In his new book, Know What I Mean Michael Eric Dyson
points out somethingthat that I have always thought
about the Black Baby Boomer
Generations dismissal of hip hop.
That they dissed us when hip hop first popped off, then
wondered why Post Snoop, Post Pac, Post Imus, why
we were unwilling to engage with them.
Bill Cosby anyone?
[ For the record Bill has room to talk
because a.) he puts his money were his mouth
is b.) Black people DO party and bull sh*t too
much]. c.) Black parenting habits CAN use some
help.
We are at a dangerous crossroads.
If those of us, WHO CARE ABOUT HIP HOP, WHO ENGAGE
IN THESE DISCUSSION'S ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT ITS
DEAD, don't use our voices to let the labels, corporations,
radio stations know what we feel about the current state
of hip hop, we will be rendered even more voiceless
than we already are.
First and foremost, record labels are business institutions
not, cultural institutions. So the impetus is on us to speak
their language, cake and the bottom line.
For instance, Dyson points out how the Baby Boomer
generation largely ignored hip hop and white record exec's
slowly yet steadily were willing to cash in on a delish
urban cash cow.
In he book Dyson discussed a conversation where he
encouraged Earl Graves to reach out to the young buck,
hip hop entrepreneurs.
He reports that Earl Graves responded,"Nobody with tattos and low slung pants and low
When he said this I immediately thought of Active Jewish elders
slung pants can't tell me anything."
and wondered if he could stand to take a page out of their
book and be willing to sit down with the tattooed, saggy
pants jawns to impart some game, INSTEAD of just writing US OFF.
He points out that the mothers of three of our favorite
rappers have Ph.D's. Kanye. Common. Kweli. Dr. Mommas make intelligent emcees. HOT!
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So. How does the "People for Better Music Sound"?
If you had the ear of a C-level label exec what would you say?
What are three changes you want in Hip Hop in the next 12 months?
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15 comments:
I don't really know how to address all three of your questions other than to say that accountability is what is lacking on ALL fronts. I'm so tired of people talking about what needs to change in hip hop. Being that I'm from a southern state and I have to travel to other states from time to time, I hear a lot of the "hip hop is dead by way of laffy taffy / the south" argument. It's bullshit. What I want out of hip hop is the same thing that your favorite rapper's favorite rapper was trying to do with it - open people's eyes.
For those who are upset that the radio plays the same 4.5 songs every day, boycott the radio. Boycott BET if you feel that all they do is show ass, boycott record labels and corporate entities that promote ignorance as the standard.
But fuckin' stop complaining.
Because Hip Hop was and never will be about standing around and complaining. At it's most basic, Hip Hop is about DOING SOMETHING.
Whether is shaking your ass, standing on the corner, droppin' that knowledge, or waving your flag, ni99as need to do something. Because the majority of people who are "doing" are the ones bringing Hip Hop down, while those who see that shit is going down, aren't doing anything to bring it back up.
The next 12 years, I just want to see people, never mind Hip Hop, just be accountable for the things they do or say. When people own up, everything improves, ESPECIALLY the music.
1.For those who are upset that the radio plays the same 4.5 songs every day, boycott the radio. Boycott BET
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Boycotting is irrelevant.
The 5 or so of us that care are irrelevant until we leverage our voices with others and become a force to be reckoned with.
Because the majority of people who are "doing" are the ones bringing Hip Hop down, while those who see that shit is going down, aren't doing anything to bring it back up.
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The question I always ASK when I see a conflict, or have a question about WHY some sh*t is the way that is is, is "WHOSE INTERESTS ARE BEING SERVED BY "X" being the way that "X" is.
Balance..radio and other media giving an equal and fair chance to every emcee..utopian but if we let more of 'other' stuff..
I also agree with Dyson that its important for the black baby boomer generation to quit with the snobbishness and just do what elders are 'posed to do..speak and teach the truth with love, not this haughty self-righteous indignation that only causes the young'uns to continue rebelling..
What these boomers don't understand is when you expose the young ones to great music they actually react positively..when you speak on their level they WILL listen..
“b.) Black people DO party and bull sh*t too
much]. c.) Black parenting habits CAN use some
help.”
B and C are valid points.
Making it rain and weekly sojourns to the club, need not be acted out like it part of our genome.
“If those of us, WHO CARE ABOUT HIP HOP, WHO ENGAGE
IN THESE DISCUSSION'S ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT ITS
DEAD, don't use our voices to let the labels, corporations,
radio stations know what we feel about the current state
of hip hop, we will be rendered even more voiceless
than we already are.”
How can we?....
