I was browsing another website when I saw a post about a book entitled Losing My Cool: How a Father’s Love and 15,000 Books Beat Hip-Hop Culture by Thomas Chatterton Williams. In his text, Williams looks at how Hip-Hop has basically become a pervasive detriment to our community; Hip-Hop Culture has replaced Black Culture.
I want to read this book, so when I do I’ll offer an actual opinion on it. Although the book is new to me, the argument isn’t. I’ve heard it countless times since I’ve been in college, around people who are actually willing to step back and take a look at the reality of what our “culture” has become, without being too defensive to see the real deal. That being said, I agree with some aspects of Mr. Williams’ argument.
I don’t think Hip-Hop is to blame for what’s going on in households and street corners around the world. Period, point blank. I do, however, believe that somewhere along the line, the world’s image of a Black person became that “thugged-out”, sperm-donating, baggy-pants wearing, cornrow rockin’ jewelry-laced person that can be seen on TV at any given time in the day. This has become what people expect of us. I wrote a post back when the BET series Harlem Heights aired, and I mentioned that Black people don’t respond to shows that try to represent our race in a positive light. We’d rather see ourselves on TV acting a damn fool. I’m willing to bet that a lot of kids under 18 today have never even watched such things as The Cosby Show, A Different World, etc. It’s not fast-paced enough for many of these kids, who are being raised in the world of reality TV and 106th & Park. However, I don’t blame hip-hop.
It is my opinion, as a Black, 21 year old, hood-born-and-raised woman in America, that families are at the core of responsibility. Individuals and their choices. People have dropped the ball in generations as of late, and no one seems strong enough (or willing) to look in the mirror and acknowledge what is so apparent. Isn't acknowledging a problem the first step to fixing it? If we never take that step, what is the fate of our Black Community? Yes, there are things that have happened in this world to us as a people. But what about the things we continuously do to ourselves and to one another? What about darkskin vs. lightskin? What about “good hair” vs. “nappy hair”? What about “acting White” vs. “acting Black”? I doubt that Hip-Hop put those drugs into the hands of drug dealers and the fiends they’re accustomed to serving. Hip-Hop isn’t the culprit of a person beating his/her spouse, children, etc. I think it’s weak-minded of anyone to suggest that a genre of music has infiltrated his/her daily life to the point where it changes them for the worst. Where is our common sense???
A lot of us seem to have internalized the idea that to be Black is to be dumbed-down, inarticulate, hyper sexualized, etc…all while rocking the latest styles. It’s pretty ridiculous, right? Kids are afraid to show their intelligence because someone will accuse them of being an “Oreo” or “acting White”. So the smart kids sit in class, keeping answers to themselves, purposely inserting slang and ebonics into their everyday vernacular, just to satisfy someone else’s internalized ignorance. It hurts my soul…pushing past stereotypes is something we simply need to develop the strength to do.
I was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. The real Cleveland, not the surrounding areas where all the White people live/used to live before Black people moved in and “chased them away”. I live in the Cleveland where there’s literally an abandoned home next door, a crack house across the street, another couple crack houses down the street, an Arab-owned store on the corner, right next to a church, and a prostitute who’s walked our block for as long as I can remember, with her short cut blond hair and her missing front teeth. That’s where I’ve lived. I was raised, like so many others, by my mother and her mother, with my father heavily in the picture as well, just not living in the household. I grew up riding my bike around the block, buying candy from the corner store, and I grew up listening to Hip-Hop. However I am not a typical product of my environment. I don’t steal, I don’t do drugs, I don’t have any children/pregnancies/abortions, I’m a semester away from earning my first college degree, and I have every intention of earning at least one more. Every free moment I have is spent listening to music, especially Hip-Hop. So I ask you, is Hip-Hop really to blame?
To sum it all up (because I know some people love lists and bullet points and whatnot):
It is not Hip-Hop's job to:
1) Raise your children.
2) Be a role model for your children.
3) Teach your children how to excel.
4) Provide a blueprint to success.
At best, Hip-Hop is an art form, used to relay the emotions and thoughts of our people, in a way that uplifts our spirits while putting a creative spin on our reality.
At worst, Hip-Hop is just another form of cheap entertainment, a business designed to exploit our people by promising us the very thing that we've been trying to gain for decades on this continent: wealth.
