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To explore notions of obscenity and context within certain forms of rap lyricism is an ongoing project in my recent work. I have done this by investigating the ambiguous treatment and presentation of material such as profane language and imagery. The term 'contradictory text' describes the generation of text that displaces expectation through the juxtaposition of two seemingly opposing elements. For instance, in the video (see image above), a single text was created using on the one hand, an expletive strewn piece of 'gangsta rap', and on the other, a rather boring, mundane article from 'Railway Modeller' magazine. When read as a whole, meanings bleed from one text to another i.e. words such as 'lubricate' are used in both texts, but in completely different contexts. My interest is in homing in on these points where it perhaps becomes unclear which text is which. Such ideas can be expanded in to other forms of contradiction. In another performance, a similar technique was used with contradictory genres. A series of hip-hop lyrics were transposed and sung within a traditional melodic framework, and played on acoustic guitar. Meter and rhythm changed, as did the 'attitude' of the performer relative to the use of profane content. With such changed instrumentation, perhaps the audience disorientation that I have explored with my use of text can be further developed. I'm interested to see how (and if) my 'incorrect' accent and pronunciation further contribute to this disorientation.

HOW TO MAKE A CONTRADICTORY TEXT OF YOUR OWN

In preparation, choose two pieces of text, each no more than one side of A4. This text should also be photocopied, as you will be cutting and pasting the two texts together. (Scissors and sellotape would also be useful for this). THE TWO TEXTS SHOULD CONTRADICT EACH OTHER IN SOME WAY. This could be done in several ways; through content, style, language, tone, etc. The difference can be subtle or explicit. For example, in my video, I constructed a text using 1: an article in 'Railway Modeller' magazine that described the joy the writer derived from a model steam train he had constructed. 2: a text taken from an expletive strewn piece of 'gangsta rap', where the rapper is describing all manner of violent acts and sexual conquests in explicit detail.

So the example I used in my video was of a mundane, rather boring text dealing with bland subject matter, juxtaposed with a text that could be viewed as being 'extreme' in its use of expletives and descriptions. Other examples could be the use of a text that describes a disaster, or tragic situation with another text that elicits a humorous response. The subject matter doesn't necessarily have to be taboo or controversial, but it may be interesting to think about words that one maybe feels a little uncomfortable using. The texts can also be rhythmically dissimilar. Also, it may be of interest to use a text that may be written from a point of view (i.e. gender, political opinion) different from your own - the video Lets Talk About Racism is a good example of this, where one of the texts was based on a diatribe about the perceived genetic inferiority of black people.

Full transcript of performance text