Rap VS Hip Hop

Yes I love hip hop. No I do not like rap. No I never owned a 2 pac or a Biggie album, and no I never will. No I do not think they are among be best mcs of all time like so many do, not even close. I want to use todays Epidermic post to give my point of view on a controversial subject in the hip hop community, and I know there will be those who hate my opinion or dislike it or not believe in what I say. Just read it is all I can ask.

It is my belief that hip hop was not born to misogyny, violence, drugs and guns, but somehow the image in this day in age for hip hop music is a violet culture. It is my belief that the music marketing machine in this country has been only mass marketing a form of this music which demonizes black culture. The primarily white american music machine objective is to paint the portrait of black America as a gun touting, drug dealing, woman hating, violent demographic. The music that is played on your airwaves in you car radio represent a small over paid faction of a huge industry that makes some of the most peaceful and thought provoking music on the planet. Yet MTV and your radio play "artists" who made it selling drugs and guns, demeaning women by selling records with women shaking asses, is all that is visible. It works and it isn't just white america that is buying it. I believe it sets subconscious precedent in the minds of many poor people (black, white, latino you name it) that the only way out of poverty is drug sales, violence, sports, beauty, and rap. People have lost faith in the educational system, because it is bound to fail. Other problems destroy its potential. If the only food that can be afforded by the impoverished leaves them either malnourished, or over weight, how are they to concentrate? If the government subsidized housing is flooded with drugs, guns, and lawlessness, how is one not to be distracted? Among minorities there is a common social disease that achieving in school, is "acting white," and by doing that it is self loathing of ones own cultural heritage. Of course that is completely unhealthy and self destructive. Education is a powerful tool, and it is not inherently white or male. So my point is I don't believe that somehow 2pac was somehow a self hating racist, of course not, but he was a pawn in an industry that allows black america to be demonized. I know I know you think its a stretch. Fine. Turn on your radio, turn on MTV, turn on BET, watch some videos, and see what I'm talking about come to life. Watch one Yin Yang twins video and compare its message with any KRS One song. See what is missing? Remember "You Must Learn?" See how that has morphed into "Get Rich or Die Trying?" I wouldn't want 50cent to be my child's role model. I wouldn't want my daughter to respect Snoop Dogg. I don't want my youth influenced by Rick Ross. I don't want Mike Jones as my childrens hero. (I have no children let me make that clear) The industry claims that these albums are made and sold because people want them, and they wont mass market what they wont sell, but in an industry where popularity is manufactured by the huge amount of marketing dollars pumped into radio play and video play and massive concert tours, people pretty much buy what they are told. Hell half of the major release records have national tours aligned before the records hit the stores, so how do you explain that? For years the largest demographic of buyers of this music were teenagers who were given their parents expendable income. That means fourteen and fifteen year olds were deciding what is appropriate for them to listen to. I wouldn't let a young teenager make misinformed decisions about anything that matters, but people just think "what ever its just harmless music." Now their children's roll models are misogynists, homophobic, drug dealers. So no i never liked 2pac, and no I never really liked Biggie. I respect what they were able to do to make hip hop "cross over", but at what cost. Here we are in a world that views hip hop as a violent culture. Millions of hip hop records are produced every year, most of which find small fan bases among those who truly love the art form, but the larger rap market sells you a fundamentally racist ideology that black people are evil. So now when you see a black teenager on the street with baggy cloths and a hat to the side, you see the violent drug dealing picture that has been painted for this youth on the screen. That is what allows police to profile minority youth at a higher rate and enslave them in captivity in prisons. That is what has then caused self perpetuated belief that this is the only answer for impoverished minority youths. Don't let your children learn about life from a pop star.

I don't know if Mr. Lif would agree to this statement that I have just made, but I would like to share these videos of his which show another side of hip hop. This more readily reflects the majority of hip hop that is actually created on a daily basis. Why Lif? why not? I could have chose anyone, but I am going with Lif. So, here are two songs.

I chose this song, "Brothaz" remixed by Willie Evens Jr. because this sample: "Down here in the ghetto we know the horror of the guns. We wear the scars of violence on turning your guns."

consequence: Homicide is the leading cause of death among african american youth.

And this one for this hip hop quotable: "The purpose of our life is just to serve the economy, they misinform our minds to paint a picture of harmony"


Okay, your reaction might be yea right. That is fine, but keep this in the back of your mind next time you watch pop culture rap music videos, and when you buy their albums remember what it could be representing in the bigger picture.