THE PROS AND CONS OF HIP-HOP AND RAP

     I have come to realize that there are pros and cons associated with Hip-hop and Rap.  Furthermore, it is not rappers that I take issue with, it is rather the message promoting gangs, ignorance, violence, and misogyny.  I often find it very difficult to reach my young brothers and sisters in this regard.  It is difficult to gain their attention when they perceive you as attacking something they love.

My approach has been to encourage young people to look at what I am saying as constructive criticism, not as a put down.  I admire and deeply respect that young men of color have created an art form that they initially sold and marketed from the trunks of their cars.  These efforts have led to the formation of multinational companies, impacting the marketplace in ways the Sugar Hill Gang never anticipated.  Hip-Hop and Rap have impacted film, fashion, art, music, and language.  They are among the most influential genres in American pop music in the last fifty years.  With all of this success however, we cannot overlook the fact that these artists are frequently snipping, slicing, reframing, and recasting the work of other artists.  This act resembles taking a painting by Picasso or Rembrandt and cutting it into pieces, mixing these with newly created bits and parts, assembling them into an entirely different creation, then calling the result your own.  When you have a sample, of a sample, of a sample what happened to creativity.

     I think one of the factors that has made Rap so successful is its accessibility.  Rap is an art form that requires no other instrument other than the human voice.  It is easy to get into and require no real musical skills or talent.  Its simplistic form makes many believe they can master it, and all they have to do in fact is create a meaningful  beginning, middle, and end.  I believe, that an artist has a responsibility to uplift, enlighten, and, if possible, give a sense of hope.  I fail to see how Rap’s destructive message, which promotes violence and ignorance, and denigrates women can benefit the development of young people of color.  A young man or woman of color will not get a job speaking the way rappers speak, will not get a job with multiple tattoos; and will not get a job blatantly using the N-word.  So I am forced to ask, other than shaking our asses, how is this art form helpful  to us as a people?  While I believe there is a time and place for entertainment, we cannot and should not make Rap a lifestyle.  The entertainment industry continues to send negative messages to young people.  It is profiting by disrespecting black history and the sacrifices of those who paid the ultimate price for their freedom and civil rights.  Many even died while hearing the N-word echoing in their ears. 

 In 1996 just before his death, Johnny Watson was being interviewed by a radio host in the Netherlands and was asked his thoughts on Rap.  He replied that he had invented Rap.  For fans who know of Watson’s history, this assertion has merit.  In 1962 in his recording of “Cuttin In,” he says in talk tone, or Rap, “Pardon me buddy, but I’m cutting in on you.”  There is also the classic line from the “Gangster of Love,” “ Yes sir bro sheriff and that’s your wife on the back of my horse.”  Watson also used attention getting titles like, “Ain’t that a Bitch,” “The Real Mother for Ya,” and “What the Hell is this.” There is no doubt that Watson was one of the originators of this art form, long before many of the current rappers were born.  Watson used Rap in his monologues during performances, and he even made his guitar talk.

     If Watson had established his record label  Vir-Jon in 1978, the year Lenny Silver and I wanted him to do so, he would have captured the West Coast Rap market instead of Suge Knight.  Watson was a visionary, he seemed to be always abreast of changing trends.  He was writing Rap material for himself with songs like “Telephone Bill” and for the Watsonian Institute with tracks like the “Funky Institute” and “Funkular.”  I believe that Rap as it exists today is the product of people with limited or no musical skills at all.  This view applies to many of the current rappers who do not produce music in traditional ways.  Most of the new producers do not have musical backgrounds.  Instead they have a love of music and the ability to read a manual.  Many have no sense of chord changes, notes, harmony, melody, time signatures, scales, or basic music theory at all.  Their art is driven solely by words and a beat.  If the current generation should set the tone for the ones that follows I ask; How will tomorrow’s artists be able to take the music to the next level, if they lack the musical skills and knowledge necessary to do so?

     I believe the system is rigged, and there are forces aware of how detrimental this poison is to the black community.  Business is about supply and demand, and if it senses that “these idiots” are demanding this garbage, it will continue to give potential buyers what they want.  Rappers who choose to disregard the impact of this medium on the masses should be ashamed.  These individuals are taking advantage by glorifying and promoting a fantasy lifestyle to our young people that they don’t even live.  How many young kids will grow up to be Jay Z, Snoop Dog, or Dr. Dre?  You will be able to count them on one hand.  How is it a positive for young men and women of color to embrace a profession that requires being at odds with law enforcement.  For up-and-coming rappers, getting locked up is nothing new.  It’s almost part of the job description.  It is already bad enough that society erects multiple hurdles to people of color, but to have our own people continue to exploit us for monetary gain is inexcusable.  It’s a shame our children are exposed to violence and such hurtful things at such a young age.  The more kids see and hear “bad’ things, the more they become desensitized to them.  Our young people are being played and miseducated; they are not being told the truth.  The system continues to exploit in ways that will affect our children for generations to come.  This cycle of violence, ignorance, and denigration is repeated over and over again.  It has been passed down from one generation already.  For the sake of our young people the cycle must be broken.