As I was listening to the radio this morning, I heard people calling in about how African Americans put a lot of emphasis on clothes, cars, and other possessions, and how hip hop is an influencing factor. Initially I began to get upset. But when I started thinking about it, its true. We put so much emphasis on our prized possessions and into material things, and our youth can’t even read and write.
As a cultural movement, hip-hop manages to get billed as both a positive and negative influence on young people, especially on African American youth. On one hand, there are African American activists, artists and entrepreneurs, such as Russell Simmons, who seek to build a progressive movement among young hip-hop fans. On the other hand, there’s no shortage of critics who don’t agree with the negative portrayals of Black people, especially women, in hip-hop lyrics and videos.
Most hip-hop music portrays African Americans in a negative light through its lyrics touching on tales of black on black violence, alcohol abuse, and drug related crimes. Granted, most of us have lived through or know people who are going through these situations, but do we actually want to re-live those details, or worst, be defined by them? Shouldn’t we want to show how we have overcome? Or how we have progressed?
By no means am I condemning hip-hop. I love it, and often times succumb to the very lyrics that I am writing about. However, it bothers me that we have the leading HIV/AIDS rate in the United States, and how most urban cities and towns have high crime rates. So what do we do?
I am not trying to spark a NEGATIVE debate. But here at MMIM we love music!!! Music is our life. We write about the positive aspects of music, because we don’t like to touch on the negative. But its out there.
We want to hear your opinions. What is the future of our music? And what is the future of our youth who love music just as much as we do and are heavily influenced by it? Where do we go from here?
August 18, 2008 at 4:08 pm
I believe music is a BIG influence. Bigger than what people realize. Although I do believe there are other factors than music that contribute to the negative views of black people. Media…period. TV, magazines, books, all of those things play a major part. But kids are going to follow what’s hot. And crime and sex does sell. Like when Jeezy first came out, he called himself “The Snowman”. There were even “snowman” t-shirts made. Most kids didn’t even realize he was referring to drugs, but I had to shake my head when I saw kids walking home from school with “snowman” tshirts on. This is our future I was looking at. And they were young, couldnt have been older than 14 or 15. People always says it starts at home, but people or kids go other places than the home. Kids pick up the most at school.
Media or some celebs make education seem like its not a “cool” thing. When you watch music videos, the rappers have cars, women, jewelry, so of course, black kids will grow up paying more attention to material things instead of education. No one has their head in a book anymore. Another thing, when we watch these celebs on TV, we see all the material things that they gained from their success but they will never show the struggle of how they got there. Bottom line, they have to do what sells. Black people just have to be smart enough to make wise decisoins.
Just my opinion.
August 19, 2008 at 12:57 am
I heard the same convo on the radio this morning! Hopefully I don’t run off topic, but in this blog many issues were covered. I don’t know why music has catered to the rich and famous lifestyle, but I can’t knock it either. What are each of us as individuals working for, going to school, multiple jobs, pursuing dreams, obeying the law, praying, planning, paying taxes, taking risk? My point is that we all as individuals have different reasons for doing these things. Somehow we hope for a financial increase above our current conditions. The harder you work….the more you’ll treat yourself when you reap the rewards (hopefully living within your means and prioritizing the needs and wants of your life)! I’m not saying make a million songs referencing these material things! But I understand why folks keep doing that! Because they see the formula being repeated and folks still cashing lots of checks! That becomes the motivation! Blame the label heads! they make the deals happen, approve the records, buy the gifts for the stars, give the advances…..cause that’s the nature of the business….Then you have some companies that pay the stars just to name drop their clothing line, car, watch, jewelry, hand bag, plastic surgery, etc. They know the same cycle will continue! Run DMC got everybody wearing adidas, jay plugged the Cristal, Pac Versace, big had the coogi, and whomever else in the history of music alone! And what do we buy out here? Oh……White folks do it too!
The percentage in almost anything will always be higher with Black people, PERIOD! We are the minority…meaning we have a smaller number of people overall, that in most cases will be willing to do most things! Jail, Aids, Murder and Crime fit the bill for us, especially when we have the least of everybody and the majority of us are collectively in the HOOD (where it’s affordable for the WORLD to watch the most meager situations unravel in the black community)! The lack of money, education, awareness, confidence, self esteem, role models (not entertainers), guidance; maybe it leads to Jail, Aids, Murder, Crime, and bragging and spending when you finally do get something!
If it were not for music, I may not have a desire to read books! That’s a fact! When I hear people talk about places and things I’ve never seen b4, that makes me want to read up on it….including the bad shit! That’s the truth! If you just followed the lyrical careers of the everlasting entertainers in the industry (jay, nas, cube, busta, outkast, etc) you will see that their peak was not at the beginning that’s why they still have lucrative careers! I think, any Great Anything, especially a rapper has to be educated. That’s why they get better with time. So if every black kid knew that studying continued throughout any career they chose to delve into….maybe rapping would be the least popular! You don’t hear about doctors and lawyers getting DUI’s, Gun charges, domestic violence, and Mugg Shots! That’s because to the masses those folks don’t even exist…they’re not cool or marketable, but they make the same mistakes as most rappers! If I knew I had to have just as much continuing education as a Dr. in order to be a great rapper….I might be Doc brown! Make options cool just like the cool things in life!
