Hip-Politics [ volume 1.0 - Issue 1]

HIP-POLITICS. Or for those who can't quite digest the portmanteau, this blog is my perspective on the politics of hip-hop today. Many of you might dissect the concept of those two words intertwined and think thoughts like, 'race', 'sex', 'money', 'it's influence on youth', or 'it's influence on society'.

In fact I've just recently had a racy debate with a close relative to this extent. Her children attend Woodward Academy Primary School, (a private grade school in Georgia known for its famed Alumni and hefty tuition starting at $11,300.) and she boasts the fact that her children (who are both of African American decent) aren't into hip-hop or influenced by the culture. A culture she argues is a careless, violent and irresponsible causal factor in behavioral issues of the youth of Black America today.

The debate that sparked amongst a few of us that day, who have grown out of hip-hop centered around the question of whether as a parent should you allow your child to consume rap / hip-hop music which for the majority has gained a reputation as spreading mysogyny, violence, hate, materialism and sexually explicit messages through it's lyrics and images.

In short my answer was yes. I, a mother of a four year old, who's ears, mind, and soul are as imprint-able as silly putty, would and do allow my son to listen to many hip-hop artists of our day. Let me explain why in two points.

It was Abraham Lincoln, one of our founding fathers, a man who fought infamously for civil rights, who once said "A house divided against itself cannot stand". I look at the home that we share called America, and the idea of hip-hop that arose out of grassroots vision and creative expression from the very urban community that I grew from, and watch it cross mingle culturally to become one of the most influential art forms ever. I look at the powerful voice our youth now has managed to project, and look at the gaps it's filled in the pockets of an America that was once (and in some areas still is) for the most part divisible by two , black and white.

Consider the cultural iconography associated with hip-hop. Sex. Drugs. Money. Bling. If you were arguing the other side you could say that stereotypically these are big identifiers. You could also say: Record Scratching. Debating. Poetry. Beats. Rhythms, and Street Art are also good representation. Together this positive and negative imagery make up a form of entertainment that grosses billions of dollars each year. Without question, within this deep pool of revenue comes a great responsibility to those invested. Nevertheless, as a role of an educator, and nurturer I play to my son, I feel a stronger commitment to expose him to the reality of the ingenuities that line the fabric of his ethnology.

With respect to divides, I can't dismiss the idea that they do exist on some level throughout America despite my belief in the promise that hip-hop brings of a multicultural nation. Within the subculture itself there does exist a strong scent of separation, between the artists and the moneymakers. Therefore I would argue what the art form is lacking is balance. We've seen some hip-hop stars come from having nothing to something and eventually run out of sell-able material. It's the lack of balance that lends us to our vices, and ultimately to our miss trips delivery.

"I've learned that you can't have everything and do everything at the same time". - Oprah (O magazine, 2003)

(On an end note, this video aired on BET and caused a level of controversy behind it's lyrics, despite it's conscious message. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.)