From Grassroots to Comercialization: Hip Hop and Rap Music in the USA
©2014
Textbook
87 Pages
Summary
In the past three decades hip hop has developed from an underground movement in one of New York City’s poorest boroughs, the Bronx, to a worldwide multi-billion-dollar industry. <br>Nowadays one could not imagine chart shows, discos or house-parties without rap music. According to Guthrie P. Ramsey, Jr., rap music, which belongs under the cultural umbrella called hip hop, ‘is virtually everywhere: television, radio, film, magazines, art galleries, and in ‘underground’ culture’. In this work Karl Kovacs will examine the reasons for hip hop’s international success, the dangers of it, and the motivations rappers had and still have to pursue their art. It is yet to be answered if the success of this form of art has been a blessing or a curse for its performers and their audience, the so-called hip hop generation.
Excerpt
Table Of Contents
2
designed or sold under the name of some of the biggest stars of the
rap music scene (Jay Z, P. Diddy, LL Cool J, Eminem). In other words,
rap music and hip hop culture are, beside the sports sector, the most
lucrative form of entertainment and lifestyle in the late 20
th
and the
early 21
st
century. Beyond that, "from cinema, clothing lines,
magazines, and American vernacular, hip hop's influence has made
an indelible mark in popular culture" (Ogbar 2007: 38).
In the past three decades hip hop has developed from an
underground movement in one of New York City's poorest
boroughs, the Bronx, to a worldwide multi-billion-dollar industry.
Scholars, critics, and music fans have accompanied the movement
on this way. The questions many of these people ask are why hip
hop has become what it is today and, most importantly, whether hip
hop developed from a so-called grassroots movement to a
commercialized entertainment industry that has nothing to do with
its original motivations as a cultural and social movement. A main
point of interest is whether hip hop and rap music can function as a
means of resistance against prevailing racial inequality or merely act
as another form of entertainment.
This study aims to give answers to the questions raised above as
well as to examine the reasons for hip hop's international success, the
dangers of it, and the motivations rappers had and still have to
pursue their art. Also, race, the language of rap music, the
construction of authenticity, misogyny, and the connection with 19
th
and early 20
th
century minstrelsy will play a major role in the
analysis of this phenomenon in American popular culture. It is yet to
be answered if the success of this form of art has been a blessing or a
3
curse for its performers and their audience, the so-called hip hop
generation.
2
Before I address these questions, it is important to learn about the
roots of the hip hop movement. Where and why did it all begin?
What were the intentions of the `founding fathers'?
3
Later on I will
concentrate on the developments hip hop has made and present the
different subgenres of this particular musical genre.
2
According to Bakari Kitwana, the hip hop generation is said to cover African Americans
born between 1965 and 1984. (cf. Kitwana 2002: XIII).
3
I use the gender specific expression ,fathers' because as we will see in the following
chapters the inventors of hip hop/rap music were exclusively male.
4
II. The Development of Hip Hop
II.1. What is Hip Hop Culture? What is Rap Music?
A Definition and Early Developments (1974-1982)
Sometime in 1974, in an apartment in the Bronx, Joseph Saddler, who was to
become known as Grandmaster Flash, plugged two turntables [...] into the same
speaker. Placing a different record on each turntable, he switched from one to
the other [...] until he had an exciting mix of sound (Shaw 1986: 292).
This is the way the man who produced one of rap music's most
influential songs in 1982, "The Message", started experimenting. The
result was to become one essential part of the hip hop culture: the art
of DJ'ing. The second important element of rap music is rapping
itself. The rapper's or MC's
4
task is the rhythmic delivery of rhymes
the more complex the better. Along with this, the main job of an
emcee
is to "control the crowd with his voice and crush opponents
with his lyrics" (
http://www.b-boys.com/classic/hiphopculture.html
).
