Close that door, you weren't born in a stable.

November 26, 2012 7:51 PM

The Parent Rap. Two parents rap about their life. [slyt]
posted by fings (56 comments total)

(t
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the paren t wrap
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 7:57 PM on November 26, 2012 [9 favorites]

Traditional gender roles in the hizouse.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 8:03 PM on November 26, 2012 [23 favorites]

My son turns 18 a couple of months.

I"M FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 8:05 PM on November 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

The Christian Parent Rap.
posted by unliteral at 8:05 PM on November 26, 2012

mmmmmm. No. No thank you.
posted by boo_radley at 8:07 PM on November 26, 2012

Rap is never a good idea.



No, not ever.
posted by Doohickie at 8:12 PM on November 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

"Running Errands with My Mom" (from the voice of Finn the Human if that's bugging you)
posted by Rhaomi at 8:12 PM on November 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

Sick to death of so-called comedy rap songs by people who think rap music is funny. The joke is that rap is music made by black people who are criminals and these are white people, right?

Yep. Still not funny.
posted by chrchr at 8:13 PM on November 26, 2012 [16 favorites]

Rebuttal
posted by FelliniBlank at 8:13 PM on November 26, 2012 [6 favorites]

White people stop embarrassing me.
posted by 2bucksplus at 8:16 PM on November 26, 2012 [4 favorites]

Holy fucking god make it stop before my balls crawl back into my body due to second hand embarrassment.
posted by nathancaswell at 8:17 PM on November 26, 2012 [3 favorites]

The joke is that rap is music made by black people who are criminals and these are white people, right?

Yes, and you know this because they even make the joke where one says "hizzle" and the other one says, "I don't even know what you just said," you know because white people don't know what that slang is!! It must be a genetic trait in black people.

Also, yeah whoa gender roles, with the guy going to make the "cheese" while the wife makes mac n cheese.


Ick. I need to go watch Rachel Maddow now or something.
posted by sweetkid at 8:18 PM on November 26, 2012 [6 favorites]

I am literally sitting here trying to figure out who I feel worse for... him, her, the person who produced this song, the person who directed this video or myself for watching it.
posted by nathancaswell at 8:20 PM on November 26, 2012

Actually I decided... it's the editor of the video. I feel worst for the editor.
posted by nathancaswell at 8:21 PM on November 26, 2012 [9 favorites]

I'm kind of surprised that this hasn't been on Metafilter yet; I feel like I've seen it a bunch before, but maybe it was just a Facebook phenomenon when it was posted on Youtube a few months ago.

Anyway, my thoughts: I don't mind parenthood; it's a sadly-underserved segment of society, so yay parents, parents are a good thing to be celebrated. And I don't mind white people rapping; hip hop is an African-American tradition by culture, not by race, and it's supposed to an open and diverse thing, I think. And I guess I should say that I don't even mind hip hop parodies, although they have to be pretty damned good to pass muster at this point.

What I mind about this is that it reinforces a bunch of unfortunate tropes. PhoBWanKenobi already pointed out one: the traditional gender roles that are being called up, dad "providing," mom "taking care of kids," etc. But the more subtle and frankly more invidious one is the trope that's the basis of the whole gag: the notion that hip hop is this way to sound cool and menacing and badass. That's what pushes this from the territory of 'playful riff on what parenthood is like' into the land of 'rappings are a silly form of posturing, here watch us do a rapping about how we are parents.'

So, yeah. Please note: the problem isn't that they're 'white.' If that were it, if hip hop were some kind of genetic birthright of black people, well... there are some weird-ass implications there, most glaringly that it isn't about skill at all. No, the issue here is that this is a sideways dig at the whole hip hop culture. It's a dumbing-down of what it means, a caricature of it as this way to feel all cool about yourself and brag. Which is frankly really annoying.
posted by koeselitz at 8:24 PM on November 26, 2012 [6 favorites]

the traditional gender roles that are being called up, dad "providing," mom "taking care of kids," etc.

It's not even just that. It's also that Dad plays games with his kids while Mom disciplines them and washes dishes. Ugh.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 8:29 PM on November 26, 2012 [6 favorites]

Reminds me waaay too much of the "Swagger Wagon" commercial from a couple of years ago.
posted by mrbill at 8:29 PM on November 26, 2012 [2 favorites]

Upon reflection, I had overlooked a number of the very valid points made here. I had just put our son to bed, logged on to, yes, Facebook, and saw that my wife had liked this video. I viewed it, chuckled at it, figured what the heck, and posted here. Next time, I will think harder, or at least sleep on it, rather just passing something like this along.
posted by fings at 8:35 PM on November 26, 2012 [7 favorites]

No, the issue here is that this is a sideways dig at the whole hip hop culture.

