Is Langauge the Barrier?

Many critics would agree that Hip Hop has evolved from an artistic and energized art form to a gritty forum for drastic and offensive realism. Meaning, the language that mainstream artists employ has lost its’ luster somewhere between Big Daddy Kane and Lil Wayne. Hence, the language of the art form though real and forthright (in some circumstances) becomes a barrier to its progress. Others would argue that the gritty and drastic realism is an illustration of the evolution of the gangster’s psyche beginning with the inception of gangster rap. The question linking these ideals forms around the language of today’s successful artist. So the question this article poses to Scheme’s readers is this: is the language employed in mainstream hip hop over the edge? Are the metaphors too offensive? Is the violence too egregious and encouraging? Is the portrayal of women counter productive? Or could it be that policy makers and activists need a scapegoat for the problems in our communities and Hip Hop is an easy target?

To delve into this issue is to look at the words of some of Hip Hop’s performers. On one hand you have Young Joc and his new singe “Coffee Shop” where he parallels selling cocaine (in whatever form) to selling Coffee at a shop like Star Bucks. The metaphor is clever, I’m sure many Hustler’s would say that standing on a corner or sitting in a trap of some sort “getting money” is just as simple and automatic as whipping up a latte for $8.00 a pop. But though the language is clever and the subject is provocative it adds little to the musical genre aside from a clever metaphor that would be more effective if spat in a few bars rather than stretched out over three verses. I don’t mean to write a review of the song, but my point is that the language of the song may, as representative of today’s hip hop mainstream, do more to hurt the genre than to further it. Not to say that songs about hustling and selling coke can’t further the genre (just look at “Regrets” from Reasonable Doubt), but the manner in which the message is delivered and the underlying purpose of the song hurts Hip Hop by encouraging its’ listeners to engage in the conduct. (Anytime the artist has to include an epilogue saying “Kids Please Don’t Do Drugs” the artist knows his song fly’s in the face of progress). So Joc scored one in the wrong basket with this track, and gave the critics some ammo; would you say differently???

On the flip side, a current track getting heavy spin (at least in the South) is “Shawty” by Plies featuring T-Pain. On its face the song celebrates an illicit relationship that many critics and conservatives would argue works to disrupt the “family values” that certain politicians believe still exist in this country. But a different take on the track supports the notion that Plies is using his slang, his life and his situations to encourage his listeners to look in the grey areas of male/female intimacy, and carve out exceptions to the social mores and attitudes us guys have toward our women. Meaning, he isn’t saying “hey sexy lady it was nice to know ya.” He’s saying that though I can’t be with you in a traditional sense I still care and want to see you excel. In short, “I can’t stand to see you doing bad.” This employment of language, though gritty and realistic is also positive. It takes a look at real situations that all people find themselves in, and not only puts it in a positive light, it promotes traditional notions of masculinity that were lost somewhere between our grandfather’s generation and ours. Now, critics may contend that Plies and T-Pain are objectifying women, and that they are sexist in that they depict the women of our community as helpless and reliant on the lavish displays of wooing dope boys. My answer to that is that it is part of the gritty realism. Kanye made a song with Jamie Fox a few years back about the same class of individuals, but he (in a negative light) called them “Gold-diggers.” The point being that the situation engaged in the song is a real one and though it may objectify a class of the community the song still does more for the genre and fans by encouraging people to look at their relationships in a realistic light, to value them for what they are and the mainstream projection of the idea may make it okay for brothers to admit that they care about they’re gold-diggers.

But back to the point of this article, we’ve discussed two songs getting radio play as we speak. This author proposes that formers use of language hurts the genre and the latter furthers it. How does this work if Hip Hop is “perfect” as Lil Wayne and Nelly pointed out on the BET Awards? The answer that this author poses is that it doesn’t and it won’t. There is no solution language will always work for and against a genre, but we need language to do this to develop the “conversation” and to see exactly where we’re going with this thing. Lil Wayne and Nelly were wrong; Hip Hop isn’t perfect, nor will it ever be. Since there is no censorship (nor should there be) Hip Hop is the forum for free speech and expression and it is important that it stay so. More importantly the responsibility is on the listener. If you readers have children the responsibility is on you. One shouldn’t suppress the expression or not make it readily available for the youth to listen to. This author agrees with Lenny Bruce (or at least Dustin Hoffman’s portrayal of him in the movie Lenny) when he proposed that it isn’t the word itself that is inherently bad or offensive. It is the suppression of the word that gives it the onus of being bad and what’s bad is provocative. So expose yourselves to the creative and energetic music of The Beastie Boys, the positive and intellectual messages of Common, the imaginative and clever beauty of Lil Wayne’s metaphors, the layered complexity of Jay-Z, Dilla’s mastery of the genre, Nas’s wizardry with words, Joc’s backward reaching melody, Jeezy’s celebration of the Dope Boy and the host of Hip Hop’s representatives that bring something to Hip Hop’s table. Most importantly learn to distinguish between fantasy and reality. Learn to spot what’s furthering our genre and what’s not and don’t judge the music by region, tune or image: Judge the language.

Peace
AJB