The original task of an MC was to introduce and praise the DJ he or
she worked with and to hype up the crowd. When rapping became
more central to the music, the term rapper was introduced. Because
of the "spoken or semi-spoken declamations, usually in rhyming
couplets" (Ramsey, Jr. 2003: 165), the art of rapping can be
characterized as something between speech, prose, poetry, and song.
Yet, before there were DJs and MCs around, before anybody
dreamed about a multi-billion-dollar-rap-music-industry, there were
the roots that provided the foundation for rap music. Tommy Lott
argues in his article, "Black Vernacular Representation", that this
distinctly African American practice has roots that "can be traced to
4
The abbreviations DJ and MC derive from disc jockey and master of ceremonies
respectively.
5
the oral and music making traditions of West Africa" (Lott 1994: 243).
Along with spirituals and coded sermons performed by slaves, rap
music is a "unique form of expression" (ibid.). He even claims that
rap "provides a paradigm of African American cultural resistance
involving transformed African retentions" (ibid.).
One of the founders of the musical genre, a man who calls himself
Afrika Bambaataa
5
, affirms that the African elements were definitely
important parts of rap's foundation (cf. Perkins 1996: 2). In 1993 he
said, "Rap in general dates all the way back to the motherland
[Africa], where tribes would use call-and-response chants" (Afrika
Bambaataa 1993 in Perkins 1996: 2). He continues to list the
ancestors:
In the 1930s and 1940s, you had Cab Calloway pioneering his style of jazz
rhyming. The sixties you had the love style of rapping, with Isaac Hayes, Barry
White, and the poetry style of rapping with the Last Poets, the Watts poets and
the militant style of rapping with brothers like Malcolm X and Minister Louis
Farrakhan (ibid.).
It may seem farfetched but a sports legend is also referred to as
one of the inspirers of inner city youth that eventually created the
form of rap we know today: Muhammad Ali. His use of rhyming
couplets is designed to insult and ridicule opponents and is defined
as signifying (cf. Perkins 1996: 4).
6
Another more obvious source was
the style of black DJs in the period from the 1940s until the 1960s. As
a means to secure their share of the market, they "bombed the
airwaves with their personal styles" (George 1998: 4).
5
Choosing a stage-name is an important feature in the rap music world. It derived from disc
jockeys that used to give themselves names that would be recognized by their audiences.
These stage-names often embody certain personal characteristics and are used to create an
identity that cannot be matched by other rappers (cf. George 1999: 5). Afrika Bambaataa's
real name is Lance Kahyan Aasim.
6
"I float like a butterfly, sting like a bee/ There ain't no motherfucker that can rap like me",
the CC Crew used the first part of Ali's famous words to create the elemental form of rap (cf.
Perkins 1996: 4).
6
Beside the music two more features define what is called hip hop
culture: Break dancing
7
and Graffiti-art.
Break dancing is a form of street dancing that was invented just
as DJ'ing and rapping in the ghettos of New York City. In this
unique form of physical expression the dancer "spins on the head,
the back, and/or the hands" (Shaw 1986: 293). There are several
subcategories of break dancing such as the widely popular practice
called pop-locking:
The dancer looked as if an electric current were passing through his body,
locking his joints for a moment and followed by his popping one joint out of
line and back again (ibid.).
This robot-like movement was made popular around the world in
the 1980s by superstar Michael Jackson's dance moves including the
Moonwalk
.
Rapping and break dancing presented and continue to do so a
social chance for young African Americans because it was "a way to
be No. 1 without blowing somebody away" (ibid.). In other words,
rapping and dancing were means to escape the violence, crime, and
poverty so prevalent in American inner cities.
The element to complete the spectrum of hip hop culture is the art
of spraying tags, pictures, and ciphered messages on walls, subway
trains, and other public property. Graffiti just as the other elements
of hip hop has spread around the globe and is nowadays widely
accepted as a true form of art. However, in the days of their
inception, graffiti, break dancing, rapping, and DJ'ing were used as
acts of social protest.
