What Is This ”Black” in Black Popular Culture? [1992]

2018 ◽  
pp. 83-94
1995 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 123
Author(s):  
Hortense Spillers ◽  
Michele Wallace ◽  
Gina Dent

Author(s):  
Raquel L. Monroe

Propelled into black popular culture by their appearance on HBOs Real Sex 24 in 2000, Jessica Holter’s Punany Poets have been touring and performing erotic performance poetry, song and dance to bolster black female sexual agency for over twenty-five years. This critical performance analysis of “Cucumber Cu Cum Her,” a duet between veteran lesbian spoken word artist Lucky Seven and erotic dancer Punany’s Pearl reveals how their erotic condom demonstration literally and discursively propels lesbian sexuality and fantasy into commercial hip-hop’s hyper-masculinist sphere. The duet queer the reviled pimp-ho aesthetic to reimagine rapper-turned-movie star Ice Cube’s 1991 hit “Look Who’s Burnin.’ ” The erotic dancer’s body creates space for women to pleasurably explore their gender identities and sexual fantasies. As a skilled laborer Punany’s Pearl imbues the heretofore-imagined disempowered, objectified, erotic dancer with agency and challenges black respectability politics.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document