A new PBS special takes an in-depth look at hip-hop’s taboo topics.
By Eric K. Arnold Published: February 14, 2007 http://eastbayexpress.com/2007-02-14/music/rap-not-so-macho/
His point that hip hop is “American” is from the surface view, on-point! Hip-Hop takes on the attitudes and expressions of America. I guess this is the point the documentary is trying to make. In hip-hop you find the same issues, problems, prejudices and beefs that you find throughout America. Whether its film makers, athletes, lawyers, doctors, singers, actresses, politicians, you get the same bullshit!!! In each of the respective groups or professions, if you will, there are homos and “homophobes”, as well as men of all races and creeds who think they are pimps! I know doctors, lawyers and 50 year old businessmen who brag about having “pussy stacked up like white-bread” and the amount of females they fuck more than rappers do! The facts are, yes, hip-hop consists of a lot of negative imagery, but so does every place else one looks; movies, magazines, newspapers, sports, law and medical professionals, college campuses and corporate boardrooms.
I guess the question should really be; what came first? The chicken or the egg? Hip-Hop or the pimp? Hip-Hop or misogynist, Hip-Hop or “homophobia?” Which came first? Hip-hop or violence? Hip-Hop or arms manufactures/dealers? Hip-Hop or drug-trafficking? Hip-Hop or prostitution? When we honestly answer this question we will see that Hip-Hop came at a time when America was well off, on its way and deeply entrenched in its culture of violence, sexism, racism, gun-trafficking, prostitution, pimping, misogynist, homophobia and materialism! All of these things came to America from patriarchal Europe with the pilgrims and conquistadors (conquerors), and was adapted by their conquered subjects. There was a time in Hip-Hop culture where the MC did NOT reflect the attitude of these slave-traders who for the most part were Europes murderers, rapists, pedophiles and every foul-bird and unclean spirit you can think of who set-sail for the sole purpose of murdering, raping, plundering, looting and exploiting the manpower wealth and resources of those they encountered without discretion!
In the court of Universal Law and Order, I find Hip-Hop NOT GUILTY!!! This entire thing about Hip-Hop being negative based on the content of some rappers lyrics is as much a scapegoat/red-herring as convicting black-youth on the corner as “kingpins” running “Continuous Criminal Enterprises” for “distributing” drugs when we all know damn well the Blackman DOES NOT control the “distribution” of anything; from condoms to CD’s???
WISE INTELLIGENT
Check out these books and links, and do the knowledge to the fact that these issues are truly bigger than Hiphop!
Our Criminal Society: The Social and Legal Sources of Crime in America (Hardcover)
by Edwin M. Schur (Author)
DEATH OF A NATION- WHERE IGNORANCE IS REWARDED FOR A NEW RACE CREATION; THE NIGGRO…
http://publicenemy.com/index.php?page=page3&item=22
The Lost Sisterhood: Prostitution in America, 1900-1918 (Paperback)
by Ruth Rosen (Author)
Prostitution
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution
Misogyny
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misogyny
Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion (Paperback)
by Gary Webb (Author)
Rhythm and Business (The Political Economy of Black Music)
Edited by Norman Kelley
Regulating the Poor: The Functions of Public Welfare (Paperback)
by Frances Fox Piven (Author), Richard Cloward (Author)
Psychopathic Racial Personality and Other Essays (Paperback)
by Bobby Eugene Wright (Author)
THE DRUG YEARS
http://www.sundancechannel.com/series/?ixSeries=37
This groundbreaking four-part documentary series chronicles the cultural impact of illicit drug use in America during the past half-century. What modestly began with the counter-culture during the ’50s now touches every American life, from the inner cities to celebrity mansions. In revealing archive footage, THE DRUG YEARS tells the fascinating story of how we got here, and asks hard questions about the future. Produced and directed by Dana Heinz Perry and Hart Perry, THE DRUG YEARS is a VH1 and Sundance Channel co-production.
WWW.INTELLIGENTMUZIK.COM
WWW.MYSPACE.COM/WISEINTELLIGENT
Proper
Education
Always
Counters
Exploitation
2007 IS THE YEAR OF SOLUTIONS AND SUCCESS!
Who publishes this kind of articles? Since when has a set of uncorrelated facts been worthy of publication? Worse still, this guy arrogantly gives it the title “intelligent breakdown.” There is nothing intelligent about this breakdown homie…
Listen, Hip-hop is not all about negative imagery, there are the kweli’s and the common which are the postives of hip hop. I’m quite tempted to think with my asshole and agree with you that “violence, sexism, racism, gun-trafficking, prostitution, pimping, misogynist, homophobia and materialism! are things came to America from patriarchal Europe with the pilgrims and conquistadors (conquerors).” ….But man, there was violence before whites took on the indians, long before christ, and I’m quite sure there was a prostitute in the bible also, so nothings has change for over 2000 yrs regardless of if its America or Timbuktu. This article reads like something written by just another idiot trying to blame everyone else for their problems. Hip-Hop is art, you can say what ever you want over beats. e.g. Eminem chooses to talk bout his mothers pubes and all. Negativity sells, period. Hip hop is a means to convey it. you make more money when you say negative things. 50 is a proof of this theory.
So man, blame the shooter, not the gun. Blame society, not hip hop. Perhaps the question you should ask is “Why is Hip hop such a sucessful means of communicating negativity. Well the answer is simple. Hip hop is black culture. Potraying negativity as an attribute of a black man makles the white man feel better about himself. The black man and his culture, are always going to be viewed in a steroetypical way in a white mans world. Now get over it and try to establish a proper causal relations in your next claim.
Blownaway was kind of reading…and kind of not. Dude did basically blame society not hip hop. And yea, violence has existed before white patriarchal amerikkka, yet Blownaway says rap makes white ppl feel superior to blacks- which is a part of amerikkkan instutionalized thinking. I think the article was on point besides comments made about prostitution and criminal enterprise. That’s where I agree with Blownaway when he says the author’s blaming others for these problems. But dude is telling the truth; homophopbia, mysigony, etc. did exist before hip hop-but then what’s the solution? This article stops short of addressing any solution and is just accusatory…which doesn’t help anything. it may be food 4 thought 4 some
My bad for not fully comprehending the article. After reading it again, I can see how i failed to notice some of the points the Author was making as “kalifornia” pointed out. I guess both arguments were valid in there own right. My critism was directed to a selected part of the article, which I agree is not fair.