I'm from a small city called Albany (or, if you're really from there, Awl-benny), GA. I rep hard and I rep often.  With that being said, I'm from the country. But we have the 'hood. 

The idea of location, space, and representation in rap music always intrigues me as a scholar and as a Down South Georgia Girl. This week, we're investigating the framing and construction of the term "ghetto" or "hood"  (whatever floats your boat), some variations, and how it impacts our understanding of blackness and identity performance. 

Sidenote: I'm still enthralled with the idea of the stripclub as the black man's boardroom.  It makes me question the construction of social acceptability and functioning spaces for men of color.  Mark Anthony Neal suggests that black men may make a living but do not necessarily live within the constraints of "contemporary polite society." And, of course, booty clappin' isn't exactly the embodiment of Miss Manners.  So, it would make sense for a marginalized body to meet in a marginalized space in order to be productive. This by no means suggests that you'll see Body Tap as the official meeting for a Forbes 500 company. It is also does not mean that all black men go to a stripclub for professional development. It is intriguing, however, to think outside the bun (pun intended).

What's your area code? Mine's 229.  See you Friday. Be easy, blog nation.