It Was a Good Day for Evening Faces
The Tale of Genji is filled with Japanese aesthetics, including miyabi, courtly elegance, yugen, obscurity and mystery, and mono no aware or simply aware, a developed sense of the transient nature of things. Protagonists of rap narratives, specifically Ice Cube in “It Was a Good Day” and Snoop Doggy Dog in “Bitches Ain’t Shit”, often share similar contexts with the tale’s hero, Genji. However, the rappers’ treat such predicaments quite differently, leading to a different use of aesthetics.
Genji uses his charm and elegance, or miyabi, to woo women. During his seduction of the lady of the evening faces, Genji remarks, “Which of us is the mischievous fox spirit? I wonder. Just be quiet and give yourself up to its persuasions” (Murasaki 67). After slyly convincing her to comply with his advances, the lady, “Won over by his gentle warmth… was indeed inclined to let him have his way” (Murasaki 67). This courtly elegance is the main method Genji uses to entice women. However, the idea of miyabi is lost on Ice Cube, who tells nothing of his prior conversation with the lady. Instead he emphasizes his method of persuasion as using the sheer size and force of his penis during coitus: “My dick runs deep, so deep / So deep put her ass to sleep.” The only utterance from the woman mentioned in the narrative is her later admittance that Ice Cube is indeed “the top gun”. ‘Cube’s failure to list defining details about his woman demonstrate his lack of interest in finding out more about her.
Genji, on the other hand, is curious about the women he pursues. There is a sense of mystery with Genji’s mistresses, or Yugen, that is not evident in Ice Cube’s story. There is no mystery about the woman ‘Cube fancies, as he is uninterested in the finer details of the lady. Even further, there is no element of courtly elegance, or miyabi; Ice Cube cuts right to the chase, stating that he simply “pulled out the jammy and killed the punanny”, which is anything but elegant.
Genji is always attracted to women based on the surroundings and details of their lives. Ice Cube, on the other hand, gives minimal details about the women he pursues. The only context we know about the woman Ice Cube picks up is that he has been pursuing carnal relations with her “since the twelfth grade”.
In fact, the very idea of becoming attached to a woman is frowned upon in rap. One Snoop Doggy Dogg narrative illustrates this point by recounting the tragedy ensuing in the aftermath of his relationship with Mandy May. In Snoop Dogg’s narrative, he ignores doubts about his activity with her, stating, “The homies used to tell me that she wasn’t no good.” Genji too, often doubts the longevity of his affair with the lady of the evening faces, stating, “It was madness, it was not an affair he should let disturb him” (Murasaki 65). Invariably, both Snoop Dogg and Genjis’ romances are doomed to tragedy.
Upon the death of the lady of the evening faces, Genji is distraught. The results of his lamentations almost cost him his reputation and his life. And after “the locust shell” also leaves him, Genji’s sorrow increases. It is noted that now, only after such loss, does he know “how painful a secret love can be” (Murasaki 83). These observations about the transient nature of love and life invoke the aesthetic of aware.
Snoop, on the other hand, addresses the fleeting nature of his relationship quite differently. Upon being released from a six-month jail sentence, Snoop is told by his companions that his lover has not been faithful in his absence. Emotionless, Snoop describes how he murders Mandy in cold blood, “I uncocked my shit… I’m heart broke but I’m still loc’ed.”
Snoop’s circumstances do not bring forth from him a deep, emotional contemplation over the changes that have taken place during his prison term or the transient nature of love and relationships. Instead, Snoop snaps into action. Severing himself from any feelings for the woman, Snoops guns Mandy May down when he finds the her in the midst of copulation with his cousin Daz. Snoop forces his former mistress to pay for her actions. It does not matter that Snoop has been gone for half a year, or that Mandy may have taken up prostitution during his absence just to earn a living. All that matters to Snoop is that he gets revenge and severs his emotional connection to Mandy, ridding himself of his sorrow in the process.
In reference to the death of the lady of the evening faces, Genji says that such emotional loss from attachment is “the way of the world. Parting is always sad” (Murasaki 77). This is another excellent example of Genji’s sophistication through aware. Snoop’s circumstances are summed up in a similar fashion. The occurrence of his heartache is attributed to a way of the rap world, communicated by Dr. Dre’s title for his collection of verses, “Bitches Ain’t Shit”, which counts Snoop Dogg’s story among its verses. This title suggests indifference towards women as a method through which rappers can avoid being hurt by committed relationships’ inevitable deterioration. This does not invoke aware, as it suggests no contemplation of beauty through impermanence; Dre’s observation is more reminiscent of Buddhist philosophy, which shuns emotion.