Either way, there is so much more out there for all of us. The problem is lack of encouragement and knowledge being instilled in our children, to let them know that they ARE more than the clothes they "rock" and the cell phones, iPods, and gadgets they own. The potential is limitless, but it means nothing without desire to do better...
x0x0♥
Showing posts with label Hip-Hop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hip-Hop. Show all posts
The Price of Fame...♥
I just had to post this link to Kanye's latest blog post...
I promise, I've loved Kanye's music for so long, and consistently...I miss him! The College Dropout never left my earphones the since the day it was released. It went from the CD player, to the first mp3 player, to the iTunes and the iPod. That, lyrically, is one of my favorite albums. That's just my opinion. Say what you will about him, but the man has words for days....
These gossip sites give him a lot of BS, but when you really sit and read his words, Kanye is probably one of the people (mainstream celebrity-wise) with the most knowledge to offer. I don't think he's crazy, I think he's been through enough ish that he has to sit and just write sometimes. I know the feeling. His mom was his rock. It's funny how the website I saw this link on (which I won't name, because I don't deem them worthy of the shout out) is like soooo many other celeb-based blogs and forms of media. One minute, a person is everyone's favorite. They're on top, and their creative mind is getting this high that they've always dreamed of. The next minute, they're hated, being dissed and criticized by the same people who boosted them up onto the very pedestal they're being knocked off of. The mind and ego are, in my opinion, two of the most fragile components of human beings. Hollywood and the media have seen the birth and death (literally and figuratively) of so many celebrities who, in the end, just wanted to be heard, and accepted, and...well, loved. It's funny how media has the power to do so much good and so much evil. It's also funny how hard it would be for some to decide which is more entertaining: the positive, uplifting messages or those that beat down the very essence of one's being, just to restart and repeat the cycle all over again the next week. I don't think I could afford the price of fame... it costs too much.
x0x0
I promise, I've loved Kanye's music for so long, and consistently...I miss him! The College Dropout never left my earphones the since the day it was released. It went from the CD player, to the first mp3 player, to the iTunes and the iPod. That, lyrically, is one of my favorite albums. That's just my opinion. Say what you will about him, but the man has words for days....
These gossip sites give him a lot of BS, but when you really sit and read his words, Kanye is probably one of the people (mainstream celebrity-wise) with the most knowledge to offer. I don't think he's crazy, I think he's been through enough ish that he has to sit and just write sometimes. I know the feeling. His mom was his rock. It's funny how the website I saw this link on (which I won't name, because I don't deem them worthy of the shout out) is like soooo many other celeb-based blogs and forms of media. One minute, a person is everyone's favorite. They're on top, and their creative mind is getting this high that they've always dreamed of. The next minute, they're hated, being dissed and criticized by the same people who boosted them up onto the very pedestal they're being knocked off of. The mind and ego are, in my opinion, two of the most fragile components of human beings. Hollywood and the media have seen the birth and death (literally and figuratively) of so many celebrities who, in the end, just wanted to be heard, and accepted, and...well, loved. It's funny how media has the power to do so much good and so much evil. It's also funny how hard it would be for some to decide which is more entertaining: the positive, uplifting messages or those that beat down the very essence of one's being, just to restart and repeat the cycle all over again the next week. I don't think I could afford the price of fame... it costs too much.
x0x0
The Best Love Letter I've Ever Read...♥
The video below pretty much speaks for itself, but for those who just don’t get it, this artist, Jasiri X, is dedicating this piece to Debra Lee, the current CEO of Black Entertainment Television. Jasiri X is ON POINT, if you’re into the whole truth-speaking, consciously lyrical thing. If you aren’t, you need to wake up.
Listen to the track. Support the artist. He embodies what real hip-hop was and still is, no matter how miniscule the mainstream attention is. Here's his YouTube. Google him. Whatever you need to do... You won't regret checking him out!
We spend so much time listening to what we’re TOLD is “hot”, instead of listening to real music and deciding for ourselves. I touched on the issue of conscious hip-hop artists not selling in a previous post, and this is why. It’s hard to hear what’s real in a world run by white corporate men who make their living off of making Black people look like damn fools on a network that’s supposed to uplift us and celebrate our culture. White men who stick a few token Black faces on their payroll but still remain behind the scenes making all the decisions that affect what we see on TV everyday (if you choose to watch the foolishness). I mean honestly, have you ever thought about the limited images of us that are presented on television? We can argue all day long that there are images of white people on TV that are pretty disgusting, but does that correlate with the number of hot-mess images of black people on TV? No. Especially when you can count on one hand the networks that actually represent us as a whole... and the images we put out are the Frankies, Neffies, and such... I know those are supposed to be representative of "real" Black people, but gosh...We could do and be so much more… yet we’re limited to what puts the most money into the pockets of certain people. Unfortunately, modern day shucking and jiving are the cash cow these people are banking on, and even more unfortunate is the fact that we’ve been too brainwashed to even want to see it. Even the Black faces who have the power to change things seem to be content with these representations of our people, and there you have the above video dedicated to the lovely Ms. Lee.
