The concept of using implicit knowledge in works of art is nothing new. As early as Herodotus, authors and story tellers were incorporating the implicit knowledge to make allusions, references and comparisons for their audiences.
The same is true of the arts in the modern era. Books, movies, plays and music all trade in common cultural understandings. If a movie about teen love makes a thin reference to Romeo, the audience gets it. It assumed, and rightly so, that anyone consuming a love story is at least casually familiar with Shakespeare's most famous (currently) work.
What recently struck me was how a large corpus of Science Fiction knowledge is implicit in modern Hip-Hop. I say appreciation because, as I will show, the reference are not derogatory to Science fiction, instead, they are celebratory, positive.
Any review of rap lyrics will no doubt point out reams of references to movies and cartoons. However, I want to take a fairly recent, highly publicized example, a take a look at the implicit knowledge being assumed.
Kendrick Lamar (on the now forgotten Big Sean Song 'Control' ) drops this verse:
I've seen niggas transform like villain Decepticons
The implicit knowledge, and the key to understanding the word-play, is that Decepticons are a race of highly advanced transforming machines. There is no explanation in the verse regarding Decepticons, or there eternal enemies the Autobots. It is taken for granted that you a) know what he is referring, and b) appreciate the context in which he is using the reference.
Note: It is often said that people of a certain age and bent fail to appreciate the poetry in Rap, and just see it as wandering lyrical noise. Part of that failure in appreciation is no doubt the result of a lack of implicit knowledge on the part of the consumer. The same could be said for the amount of implicit knowledge bound in a country song that make references to Dale Jr. (ed. you can look that up yourselves).
Kendrick's verse on Control generated a lot of soul searching (or teeth gnashing) depending on who was referenced. We won't go into the other points of contention on the verse, but Twitter is your friend.
After this verse came out, there were dozens of "response" verses that sought to combat Kendrick's characterization of the entire rap field as "soft" ; with the exception of a chosen few.
The responses ranged the spectrum from poorly executed, to quite well done. One of the best, also happens to contain a sizable portion of implicit science fiction knowledge.
Joell Ortiz responded to Kendrick with lyrics that included these lines:
And never turn, I'm immune to these rappers y'all calling sick.
Currently, apocalyptic fiction is all the rage, be it zombies, plagues, or un-characterized 'other'. The implicit knowledge here is related to zombies as opposed to giant transforming robots. Within these lyrics is the implicit knowledge of what a zombie is and how to dispatch one (hint - splitting a zombie's brain-case).
Also referenced is the wildly successful TV show "The Walking Dead' (future AMC endorsement?) is a study of man's fight against inhumanity...and Zombies. So too, alludes Joell, that he faces existential struggles against being a 'monster'. Additionally, the lyrics assume you know and understand that zombies transmit or "turn" others into zombies by bites (generally, although some works would add any fluid transmission). Joell would like you to know that he is immune to this particular disease vector.
After a few bars related to various West Cost Gang issues, Joel returns to the Sci-fi theme and drops this long sequence that is stuffed with both allusions to Kendrick's verse, but also to popular movie starring Will Smith.
And the force that I come across was like rhyming inside a star
With the Universe on my back, your human verses is wack
I grab my extraterrestrial testicles when I rap
And tell Earth suck it, tell the planet try it
I turn this bitch into Independence Day without the lucky drunk pilot
I love competition, constructing a composition
Of destruction, putting Destructicons in the calm position
I'm Optimus Prime trucking your boulevard, just wishin'
That a star screams so I can go on a bombing mission
First off, Hasbro really needs to endorse more rappers, since this was the second reference to its IP by a rapper in a 24 hour period. Secondly, there is implicit knowledge that not only does Joell's audience know what Independence Day refers, but that they are aware of the Heroic / Tragic fate of Randy Quaid.
What's the point here? The point is that science fiction (and to a lesser extent Fantasy) have a place in the implicit cultural understandings of an art form that is decidedly "un-nerdy." Sci-fi, fantasy and other types of exploratory fiction have, through no concerted effort, penetrated into the consciousness of rappers and their audiences.
So, before you listen to someone telling you there is no market in sci-fi directed to people who also like Rap (i.e. young, urban youth) tell them to listen to some rap and see if they can spot the sci-fi.
Read more at: The Moorsgate Media Blog
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