Word.

A thing I always notice about this "humorous" rap parody things is that the artists seem to have only the most cursory understanding of what rap music is or sounds like. Yes, there are rhymes in it. Rap artists sometimes say, "yo", but certainly not all the time. That particular "-zzle" suffix thing that everyone thinks is so hilarious is barely ever used in actual rap songs.

This song is coming from someone who thinks the very idea of a rap song about something mundane like parenting is comical. But really, there are plenty of rap songs about parenting. You could even make an actual humorous rap song about parenting and it would work just fine. If you had the talent to write a real song, that is.

Does anyone actually think these are funny, or do they just chuckle at them out of a sense of obligation?
posted by chrchr at 8:37 PM on November 26, 2012 [10 favorites]

I think the Whole Foods Parking Lot rap works better than this video as far asyuppie hip hop parodies go. Maybe because it IS a pretty decent rap, and they're not bouncing around in a silly way or using slang words while claiming they don't understand them.

I don't think it's completely off limits for there to be hip hop parodies (and definitely rap/hip hop is not just for black people), but there's a line between well done and ridiculous.
posted by sweetkid at 8:45 PM on November 26, 2012 [4 favorites]

oh crap, people. this is amusing...get over it...
posted by HuronBob at 8:49 PM on November 26, 2012 [3 favorites]

oh crap, people. this is amusing...get over it...

No, it isn't! See, everyone has opinions.
posted by sweetkid at 8:54 PM on November 26, 2012 [5 favorites]

I appreciate that they have followed the forms of rap music videos.
And the topics are the usual parent whines.
posted by Mezentian at 8:58 PM on November 26, 2012

It's a dumbing-down of what it means, a caricature of it as this way to feel all cool about yourself and brag. Which is frankly really annoying.

I dunno, as a newish parent I can totally see how you could make a funny rap using the irony of top 40 hip-hop cliches - and top 40 hip-hop frankly deserves all the shit it gets and more most of the time - and activities (going out; getting wasted; having lots of sex; being cool; dressing snazzy etc etc ), with the reality of being a parent (almost never going out; checking up on the kids when you are out; feeling hungover in the morning when you just stayed up late and didn't drink at all; dressing in tragic clothes that are also stained; the memory loss, I could go on).

I would find that funny. And media like Up All Night is based around that contrast, and imho at least is pretty funny. Because there's a kernel of truth there that when you've got babies the luxury of time to go out by yourself and willpower to care about looking cool is replaced by something... a little more spartan.

However, the execution of this video was bad. I mean, the actual rhymes and the flow were not very good at all (dare I say, stereotypically white, like early nineties white, as was the beat), and the content was not only banal and obvious, but more problematically jarringly sexist. I dunno what it's like in America, but here in Australia the number of stay-at-home mothers is vanishingly small to the point that it's almost a cosign of being upper class now (or very, very religious).

There are so many great, non-gender specific things that happen to parents, and also some gender-specific things that are not rooted in troublesome power relationships (I dunno, stuff around breast feeding is an obvious one). So yeah, I think it could have been funny, but wasn't.
posted by smoke at 8:58 PM on November 26, 2012 [2 favorites]

As someone watching the current generation of parents deal with...well... parenting... this is funny stuff... does the genre of satire make it not funny????

we're taking this way too seriously... really...
posted by HuronBob at 8:59 PM on November 26, 2012 [2 favorites]

I lack any musical talent and I have not yet spawned offspring. I will therefore let the experts debate this issue.
posted by sendai sleep master at 9:00 PM on November 26, 2012

we're taking this way too seriously... really...

No, we're OVERTHINKING it (Oglaf warning).
It's a trap.
posted by Mezentian at 9:00 PM on November 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

I don't mind parenthood; it's a sadly-underserved segment of society, so yay parents, parents are a good thing to be celebrated.
Really? Parents aren't celebrated enough in our culture? I'd have to disagree.
posted by sweetkid at 9:04 PM on November 26, 2012 [5 favorites]

I don't think any of you understand how hard mom and dad work to put food on the table and pay for smart phones. Now, get me a beer and make sure it's cold. I'm watching golf.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:54 PM on November 26, 2012

unliteral: "The Christian Parent Rap."

Born in a stable.
posted by Apropos of Something at 10:17 PM on November 26, 2012

This is not funny because it is white people rapping, or because it is particularly insightful, or because it is about gender equality.