We’ve bred a whole new generation of kids who don’t see anything past the surface, because that’s all today’s media shows them. Champagne-sipping, booty-shaking, money-tossing niggas, bitches, and hoes.
So who’s to blame? The networks for airing it? The artists for making it? Or the viewers for not knowing any better?…
x0x0♥
Listen to the track. Support the artist. He embodies what real hip-hop was and still is, no matter how miniscule the mainstream attention is. Here's his YouTube. Google him. Whatever you need to do... You won't regret checking him out!
We spend so much time listening to what we’re TOLD is “hot”, instead of listening to real music and deciding for ourselves. I touched on the issue of conscious hip-hop artists not selling in a previous post, and this is why. It’s hard to hear what’s real in a world run by white corporate men who make their living off of making Black people look like damn fools on a network that’s supposed to uplift us and celebrate our culture. White men who stick a few token Black faces on their payroll but still remain behind the scenes making all the decisions that affect what we see on TV everyday (if you choose to watch the foolishness). I mean honestly, have you ever thought about the limited images of us that are presented on television? We can argue all day long that there are images of white people on TV that are pretty disgusting, but does that correlate with the number of hot-mess images of black people on TV? No. Especially when you can count on one hand the networks that actually represent us as a whole... and the images we put out are the Frankies, Neffies, and such... I know those are supposed to be representative of "real" Black people, but gosh...We could do and be so much more… yet we’re limited to what puts the most money into the pockets of certain people. Unfortunately, modern day shucking and jiving are the cash cow these people are banking on, and even more unfortunate is the fact that we’ve been too brainwashed to even want to see it. Even the Black faces who have the power to change things seem to be content with these representations of our people, and there you have the above video dedicated to the lovely Ms. Lee.
We’ve bred a whole new generation of kids who don’t see anything past the surface, because that’s all today’s media shows them. Champagne-sipping, booty-shaking, money-tossing niggas, bitches, and hoes.
So who’s to blame? The networks for airing it? The artists for making it? Or the viewers for not knowing any better?…
x0x0♥
Random Lyrics i Love♥
“Shorty paint her face like a clown, but can’t take away the frown found under the makeup.
I asked her what’s her passion, answer was the paper; she sleepin’, they don’t want her to wake up.
I asked her what’s her passion, answer was the paper; she sleepin’, they don’t want her to wake up.
Maybe then she realized her own beauty, baby you’re a star, not just the star of some dude’s home movies…”
---Talib Kweli; "Soon the New Day"
---Talib Kweli; "Soon the New Day"
x0x0♥
Bitches & Sisters (continued)♥
Artists quickly defend criticism of hip-hop, stating that it’s strictly for entertainment, and I agree. When people discovered they could make money off of hip-hop, the commercialization changed a lot of aspects for the worst. Few “artists” really make music for the sake of expressing emotion and thoughts anymore. Even aspiring rappers interviewed in Byron Hurt’s documentary pointed out that the reason so few artists make what we call 'conscious hip-hop' music is because no one buys it. Of course, there are people who purchase the works of Common, Talib Kweli, and the like...but commercially promoted artists sell much more. All this speaks to the financial security that the Black man has been stripped of since arriving in America, and has been fighting to regain ever since.
The almighty dollar is the bait, and it’s being taken hook, line, and sinker due to the “by any means necessary” mentality that is running rampant in the industry. The crazy part is that you can’t even place blame for this phenomenon. Yes, artists make the music. Yes, higher-up businesspeople run the financial and commercial aspects. Yes, we as consumers purchase the music. No one particular group is to blame…and the problem is that everyone wants someone to blame.
