i AM hip-hop
IN MEMORY OF FALLEN SOLDIERS
the introduction...
...music is a source of inspiration for many people. there are songs to help you out of a situation, no matter what the situation may be. there are songs to let you know that shedding tears is alright because they let you know that you aren't the only person that has gone through the struggle. but in conjunction to that, there are songs to let you know that you have to keep your head up and you eventually have to stop crying. sometimes you just have to let go. many of those songs come from hip-hop albums. and now the situation...
...i am at work talking with one of my colleagues, trying to school him on how hip-hop music makes an impact on all people, not just black people. this colleague then stated, "well it hasn't made an impact on me, so i don't think the methods that they are using are successful. i don't want to see some lady shake her ass all over my television. that's incentive for me to turn the channel. most of them rappers are just ignorant anyway." i then began to laugh because i am always debating on some type of music with some other closed-minded person. you see, he thought that because i can sit up and sing "Wake Me Up When September Ends" with him that i wasn't going to defend the artform that MY culture has brought into existence. he thought that because i don't wear my rocawear, sean john, triple five soul, and hip-hop t- shirts that i wasn't going to voice my opinion when the truth is i just don't wear them to work because i'm not about to get my GOOD clothes dirty! shittin' me!
i then asked him if he'd listened to common's BE album, or maybe the root's TIPPING POINT, or mos def's THE NEW DANGER, or talib kweli's THE BEAUTIFUL STRUGGLE. his face drew a blank, which again proved my point. you see people are quick to talk about some shit they have no idea about, and it is really becoming the norm which is very sad. of course people are going to put eye candy in their videos because regardless if he likes it or not, others do, and since they also have bills to pay they have to perform their respective crafts. now some may say that the media is putting bad images in the minds of our youth, but the media isn't supposed to raise kids- PARENTS are. people are so quick to blame others for things that they are lacking. whatever the case may be.... i digress...
but the point i was trying to make to him was i AM hip-hop, so him calling hip-hop artists ignorant is an insult to me. the way that i dress, the way that i perceive things, the way that i am perceived by other people makes me hip-hop, and i am fine with that. as long as i can defend anything that i say and show people that i am an intelligent, black man with high goals and challenges that i strive to accomplish one day, then everything is all good. and those rappers aren't ignorant. they are hustlers- using the talents that they discovered within themselves and bringing those talents to life. i think i may introduce my colleague to my cousin's friend that i mentioned in "open minded vs. close minded." i think the two of them could teach each other a lesson or two- don't you?
Hip Hop Artists Common, Mos Def, and Talib Kweli
the introduction...
...music is a source of inspiration for many people. there are songs to help you out of a situation, no matter what the situation may be. there are songs to let you know that shedding tears is alright because they let you know that you aren't the only person that has gone through the struggle. but in conjunction to that, there are songs to let you know that you have to keep your head up and you eventually have to stop crying. sometimes you just have to let go. many of those songs come from hip-hop albums. and now the situation...
...i am at work talking with one of my colleagues, trying to school him on how hip-hop music makes an impact on all people, not just black people. this colleague then stated, "well it hasn't made an impact on me, so i don't think the methods that they are using are successful. i don't want to see some lady shake her ass all over my television. that's incentive for me to turn the channel. most of them rappers are just ignorant anyway." i then began to laugh because i am always debating on some type of music with some other closed-minded person. you see, he thought that because i can sit up and sing "Wake Me Up When September Ends" with him that i wasn't going to defend the artform that MY culture has brought into existence. he thought that because i don't wear my rocawear, sean john, triple five soul, and hip-hop t- shirts that i wasn't going to voice my opinion when the truth is i just don't wear them to work because i'm not about to get my GOOD clothes dirty! shittin' me!
i then asked him if he'd listened to common's BE album, or maybe the root's TIPPING POINT, or mos def's THE NEW DANGER, or talib kweli's THE BEAUTIFUL STRUGGLE. his face drew a blank, which again proved my point. you see people are quick to talk about some shit they have no idea about, and it is really becoming the norm which is very sad. of course people are going to put eye candy in their videos because regardless if he likes it or not, others do, and since they also have bills to pay they have to perform their respective crafts. now some may say that the media is putting bad images in the minds of our youth, but the media isn't supposed to raise kids- PARENTS are. people are so quick to blame others for things that they are lacking. whatever the case may be.... i digress...
but the point i was trying to make to him was i AM hip-hop, so him calling hip-hop artists ignorant is an insult to me. the way that i dress, the way that i perceive things, the way that i am perceived by other people makes me hip-hop, and i am fine with that. as long as i can defend anything that i say and show people that i am an intelligent, black man with high goals and challenges that i strive to accomplish one day, then everything is all good. and those rappers aren't ignorant. they are hustlers- using the talents that they discovered within themselves and bringing those talents to life. i think i may introduce my colleague to my cousin's friend that i mentioned in "open minded vs. close minded." i think the two of them could teach each other a lesson or two- don't you?
Hip Hop Artists Common, Mos Def, and Talib Kweli
posted by Greg at 9:10 AM
1 Comments:
they could try to teach each other a lesson but then you'd end up with the argument that "he just doesn't understand."
I think the thing about our culture that dumbfounds eurocentric thinkers is the fact that it is so multi faceted. we can see young jeezy and mike jones and see art like jarvis was saying, but we also understand that like most things, they just are what they are.
white people really annoy me greg. they really, truly do.
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