continues to view the black community as a
single uniform entity and interprets his critique as targeted at an
entire community of underachievers. The black comic’s words are
turned against African American society and used to support preconceived
notions of race. Should this prevent a comic or any other
African American public figure from expressing core concerns of his
or her community because of the possibilities of misinterpretation
by a white audience? Segments of the white mainstream American
society—politicians, policy makers, film and television producers—
represent the needs, desires, and goals of African Americans; thus,
black people are often spoken for by white society. Rock’s performance
is an act of black self-representation, and televised black
popular culture is in dire need of this type of articulation.
The ramifications of this performance were still being gauged
when The Chris Rock Show debuted on HBO in 1997. The halfhour
show was shot live to tape and typically began with a standup
routine focusing on contemporary news stories, followed by an
interview and a musical guest. The show was interspersed with
comedy skits or on-the-street interviews. Grandmaster Flash, of the
1970s and ’80s hip-hop group Grandmaster Flash and the Furious
Five, provided the house music. The Chris Rock Show was a significant
outlet for black social and political thought and, like The Flip
Wilson Show and Soul Train, a venue for black performance. 25
Rock conducted interviews with political figures such as Reverend
Jesse Jackson, Kweise Mufume, Marion Barry, and Reverend
Al Sharpton. He also invited guests such as Cornel West, Spike Lee,
Don King, Stanley Crouch, Wynton Marsalis, and Johnnie Cochran.
Musical performers included a wide variety of artists, such as Jill
Scott, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, Sade, Jay Z, Rakim, Outkast, and
Saul Williams.
While allowing the guests to express their points of view, Rock,
when he does not agree, is quick to question their ideas and point
out the flaws he perceives in their arguments. In one particularly interesting
episode, Rock invited University of California regent Ward