Personally I’ve transformed from a be at the record store every Tuesday indivigual (sometimes Monday when lucky) to a person who’s domicile is being overtaken by grey cd’s. The reasons for CDR’s manifest destiny trek in my home are many, none more crucial then the music released by the major providers of the Hip Hop art form sucks. Trust me my Recycle Bin gets to meet new Win Rar’s every day.
We saw it coming, or at least a lot of us did. When many where literally popping bottles celibrating Rap’s over taking of Country as the nations number 1 selling genre, some of us saw impeding doom. Capitalism has no soul, and praises only dollars, so the bastardization of Hip Hop was only a for gone conclusion.
I don’t like sounding apathetic or feeling helpless or displaying such actions, but realistically there is noting I can do. It’s not about me. It’s about the millions of people who still buy cd’s, better yet the millions of people who still adhere to bullshit.
Yes I’m a product of my times, but I’m no present day music chastiser just to promote HATE HATE HATE. One check of my playlist will find BDP next to Gucci Mane, T Pain beside Ras Kass. The fact remains that labels have pressured, duped, convinced artitst to focus on money with a fuck substance side bar. Hey given the right context I like “Wipe me Down” to (sorry "A bay bay" set us back a year or two) but I don’t wholly subscibe to mindless dribble, but the majority does.
It’s the American way
Whats funny is as you allude to the Baby Boom / Hip Hop generation divide I can already see a 90’s Hip Hop vs Contemporary Rap separation brewing
Earl Graves… is a .funny dude because he is sh****** on potential readers… me being one of them..
Gear is not a marker of intelligence
Hell some grungy neo hippies taught me a lot in college
A. It sounds good, but sadly is not practical. I think we are at a point that we gotta get the people before we get people to alter there music taste. Ignorance will gravitate towards ignorance…shit the Wayne’s brothers still get they ish green lighted
B.“I hate you and your kind”… Seriously tho I would check his music background and social views before I could answer that
C.Balence Balance and more Balance
P
I can feel you on the South Being blamed for hip hops demise as being unfair and unwarranted. (Ying Yang twins being the exception)
I defy any region to present a better Hip Hop group than Outkast.
Yes I’m even including Staten Island. What!!!
My Bet boycott is going on its 4th year… homie
M..
The “suits” borrowing the term often utilized by the guy on “Entourage” I despise are the ones that truly gain by the having Black Sex and Violence rule Hip Hop.
Back in the G Hip Hop was mentioned as being “Black Peoples CNN” now its really just the modern minstrel show…well at least what the majority of people get to see of it.
Those who have a vested interest in making Black people look like ignorant lazy fools also love the product provided by most labels, buttresses they views.
Neo
Ya last point is the truth ho for real
Blood.
I think you Won the Annual Minority Reporter Longest Comment in History Award.
NICCCCCCCCCCCCE!.
Capitalism has no soul, and praises only dollars, so the bastardization of Hip Hop was only a for gone conclusion.
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Yours truly is a greasy capitalist.
But I THINK you deduced that.
I just finished "The New Capitalist" I recommend it to you.
We can chop it up from there.
noting I can do. It’s not about me. It’s about the millions of people who still buy cd’s, better yet the millions of people who still adhere to bullshit.
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Yes and No.
You idle no.
You active yes.
Hell some grungy neo hippies taught me a lot in college
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I REMEMBER THE FIRST DAY OF PREP SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL TO THIS DAY.
WHITE JAWNS HAD HOLES IN THEY SHOES.
THAT SH*T was blasphemous to me.
First day of school is like a religious holiday for negro chirren.
A jawn in Jeff "egg recipient" Chang's, Total Chaos, said that Hop Hop usta be the Black CNN now its the Black MTV.
EXXXXXXXXXXCCELLLLLENT.
M.
Off topic (or not?), I know.
Did you catch flex DUMB OUT on the 90s mix last week?
Thoughts?
NAWWW.
But this is the second time I heard about it, so it looks like a batch gonna have to investigate and post.
I would like to see hiphop still around in 12years...but not in the same way jazz is still around 12 years later. Hiphop is not only supposed to be the voice of the people but also of the culture it represents.
So there is room for the party/happy go lucky hiphop but we also need to make room for the political, the social, the real. Because there is more to life then to party and bullshit. There is more than hustlin. There is more than throwin dollars and talkin about whips, rims, and diamonds.
