Throughout history there have been examples of black performers asserting their proficiency at whatever art form they were using. It has been called lots of different things from Signifying, to MCing, to "Playing the dozens". A person, whether it be a comedian, Hip Hop artist, or slave, would recognize themselves and talk about how they were the best at whatever it was they were doing, what I call using the "I" form. I use the term "I" form because they would reference themselves by saying, "I am…, I can…, or My name is…". It has had a strong impact on musical forms of the day, and it had its starts in early colonial times with slavery. This "I" form has been a common thread in black art since the early colonial times of America, a self-affirmation for blacks striving in a oppressed nature.
I first noticed it while listening to Tribe Called Quest when they would pass the microphone off to one another and talk a little about themselves while they rapped. And this type of MCing has taken place from the very start of Hip Hop with Kurtis Blow, Hollywood, and the Sugar Hill Gang.
Then I was reading an article about these parties’ plantation masters would hold back in the 1700’s where the slaves would shuck corn. The article was by Roger Abrahams and it was called, "Aren’t You Gwine to Shuck the Corn". It talked about how the slaves would pick leaders for the two parties that would compete in shucking corn and that leader would encourage his team through song or words. And in this encouragement they would often reference themselves and talk about how good of singers or corn shuckers they were. It was another example of how they were using the "I" form to talk about themselves.
The purpose of this "I" form originated with slaves that wanted to bolster their self esteem which was strongly damaged through the oppressive situations they were coping with at the times. A "release for a racially oppressed group, or a way of helping African American males project a masculine identity in a matriarchal culture."(web page- http://www.africana.com/tt_019.htm) Many African males held the belief that agriculture was a womanly task so when they were forced to do agricultural duties as slaves they felt sexually oppressed as well. Slavery was a time when the African Americans were oppressed, and all their freedoms were taken away.
The black slaves were able to overcome conformity of the whites to develop their very own way to express their suffrage and hope to one day be free. The slaves came up with a language that is like no other for it is a distinct form of expression, which has been referred to as Signifying. This figurative language became a black person’s individuality away from slavery that they could not be persecuted for. Signifying has evolved over time from before slavery to be an African American’s identity shown through speech like Ebonics, rap, and a simple game of "Dirty Dozens." Clarence Major’s definition of Signifying says it is a slang like the game "Dirty Dozens." The idea of the game is a ritual of insults about family or friends, and it is a test of emotional strength. The first one to give into anger loses. This highly motivated game is much more than a figurative insult. It "resembles traditional African joking relationships in many ways, and seems to draw heavily on the African oral tradition." (web page- http://www.africana.com/tt_019.htm) It was an exercise of wit, verbal skill, and expertise of the black language. Today we know it as "Yo Mama," and this originated from the beginning of African American’s road to freedom through language and their independence. The game is like verbal horseplay with having the ability to think quick and with wit. The game is done by "the language of blackness that encodes and names its sense of independence through rhetorical process that we might think of as the Signifying black difference" (Gates, 66).
One may not understand the importance of Signifying or even know the meaning. In Henry Louis Gates’, The Signifying Monkey, he states that Signifying has been going on since slavery. Several people have defined the term, and one Gates prefers is the definition by Mitchell-Kernan. She points out that "it not only is a game (in reference to dozens), but it encodes messages or meaning with artistic merit like rapping" (Gates, 80). "Signifying has an encoded intention to say one thing but mean quite the opposite" (Gates, 69). This fact reflects the idea that it originated in slavery. Language and songs were the freedom slaves had, hidden messages were conveyed through this music. When slaves planned an escape often they would use encoded messages within their songs, both by wording and drumbeats, to inform the other slaves. They could not talk or their masters would grow suspicious, therefore, songs were their form of communication to signify their needed escape. It is ironic that something in plain view or told right in front of them the masters did not understand; slaves did not need secret meetings to be set free, they had their sound of music.
Richard Thomas said, "Black culture, then, should be seen as a creative and responsive reaction to the realities of constantly changing situations." (Thomas 88) This quote is evident in songs and comedy of African Americans. The major contributions to African American have been made by the blacks of low socioeconomic status that were systematically grouped together in regions where they dealt with oppressive situations, the musically rich New Orleans’ Congo Square for jazz, the Bronx in the late 70’s-early 80’s for Hip Hop, and the plantations of the south for "dirty dozens" and gospel music. These contributions to American pop culture all have their roots in the oral tradition given to us by early African slaves.
It is through cultural sensibilities such as "dirty dozens" and music that we see the "I" form show up so often in art forms today. As a way to establish their distinction and importance early slaves would use the "I" form in such contests as corn-shucking. Later it developed into the "dirty dozens", a game that tested emotional fortitude. Now both forms show up in our culture through music like hip hop and comedy like Def Comedy Jam. It is incredible to imagine how powerful these tools have been to African Americans in attaining social eminence. By using music as secret messages to other slaves and signifying to build the esteems of individual blacks the "I" form has taken on a life of its own.
Web Sources:
1. Fay, Robert. The Dozens. http://www.africana.com/tt_019.htm. Microsoft Encarta, Microsoft Corporation. 1999.
2. Dr. Wright. Literature and Life: The Givens Collection. http://www.pbs.org/ktca/litandlife/resources/transcripts2.html. PBS.
1. Gates, Henry Louis Jr. "The Signifying Monkey and the Language of Signifyin(g)," from The Signifying Monkey. Oxford Press:New York, 1988. Pgs. 66-88.
Contact me, Stephen Waits, at waits@email.unc.edu.