In a perfect world, “Gutta Time” would run away with Video of the Year at MTV’s 2008 Video Music Awards for its disclaimer – if you can call it that – alone: “This shit is satire and not meant to be taken as racist by any bitch-ass, dick-sucking motherfucker, ya heard? Any small-dick-having motherfuckers who see it like that can suck my dick. But to be on the safe side, if you’re younger than motherfucking three years old, don’t watch this shit. And to the KKK, keep pissing us the fuck off and we’re going to keep dicking down your white motherfucking women, aight?”
Aight then. I don’t even know where to begin with all that, so let’s just cut straight to the action, shall we? Early on, the Wizards show some game, pump-faking and alley-ooping their way to a lead as Master P big-ups Mike Jones, Paul Wall and Dancing with the Stars in his lyrics. But around the time the Klansmen start yanking the top off one female onlooker and spraying beer all over another, the No Limit Soldiers employ those distractions to mount a comeback. Although the Klan tries their best intimidation tactics, brandishing guns and at one point pulling a full-on drive-by, P’s team pulls even with some picturesque rainbow jumpers. Ultimately, the Wizards’ flowing garments prove to be their undoing, as the Soldiers remove the hood of one Klansman and outright de-robe another, allowing their teammates some late easy buckets to nip the Klan at the wire.
The KKK slinks away in defeat as the Soldiers and their fans storm the countryside court for a celebratory, hoochie-heavy dance party. Sadly, though, the closing captions reveal their victory to be bittersweet. “The players desegregated the court that day, earning the right for men of all races to play,” it advises as the music fades out. “The next day, they were all lynched. Gutta Time – increase the peace.”
Master P has a long history of confrontational, over-the-top videos – if you haven’t seen 1995’s bat-brandishing “Bout It Bout It” in a while, refresh your memory here or try the block party writ large of “Where U From” – so it’s unclear if “Gutta Time” is his estimation of contemporary race relations or a rather obtuse commentary on the unifying properties of a spirited game of B-ball. The lyrics are ambiguous, mostly reaffirming P and friends’ commitment to hustling, but judging by the amount of shoving and general animosity in the video, “Gutta Time” probably isn’t going to win any NAACP awards.
Truthfully, since he’s gone from one of Southern rap’s original underground superstars to two-left-footed punchline whose son is more popular than he is – and because his idea earlier this year of starting “responsible rap label” Take a Stand Records didn’t exactly set America’s hearts (or cash registers) aflutter - it’s probably just P’s way of saying “Hey! Remember me? Uuuhhhh!!!”
And it works, somewhat. After all, no matter what color you are, it’s always entertaining to watch the Klan get its ass kicked. So, sneaky Southern-style social satire or simple side-splitting slapstick? You make the call. – Chris Gray
