The state sponsored media of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has released a hip hop song, "Marx is a post-90" (a Chinese term for millennials) as part of a campaign to popularize the Communist Manifesto author to the nation’s youth.
One can almost picture the 19th-century Marx firing off his popular quote "Last words are for fools who haven’t said enough,"before dropping a steam-powered mic.
Dr. Jared Ball, Ph.D., associate professor of communication studies at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland, and author of I Mix What I Like: A Mixtape Manifesto, told Sputnik that the song "does have a great amount of potential to introduce Marx to a new generation," but offered that it takes more than a song to effectively communicate Marx’s thoughts.
"Depending on what they’re able to do institutionally, it may or may not have the impact they want," Ball said. "One on the one hand, depending on how well the song explains Marx and other factors, it could encourage people to follow up and study and him and implement his ideas."
"There’s always potential in cultural expression revolutionizing its audience," Ball said, suggesting that pumping Chinese popular culture with anti-capitalist sentiment will keep the song from becoming "a flash in the pan or an empty reference."
Ball’s cautious optimism stems from a tendency he sees in American hip-hop for the image of radical figures to be uplifted, while the substance of their politics remain ignored. He points to a 2014 song entitled "Betty Shabazz," by North Carolina MC Rapsody. The song was said to be a tribute to the social justice advocate and educator by the song’s producer, 9th Wonder, but made no mention of Shabazz’s views or those of her husband, Malcolm X.
"Marx is a post-90" details a young person discovering the paterfamilias of communism for the first time, with lyrics like, "Life is full of little accidents, then one day I discovered how awesome he was. I saw my faith, don't even ask why. You are my Venus, my dear Marx."
Zhuo Sina, credited as the songwriter, told the People’s Daily that she hopes the song can show Chinese youth how Marx’s philosophies remain relevant. "If this song could change students’ attitudes toward Marx and prompt greater willingness to learn about Marxism, then I think that’s a good thing," she said.
The People’s Daily stated that the song, slated to be used in a similarly-themed TV show, is proof that communism will "never completely go out of style."