But what do we do to get up past this phase? The same thing that those "Dr.Mommas" did and educate. Enlighten the youth and don't just blow them off as a lost cause. Because they will attach themselves to something so it might as well be something positive.
there's real hip hop out there, it's just not gonna be frontline. nnnneh-ver. fuck the radio, fuck bet & fuck mtv - which is tryna to do to rap what it did to rock. leave that shit for the poodles. pigeon shit, yadadaHEEM? but there's real shit out there n those n the knowwill rep that shit to the end.
i'ma BAY BABY. i know you is too M. Dot. i love the music we got here ndon't need mess to get everyone of his singles on mtv to make me like him. i don't need to see turf talk on 106 & park to validate my opinions that the west coast vaccine is the best album of the year so far. i could probably do a blog on kayne west, jay-z, t.i. n all the yumpkin yie rap on tv/radio n' get 10,000 hits a day but i do a blog on rap i like n' am more than satisfied w/ twenty hits a dat. dookie hendrix ≠ poodle. no one's gonna tell me what to do, i got my own mind & there's nothing wrong with that. an independent mind is a beautiful mind.
actually i don't want all these poodles to jump on my hype. fuck the kids who started bumpin' Mac Dre when he died or E-40 when they heard "Tell Me When To Go". I been on that hype, when your blade ass was a punk rocker in middle school i was slumping that n' now frat boys in the O.C. gonna try n' tell me shit bout 40 Wata?! Ain't this some shit! fuck the rich boys/girls tryna get 'hyphy'/gafflin our shit in their lilsuburbs, around their lil friends, see them try that where i'm gettin down at n get their shit busted - girls too. muh fuckas ain't feelin that shit. i'm not sayin' i don't want my artists to succeed, but we all saw what 40 had to do to get there [when he shoulda been there ocho albums ago] n' how Federation/Kafani blowin' before a lot of Bay hitters who been waitin' in line a lot longer.
will hip hop die? on the mainstream level it's already dead. it's like those muh fuckas ain't even trying anymore, shit is bootsie. who can say the same shit over a beat that gets stuck in ya mind with catchy hook, that's what it comes down. there's no lyricists on that level, no innovation, come on who's really puttin' it down for treal n' still gettin' they shit on mtv? it's a buncha fairy tale rappers playing dress up in jewels their label bought em and cars they're renting.
but hip hop isn't dead n' won't die b/c for every hundred 50 cent's, there's a mitchy slick. for hundred every franchise boyz there's a geto boys. for every thousand lil' wayne's there's a redman. for every fuckin' t-pain and akon, there's a harm from the rich & dwayne wiggins. the real ones are out there mayne reppin' that real shit in every region of the country n' there's a generation of real ones lined up to keep the shit goin'. They won't ever be frontline unless mtv/bet/clear channel plus all these poodle record labels implode but it's certainly out there.... OR somehow you can open these poodle mtv kids eyes. this will never happen though, so i say buy the albums you do support n' leave it at that. n really go out n' buy them. i'm sick of these so-called fans bitchin' about the radio and not even supporting the music they do like. if you don't buy cd's you got no say in the matter as far as i'm concerned. this shit is a money game right now n' unfortunately #'s do matter, wanna see ya favorite rapper on the radio? well downloading his album n' taking away from his sales isn't gonna help the cause.
i'm not sure if any of that made sense, was typing hella fast n' kinda rambling but this post had me wanting to talk about hella shit. damn near responded w/ a post of mine own. great post. m. dot.
Jay.
Hollatcha Boy Gotty.
Peep his new URL if you haven't already.
I knew about it before, but could'nt speak at the time.
Thats why I was going so hard atchu re the edits, cuz I knew big thangs were about to pop.
He wants that Bay Voice to rep fam
and I want it to be you:)
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THESIS as comment.
Thats tight.
Shows you feels me.
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You see that Barry Bonds Party sh*t yesterday.
He is SUCH a consistent assh*le!
is the turf piece still goin' up? gotty got @ me n' i edited it but haven't heard back yet. i'm definitely down to give him whatever he needs on the YAY if he wants it lemme know what your thinking.
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that post was a monster, gotta reciprocate the game as best i could. smell? but ya post definitely brought that out, stay comin' w/ posts that make me think. i'm lovin it.
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lay off my boy Barry, u know you'd love him if he was w/ the A's. Barry Bonds & Dookie Hendrix: Not Guilty '07! WHAAAAAAA!? it was all love in the park last night, ya boy was there finna to post on it right now.
BAR-RY! BAR-RY! BAR-RY! BAR-RY!
hahaha, he is a jerk though.
Barry Bonds, NOT GUILTY.
HELL GYEAH.
Imma do a barry bonds post.
YA HEARDMEY?
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Holler at Gotty.
If you want it go after it.
Just a little follow up email should be enuf.
M, I got you.
http://www.rosenbergradio.com/2007/07/05/dont-get-gassed-funk-flex-will-still-shut-shit-down/
Set aside a few hours.
That shit needs to be a pod cast blood!
Thank you td.
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