Mocking Caucasian rappers is like shooting whitefish in a barrel. The comical notion of the goofy guy with pale skin has been a hip-hop staple since "Rappin' Rodney." So it's trite to cast aspersions at Chet Haze (née Chester), the son of Tom Hanks, whose video for "White and Purple (Northwestern Remix)" went viral Wednesday. After all, his case is no different from that of the tens of thousands of frat boys with Pro Tools who are recording middling demos in basements all across America. 

What is different is that their fathers aren't the star of "Big," "Forrest Gump" and dozens of other memorable films. Nor do most of them describe themselves thus: "born and raised on the West Side of the Westside's main city LA, Chet grew up an enthusiast of the rap game....He is an up and coming MC with a flow that does California proud, partnered with lyrical intelligence that complements his attendance at Northwestern University. Living the college life, Chet's days consist of chilling with his boys, attending class, and taking care of business. However, his nights consist of absolutely murdering tracks, and living what he is really spitting."