#77 - In Praise of Hip Hop

In Praise of Hip Hop

12/21/05 (#77)

For my most recent birthday, my brother pushed me into the 21st century with the gift of an iPod Nano. Despite running a website that features a dozen-plus bands, I had steadfastly resisted the MP3 revolution, recalling a cabinet full of priceless vinyl that I sold for eighty bucks before moving west; compact discs are convenient, but I still curse myself for giving up all of that 12x12" art work in favor of the miniature CD cover, and I had no intentions of shrinking it further until it looked like framable art for a Barbie dreamhouse. On the advice of Mr. Townshend, I would not be fooled again.

But the Nano is fabulous: simple, sleek, and powerful, and it sounds so good that I have completely rediscovered what it feels like to really listen to music.

I began my iPod conversion by loading only my favorite hip hop music. I listen to a carefully culled selection of the genre---The Roots, Jurassic 5, Blackalicious, and The Outkast to name the most populace bands in my collection. These artists have various lyrical approaches (hard, or funny, or wise) and musical presentations (live band, DJs, both), yet there is one common theme between them: No misogyny*, no obsession with "the benjamins", just a relentlessly positive outlook on what is possible in our lives.

If you don't know the genre, forget what radio pundits tell you about the content of "rap music." Sure, there are plenty of materialistic idiots with limited intelligence and little more than a knack for creating obvious double entendres ("Oh, you don't mean an actual lollipop, you mean...") ; but what entertainment industry doesn't have its share of materialistic idiots with limited intelligence? Pro sports? Hollywood? (Heck, I know people like that at my day-job corporate office.) Certain factions of the hip hop culture celebrate and promote a materialistic and hedonistic mentality, but just as 2 Fast, 2 Furious doesn't represent the combined aspirations of the film industry, 50-Cent's "Candy Shop" isn't the national anthem for the hip hop nation.

Hip hop music is positive, if you define "positive" like I do: Empowering. I don't want to be preached to---present your point of view and let me decide, but don't tell me what decision to make. (While some consider a genre like Christian Rock "positive", I do not. That genre seems more "anti-negative" than positive---safe and innocuous, but by encouraging one to think all of the power is in God's hands, it's not empowering. Faith in God is fabulous, but I think God expects us to help with the heavy lifting.) Hip hop urges a proactive approach to life. I listen to my iPod while walking the dog, and I find my steps strive further, my pace quickens, and a mile or two later I am certain I can accomplish whatever I set my mind to.

"I wanted a piece of the pie for me and my family, so I made it" -The Outkast

I don't get many positive messages from my indie rock collection. Instead, I get a lot of brooding, paeans to angst, and salvos of rage against vaguely defined targets. (In his book High Fidelity, Nick Hornby posed a valid hypothetical: "Did I listen to pop music because I was depressed, or did pop music depress me?") Dinosaur Jr? "Whatever's cool with me." Nirvana? "I feel stupid and contagious"; Radiohead? "Yesterday I woke up sucking on lemons." Some of them rail against the status quo, and ask questions that deserve to be asked, but it's generally a bitch-fest, excerpts from a manifesto on the negatives of modern life. (I oversimplify, of course. But I learned how to do that from indie rock, too.) Hip hop encourages me to muscle my own destiny, to proactively seek my happiness. No, not seek it--- make it. It's our responsibility, and the sooner we recognize that, the sooner we can achieve that. None of the hip hop stars in my sky are waiting for anyone to do anything for them, and I see their success as proof of their convictions. They did it, so why not me?

"I Am - Somebody" -Jurassic 5 (quoting Jesse Jackson**)

In a world of 6+ billion people, it's easy for some of us to feel that our voices will not be heard, or that what we have to say can not make any difference. I'm impressed with people who possess unfaltering confidence, who seem to overcome doubt with simple logic and perseverance, but it's not that easy for me. I have to nurture confidence in myself, like trying to grow roses in the desert. (Thankfully, they sometimes bloom.) Thus, when I am walking and Jurassic 5 are urging me to sing, "I am somebody", the scene is at once completely corny and vital. I'm sure I'm not their record label's target demographic, but I am the band's intended audience: A positive soul being encouraged by their positive voice. When that song comes through the headphones, my stride becomes a swagger, and I'm sure I look rather like a fool---but if I'm feeling life and energy flow into and through me, I don't give a damn what someone thinks I look like. (Me included.)

"I'll tell you one lesson I've learned, if you want to be something in life,
you ain't gonna get it unless you give a little bit of sacrifice" -The Roots

With American youth's malignant sense-of-entitlement, many misinterpreting "the right to the pursuit of happiness" to mean "the right to happiness", it's not surprising that some artists reflect a self-centered vision in their work. (Especially where commerce is involved---tapping into that vein of discontentedness has proved profitable for many musicians and industries.) These single-minded folks get further encouragement from the media: Look at the artists who get the gratuitous coverage in mainstream press---more titillating to talk about Eminem's hateful tirades or Kanye West's offhand comments about our president's supposed racism than it is to discuss artists focused on the state of their communities and/or the state of the art form. Coverage of the sensational items helps to keep the two sides (pick the dichotomy of your choice) polarized, because that polarization sells papers, which in turn sells advertising. (Not to mention albums.) As a culture, we're making the bed, so we can't be surprised if a few people choose to lie in it. But not everyone fits under the most common blanket statements.

"If you're blessed with the talent, utilize it to the fullest,
Be true to yourself and stay humble" --Blackalicious

I'm not crusading for fair-minded justice in the coverage of hip hop, nor am I interested in jousting the windmills of Corporate America. Stirring the ire of the respective camps is a national pastime, be it religious groups or political factions or even corporate allegiances, and it's going to go on whether it's fair or not. (Though it strikes me as odd that the magazine industry isn't damned for the existence of porn mags, yet hip hop as a whole is often dismissed because of one-off disposable crap like 2 Live Crew, who would have remained rightfully obscure had it not been for the massive exposure generated by the righteous efforts of the PMRC to limit their exposure.)

I'm simply celebrating a genre whose praise too often comes with a laundry list of caveats. Every night I pop in the headphones, leash the dog, and enjoy a motivational pep talk delivered with stunning linguistic gymnastics, encouragement to strive more than just survive, and all delivered with a fabulously funky beat. George Clinton advised us, "Free your ass, and your mind will follow". I'm addressing both regions at the same time.

* The Outkast aren't exactly altar boys, but they're still mostly respectful, and so damn funky I can forgive their sins.

** "I am - Somebody" was a poem performed by Reverend Jackson on Sesame Street in 1971, a free-verse call for self-confidence. More information can be found by searching the title at Wikipedia.com

Note: The artists quotes are provided to underscore my assertions, but should not be thought to be the best examples of the songs' messages. Rap verse is spoken, not written, and since the delivery is poorly translated to print, I tried to limit direct references to complicated rhymes.

©2005 wpreagan