8
7
Break dancers or B-boys are especially keen on battling with other performers in order to
find out who got the best moves and skills.
8
Given that hip hop was created in poor inner cities such as the Bronx where young blacks
had very few chances of social and economic ascendancy, this cultural movement was a way
to highlight their situation and to show that these young people were capable of creating
something.
7
During the early days of hip hop, the DJ ruled and established the
foundations for the lyricist (the MC) (cf. Perkins 1996: 6). Later on,
the DJs moved in the back and the MCs became the center of interest.
As the pioneers of rap music, there are several names to be
mentioned. About five years after Grandmaster Flash's first
experiments with his turntables and countless house- and block-
parties thrown by Clive Campbell (DJ Kool Herc) and Afrika
Bambaataa
, the first mainstream rap music hit single was released in
October 1979; Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight".
9
Together with his
band The Furious Five, Grandmaster Flash had one of rap's most
influential hit singles in 1982 called "The Message". This song is even
ranked #51 in the Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list
(
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs
).
10
Both groups of artists came from the Bronx in New York City where
the hip hop culture was born.
In anticipation of subsequent chapters, I would like to point to an
important fact regarding these two songs. We can already make a
first distinction of rap music's various voices as "Rapper's Delight"
and "The Message" deal with rather different topics. The former can
be referred to as a happy dance-anthem in which one rapper passes
the microphone to the next without conveying any real message but
being fresh, which means new and unique. Nevertheless the song
created a worldwide boom for hip hop culture and rap music. The
latter, on the other hand, deals with more serious social issues: it is
concerned with a variety of topics such as television, women, school,
9
The song sold over two million copies (the biggest 12" single ever) and hit #4 on the R&B
Chart. At one point, the record was selling over 50'000 copies a day
(
http://www.oldschoolhiphop.com/features/rappersdelight.htm
).
10
The Rolling Stone Magazine is one of the most influential music magazines worldwide.
8
drugs, god, life in prison, and life in the ghetto. The song is thereby
more controversial and embodies the defiant side of rap music.
Many rappers who followed adapted to this scheme (cf. Dufresne
1991: 23). At this early stage in the development of rap music we are
already presented with one source of diversity within the genre. Still,
we need to analyze those artists who prefer to rap solely because of
the music, without a deeper meaning, and those who try to use their
music to talk and raise awareness about certain issues that concern
them personally, or the community they represent as a whole.
Both songs, "Rapper's Delight" and "The Message", contributed
greatly to the popularization of rap music and hip hop culture in the
USA as well as the whole world. These songs among others
brought hip hop on its way and the further developments probably
would not have happened without them.
II.2. The Development of Modern Rap From
Run D.M.C. and LL
Cool J to Gangsta- and Political Rap From 1982 until 1998
Until the early 1980s, rap music had gained popularity within the
American popular culture. Before that, rap songs were mainly
played on underground radio stations and at block parties which
were thrown by local New York DJs. With the ever growing number
of listeners, the mainstream music industry and its offshoots such as
MTV, VH-1, and a host of other radio- and television programs
started introducing hip hop culture and rap music to their programs.
The first rap video to be shown was Run D.M.C.'s "Rock Box" in
1984. In 1988 YO! MTV Raps was aired for the first time. So, only five
9
years after "Rapper's Delight", the music industry recognized the
commercial potential of this urban street culture.
Therefore it was no surprise that new artists appeared on the
scene. William Eric Perkins calls this period the "second wave of hip
hop" (cf. Perkins 1996: 14). Among the new artists besides Run
DMC
was a young rapper who called himself LL Cool J.
11
Along
with several other rappers they constituted what is widely known as
old school hip hop or the golden age of hip hop (cf.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5430999/
). They contributed a lot to
the widespread recognition of rap music by the mainstream media.