However, Genji laments his loss of love quite emotionally, blaming neither of his mistresses for their circumstances. In Genji’s world, events are not fully the fault of those involved. More to blame is fate or influence from a past life. This naturalistic point of view and its counterpart, impermanence, bring forth strong emotions from Genji and reinforce the beauty of aware.
In much the same way, Genji notes during his affair that the “bright full moon of the Eighth Month came flooding in through chinks in the roof” “Murasaki 67). This description references the passage of the lunar cycle and the trends of the year. This and the unfamiliar, aged beauty of the house fascinate Genji. Details like this are either simplified or ignored in Ice Cube’s narrative. The only reference to ‘Cube’s surroundings and the passage of time during his stay with the woman is his acknowledgement that he “woke her up around one”.
From there, the rest of the narrative focuses on Ice Cube’s actions. For example, the trip to drop his woman off after the excursion is defined by Ice Cube’s “coastin’” and his “three-wheel motion”, a testament to his reckless driving. Ice Cube’s point of view is defined by his own actions in the here and now. In stark contrast, the focus during Genji’s carriage ride with his lady is directed towards the moon’s movement in the sky, along with the surrounding scenery. Even here, a sense of mystery, yugen, is displayed in the scene: The lady is frightened, and the setting is foreboding, as the “groves beyond were still dark, and the mist and the dews were heavy” (Murasaki, 68). Their surrounding is not quite discernable.
However, there is no such mystery in Ice Cube’s story. He like Genji, has a reason to hide, which is implied by his observation, “No helicopter looking for a murder”. But there is no yugen, or sense of mystery about the context, despite the possibility arrest. Instead, there is a sense that whatever fate has in store for Ice Cube will be revealed and ‘Cube will have little or no influence on the outcome. Everything is out in the open; it’s only a matter of time. ‘Cube acknowledges that the future is out of his control by riding on three wheels while he drinks more liquor, making himself highly visible to police.
Ice Cube is aware of the passage of time and the fleeting nature of his existence. But unlike Genji, ‘Cube does not stop to contemplate; he continues trying to live life to the fullest in recognition that he might not “live another twenty-fo’”. Because he does not stop to think, he fails to observe the transient beauty of his life. Living life in the fast lane, ‘Cube does not have time to invoke the aesthetic of aware.
However, dealing with the death of the lady of the evening faces, Genji does evidence aware while contemplating the natural scenery and the passage of time,
“One sees the clouds as smoke that rose from the pyre,
And suddenly the evening sky seems nearer.” (Murasaki 80)
This excerpt also exemplifies yugen. The clouds obscure the sky and Genji’s future. When Ice Cube wakes in the morning, thanking God that he is still alive, he also describes his surroundings and their implications, like Genji. Although, ‘Cube’s observations strike a chord of yugen, his thoughts are less insightful,
“I don’t know but today seems kinda odd
No barkin’ from the dog, no smog
And momma cooked a breakfast with no hog”
Another difference between the two observations is Ice Cube’s aversion to subtle details and foresight in favor of his immediate senses. Genji likens the clouds to smoke from a pyre, implying an unsettling future. Mulling over this onset of dark times, Genji goes on to link the clouds to the impending change of seasons and his life direction. Quite the opposite, Ice Cube’s focus does not leave the present. His thoughts simply encompass the sounds and sights from his window, as well as the lack of bacon with his breakfast. Unlike Genji, ‘Cube derives no definite implications from his surroundings, simply stating, “today seems kinda odd”. Without any certainty that he will live to see tomorrow, Ice Cube cannot afford to contemplate the foreboding scenery as a message of bad times to come. Instead, he focuses on the present, while Genji’s temporal frame of reference encompasses the entire year, not just the current day.
Ice Cube’s narrative does not achieve mono no aware, despite the story’s apparent disposition towards it. In a similar fashion, Snoop Doggy Dogg evades the contemplation necessary for aware. Miyabi is also never attained. Yugen does, however, make a small appearance in Ice Cube’s narrative. Because of the differences in the rappers’ regard for their situations when contrasted with Genji’s dispositions, a different use of aesthetics in the narratives can be observed, despite any similarities that present.
Work Cited:
Murasaki, Shikibu. The Tale of Genji. Trans. Edward G. Seidensticker. New York: Knopf, 1976.
Varley, Paul. Japanese Culture. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 2000
Ice Cube. "It Was A Good Day". Priority, 1992.
Snoop Doggy Dogg. "Bitches Ain't Shit.". Death Row, Interscope, 1992.
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