Hip-Hop Don't Stop

I recently just finished reading a book by Jay-Z called Decoded. In it he breaks down the lyrics of many of his hit songs and his motivations for writing the rhymes he does. I absolutely flew through this book and it made me realize something. For as much as hip-hop music and culture is infused throughout American culture, it generally is ignored as an art form. The artists who perform are looked at as thugs who just throw words together that rhyme and typically are disrespectful to women. While there are some artists who use it irresponsibly, there are artists who are socially conscious and take great pride and painstaking detail to their craft.

I think what bothers me most with those who bash the entire culture is that other artistic expressions are given the benefit of doubt to use their art to maybe exaggerate to get a point across. In Robert Rodriguez films the protagonist usually lays a swath of destruction from here to Tijuana yet if one rapper makes an exaggerated claim it’s taken as one hundred percent truth. If Eminem says he’s going to kill someone he must be telling the truth, he can’t possibly be trying to convey a sense of anger that we all have had at one point in our lives right?

Classic literary figures have used profanity to get points across for years, yet once again rappers are held to such a high standard for some reason that they aren’t given the same luxury. It seems to me that people are so busy listening FOR words that they miss the point the overall piece is trying to make. For instance, I once played a song called ‘This can’t be life’ by Jay-Z and there is the use of violent imagery in the song. They used that to mean there can be no depth to the song at all. What they missed was it was the story of a young hustler looking at his options if he failed to make it in the music industry. As Jay-Z said: “It’s all white noise to them till they hear a ‘bitch’ or a ‘nigga’ and then they run off yelling ‘See!’ and feel vindicated in their narrow conception of what the music is all about. But that would be like listening to Maya Angelou and ignoring everything until you heard her drop a line about drinking or sleeping with someone’s husband and then dismissing her as an alcoholic adulterer.”


I’m not saying you have to love hip-hop, you have the right to dislike it as just not your taste. But to paint such a rich and ever changing culture as just pimping, thugging, and profanity is downright criminal. Do your homework, respect the culture. That’s all this hip-hop head is asking.

Hip Hop Culture ruining African American Culture? Not so fast.

I have always been an ardent supporter of hip-hop and the culture of hip-hop. And guess what, that stance is not about to change anytime soon. I recently read an article about Thomas Chatterton Williams who has written a book called “Losing My Cool: How a Father's Love and 15,000 Books Beat Hip-Hop Culture." In it he derides the entire culture of hip-hop, claiming that it actually holds back African Americans. I respectfully disagree. Hip-hop was started as a way to give a voice to disgruntled youths, and now while the commercialized music aspect may have gone somewhat astray, you can not deride the entire culture. Hip hop is much more than just rapping. As outlined by one of the pioneers of the art form Afrika Bambaataa there are four pillars to hip hop.
1. Mcing
2. DJing
3. B-boying or breakdancing
4. Grafitti

What he has done in essence is taken an entire subculture that is as complex as any other and dumbed it down to just the street raps which became popular with the rise of Biggie Small, Tupac, and Jay-Z. That would be like me judging who he was by one article of clothing he wore. It wouldn’t tell the entire story. He specifically takes aim at Jay-Z.

He specifically quotes a line from ‘Moment of Clarity’ where he tell the story of feeling no love for a father who was not there, yet forgiving him for his absence. “I dumbed down my lyrics and doubled my dollars.” He fails to follow up with what he said shortly afterward. “I can’t help the poor if I’m one of them, so I got rich and gave back, to me that’s a win-win.” If you follow the arch of Jay-Z’s career as he has grown so has his music. On ‘Reasonable Doubt’ of course he talked about hustling, that was still fresh in his mind. He now raps about the lifestyle he leads now. And even some of his earlier works there were songs that no matter the genre, are powerful songs. On Volume One: In My Lifetime, he tells on ‘You Must Love Me’ of the bad choices he has made and his family’s undying love for him and forgiveness.