For awhile now, White people have pointed the finger at hip-hop for some of the negative aspects of today’s world. As if violence, drugs, and misogyny only exist within the walls of hip-hop. What’s funny is that today, their (White) children are the main ones purchasing hip-hop music. The same music that Mommy and Daddy are criticizing is blasting through their children’s earbuds everyday…tsk tsk…
x0x0...because despite all the B.S., I Still Lover H.E.R.♥
The almighty dollar is the bait, and it’s being taken hook, line, and sinker due to the “by any means necessary” mentality that is running rampant in the industry. The crazy part is that you can’t even place blame for this phenomenon. Yes, artists make the music. Yes, higher-up businesspeople run the financial and commercial aspects. Yes, we as consumers purchase the music. No one particular group is to blame…and the problem is that everyone wants someone to blame.
For awhile now, White people have pointed the finger at hip-hop for some of the negative aspects of today’s world. As if violence, drugs, and misogyny only exist within the walls of hip-hop. What’s funny is that today, their (White) children are the main ones purchasing hip-hop music. The same music that Mommy and Daddy are criticizing is blasting through their children’s earbuds everyday…tsk tsk…
x0x0...because despite all the B.S., I Still Lover H.E.R.♥
Bitches & Sisters♥
I attended a conference at my university a couple weeks ago, which covered subjects such as prostitution, human trafficking, abuse, and the like. During one session, we watched Byron Hurt's documentary Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes. I'd seen the documentary a few semesters ago, in my African-American Culture course. The film was just as good the second time around...
A scene that really stands out to me captures Byron's interview with spring breakers walking on the streets of Daytona. He asked guys how they felt about hip-hop lyrics referring to females as bitches and hoes, and he asked women how they felt about being referred to as bitches and hoes. One woman's reply ran somewhere along the lines of "I know they're not talking to me personally, so it doesn't matter." This is a view that many of us share, living in this desensitized world that we live in. After awhile, it becomes hard to ignore the level of misogyny that appears in today’s hip-hop music.
I, personally, do not feel targeted by hip-hop lyrics. As a woman, I understand the argument that when rappers refer to women as bitches and hoes, this is applying a blanket term to us, our mamas, daughters, sisters, cousins, neices, etc. I don’t agree with the misogyny, but I do recognize that for some reason this is what consumers of hip-hop music collectively pay money for, and at the end of the day these artists will do what they need to do and say what they need to say to get paid. Masculinity in our society is defined by how much money a man makes, how aggressive he is, and how many hoes he can get. Why should hip-hop reflect any thing different? Not defending this, just recognizing it for what it is. I believe Jeff Johnson said it best: "Don't blame hip-hop for society's sexism"...
My opinion: we can’t complain and be taken seriously unless we’re serious about it. We hear misogynistic music everyday. What do we do? We nod our heads to it in the car, or shake our asses to it at the club. We download it. We buy it. We burn it. We CONSUME it. If the misogyny hurts your feelings that bad, its on YOU to stop buying it, listening to it, watching it, reading it, and consuming it. It can be done. There are plenty of other options to listen to, watch on TV, and read. Until we can take a steady stand and say NO to misogyny, I think this is one aspect of the hip-hop culture that we’ll just have to deal with. I don’t foresee it going anywhere any time soon, especially if that’s what brings the money in…
x0x0♥
A scene that really stands out to me captures Byron's interview with spring breakers walking on the streets of Daytona. He asked guys how they felt about hip-hop lyrics referring to females as bitches and hoes, and he asked women how they felt about being referred to as bitches and hoes. One woman's reply ran somewhere along the lines of "I know they're not talking to me personally, so it doesn't matter." This is a view that many of us share, living in this desensitized world that we live in. After awhile, it becomes hard to ignore the level of misogyny that appears in today’s hip-hop music.
I, personally, do not feel targeted by hip-hop lyrics. As a woman, I understand the argument that when rappers refer to women as bitches and hoes, this is applying a blanket term to us, our mamas, daughters, sisters, cousins, neices, etc. I don’t agree with the misogyny, but I do recognize that for some reason this is what consumers of hip-hop music collectively pay money for, and at the end of the day these artists will do what they need to do and say what they need to say to get paid. Masculinity in our society is defined by how much money a man makes, how aggressive he is, and how many hoes he can get. Why should hip-hop reflect any thing different? Not defending this, just recognizing it for what it is. I believe Jeff Johnson said it best: "Don't blame hip-hop for society's sexism"...