Can’t really knock rap for talking about crime and degrading women, when I can’t find a copy of grand theft auto anywhere in the western hemisphere (I stopped playing video games at 16 true story! but you get the point).
Hopefully the future of our music goes to a place where we can address the things that matter and everybody is in the “in crowd” no matter how much money, cash , and hoes( I meant WOMEN….SEE what we talking about) a person has… Maybe the music could go back to the 60′s and the 70′s! They say time reinvents itself.
I think the youth being so impressionable in this stage,are willing to go anywhere a person is willing to take them! Just make it cool to be smart and do the right thing….I mean cause we made it cool to talk and do dumb things……so yes! Right now the youth need some incentives to changing for the good of generations to come! And if you don’t agree….it’s cool because this is just my opinion…and subjects like these are hard to sum up on a blog…..a panel discussion would be more fitting because personalities and points of view would be more understanding!
I apologize 4 the length of this comment, but I leave you with some food for thought! There is not a day that goes by in your life, that you can overlook our YOUTH wearing these little ass jeans! If Pop culture from the olden days can take them there, than A few popular, mature, responsible, uncompromising and COOL role models can take the future of our youth in a brighter direction!
But the question is WHO WILL START THIS TREND and STOP FOLLOWING the same MERRY go round?
August 19, 2008 at 8:45 am
I agree with you JB and K…and It is a massive subject that should be addressed a little differently, however, I think that this blurb is good food for thought. And your right…its not only OUR people…Hip Hop is a movement, but I would like to see is remain a movement, mainly a positive one though. Its too much negativity going around these days….we need to be uplifted.
August 19, 2008 at 8:59 am
Wow JB. A lot of good points in your comments. I agree with you wholeheartedly. I hope every person that comes to this blog reads these comments. It could change someone’s thinking…it just did for me
Great post ebonynicole!
August 19, 2008 at 11:33 pm
DON’T YOU JUST LOVE THIS SITE…OMG…THESE CONVO’S ON HERE ARE CLASSIC…
ON THE FIRST KANYE ALBUM HE REFERENCED THIS (COLLEGE DROPOUT…JESUS WALKS) “THEY MADE US HATE OURSELF AND LOVE THEY (THEIR) WEALTH”….NOW I’M NOT GONNA GO RACIAL WITH THE WORD “THEY”…..I WILL SUB IN MEDIA/ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS FOR THEY
JUST AS SAID IN PREVIOUS COMMENTS HIP-HOP HAS TRANSFORMED IN TO BIG BUSINESS….FOR EVERY GREAT (AND I USE THIS WORD LOOSELY) ARTIST THERE ARE 100 RAPPERS TRYING TO HUSTLE THE GAME…VERY FEW HOLD TRUE TO THE ART OF CREATING…THE ART OF BEING TRUE TO WHOEVER THEY ARE AS A REAL LIFE PERSON BECAUSE THEY ARE HUSTLING FOR THE DOLLAR…CAN’T KNOCK IT BUT THATS HOW IT IS
IN THIS DAY IN AGE AS A CULTURE OF BLACK PEOPLE ONE MISTAKE IN LIFE AND YOU WILL NEVER HAVE THE SAME PLAYING FIELD AND NOW RAPPING IS SEEN AS THE WAY TO MONEY CARS AND CLOTHES….IT FOR SO MANY ISN’T ABOUT BEING THE VOICE OF A PEOPLE OR MOVEMENT…ITS A GET ON AND GET PAID PLAN AND THATS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SO MUCH SUCCESS AND FINANCIAL GAIN COMES OUT OF WHAT WE AS A PEOPLE CREATE FOR US
WHAT I HOPE TO SEE TO CURVE THE TREND OF STUNTIN ON RECORDS IS WHEN THESE ARTISTS WHO COME IN THE GAME ON THAT TRIP GAIN THE SUCCESS LEVELS AND FINANCIAL LEVELS OF THE BUSINESS, THEY BEGIN TO TAKE CONTROL OF THE CREATIVE PROCESS….A LOT OF THESE LABELS MAKE ARTIST TAP DANCE FOR THEM TO EVEN HIT THE SHELVES….SO I’M HOPING THAT ARTISTS TAKE THE FINANCES AND CREATE THERE OWN DISTRIBUTION MACHINES, AND TAKE THE REIGNS…ARTISTS HAVE TO HOLD EACH OTHER ACCOUNTABLE TO MAKE THE TYPE OF G
August 19, 2008 at 11:34 pm
…….GREAT MUSIC THAT IS WELL ROUNDED IN ALL ASPECTS OF THE CULTURE AS THEY KNOW IT….