Furthermore, Run D.M.C. was the first rap act to produce a crossover
single "Walk this Way" with the globally known rock band
Aerosmith
in 1986. "Run D.M.C.'s sound symbolized the merger of
the black urban street sound with a slick pop overlay" (Perkins 1996:
14) and by using electronic beats and nothing else, the group made a
big step in the commercialization of this art form. Apart from the
music, their dressing style also differed a lot from their ancestors'.
Instead of wearing leather suits, tight jeans, and boots, their
trademarks were pants, Adidas sneakers with the shoelaces
removed, sweat suits, Fedora hats, and characteristic for this era in
hip hop the oversized gold chains and rings called "dookie gold"
(ibid. p.15). This also served the importance of extravagant and
flashy dressing within the hip hop community.
Although being "products of suburbia" (Perkins 1996: 14) and
hence not being directly involved in the harsh reality of the ghetto in
New York City, Run D.M.C. was "one of the numerous rap combos
advising kids to keep off drugs"
(
http://www.cyberessays.com/Arts/37.htm
). The group also informed
11
LL Cool J stands for "Ladies Love Cool James".
10
children about the benefits of learning and education as a means to
escape poverty and violence. It is important to point out that some
rappers use their popularity to address social issues, spread positive
messages, and encourage the members of their communities to
refrain from violence and crime.
The second artist already mentioned before, LL Cool J, became "the
king of the genre lover's rap" (Perkins 1996: 15) and one of the
superstars of rap music with his first hit single "I Need Love" in
1987. Despite his popularity around the world, more politically and
socially oriented members of the hip hop community (such as Ice-T)
condemned his image and attitude. They "castigated LL's lovers' rap
as a commercial sellout and labeled him a `ho'"
12
(ibid.).
This constitutes one of the most striking controversies within the
hip hop community, namely the question whether rappers such as
LL Cool J
used their music for mere commercial exploitation.
Anyway, it could also be argued that making money in a business
controlled by white corporations has always been of high importance
for rappers. This clearly accounts for the materialism in
contemporary rap music.
As to LL Cool J it should be noted that by the late 1980s he moved
away from his image to focus on social issues such as drugs, racism,
and economic empowerment.
The second wave of hip hop (late 1980s/early 1990s) also "saw the
emergence of a more militant strain of the music"
(
http://www.cyberessays.com/Arts/37.htm
). Artists such as KRS-One
and Public Enemy (PE) from the east coast and Ice-T and N.W.A. from
12
`Ho' is the slang word for a prostitute.
11
the west coast
13
boosted political- and gangsta rap both of which
belong to the genre of message- or conscious rap.
Gangsta rap can be described as a product of the gang culture in
the boroughs of Los Angeles such as South Central, Compton, Long
Beach as well as the "retro-mack (the resurgence of the pimp attitude
and style) culture of East Oakland" (Perkins 1996: 18) in the Bay Area
near San Francisco.
The lyrics of gangsta rappers constantly deal with street life
including pimping and hustling. The language of their songs is
extremely profane with references to brutality and multiple sexual
partners as essential parts.
Political rap and its performers on the other hand tried to "move
beyond rap's nightmare of materialism and directionless hostility"
and spread a message of "agitation and propaganda with a funky
beat" (Toop 2000: 176). The members of Public Enemy for example
differed a lot from their gangsta counterparts. Instead of wearing
heavy gold chains and fancy dresses, they performed their shows
dressed in camouflage and other military gear in order to underline
their claim to be a political rap band.
Still, both types gangsta- and political rap belong to the
subgenre of message rap. Nevertheless, however militant or profane
particular artists of the subgenre may be, critics and scholars should
always consider that message rappers used their art to criticize the
situation of African Americans and to be "the CNN for black people"
(
http://www.motherjones.com/arts/qa/2004/09/09_100.html
) in order
to display what is going on in the inner-cities of the US. Despite these
13
It is important to mention whether artist come from the east coast (New York etc.) or from
the west (Los Angeles etc.) because this is an important distinction which lead to significant
conflicts within the rap music scene.