My opinion: we can’t complain and be taken seriously unless we’re serious about it. We hear misogynistic music everyday. What do we do? We nod our heads to it in the car, or shake our asses to it at the club. We download it. We buy it. We burn it. We CONSUME it. If the misogyny hurts your feelings that bad, its on YOU to stop buying it, listening to it, watching it, reading it, and consuming it. It can be done. There are plenty of other options to listen to, watch on TV, and read. Until we can take a steady stand and say NO to misogyny, I think this is one aspect of the hip-hop culture that we’ll just have to deal with. I don’t foresee it going anywhere any time soon, especially if that’s what brings the money in…
x0x0♥
I Still Love H.E.R...♥
I've realized that I have a love/hate relationship with Hip-Hop music.Hip-hop is like that uncle we all have, who we KNOW is a hot mess, yet we still love him dearly, despite all the foolishness that comes out of his mouth sometimes lol... The evolution of hip-hop music has spawned something that people either love, hate, or are indifferent to. The things I like aren’t always so appealing to my younger brother and his cohorts. So really, our perception of hip-hop music varies according not only to our own tastes, but to our era as well. I was born in '88...I consider myself an '80s baby and a '90s girl....and many consider this exact time period to be the 'Golden Age' of hip-hop. It's no wonder that this era holds a special place in my heart! Maybe this is the same way that today's kids (the 90's babies) feel about current hip-hop music? Food for thought... Hip-hop was born as our people came out of the Civil Rights era and began to find a voice in this world. That voice was filled with questions, political thought, and sometimes anger at the way we had been treated in this nation. There was substance and emotion in the art form that came to be known as hip-hop. With commercialization, we've seen this art form evolve according to the values that we as Americans have come to idolize. As our world became more violent, materialistic and misogynistic, so did our music. A couple decades ago, it was all about the violence, when gangsta rap emerged. These days, it’s all about the money, cars, clothes, and hoes... Again, it’s all a matter of perception, but I like to think that although this new sub-genre (whatever it’s called) of hip-hop isn’t too appealing to me, I can try to see things from a glass half full perspective. I won’t let my love for what I see as Real hip-hop be hindered by the emergence of what I see as whack rhymes over beats. Everyone is entitled to their own expression, and to each his own. My aversion to some artistry does not change my love for others.
x0x0♥
Fine and Mellow...♥
Music inspires me. Good music makes you sit/stand still, and just really listen....At that moment, nothing else is that important. All you have to do is shut up and just...listen. It's amazing. Music is one thing that has the power to make us feel. Music can calm you down, if you're riled up about something. Music can make you feel all sexxy and whatnot, on those days when you really don't (lol). Music can make you get pumped, for that party or club you're going to tonight. Music can get you mentally prepared, for that rough practice you're about to go to...Music has mad power. I love it!
So why do some of us limit ourselves? Music has no limits. People give themselves limits, thinking that a certain type of music is "White people" music, or "Black people" music, or that's "played out" (even if the song is from like last month) lol...I like everything...and some people say that, but they really don't mean it lol. Some people don't ever really even listen to another genre of music until someone from their favorite genre does a mashup with someone. (i.e.: Linkin Park & Jay-Z's song Numb/Encore).It's crazy, because I've heard that White kids are the main consumers of hip-hop music, yet getting a Black person to listen to something other than hip-hop is like pulling teeth lmao. I can't ride around bumping my Nickelback album the same way I bump my Nas album...well, actually I do... but can you imagine the looks I get lol? It's hilarious. I just think people should open their minds...Just let the music do it's job and take you where it wants to take you...it's a good thing. Embrace it! Just in the time it's taken me to type this post, I've gone from the soothing sound of Billie Holiday's "Fine and Mellow" to one of my new favorites, "Already Home" off Jay's Blueprint 3. And I think that's simply amazing....
x0x0♥
Get Me the Paddles....Stat! ♥
Why is it that crappy music is now the majority in the hip-hop world, while good, meaningful lyricism is fading into the background as the exception? When did this happen? There was a time when music was an art form, and club music was the exception...now the roles have reversed… Thank God there's a recession going on, it makes the decision easier--no, non-existent-- as to what music to buy and what to download/burn... I wouldn't pay a DIME for the vast majority of music that's hitting the airwaves these days! I‘ll drive in silence rather than listen to the radio in my car. If I don‘t have my iPod or a CD…forget about it.
I understand that hip-hop is evolving and all that, but gosh…I feel Martha Stewart could drop a better album than some of these artists…
x0x0♥
I understand that hip-hop is evolving and all that, but gosh…I feel Martha Stewart could drop a better album than some of these artists…
x0x0♥
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