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KRS-One is often quoted as saying, "rap
is something you do, hip-hop is something you live." However,
what does it mean to 'live hip-hop' in this day and age?
Hip-hop was originally created
in a similar manner to that of the blues. Like the music that
was born in the 'juke joints' of rural Mississippi, hip-hop was
also created as a result of black struggle and ingenuity. Indeed,
the early 'park jams' in New York City were as much about showcasing
ones individual talents as they were about forming community
and celebrating an entire culture that had been enslaved, ignored
and disenfranchised.
Today, although alternative
outlets exist that continue to maintain these original ideals,
mainstream hip-hop, or the most popular forms of rap music have
become much more negative. Disguised as party music and marketed
to people of all ages and race, the hip-hop lifestyle has been
transformed into a commercial entity that is now in the process
of destroying its original values in search of greater profits.
This lack of lyrical credibility
as well as social value is demonstrated on a daily basis, every
minute of the day, on mainstream 'Urban radio.' Claiming to represent
"hip-hop and R&B," these commercial radio stations
promote ignorance, misogyny and violence to the tune of billions
of dollars. [Checkout a lyric from the Number 8 song on the Billboard
Charts this week]:
"I bounce in the club
so the ho's call me Rocket, posted in the cut and im lookin
for a blockhead, yup in my white tee, i break a bitch back,
and i keep a big bank, oh i think dey like dat, before i leave
the house, im slizzard on a goose, and im higher than a plane,
so a nigga really loose, and i can lean wit it, and i can rock
wit it, and if u gotta friend, she gotta suck a cock wit it"
(from, "Lean Wit It, Rock
Wit It" by Dem Franchize Boyz)
* *
*
Earlier this week, Detroit
rap artist 'Proof' of the group D12 (which includes Eminem),
was shot and killed in a night club on the infamous 8 mile. According
to police reports, 'Proof' allegedly shot first and was then
killed by a subsequent gun shot to the head.
Since Tuesday, it seems the
reaction to this deadly event has been mixed between mourning
and disgust. I have since spoke with many who say they are sick
and tired of all the violence associated with hip-hop and others
who merely express sympathy for the loss of life. However tragic
an event this may be, one thing is clear, it is certainly not
the first time such an incident has occurred.
Tupac Shakur, Biggie Smalls,
Big L, Freaky Tah, Jam Master Jay, Mac Dre and now Proof. All
hip-hop artists. All murdered by gun violence over the past decade.
(Of course there have been
many other violent incidents during the last ten years including
the recent fatal shooting at the Busta Rhymes video shoot, the
brawl and stabbing at the Vibe Awards and even New York's good
samaritan and sometimes marathoner, P-diddy's champagne bottle
incident with record executive Steve Stout.)
Certainly their are sizable
differences when comparing the death of super stars like 2pac
and Biggie, with rappers such as Proof or even San Francisco
Bay Area legend Mac Dre, however there is one glaring similarity
that all these dead young black men have in common?
Nothing will be learned.
(I'm sorry to say but it's
the hard truth! For example, let's take a look at the deaths
of Tupac Shakur and Mac Dre, two rap artists who grew up in my
native Bay Area.)
* *
*
Tupac Shakur, in all his frailties
was a talented hip-hop artist and a very passionate human being.
Although his personal flaws and contradictions (and his involvement
with criminal minds such as Marion "Suge" Knight),
spelled his ultimate demise, Shakur did make valiant efforts
to stand before the world and call for change. A direct quote
from Shakur on his thoughts about the future were as follows,
"I'm not saying I'm gonna change the world, but I guarantee
I will spark the brain that will change the world." (2pac
was gunned down after a boxing match in Las Vegas in 1996.)
What is 2pac now? Is he a bootlegged
remix? A VH1 special? A t-shirt?
On the other hand, Mac Dre,
with all his valid accomplishments before his death was not an
extraordinarily talented lyricist. Although he was a savvy promoter
of his music, he did not strive for much more musically than
his hustle (to his credit he never claimed to do anything more
than that). Indeed from his early records which were literally
"too hard for the f*ckin radio," to his stint in prison
for alleged bank robbery, to his return and re-birth through
a Bay Area rap craze he helped create called "Hyphy"
(which literally means to "get stupid," or "go
dumb" from drug use), Dre didn't stand for much more than
pimping and getting high. (Mac Dre was gunned down after a concert
in Kansas City in 2004.)
What is Mac Dre now? He's an
icon? A hero? A t-shirt?
(If you don't believe me, you
haven't been to the Bay Area lately.)
* *
*
Obviously, the virtuous legacy
of hip-hop artists like Tupac Shakur is not lost and there are
indeed people who will continue to keep his memory alive however,
it seems to me that over the past ten years or so hip-hop has
taken a turn for the worst. Sadly, messages concerned with change
and consciousness have been replaced by threats of senseless
violence and calls for mindless behavior. Although both criminal
and party elements have always existed in hip-hop, there were
once many other aspects or 'elements' that were equally represented.
Today, rap artists can't get on the radio unless they "Get
crunk," "Get hyphy," "Get stupid" or
"Go dumb!"
Imagine 2pac in a video, dancing
around in a triple extra large white t-shirt, exclaiming, "Get
stupid! Get stupid! Go dumb! Go dumb!" While it is true,
that 'Pac' was often involved with less than virtuous activities,
I cannot for the life of me imagine the man would ever put out
a record that wack!? (wack: adj. meaning lacking lyrical integrity.)
Of course, the argument is
raised that this type of hyper, mindless rap music is a release
valve for folks and a direct reflection of their socio-economic
situation... AND I understand that there is a lot of potential
positive energy behind such a release... However what is the
energy being used for and by whom is this energy being harnessed?
If three white guys walk into
a hip-hop club trying to sell "Hyphy water" and "R.I.P.
Mac Dre" t-shirts, is that hip-hop?
If two young men (white, black,
brown or yellow) do a bunch of exstacy because they're favorite
rapper does it, is that hip-hop?
If one young person, anywhere,
loses their life to a bullet in a hip-hop club, is that hip-hop?
I don't know ... I guess it
is up to you?
NATE MEZMER, is a hip-hop artist
who stands for social change. His debut album "Kill the
Precedent" was released on Mad
7 Records in 2005. He can be reached at: mezmerfmk@yahoo.com
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