Comments on: Is Hip-Hop Tripping Over Its Own Roots?.

By: quan

quan — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 21:54:17 +0000

word to archie. Hip-hop is “unedited conversation.” Hip-hop heads shouldn’t have to stop talking about sex and guns and money just to have a valid point.

By: WestIndianArchie

WestIndianArchie — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 18:10:29 +0000

Before the kum-bay-yah revisionists get here, hip hop HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT STREET TOPICS.

Just because gold changed to platinum, Adidas to Gucci…
“If my girl starts acting up, then i’ll take her friend.” – Sugar Hill
“Step into the dance with a spliff of Sensi” – BDP

Hip Hop is not this shiny happy afro-centric music, advocating peaceful change to American society through music and greater understanding.

Our most celebrated political rappers, Public Enemy, modeled themselves after the Black Panthers, and regularly bigged up Farrakhan.

Even at our “best”, hip hop wasn’t made for the mainstream of American politics.

Hip Hop is more Jeremiah Wright than Barack Obama.

Never forget that.

Hip Hop is the locker room, the barbershop, outside the bodega, you with your boys in the ride – it’s unedited conversation, that doesn’t carefully vet the facts and ideas.

By: antipop

antipop — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 15:39:15 +0000

You have a point in that the sex and violence pushing hip hop cannot be a sustainable political force. However, as the post is thought provoking, I’d like to add my two cents.
1) hip hop has been that way for the last 15 to twenty years. The breaking point was the success of NWA and dr.dre’s the chronic. Before that the most successful themes were afrocentricity and brotherhood (dela, tribe etc.) and politics. The savior of def jam was public enemy, who, unfortunately, shot themselves on the leg with the griff controversy and flav’s drug habits. But it’s sure that popularity depends on what the record companies are pushing.
2) However, the irony is that the truth of american politics makes today’s hip hop extremely relevant. The main theme of today’s politics is Wall street greed (money), wars overseas based only on some people’s interest (guns), and the greedy and violent behavior is explained by the egos involved (ego). The only difference between flashy politicians and the following pundits on the one hand and rappers on the other is honesty!
3) Let’s try to analyze another line from “represent”
“f*ck a yo god/let me see your hundred grand”
Although the “yo god” line is referring to the five percenters, it could be used against the fake “god fearing” sobriety the right wing politicians are selling. If there was any help for the inner city (cheaper than a one trillion bailout), all the gangsta rappers would be irrelevant.
4) Finally, In order for some rappers to have any political influence is to have a cohesive worldview. As long as Nas has “Shoot em’ up” on the one hand and “black Zombie” on the other, the shoot em’up side will haunt him, regardless of how excellent song it is and its possible metaphorical explanation.

By: daddyL

daddyL — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 07:23:25 +0000

JK, good call. I could have added a few categories, such as sex. I just find that the way sex is used in Rap music is often more egotistical than anything. Great point though, thanks for reading.

By: peace atmosphere

peace atmosphere — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 05:45:49 +0000

Who is Robert Murdoch? Nice post.

By: JK

JK — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 23:01:22 +0000

Great article. The choice of topics is definitely stale in hip hop. I think they put themselves in a box in terms of what sounds normal for a rapper to make a song about. At this point it’s odd to write a song about something normal that people can relate too.But one big topic you missed was: Sex.