Discuss The Role Of Consumerism In African American Culture

Social forces, particularly the media, have contributed to a phenomenon in which consumerism is highly accentuated in the African American community (Dillon, 2010). In recent years, it has become evident that consumption and materialism is heavily emphasized in African American culture, especially when considering the plethora of rap and hip hop songs and even movies praising such consumerism (Mukherjee, 2006). It is becoming increasingly evident that the ability to consume is equated with achievement of the “American dream”. This literature aims to investigate existing studies that explain the roots of this phenomenon and its societal implications. It has been asserted that the contemporary relations of consumerism and material values
Starting in the early 1990s, rap and hip hop music has witnessed a shift in the ideal of cultural production to that of consumption. These genres of music effectively endorse a certain lifestyle in which consumption is highly promulgated through the media, including that of “designer clothes, jewelry, cars, and liquor” (Hunter, 2011). These ostentatious displays of wealth are associated with the concept of “ghetto fabulous”, which is illustrated through rags to riches, Horatio Alger-like storylines (Mukherjee, 2006). Music videos within these genres consistently display images of conspicuous consumption, acting as commercials for a plethora of products, ranging from Nike shoes to different brands of liquor to luxury car brands such as Lamborghinis. Rappers are featured in videos in which paid product placement offers them lucrative deals (e.g. rapper Nelly and his deal with Nike for “Air Force One” shoes). It is interesting to examine these phenomena through the lens of Veblen’s theory, which can highlight the differences between the traditional leisure class’s ways of engaging in conspicuous consumption and that in the realm of hip hop and rap. In Veblen’s theory, it is asserted that it didn’t suffice for elites to only be powerful and wealthy; they felt compelled to display their wealth to indicate and confirm
Aside from the widely recognized objectification of women in the seemingly endless sexual depictions in music videos, the current obsession with consumption is now the focal point of “love” and romantic relations. In the now formulaic variety of rap and hip hop videos, shared consumption becomes the basis on which romantic relationships are formed. For example, the video for the song “Whatever You Like” by T.I., the outrageously expensive gifts he showers his female co star with serve as “the representation of their love”. This corresponds with Baudrillard’s theory of object relation, in which subject relations are converted into object relations. The characters in T.I.’s video relate to each other through their mutual consumption, as opposed to their shared affections, morals, or ideals (Hunter,