It is funny because IT IS EXACTLY WHAT MY LIFE IS LIKE.

I laugh at the funnyz.
posted by etc. at 10:38 PM on November 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

unliteral has it. The video is definitely a Christian parenting propaganda piece. I don't think there's really much of a hipster the-jokes-on-us vibe that just happens to be dorky and clueless about hip-hop and rap -- there's actually an active hostility to non-traditional gender roles and family structures. There isn't a subtextual "boy, howdy, we are cool people but how did we end up in bland suburbia?", it's a very open "boy, howdy, bland suburban living is the shizizzle".
posted by dhartung at 10:44 PM on November 26, 2012 [5 favorites]

The worst part of this, for me: it doesn't even accomplish the implicit aim of celebrating parenting. It celebrates suburbs, and traditional gender roles, and minivans. There's plenty of parents, singled and coupled, who don't have or want any of that.

As someone who wants kids, who dreams of kids, who spends time and energy every damn day thinking about and trying to find a good partner to raise kids with, let me try to provide some context from the outside: you are not the blessing to your kids, your kids are a blessing to you. Excepting those without the means or education to make that choice, most people reading this website and watching this video had that choice. And if you don't appreciate what you gained by making that choice, as much as the PG 13 movies or stylish bag you may have lost, maybe there's something to be gained in thinking about those of us who desperately want kids and can't have them, or can't have them yet.
posted by Apropos of Something at 10:58 PM on November 26, 2012 [2 favorites]

And that Jasper, is more or less how it is in the hood.
posted by zoo at 12:41 AM on November 27, 2012

It celebrates suburbs, and traditional gender roles, and minivans.

Speaking of which, anyone else get a kick out of that scene in End Of Watch where the cop goes on about how the gangs love using minivans for drive-bys, for the sliding doors and anonymity and other features?

No? Just me? Alright, carry on trashing the video.
posted by mannequito at 12:48 AM on November 27, 2012

The linked post wasn't really to my taste, but I don't really feel that accusations of traditional gender roles or cultural co-opting are particularly valid. This is two people talking about how they live. Accusing them of gender stereotyping feels like accusing all couples who are in a "mum cooks & dad works" situation of the same.

And racism? If your joke is about how you don't understand the word hizzle, there's a bunch of potential targets for that joke. My personal interpretation is just that they're not making fun of black culture, but they're making fun of themselves and their lives for being out of touch with whatever is currently cool. Because you know, kids.
posted by zoo at 12:53 AM on November 27, 2012 [1 favorite]

Apropos of Something: "The worst part of this, for me: ... It celebrates suburbs

Oh God, I didn't realise. How awful is that? It makes you shudder when you realise that they're not celebrating the city (The only place you should be allowed to celebrate), but they're celebrating a different place. A not-city. The UnCity. I had heard tell of such a place, but my rational mind imagined it to be the ravings of mad men. And here they are, sickly and wrongly celebrating it.

These people are obviously monsters.
posted by zoo at 1:02 AM on November 27, 2012 [4 favorites]

Admittedly though, the fact that it's funded by some right-wing Christian group freaks me out a bit.
posted by zoo at 1:14 AM on November 27, 2012 [2 favorites]

Parents just don't understand.
posted by jozxyqk at 2:40 AM on November 27, 2012

It's just LAME! Regardless of gender/culture/flow. It's cringe-worthy. It's the parenting video equivalent of That Guy At Work who walks by you everyday at the same time with the same phrase.

It's the "Hey Bud, how's it going?" of parenting videos.
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 3:40 AM on November 27, 2012 [4 favorites]

Apropos of Something: "It celebrates suburbs"

There are a ton of things wrong with this video, but that isn't one of them. Suburbs rock.
posted by Bugbread at 4:23 AM on November 27, 2012

...the problem isn't that they're 'white.'

Whatever the point is here, imagine how much more confusing it would be if they were black.
posted by StickyCarpet at 4:26 AM on November 27, 2012 [1 favorite]

To all of those who think this video is funny, you should know that my dad was talking about how hilarious it was on Thanksgiving. My DAD, people.
posted by orme at 4:29 AM on November 27, 2012 [1 favorite]

It's the Dad life

Oh fings, don't feel bad about the post. This is just mefi doing it's thing. But you will have to go a long way to atone for posting something that has christian undertones, what were you thinking?
posted by madamjujujive at 5:14 AM on November 27, 2012 [1 favorite]

As a Christian, I resent the implication that this hunk of terrible has anything to do with my beliefs. This is an awkward, corny paean to conformity and conservatism. It's ok to think it's funny, but pointing out why we think it isn't, calmly, in great detail, and without judging the OP at all, is what Metafilter is for.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 5:45 AM on November 27, 2012 [2 favorites]

Yeah, not funny and not my thing.
posted by Forktine at 5:46 AM on November 27, 2012

It's ok to think it's funny, but pointing out why we think it isn't, calmly, in great detail, and without judging the OP at all, is what Metafilter is for.