12
facts, there are still significant differences within the genre of
message oriented rap.
As already stated, by 1998 rap music became the best selling
musical format in the United States. Yet, the hip hop community had
to pay a high price for its commercial success, not least because of the
inherent aggression and violence of gangsta rap as well as the
lifestyle many of its main figures represented. This includes the feud
between two of the major artists, 2Pac from the west coast and The
Notorious B.I.G.
from the east coast. The killings of these two young
artists lead to a peak for gangsta rap and showed how reality and
image were intertwined in this movement. This link between (self)-
portrayal and real life will also be addressed in the chapters on
gangsta rap and authenticity.
13
III. Political Rap Knowledge and Community Control
At the end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s two important
subgenres of rap music emerged. Political rappers offer a form of
social and political criticism that is less crime-oriented than their
gangsta-counterparts'. However, this does not mean that they are
less radical regarding their opinions and messages. But this first
difference indicates that political rappers are more concerned about
the whole African American community and its status in the
American society, whilst the gangstas seem to concentrate on telling
what is going on and how certain individuals manage to live in, or
rather survive, the ghetto. Ernest Allen, Jr. points out that the
gangstas are concentrated on "individualistic solutions of social
problems" whilst the others "tend toward more collective ones"
(Allen 1996: 169). In spite of the fact that the two types of rap music
share a common feature, "an antisocial character with respect to the
dominant society" (ibid.), in both forms women are displayed as
being inferior (gangsta) or at least as being in need of protection
(political/conscious).
According to William Eric Perkins, however, political rap is much
more useful for the purpose of making oneself heard and to change
the situation (of blacks) in a positive sense. He instances the rap
group Public Enemy (PE) with their charismatic front man Chuck D
and the comical Flavor Flav as "the standard by which all political rap
should be judged" (Perkins 1996: 21). Tricia Rose calls these rappers
"prophets of rage" who keep "poor folks alert and prevent[s] them
from being lulled into submission by placating and misleading
media stories and official `truths'" (Rose 1994: 99).
14
Before I analyze the contents of political- or visionary rap, I will
give a short summary of the emergence of this particular subgenre of
rap music.
III.1. The Emergence and Manifestations of Political Rap
The roots of political rap can be traced back to the 1960s and 1970s
when rap music's forefathers such as the Last Poets and Gil Scott-
Heron
released songs with political contents. Moreover, the black
poetry movement of the sixties with "its specific content traceable to
the sociopolitical thought of African American from that period to
the present" (Allen 1996: 161) has to be mentioned as another source.
Public Enemy
contributed a lot to the development of political rap.
Their first album: "Yo! Bum Rush the Show", which was released in
1987, even kicked off this genre. The second group that played an
important role for political rap was called Boogie Down Productions
(BDP)
with protagonist-rapper KRS-One. Beside these two
outstanding groups there are several more that should be mentioned
here. Among them are artists such as Paris, Jungle Brothers and A
Tribe Called Quest
.
According to Ernest Allen, Jr. there are several categories into
which political rap can be classified. He talks about "cultural-
political nationalism (Public Enemy (PE), Boogie Down Productions
(BDP)
[...], and specific, message-oriented expressions embedded in
[...] more earthly gangsta rap (N.W.A., Ice Cube, Ice-T)" (Allen 1996:
162). But it is necessary to divide these into subcategories as the
15
contents and messages of political rappers who belong to the same
category sometimes differ. For example, PE and BDP belong to the
cultural-political category but their ideas of how to improve the
situation of African Americans are different.
In spite of the differences in the messages, all of the mentioned
artists have one thing in common: By portraying the everyday life of
African Americans they try to make a difference with their music.
Ernest Allen, Jr. explains one should primarily distinguish between
those rappers who see education and those viewing community control
as the major means to achieve self-empowerment and some sort of
equality (cf. ibid.).
