Musical Dissemination

Music can transcend barriers and provide a political platform across geographic boundaries. The ‘George Bush Doesn’t Care About Black People’ music video by The Legendary K.O. that was screened in the last lecture is an example of this. The video uses the rap genre to critique the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as handled by the Bush administration. The Legendary K.O video is a reworked version of the popular Kanye West song, ‘Gold Digger’ and plays on his infamous "George Bush doesn’t care about Black people" quote. West delivered this charged line during the live televised Hurricane Katrina fundraiser. The Legendary K.O video samples images from the news reports, the fundraiser and the original music video to make a statement about the political situation in the United States. Subverting the context to gain a political edge, the reworked song allows the issues under discussion to resonate with an international mass audience. This artist is using music as an instrument of change, a cultural vehicle to disseminate the voice of a marginalised or disenfranchised social group. We can identify with the artist’s point of view because he is using a familiar and popular medium with which to communicate.