Editor’s Note 007: Dear Hip Hop
Editor's Note > Features > 007 > – May 1, 2007 – by ease 
No more complaining, why do we complain? Either way, we need to stop talking, complaining and criticizing and do. If I hear and or see another Oprah town hall meeting on what to do about hip hop and the diction that is written in current rap lyrics, or see Al Sharpton’s face one more time AFTER the fact, or see Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis be about a Hip Hop Summit but turn around and decide to be in the latest Jim Jones video I don’t know what I’ll do besides attempt to keep giving the hip hop community stories that inspire and change minds. The other night I was watching Spike Lee’s film Bamboozled and if you are one that hasn’t seen it, it’s something I definitely recommend. Long story short, the director played by Damon Wayans develops a minstrel show act to bring awareness to the history that African-American entertainers had to tolerate simply to get in front of the camera. The plan backfires and people including African-Americans and the community of color supports and enjoys it hmmm sound familiar? I know many of you have said that hip hop has become the new minstrel show. I guess my question is, why are WE still laughing? At the end of Bamboozled they (Mau Mau’s) capture Savion Glover who played Mantan in what was to be society changing pilot, and televise him dancing while being shot at by all the members of the Mau Mau’s and eventually being murdered. Why aren’t there more Mau Mau’s? By no means am I condoning violence but where are the so-called hip hop heads who are so upset and frustrated that they go to Hot-97, 100.3 the-Beat or any Radio-One station and protest their disgust with the music that is played on commercial radio? Could you imagine if someone or a group of indivduals kidnapped the Ying Yang Twins, Three Six Mafia, Snoop(YES SNOOP), D4L and forced them to go in a studio and sing “Laffy Taffy” with a gun to their heads based off of the pure frustration? My point is, no one has a gun to any artist’s heads but like the director in Bamboozled after his plan didn’t work to shock the world, he took the money like a lot of these artists do and run with it and even start to believe the hype. My point is if you don’t like something change it! Stop complaining about the radio stations, magazines or media conglomerate as a whole, we all have a choice, unfortunately we all don’t have guidance and many of us even myself at times are looking for it. With Jean Grae, Jati Lindsay, the Beat Society, Clandestine, DJ Two Tone Jones or any other of the featured individuals we have for our 7th issue, the bottom line is whether your mouth is open or closed please continue to move and act. All the energy used for the long midnight marauder conversations about why hip hop is wack or why Nas said hip hop is dead, ask yourself what are you going to do tomorrow or in the next 5 minutes to change the world outside your doorstep? Enjoy the next two weeks of this issue…walk well.
Respectfully,
DC
Comments
7 Comments so far
Has the music industry got us bamboozled? I think so. Why are we still laughing? Damn. That’s a good question….
I’m feelin the Editor’s Note…good work Scheme…and in the words of Snoop, “4shizzle!” LOLOL…jus playin man, but you did pose a very good question and hopefully there will be a resurgence of good music to change the vision of many artist putting out pollution. Hopefully the means of obtaining music will hault the brainwashing effect that music channels have on the youth. Along with that said, we should use our energy to do more walkin and less talkin and actively change the face of Hip Hop
Well put Coachman!!!
However are we really surprised? It’s in vogue to scream that one is about real hip-hop, yet we continue to embrace the minstrel show that main stream commercial radio & television give us. We have taken the seats in the very back of the HIPHOP bus while others (some of whom haven’t a damn thing to do with the genre, some of whom do) drive and dictate the direction our music is to go in.
I agree that we need to “do” but will we ever really? Each time I hear a song with a hot beat, I find myself swaying to the music, regardless of the fact that the lyrics are probably degrading myself and my fellow sisters and steering my brothers down the wrong paths. Yet still, I smile, say “that’s my jam,” and keep it moving. And if I, an educated, professional woman with morals and high self-esteem continue to dance and sing along, what can we expect from our misguided youth?
The change must come from the top of the food chain… stop feeding us crap, and we’ll stop eating it. The music industry totally has us bamboozled…. WE gotta fight back… and WE gotta stop laughing!
This piece is well said. We as a people have a lot to think about. I can’t jump on the wagon to criticize too quickly because I think so much has been said since Imus recently. Where were we before ? Are we really feeling that we are bamboozled ? I don’t know. I need to think on this because there are a lot of good artist with good material. As always things come and go, trends are temporary. I feel that we’re going to get better with time and maturity of our young artist and our young people. I have a positive outlook and I believe a change is going to come in the areas that need a new direction.
Our people have never found a comfortable place in the music or movie industry. We are so criticized..you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. A lot to think about. When will the time come when we can just be …
All I can think of is the video of “Dre Day” with the sleazy grease ball music producer or the verbal interlude before one of Wyclef’s tracks from The Carnival asking for “more gansta, more hard core..” we’ve been blasting it for some time, same tune, different song. And like you said Dale, what’s the use of complaining if there is no action? But what about this so called R&B? This genre too is in a tumultuous state. I know I’ll get beat up for this, but why do artists like Beyonce (with evident establishment in the industry) have to churn out videos highlighting themselves as modern day “Hottentot Venuses”? Oh, that’s right, it sells and that’s all that matters. Hey kids, don’t listen to that rap record, but have a great time after you “put your ‘freak em’ dress on” Well guess I should do like the song says and “put my t*tties closer to the 22’s”…oh wait, that’s lyrical satire!
I agree completely with your sentiments. I voiced my frustration regarding the current state of hip hop and plan of change in a play I wrote which will debut (shameless plug) Feb.12, 2008 at Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD. It’s called “Shades of Black: a thought in progress”. Call 443.885.3388 for ticket info.