III.2. Education
Boogie Down Productions
They schools can't teach us shit/ My people need freedom, we tryin' to get all
we can get/All my high school teachers can suck my dick/
Tellin' me white man lies straight bullshit/ They schools ain't teachin' us, what
we need to know to survive/ They schools don't educate, all they teach the
people is lies
(
http://www.ohhla.com/anonymous/deadprez/get_free/tschools.prz.txt
).
These lyrics taken from the 2000 song "They Schools" on the "Let's
Get Free" album by the group Dead Prez exemplify how a certain
group of rappers think about the American educational system.
The supporters of the educational view regard the American
school system as unable or unwilling to teach African Americans
anything about their identity and that schools especially those in
the inner cities are in a miserable condition. They argue that too
much emphasis is put on the history of the dominating whites even
if many schools in the US are made up entirely of blacks. In their
opinion the history of African Americans is not addressed
16
appropriately. Thus, these rappers seek to teach and encourage their
listeners to attain a certain self-knowledge. Even though the school
system might be focused on white history according to political
rappers, they still argue that it is necessary to attend school in order
to attain technical knowledge and skills. These are elementary
prerequisites if blacks want to survive in today's world. Beside their
criticism of the school system many political rappers state that
whatever is taught at school should not be ignored. PE's front man
Chuck D
: "[...] you better get through high school, and whatever they
teach, you better do your best to learn it" and "spend less time
drinkin' them damn 40's, spend less time on the corner and more
time in them books" (Dane Webb, "Black is Back, and We're All In",
Rap Pages 1
(Feb. 1992): 34. In: Allen 1996: 181). This statement
becomes very important as it indicates that African Americans
cannot afford to neglect the school education even though it is often
bad or inferior and makes it difficult to find meaningful
employment. But without it, it would become even harder and the
path to a criminal career would be paved (cf. Lawson 2005: 167).
This formal knowledge (1), however, constitutes the first level of
knowledge and is regarded as only the first step to self-knowledge
which leads to self-determination. This opinion is clearly displayed
in the 1990 song "Ya know the rules" by Boogie Down Productions
(BDP) / KRS-One
,
Education does not come from simply obeyin'/ the curriculum, of the school
criteria/ In fact what I learned I found inferior
(
http://www.ohhla.com/anonymous/boogiedp/edutain/ya_know.bdp.txt
).
Still, rappers are more concerned with what is called (2) street- and
(3) scientific knowledge.
(2) Street knowledge can be learned by every individual member
of the ghetto through experience in handling everyday life there. The
17
main feature of this kind of knowledge can be described as knowing
how to survive and make the best of one's situation. Let's see how it
is explained in the last-mentioned song: "Lived on the streets about
eight years straight/ there I got my education and learned to debate"
(ibid.).
(3) Scientific knowledge seems to be the highest form of
knowledge for supporters of the educational view among rappers.
For KRS-One Metaphysics
14
plays a central role in this form of
knowledge.
He underlines his claim to be a teacher for the black community in
this way:
Well, I want science, not silence but science/ Scientific fact about black/ The
board of education acts as if it's only reality/ Is talking `bout Tom, Dick, and
Harry/ [...]But who will oppose the teacher when society's a wreck/ So check
the black man's in effect (song: "Blackman in Effect", album: "Edutainment")
(
www.ohhla.com/anonymous/boogiedp/edutain/blackman.bdp.txt
).
In the song "Ya know the Rules" from the same album he gives his
definition of metaphysics: "Metaphysics, the science of life / And
how to live, free from strife/ walk with ease, and no disease"
(
www.ohhla.com/anonymous/boogiedp/edutain/ya_know.bdp.txt
).
Besides portraying himself as an intellectual and a teacher for
inner-city black youths, he also urges people in several of his songs
to learn more about themselves, their history, and achievements in
order to get a clearer picture upon which a positive community
identity could be formed.