Exactly. I don't understand why it's some kind of counterpoint to say, "they're just talking about their lives, they're having fun, etc." I don't think people go out TRYING to offend or appropriate other cultures, belittle hip hop etc. But they're still doing it, and talking about it is important.

It's far from the worst thing in the world, but it's interesting to me to discuss where this parody fails and how it really can be seen as a "we don't get this 'black culture' thing" and
"we're assuming gender roles where men work and women cook and clean" type wrongness.
posted by sweetkid at 6:29 AM on November 27, 2012

This reminds me of the NPR rap. Painfully reminds me.
posted by slogger at 6:53 AM on November 27, 2012

Glad to see I'm not the only one who doesn't think this video is funny. It has been blowing up in my FB newsfeed for about a week now, and I keep thinking I'm missing something.
posted by X | ANA | X at 7:24 AM on November 27, 2012 [2 favorites]

My thing isn't about denigrating or celebrating suburbs, or cities, or rural areas or anywhere else. My point is only that these things are accidental to the parts of parenting that are supposed to be genuinely important. Places aren't parenting. Cars aren't parenting. Diaper bags aren't parenting. Parenting is. It'd be really nice to have a conversation about the substance of that super-important activity.
posted by Apropos of Something at 9:53 AM on November 27, 2012 [1 favorite]

You got your MeFi in my FB. Get it out, now.
posted by PuppyCat at 10:27 AM on November 27, 2012 [1 favorite]

To me the suburbs thing is just that still now, being able to get married and move out to the suburbs and raise your kids in a good neighborhood with parks and decent public education and a mini van is a kind of American dream that many many parents or would-be parents feel they have very little shot at. Using that setting to talk about the trials of parenthood feels like it's assuming baseline levels of affluence and comfort that completely vanishes other very real and greater challenges faced by other parents without access to the same levels of economic, social, and yes, race, privilege. Using rap to do that - yes, I see how that's very problematic even assuming the very best intentions on the part of the creators.

Basically this is a thing that works very only inside a limited bubble of shared experience, a kind of inside joke that falls flat in the wrong audience. And not because the wrong audience doesn't have enough of a sense of humor!
posted by Salamandrous at 10:44 AM on November 27, 2012 [1 favorite]

There are a ton of things wrong with this video, but that isn't one of them. Suburbs rock.

Only if by "rock" you mean... um.... something that has just about nothing to do with "rock".
posted by Mars Saxman at 4:21 PM on November 27, 2012

It celebrates suburbs, and traditional gender roles, and minivans.

Oh good grief. I am an urban single parent who's never been in a minivan. The video is funny. I think the suburbs and everything they represent ruined everything good about this country and I have never been able to rely on another adult to bring home the "cheese" and there have been enough months in my kids' lives when mac&cheese was in such heavy rotation for budget reasons that I'd rather not ever see another box. The video is still funny.

And white suburban teenagers co-opted rap and hiphop two decades ago by actually buying the product, thereby creating the market for it to be successful.
posted by headnsouth at 6:18 PM on November 27, 2012

The video is funny

Not everyone thinks it's funny. This is not because they are overthinking or beanplating or it's Metafilter. They don't think it's funny. Things aren't objectively funny.

And white suburban teenagers co-opted rap and hiphop two decades ago by actually buying the product, thereby creating the market for it to be successful.

This is not at all the point people are making here about how this video fails as hiphop parody.
posted by sweetkid at 6:56 PM on November 27, 2012 [1 favorite]

Yeah, this is awful. I couldn't make it all the way through it on several attempted viewings. The conservative Christian underpinnings don't help either.

Pivoting for a second to the supposed inherent comedy of uncool (usually white) people rapping: has this been funny ever? It was cringeworthy when Penny Marshall and Rosie O'Donnell did it, same for Steve Martin, same for this. And I've been trying to put my finger on why that sort of air-quotes "comedy" makes me feel so icky. For me, it almost harkens back to minstrelsy. It's white people playing at being what they think black people are. It's a bit more coded/dog-whistly than that, I'm sure. But there's definitely a line from Sambo to this sort of crap.
posted by aureliobuendia at 9:45 PM on November 27, 2012 [2 favorites]