…poison of Black America….

I was watching BET last night, although “Hip Hop vs America” has been on before, I paid close attention this time. BET tries, but their superficial coverage of such an issue of the state of hip hop has only angered me more. More than the current state of hip hop itself. I usually resort to such an atrocity as BET when there is absolutely nothing on TV, or only when there is anything of substance to look at on the network promoting black star power (hehe), which is few and far between. So anyway, Nelly, TI, Mike Jones…WHO!?, Melissa Ford and all the creditable social critics did a good job in passing social responsibility around until no one knew who to hold responsible for the current tragedy in the black community. As it stands, when I hear or see any form of rap music, all I can look forward to seeing is scantily clad, big booty women and gat-toting, used to be thugs rapping about all the hoes they have and all the money they have stacked. Don’t get me wrong, “I Get Money” (50 Cent) is my joint. I enjoy the sample more than the lyrics but thats neither here nor there.  

The problem that I come across with rap music is social responsibility. Nelly brought up a good point, he said that not everyone wants to be preached to in music- this is true. However, I am not sure how much Black America can afford not to be preached to and educated. 

I had an epiphany when everyone was ranting about Don Imus! Don Imus was talking about New York aka Tiffany from “I Love New York” when he said nappy headed hoes and jiggaboo!

I swear.

I disagreed with who he directed his comments to but I am a firm believer that there are some nappy headed hoes in America, and “New York” is one of them in my opinion! Everyone got they draws in a bunch when Imus made his comment, and I too was a bit perturbed but I realized that in some sense he was mirroring everything that rappers uphold in their videos or the reality shows programmed by popular networks.

Right or Wrong. It doesn’t matter now, he said it!

I wish that there were more positive images of black women in America. We went from being the maid with actresses such as Hattie McDaniel (My soRHOr….EE-YIP) in “Gone with the Wind,” and Aunt Jemima to New York and video vixens. None of which represent me and all my virtue.  It is true that there are a lot of social constructs that contribute to the downfall of Black America, but because I am such a fan of real hip-hop, it pains me more to see hip-hop play such a enormous role in the detriment of my people.  

I can’t watch rap videos or listen to current rappers’ albums because for one, they are all saying the same thing and second they are perpetuating the same stereotype that I am trying to defy every time I walk out of my dorm room. A party song every now and then is good for the soul but I am often annoyed with formulaic songs like “crank dat soulja boy” when it is followed by “crank dat everything you can imagine.” Youtube it, it’s there!

I don’t live in the hood anymore, my mother is not a single parent anymore, my pops is no longer a hood pharmacist, and my grandmother don’t work as a maid no more! My struggles aren’t over, they just got a lot more complicated. Why can’t the music that I love reflect such a progression? All these rappers are stuck in the hood mentality, rapping about what goes on in every ghetto across America, but we seem to be stagnant in such discourse. 

Let’s start talking about AIDS, abortion, prison, war, self-hatred, interracial dating, homosexuality, race relations and all the other pertinent issues often sweeped under the rug! I do undertsand that we can’t pop, lock, and drop it to my music proposal, but my people, haven’t we danced enough? We danced our way to the big house! Enough said…

So in conclusion, my rant for this week is about a better balance between party music and music that addresses the daunting statistics that follow every black person in America.

I love my people. I love hip-hop. I love you.

<3 Taiisha 

~ by hiphop08 on December 28, 2007.