Psy Part II: "Hangover" with Snoop Dogg

Let’s get straight to the point.

Initial thoughts:

This new video is interesting for several reasons, but mainly for one: it overturns and/or complicates the arguments about cultural and racial hegemony in my thesis, almost as though it were made in response to the perceived reductivism residing at some points of my reading of the “Gangnam Style” MV.

1.     I previously contributed the appeal or general fascination with the “Gangnam Style” video for a so-called “Western” audience to the silliness of the work. Some of the imagery in the video are semi-neutrally silly—for example, old men jumping agilely as Psy nonchalantly walks away from an unexplained explosion in the background—but the “incomprehensible” nature of the absurd humor contributes partly to (and is fueled by) a pre-existing image of the Asian male (in the American mind) which is deprived an aura of seriousness or sex appeal (unless he is a math or tech wiz, but even then the sex will surely be lacking).

Thus, I argued, Psy “acting the [abject] fool” can appeal across cultures (the fool figure appears in tales and literature of many cultures reaching back to thousands of years ago).

However, his image in the video can be interpreted in a specific way by the pop culture dominants (“Western” media) to serve and perpetuate a pre-existing ideology.

On the other hand, Psy’s utilization of this stardom momentum on an international scale can be perceived as his way of taking advantage of the audience’s consumption of his abject image. In other words, he is not “just” a “fool” but rather a trickster—someone outside of the system who consciously manipulates the system in order to subvert it and/or provide a different perspective of it to others still within it.

(You can read the post on my thesis here or read my whole thesis here).

2.     The complicating elements of Psy’s new video with Snoop Dogg:

-       Does now my argument about the “in-between” and “sexless” Asian male apply when a legendary, o.g. (black) American rap star participates in the same fooldom with the Asian “coon”? (Oh my, I mentioned African American minstrel shows in my thesis but I surely did not see Snoop coming into the picture). Snoop comes in as one pole of the black-white dichotomy I point to within American discourse on race. The “poles” no longer function the way the white-black dichotomy would—Snoop crosses into a different realm, or perhaps his passage creates this new realm, a vision of a world that is more faithful to our own.

-       Snoop is acknowledged as an undeniable presence in the history of hip-hop for decades through his alliance with other legendary figures. His presence in the MV thus legitimizes Psy as not “just” a ridiculous pop figure easily dismissed. Not only did Snoop Dogg co-produce the song with Psy, but also performs with him. Those from the hip-hop community who previously issued criticisms against “Gangnam Style” that Psy’s music is “not hip hop” may have to reconsider their words post-“Hangover:” Snoop’s presence may elevate Psy from pop to hip-hop or it may simply lower Snoop to the level of Psy’s absurdist abjection. Or they meet somewhere in the middle.

-       Snoop participates with Psy in the drunken escapades, but he is undeniably the “outsider” in a video that refers very specifically to a Korean drinking culture—the soju, the noraebang (Korean karaoke in private rooms), etc. His difference is not only racial and cultural, but also physically, the guy is visibly taller than all of the other (Korean) figures who appear in the video (best seen when Snoop, Psy, and two women are skipping along together).

But I don’t feel from watching the video that Snoop is “out of place.” He is Psy’s buddy. (Made me think of this).

Perhaps the smooth blending points to a greater, more ideal Bakhtinian festive utopia than was proposed by “Gangnam Style.” No longer a one-sided proposition / performance but a collaboration—I am surprised how well the Psy-Snoop combo turned out.

3.     Certain things that still remain:

-       Humor and masculinity are still at the expense of female subjugation and their roles as sexual props. Their presence as props appear even heightened in the new video—choreography during the saxophone part is starkly sexual, but not quite, in my opinion, overtly so enough to merit attention as a self-reflexive criticism of misogyny.

-       In some scenes—such as the Psy-swimming-Snoop-robed one—Psy plays the more “abject” role, but understandably so: even if Snoop is willing to collaborate with a guy who has developed an international reputation based on a silly video, the rapper has a long history of a “serious” image as a seasoned hip-hoper. (+ Psy as Bruce Lee...)

My thoughts for now.

(In conclusion, I LOVE IT.)

Oh, and the appearance by 2NE1’s CL is much appreciated (I am a huge and shameless fan).