Hip Hop and the misused word

Hip Hop is a culture that was created by the poor forgotten children of the ghettos.

The different elements, was really the childrens creative expression that created movements. Movements in art, writing (graffiti), dance (poppin’, lockin’, bgirlin’), Dj’ing (Disk Jockey playing records and making music with records = scratchin’) and of course the spoken word (jive, emcee) and the expression of their own sovereignty against the daily affliction of the current political and socio-economic policies.

These children knew no one cared, for how could you tell a child, a society cares for them, when landlords are intentionally burning their homes to get an insurance payment. When drugs are rampant in the streets, but no one has the funds to even travel to the countries where these drugs are grown and created. Where rare diseases seem to pop up out of no where and only be in there neighborhood. And where the only highly profitable job opportunities for them is in selling black market commodities (drugs), but if they try to be a capitalist and pursue their happiness they go to jail.

These realities, is what pushed these children to creative outlets, which is still viewed as criminal to this day.

These different expressions were free, and these children freely expressed themselves to escape the harsh realities they were living. They put all their energy into creating, so they could escape the gangsters, the drug dealers, the cops, their parents and whatever dramas awaited at home or in the streets.

Now, forty years later, though the movements were put together and a term, Hip Hop was given to it, by Afrika Bambaataa; we see this term misused. Hip Hop is not only DJ’ing. It’s not only dancing. It’s not just writers. It’s not only rappers, nor is it only activistism.

These movements collectively is what makes it a culture. There is respect to our elders and our women. There are rules, even though they may not be written. There is a complete joy all who partake in the culture, of the unity, peace and love that we have for each other. We do unto others as we would have them do unto us.

All of this cultural richness is obscured with one element, the misused word (rap). The one element is being labeled by those who do not partake any of the elements of our culture and they Rappers, mass produce them with some beat and call these rappers a part of Hip Hop.

Most of these rappers are not even part of our culture, and now these rappers have defined themselves as being a part of the Hip Hop culture, because they know how to rhyme a bit and act like disrespect thugs, but they know nothing about it. Magazines, Record labels and the Media use the term Hip Hop when referring to rappers that have no artistic skill, no mental consciousness and no recognition of the value of their word.

They do not inspire, they do not uplift, they do not teach, they do no advocate. They just hate, hate, hate. They say hateful words, they hate their community and they hate themselves.

I say this because when a rapper has no concern for the audience, no concern for the community, no concern for their own integrity, they speak of violence, they speak of misogyny, they speak of words that have no value to humanity. They put their barely rhyming words together to a beat, and because someone or people dance to a beat. They think they are rappers or that they are part of Hip Hop. They are NOT HIP HOP and they will never be accepted as HIP HOP.

This is easily proven by the company they keep. Most rappers never attend any HIP HOP cultural event. They do not do any type of community outreach, unless it’s their own organization. They stay away from all the architects of the HIP HOP culture, because they know that the living legends will ask them questions about what they are doing with the community and they don’t want to be told they have no place in our culture.

For years now, rappers use this term Hip Hop and they have no clue what they are speaking of. Hip Hop now is perceived as this misogynistic culture, that is violent and full of unconscious people who have no respect for themselves or others.

That is not Hip Hop. That is rap, that is record labels putting thugs on a mic and putting words against a beat and not caring about the audience (poor urban children). Rappers are not role models, most of them do not have real talent, nor do they advocate for their own people or the communities they came from.

For those who can’t tell the difference, because you may not know be a part of the culture. Just listen to the message. If the message is teaching you something about some political, historical or spiritual situation that you have never heard before or that makes you look a persons name up that you’ve never heard before, it’s Hip Hop. If you are listening to a message of misogyny, violence against women, disrespecting women, materialism, sex crazed and full disrespect of life over anything physical, then you are listening to rap.

One empowers and educates (Hip Hop), the other destroys the fabric of our society (Rap).

Get with this (Empowering and Educating), and forget that…..(Violating Women and Stepping over everyone to “Make It”)