Has Hip Hop Sold Out—and How to Bring the Politics Back
Is hip hop over? Or is it on the verge of a Renaissance? These are some of the questions that hip-hop radicals, scholars, and activists discussed at CCNY's 2nd Annual "Is Hip Hop History?" conference, which was held last month at the Center for Worker Education.The major debate both at our conference and around the country in music and cultural circles: Has hip hop moved away from its original function as a mechanism for social and political change in Afro and Latino communities into a platform for money-hungry delinquents and gangster rappers?First, a brief and opinionated history in the words of the conference's keynote speaker, Bakari Kitwana, author and renowned expert on hip-hop politics:In the beginning of hip hop, rappers were actually young people who were knowledgeable about the philosophies of black activists like Diane Nash, Van Jones, and Ella Baker. The hip-hop generation--black and brown inner-city kids born between 1965-1984--was affected by a decline in educational opportunities, the economic and physical deterioration of their neighborhoods, and the increase of unemployment and incarceration. Understandably, emcees of this generation longed to improve their conditions and make their voices heard.So in the 1980's, young people in hip hop, such as Brand Nubian, N.W.A (pictured here], Queen Latifah, and Public Enemy, were activists in their own right, who drew from the politics of the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements. Songs like "The Breaks," by Kurtis Blow, and "The Message," by Grandmaster Flash, made political and social statements that increased awareness and were pertinent to Afro and Latino communities.Kitwana explained, "Hip hop gave young people a voice that they didn't have previously."But as Kitwana sees it, starting in the mid-1990's, hip hop became corporate. Instead of being about the message and the movement, music executives steered hip hop toward commercialism and profit. Now, the music and community focuses too much on frivolous issues like whether Lil' Kim is better than Nicki Minaj. Also, prominent, mainstream figures like Sean "Diddy" Combs openly denounce blacks who are living modestly (i.e. poor young people, the core of their consumers). And multi-millionaires like Jay-Z are flaunting their money instead of helping pioneers like DJ Kool Herc, who doesn't even have health insurance.So the central question remains: Afro and Latino communities continue to struggle, and the post-hip hop generation still faces political and social injustices, so why aren't more rappers sharing their political ideologies regarding critical topics, including the need for effective and affordable education, reforming the election process, and decreasing the divide between the super rich and the rest of Americans who earn less than $20K annually? It should be a basic instinct for them to protest the systematic incarceration of black males, whose numbers exceed those of enslaved blacks at the height of slavery.Conference attendees, panelists and hip-hop fans and devotees are now struggling to reclaim the art form and work toward action, change and justice. The answer is simply that the Afro and Latino youth must be politically educated and active, and voting isn't the only answer. Kitwana stressed and reflected on the popular quote, "Getting involved is not optional. Every generation has to fight for freedom all over again."Audience members suggested that one hip-hop icon step up, take on the role of 'leader,' and start a movement within the community. But panel members Rosa Alicia Clemente and Dr. Jared A. Ball insisted that it takes more than one person to build a movement. Rather, once a group of like-minded individuals start the movement, the artists and leaders will arise from within it.As the keynote panel drew to a close, Kitwana used the words of Mary McLeod Bethune to describe the new generation's obligation to continue the original activist mission of hip hop: "We are heirs and custodians of a great legacy. We must bear the glory and burden of that legacy."
