I respect Lupe Fiasco. I disagree with him on a few (a lot) of points, but one thing that I believe he recognizes, that a lot of other rappers have failed to, is that hip-hop is not black culture. It is not what defines us. It is the black communitys response to a racist, oppressive system, a lack of resources and opportunities, and a pervasive sense of hopelessness that engulfed entire neighborhoods. We would not have hip-hop if not for the struggle. If there were no racism, there would be no need for hip hop. If every child had the opportunity to enter an arts program at their local school, no one would have to resort to rhyming subversive poetry over the loop on a broken drum set. If we were allowed to congregate outside without fear of persecution, there would be no need for us to huddle in basement clubs, listening to lyrics that disparage the police. If red line real estate practices did not zone us out of the communities that had schools with excellent teachers, advanced placement programs, and adequate classroom resources, we wouldnt want to drop out of school to pursue our dreams of emulating the only successful black men that we see on television. Hip Hop is not something to aspire to. It is our cultures reaction to generations of being denied the opportunities that others take for granted. Would I rather have every black child grow up in a home with two parents, and be able to walk down the street without fearing the officers that are sworn to protect us, and see people that look like me live happy, well-adjusted lives, free from resentment and fear, and lose hip-hop in the process? Of course. But here (and elsewhere) is where I differ from Lupe. He proposes giving up on hip hop, because it has been hijacked by voices that dont understand it. He believes that leaving it behind is the only way we can advance as a culture, as a society. But losing hip hop does not revitalize the Bronx, or Greenville, or Chicago. All that would be accomplished is losing our voice, our only socially acceptable platform to speak about the injustices we face every day. And if Lupe, one of the wisest voices of the black community, were to leave hip-hop, who would represent our plight? Iggy Azalea? The only purpose his leaving would do would be to narrow the range of voices from those who care about us, to those who have made it emphatically clear that they do not. I understand where hes coming from. We, as a a people, have conflated black culture and hip-hop culture, thinking they are one and the same. But we cant give up on hip-hop. It might only be a tool, but its one of the most effective tools we have.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 01:29:48 +0000
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