I really see the impact that the economy has on our nation. The civil rights movement has ended along with the feelings of optimism. As jobs moved out of the cities, the Bronx goes with it. The city burns with abandonment and the blatant neglect of the government.
It is so clear to me now, why hip hop has evolved the way it has. It evolved from no work. From rent-a-thugs. From a lack of interest of the well beings of those who live in poverty. Who is to blame? The ones who stayed? The ones who left? Or the ones who did nothing? Perhaps I am blowing this out of proportion, but a government, to my understanding is here to protect its citizens regardless of their race, socioeconomic level, and so on. It's a a small scale Holocaust, we literally left our people to fend for themselves. We failed the social contract - so why can't the graffiti artists revolt? Still people wonder why hip hop became so centered on violence, drugs, and sexism.
This weeks reading actually made me sad. I related Can't Stop, Won't Stop; Bad Numbers to the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Where colonists took over the entire culture of the natives and destroyed the lives of those who were there before them. The novel takes you from an outsiders point of view to the insiders view point. These readings really explained to me what a culture is about. All of the elements, the family, the music, the trials, and tribulations that started it all. I feel as if I never will know what hip hop is all about - but I can learn as much as I can. My reasoning for this is because I don't know who the critics and supporters of hip hop are. Who defines what we learn? How has the media portrayed hip hop? Wouldn't it be great if we could just go up to DJ Kool Herc and ask him about his life in the early years of hip hop? How did you create the blueprint for hip hop music that has sparked an international following? I have so many questions running through my mind it is hard for me to type it all out!
America loves those "from the bottom to the top" stories. Well specifically, whites love those stories (and I do too). From DJ Kool Herc to 50 Cent to even Oprah, whites changed the perception of hip hop forever. With their purchasing power, they chose what is now mainstream. Yes, the drugs, sex, violence...and Oprah's book reading list. Yet, they are the biggest critics of the hip hop culture. Why?
I've never felt that I was left out of the hip hop nation. Perhaps because I am not white I've never been discriminated against if I listen to hip hop. It's OK for me to listen to it...right? Asians aren't really portrayed in hip hop, but hey, it seems neither were the Puerto Ricans was explained in That's the Joint! Here is where we see a move from the Early years to the Golden years. Hip hop breaks the language barriers - Kid Frost becomes an international star. He and Mellow Man Ace are examples of the West coast explosion into the hip hop culture. They utilize rap as a vessel to affirm Puerto Rican history, culture, language, and the discrimination they have felt being in a "black world." (Here I wonder, where is Cowboy Troy come into the mix?!). Just like the Bronx, I feel that the Puerto Rican rappers were neglected in the big picture of hip hop. I will have to investigate this more.
Speaking of language, Robin D.G. Kelley in his essay Looking for the "Real Nigga" has me wondering:
1. Why have we not let the natives speak?
2. Do I have 'soul'? I would like to think I do, but to some only "authentic Negroes have soul." Racism seems to go both ways.
3. Am I 'cool'? I think I am lacking in the area of "black masculinity" I'd ask for a definition, but the further I read, the less I feel that I know. As stated by some "if you need to define something you don' know what it means."
So as for "The Dozens" I think I'd lose if we were to ever try it in class. I have no insider experience, I seem to be lacking in "soul", and I am not "cool." Cool.
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