Hip-Hop: The Real Issue (2007)

Hip-Hop: The Real Issue

Let’s get real people, as much as I agree with banning the use of negative words such as nigger, hoe, bitch and others from hip- hop music and our speech in general, I believe this is a small issue compared to the much larger one we have as black people. We as a race of people in this country are being held by a racial stronghold and eliminating a few words from our music will not free us; eliminating the root of the problem will.

Since the Imus issue has raised its ugly head, hip-hop is being demonized all because of the actions of several ignorant rappers who only make up only a small percentage of the hip-hop culture. What many don’t understand is hip-hop is undeniably a culture, truly a tribal-like means of communicating. Emcees communicate through words, producers through beats, B-boys through dance, graffiti artists through art and DJs through scratching. Rap is a verb, something that is done and a rapper is the person that is doing it. Until corporate America understands the difference (obviously they don’t care), hip-hop will continue to be just a means to accrue revenue.

Since the Imus incident many black leaders are on a mission to have negative words such as nigger and hoe banned from hip-hop music. From interviews and press conferences, hip-hop is on the defense; accused of creating the negative atmosphere that surrounds our society. I believe some are spear-heading a movement without having the ultimate goal at heart. Its not the words in the music, the rapper saying it or the record label distributing it that we should be focused on primarily, but instead the use of hip-hop music to further manipulate and degrade our people is where the problem lies.

We create the music but the government controls it. This is the main reason why positive hip-hop is not in rotation on the radio and on video programs. The government wants us to continue to kill ourselves as a people, so they allow songs about drug use, liquor use and other things on radio and television hoping we will be influenced to do what “they” do. They want us to let our children dance and chant the negative choruses on some of these songs. Until we realize that this issue sits on a higher plain than the obvious, we will continually be blind-sided.

But green to some is a beautiful thing; as long as money is involved it is almost impossible to get a group of people on the same page. “Here kitty kitty, say nigger and hoe in your music and I will get you platinum record sales,” that is what it comes down to. What price do you pay for ignorance? We must first look within. We are killing ourselves by allowing the system to use us, and it is evident! There is nothing hidden about it. So how can we get angry when one of our own are called out of their name when we sit back and let so much more take place?

Imus is just a drop in the bucket, I am glad he is gone but he only went down because he represented money, and when the owners of that money felt what he said could cause them to lose some of that money he was dismissed. He wasn’t fired because what he said was degrading to black people, so don’t believe it! That alone should make black people angry! Once again, the power of green changes everything.

It all comes down to the age old question “why do we call ourselves nigger but get mad when others call us that?” We must eliminate degrading our people in all forms, but as long as these negative images of racial degradation are so easily accessible, we will continue running in circles. We need to educate our households that some of the music and videos that are being played are negative and do not represent the kings and queens that we are. We must not get content or develop an attitude that “we can’t beat the system,” because the system can be beat if we come together as a collective with the same goal at heart.

Attack the problem at the root, the disease will shrivel and die.

- ScholarMan