For these reasons rappers such as KRS-One regard it as their
obligation to address the topics which are being neglected by the
14
Metaphysics: The philosophical study of being and knowing.
www.wordnet.priceton.edu/perl/webwn
.
18
American educational system due to religious and political realities.
He exemplifies this in the song "Blackman in Effect".
Near the Tigris and Euphrates Valleys in Asia/ Lies the Garden of Eden/ Where
Adam became a father to humanity/ Now don't get mad at me/ But according to
facts, this seems just fantasy/ Because man, the most ancient man/ Was found
thousands of years before Adam began/ And where he was found, again they
can't laugh at ya/ It's right, dead, smack in Africa/ But due to religious and
political power/ We must be denied the facts every hour/ We run to school,
tryin' to get straight A's/ Let's take a trip way back in the days/ To the first
civilization on Earth: the Egyptians.
(
www.ohhla.com/anonymous/boogiedp/edutain/blackman.bdp.txt
).
By combining the three forms of knowledge, KRS-One tries to
provide African Americans with a better starting position in order to
attain a higher social and economic standard. One could argue that
the basic idea of political rappers who see education as a means to
escape ghetto-life is that knowledge of oneself, one's past, as well as
technical knowledge (school education) paves the way to a brighter
future including self-respect and a firm knowledge of one's identity.
In his self-portrayal as a teacher for African Americans KRS-One not
only intends to educate his listeners about life and the history of
blacks but "to counter negative stereotypes" (Allen 1996: 182). He
sees himself as a rapper who addresses whites directly in order to
educate
them about what they get wrong when they think about
African Americans. In the song "My Philosophy" from the 1988
album "By All Means Necessary" he explains,
Mainly what I write is for the average New Yorker/ Some MCs be talkin' and
talkin'/ Tryin' to show how black people are walkin'/ But I don't walk this way
to portray/ Or reinforce stereotypes of today/ Like all my brothas eat chicken
and watermelon/ Talk broken English and drug sellin'
(
http://www.ohhla.com/anonymous/boogiedp/by_all/my_philo.bdp.txt
).
19
III.3. Community Control Public Enemy
The advocates of the community control idea (PE) also support the
educational issue. However, they emphasize that "the formation of
powerful and dynamic black business enterprises [...] constitutes the
primary road to self-determination" (Allen 1996: 179).
The main advocate of this goal has been PE's Chuck D. In a song
called "Shut `em Down" (1991) he argues that corporate businesses
such as the leading sports brand Nike along with others make
millions of dollars in and with the black community but give back
nothing in return. Therefore, he urges African Americans to start
their own businesses and assure their survival by supporting them,
not the ones that do not support the black community. In the song he
states:
Another racial attack/ In disguise so give some money back/ I like Nike but wait
a minute/ The neighborhood supports so put some/ Money in it/ Corporations
owe/ They gotta give up the dough/ To the town/ Or else/ We gotta shut 'em
down
(
http://www.ohhla.com/anonymous/pb_enemy/apoc_91/shutdown.pbe.txt
).
The central point of this idea is that if blacks own their own
businesses, the younger generations will have less problems finding
a job or starting their own business.
But as no one can set up a business of any kind without the skills
and knowledge required, it becomes clear that both ideas are
inseparably linked. On the one hand, respective artists say that
education is the primary source from which a minority group such as
African Americans can gain self-determination; this means the
underlying motto seems to be: knowledge is power. On the other
hand, the community control supporters are focused on the more
practical results of learning and attending school.
Details
- Pages
- Type of Edition
- Erstausgabe
- Year
- 2014
- ISBN (eBook)
- 9783954897513
- ISBN (Softcover)
- 9783954892518
- File size
- 752 KB
- Language
- English
- Publication date
- 2014 (April)
- Keywords
- Gangsta Grassroots Hip Hop Rap African-American
