Chocolate Rain?

Question

Ok so everyone is telling me the song chocolate rain is a racist song, but I don't get how. Could someone please explain it to me. Here's the URL for the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwTZ2xpQwpA

Answer 1

I don't think it's racist either. There are no open slurs or insults of any *kind* in that song. 99.9% of what passes for "hip-hop" or "rap music" these days is just so much worse it isn't even funny.

And I'm saying this as someone who has *just* seen the video and heard the song *in full* tonight, just a few minutes ago. ^_^ I know....video takes forever to load on my machine, sorry.

Here's the thing though:

--It's fairly *clear* from the lyrics that "chocolate rain" is a metaphor for racist and/or prejudiced attitudes. Everywhere. That's what the critics are missing....towards the tail end Tay Zonday *does* in fact mention riots going on in France (from the Algerians) and in India (in Mumbai, also known as Bombay). So this really is *not* an attack on anyone specific. I'm saying this as a Caucasian "white person" myself, ok? I didn't get the feeling I was being singled out.

--Then again, one *could* suggest that Tay Zonday alludes to the O.J. Simpson trial as well in one lyric, but it's pretty vague there.

--Point is, I really think that the whole, "it's racist" thing boils down to: (1) People want to shoot the messenger. The metaphor is clear even if nobody stands accused. And some folks can't bear to talk about these things objectively because they *do* still take things personally even when the proof is questionable (history versus present-day behavior) as to whether there is *anything* to be defensive about. And (2), its popularity. There are lots of wannabe musicians on YouTube, and they look at the 12,800,000+ views that video has had and become *jealous*. Really. I think a lot of it is just a small clique of people who are doing *whatever* they think is necessary to *shoot down* that "Jimmy Kimmel guy", or whatever. It's a cheap shot, in other words.

--Which is a shame really, because you *could* interpret the lyrics as an attack on Political Correctness and its stifling of needed and open discussion. Really, most of the specific lyrics in "Chocolate Rain" actually are complaining about the fact that you *can't talk about* the "chocolate rain" directly.

Oh well, what can you do? Some folks will take their cheap shots....and they will do so any way they see fit to, and then go into denial about it later.

Hope this helps. ^_^ You get a star, just for getting me to *finally* watch that YouTube video.

Answer 2

I don't see it as racist. I love that song...although the darth vader version by Chad Vader is pretty darn funny. An african American person I had listen to it once told me it had a very profound meaning to it, but did not find it racist (the original that is)