More often than not when I look at hip hop, I find myself overlapping and talking about the black culture. I draw comparisons and often put the women from the “black” (and I use quotes for a particular purpose) origins and those that subscribe to that hip hop culture into the same category.
I am aware of this and thought I should clarify why that is for the minority out there who like me aren’t as well read on the origins of hip hop as most others.
In my first entry I called Hip Hop, “the black man’s music”. I guess in ways I was inevitably participating in the argument that seems to have taken hold of most of the music enthusiasts out there regarding the ultimate question. Is it really Black man’s music? With an artist like Eminem out there and the massive following that Hip Hop has from almost every culture and country – thus resulting in it being universal, the spirit of it all is thus becoming more and more a point of contestation.
In spite of borrowing and lending to a number of varying cultures, I believe Hip Hop remains the tales of the ghettos – whether you have personally lived in one or not – it is where it originated from. It is in the language, in the attitude and in the imitation. Thus, it is also the story of the women from those beginnings, those lives and those histories. Looking at it this way, I guess I clarify to myself and you why much of my observations and arguments merge into racial and social issues that deals more with one particular nation of people whose culture has given birth to this genre and till date remains a part of it that though can be imitated, it cannot be denied.
Moving on, I came across something really interesting the other day. During the press conference held to announce the BET Awards 2007 nominees, 50 Cent and T.I. addressed the ever present issue of censorship in lyrics. I am pretty sure most of you already know what I am on about and if you don’t, scroll down*. I quite enjoyed it. They gave some surprisingly (for me anyway) intelligent and well thought of responses that I can’t help but talk further about.
I agree with most of what they have said but my main concern is for those that do not predominantly belong to or have contact with that environment or haven’t ever faced anything close to it but yet feel the need to imitate the lifestyles and thus prefer to view themselves as well as others in particular stereotypes.
Moderation and parental control seems like a noble idea but realistically we live in the age of hyper-reality, where distinguishing between what is real and what is make-believe is damn near impossible. Thus inspiration merges into blind imitation, generalisations are made and behaved upon and thus as much as I agree that the artists need to educate and inform, I think at the end of the day, its another endless cycle, much like watching a dog chase its tail.
Now I do realise most of what I say may seem almost irrelevant and most of you, who are skimming through are probably least concerned about it all, but here’s a reality check. Even if you are from the streets, you still have mothers, maybe sisters and perhaps will even have daughters one day.
Peace Out.