DJing as a Filipino Thing

Danielle Marie Herrera
Prof. Maira
ASA 4
11 April 2017

Tiongson's "DJing as a Filipino Thing" claims that while there is a need to recognize the African-American roots of hip-hop and DJing, there is also a need to recognize hip-hop and DJing as legitimate identifiers of Filipino culture. Inclusion of hip-hop and DJing as descriptors for Filipino culture serves to debunk the model minority myth that we have been discussing in class - the myth that Asian-Americans are more docile and less likely to be outspoken or participate in activities that exhibit protest or dissatisfaction at the existing conditions of society (Maira). Although I agree that it is important to recognize the role of Filipinoness in the rise to fame for many artists, I really liked Q-Bert's quote in the reading: "It never occurred to us that being Filipinos would hinder us in doing what we love. It never crossed our minds." As a Filipino-American musician myself, I never considered my race as something that would affect my ability to perform as a musical artist or make selections about the type of music I enjoy or model my artistry after. For me this raises the question, at what point is appreciation and usage of a practice with political and racially significant history such as hip-hop considered offensive cultural appropriation if you do not come from that history? That is, since I am a Filipino-American, is it wrong to engage in a cultural practice with non-Filipino roots?