It appears he has made a few assumptions about hip-hop. First being that if some rap of violence and commercialism, they all must rap of violence and commercialism. The second and most damning example is that what we listen to and what we watch shape the decisions that we make. I used to watch the Incredible Hulk as a kid, doesn’t mean I exposed myself to Gamma radiation. Did some make a decision based on rap? Sure. People have also made decisions based on Catcher in Rye. No need to blame all of society’s ills on Sallinger.

I have listened to hip-hop my entire life and as I looked at the music as I would poetry or a short story. Artistic expression that can’t be taken as fact, just a brief escape from the day to day stress that we all endure. "Black never looked like my father sitting in a study underlining a book," Williams said. "It looked like a kid who could be walking in the South Bronx." Is his perception of black culture hip hop’s fault?

Maybe it’s just me, but growing up and to this day I feel that just like hip-hop culture one’s “blackness” is not defined by the music he listens to, the books read, or movies watched.

Hip-Hop How I Love Thee…

For all those that know me they know I love the music of Common and I love Chicago. So for that very reason alone you may have deduced that my favorite song from the South side MC is “The Corner.” After the general panning of his previous album there was much pressure to come back with a “Common album” and the man did not disappoint. The first single released was The Corner. With a slick beat from Kanye West who was at his scene stealing best with this beat and topped off with a phenomenal appearance by the Last Poets one would find it hard to disagree with Steve Juon of RapReviews.com assesment that the lyrical content of Common on this trackcontain profound observations of urban life that show why hip hop is the "black man's CNN.”

So in an age where hip-hop is constantly being bashed for being misogynistic and driven by excess, I would challenge you all to take a minute and as a friend of mine stated on numerous occasions “listen to the words, not for the words.” Simply meaning that because a song has profanity it does not take away from the creativity and originality of the genre, which has infused itself with every part of our culture. For you hip-hop novices allow me to give you five tracks you must listen to in no particular order.
5. Juicy: Notorious B.I.G.
4. Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek: The Blast
3. Outkast: Spottieottiedopalicious
2. Jay-Z: Mama Loved Me
1.Common: I Used to Love H.E.R.

Well friends go out there and immerse yourself in the real hip hop music, it will be a decision you will not regret.

The Great Chocolate Album Review

Ladies and gentleman, the I have have been been to the mountain top metaphorically speaking and I have heard the music that we should be listening to:

Yes indeed, the eighth studio album from the legendary Roots crew not only lived up to expectations, but blew them out of the water. From track one to the bonus tracks, ?uestlove, Black Thought and the rest of the mighty Roots crew gives fans of true hip hop what we have been yearning for since the release of Lupe Fiasco's The Cool.

Hip Hop Saved My Life

Alright, the title is a bit of exaggeration, but hip hop has been a major factor in my life. I'm not talking about what you hear on the radio or the latest "jam" from T-Pain, no I mean true hip hop music. Music that inspires you, makes you think, or takes all your problems away, even if it is just for three or four minutes. I couldn't tell you what I learned in the fourth grade as just a chocolate cub, but I can tell you that once the Puma heard "Do You Want More" by the Roots and it changed my life. I had never heard anything that amazing and like a young kid I thought this was as good as it got. As I got older I listened to more and more from artists such as Mos Def, Talib Kweli and DJ- Hi-Tek(in fact I consider their Reflection Eternal album to be one of the greatest albums of all-time), Outkast, Eric B. and Rakim, and of course being from the south I listened to Outkast. When my family, teachers, and church have all tried to reach me, sometimes just listening to a track off of Reasonable Doubt can do the trick. When I am a little stifled creatively I put in Stankonia by Outkast and just watch the juices flow. I get a little tired of hearing people just bash what they hear on the radio and immediately assume that all hip hop is the same. I urge those people to try and find more creative artists to listen to. Real hip hop is able to move you, make you feel good, and makes you think. Believe me, it's a good listen.