Letters to the Editor: What makes the 405 tolerable? Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre showed us
To the editor: The Super Bowl halftime show elicited an emotion that surprised me. It brought back memories of my miserable afternoon commute on the 405 Freeway. Now retired, I’d forgotten how enjoyable, even cathartic, listening to this hip-hop was as I sat in my car going nowhere. (“Finally, the world saw the exuberance of Black life celebrated at Inglewood’s Super Bowl,” column, Feb. 14)
It’s true that some hip-hop of that era was violent, misogynistic and homophobic. But that’s not what I was listening to on Power 106 as I stared at miles of brake lights.
I heard Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Eminem laying down the very style they did on Sunday. I couldn’t get enough of those unique rhymes and compelling beats then, and they are as rich in retrospect.
Incidentally, I’m a white, middle-class gay man. That music spoke to me, undoubtedly in a different way than it did to Black kids in the area, but it spoke nonetheless.
That’s what art does when it rises above prejudice; it brings people together.
Thomas Bailey, Long Beach
..
To the editor: Yes, Black life took center stage at the Super Bowl, from the hard work of Inglewood officials who made SoFi Stadium happen, to the party suites of Black celebrities from all walks of life, to the parties hosted by Blacks, including both the Taste of Inglewood Big Game Festival and the concert at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood.
Yet Banks mentioned only the halftime show, where she said the “style, soundtrack and shine of Black life were exuberantly displayed.” I guess she missed Inglewood’s own Mary Mary singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” outside SoFi, or Mickey Guyton singing the national anthem.
Yes, highlighting hip-hop was long overdue, but “Black creativity” was on full display in all its multifaceted dimensions.
Aldra Allison, Altadena
..
To the editor: Thanks to Banks for her column on the Super Bowl halftime show. My daughter, two granddaughters and I watched, and we all loved it.
As Banks wrote, “Black creativity drives culture change.”
Janice Belsky, Encino
