God Bless New Orleans

I visited New Orleans for the first and possibly the last time last week. Although I love the food and its rich culture, I also had my share of drunkards and passive (and some not so passive) acts of racism. It was trip to celebrate my aunt's birthday. We stayed at the Ritz-Carolton on Canal Street. Let's just say some of those folks aren't used to seeing very many non-celebrity, Black women patronize their establishment. I will never stay at the Ritz again. That experience has tarnished my opinion of the establishment. I will say Kimberly, the Front Desk Manager, did a fantastic job of going above and beyond the call of duty to assuage us.

The photo above is a throw-up I noticed while walking through the French Quarter one afternoon on the side door of a restaurant. It really made me think about Bush and his response, or lack there of, to the victims of Katrina and Kanye's comments. I also have a hard time interpreting the writer's message. Why is the silhouette pondering the idea of "God blessing New Orleans"? Maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm reading too much into this throw-up. What do you see?

You've been bamboozled, hoodwinked, led astray

When asked, in an October 2008 interview,what historical figure he would most hate, Soulja Boy said:

“Others have said Hitler, bin Laden, the slave masters…” He said, “Oh wait! Hold up! Shout out to the slave masters! Without them we’d still be in Africa. We wouldn’t be here to get this cheese, ice and tattoos.”

Like him or not, Soulja Boy has had a huge impact on hip hop. Everyone from little children to Beyonce to Ellen Degeneres was doing the "Superman." Type in the words on YouTube and thousands of videos of people, all races and ages, pop up.
Nevermind the fact that the song's lyrics were about disrespecting a woman. Some rappers swear that the negative messages in their music are just an act. But that interview was not an act. It was not a song. It was a black man saying that black people should be happy that the slave masters beat, raped, killed, sold, and oppressed our ancestors, because he can now have cheese, ice, and tattoos.

Is he serious?

What message is being sent to the world about our community when one of its most public faces says "we wouldn't be here to get this cheese, ice and tattoos"? Isn't this just another example of modern coonery?

For more on this story read:
http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=28961

Tapping into a Boundless Market

In Can't Stop, Won't Stop Jeff Chang discusses how Soundscan transformed the music industry. It revealed what hip hop heads had been trying to tell them for years. The crossover begun long before the man could track its path. As WASPS helplessly watched their children get sucked into the culture, hip hop became boundless as countless big businesses began jumping on board the money train. I bought in like many others and had to have a fresh pair of Adidas and (not or) the new Air Jordans. I ordered shots of Hennessy and chased it with Coca-Cola. Chasing the children, Disney is on the wagon hard. Check out the attached video from Phineas and Ferb. No one has skin darker than olive. From the looks of it, could you tell hip hop was born in the South Bronx? "Yo hip hop started out in the heart...now everybody tryin to chart..."

Remembering Eazy-E

It has been 15 years since Eric Wright passed away due to complications from AIDS. His contributions to Hip Hop are significant beginning with N.W.A. They shook the world up with their hardcore lyrics and political messages. Easy also put one of my favorite groups on (Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony)in the early 90's. For many AIDS wasn't real until Eazy passed. Magic Johnson's announcement of the illness did not effect us like Eazy because he was considered healthy "with no detectable level of the virus." (I think Johnson's claim was a scam for pharmaceutical companies to make money. Take these expensive $#% drugs and you too can live. Remember how only the wealthy could afford that cocktail? That's another story.) Sadly, enough Eazy's death was a reality check that did not last long. You have artists like 50 Cent running around saying, "I would marry Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Rihanna in Africa, I'd have 3 wives! And I would avoid wearing condoms and have really big families!" People have selective hearing. "Avoid wearing condoms and have really big families" stands out. Freedom of speech is a wonderful right, but we need to be more responsible when our ideas are presented to the public. It makes me wonder... Has the new generation of HH forgotten Eazy's fatal lesson?

We Can and We Did -- Health Care Reform

Hooray for Obama! Check out our President making history once more. I love Obama. I was interested in learning what the HH community thought about the plan and what it means for this country. I read an article featuring Raekwon, Kid Cudi and Juvenile. Now we all know those emcees have had their accounts and pockets over flowing with cash. Trying to get health insurance on your own can be costly, but why were two of them straight paying out of pocket. People don't think about rainy days until the storm is upon them. We have to be prepared. Fast lifestyles filled with heavy drinking and drugs will accelerate the breakdown of our bodies. I was disappointed to read the comments. Raekwon said, "I was thinking about going to a city that carries free health care and put my moms there because she's getting older..." Wow! Are you serious? How do you all feel about that? I do not have an inside look at his books, but come on "move to a city with free health care"? I guess he won't move to Virginia if you know what I mean.

Here's the link to the article. http://www.sohh.com/2010/03/raekwon_kid_cudi_juvenile_talk_health_ca.html

And the winner is...

Emcees are like jeans. They come in all shapes, sizes, and styles. Whether they are loose, relaxed, or just plain tight your mood may dictate which style you want to feel. I have heard people say, "You are not a real rapper unless you write your own rhymes and can freestyle." I can think of more than a few "rappers" that have done just fine without being good at either. Last week a fellow student mentioned how that sort of thing can make or break a rapper's career. I was curious so I logged on to YouTube and found the video of Cassidy and Freeway going head to head. Keep in mind that I never really found myself seeking music from either artist before. What can I say? Cassidy murdered Freeway! It was amazing.
Freeway is incomparable to Cassidy's superior style. Trying to save face only made him lose it in the end. I almost felt sorry for the dude. Then I remembered, the rap game and Hip Hop in general, is all about the (male) ego. "I am the greatest!" Blah Blah Blah. Yeah sure, you can be the greatest until the next one comes along to knock them out of contention.
Then too if rapper's were more humble about their stylin' would we still listen. Probably not. I know when I hear a track like Wayne's "I'm me" I sing the chorus and feel like Wayne -- Baby, I'm me, so who you? And suddenly it's no longer about Wayne, but me. I Am the Greatest!

Say What??

Ok so I recently read an article from Vibe about the history of Breakin'? I was truly surprised. I learned that Crazy Legs doubled as Jennifer Beal during the famous 2 minute breakin scene. And I loved Beat Street ("You betta eat your eggs before I break your legs." fav quote) as a child and had no idea that the true artists behind the characters had another opinion. In retrospect, the actors were a bit old when compared to their real-life counterparts. The vernacular also sounded forced and unnatural. When I look at other video shorts and photos from that time Beat Street does look Hollywood. I was disappointed to learn that Emcees and DeeJays like Jam Master Flash straight dissed b-boys calling their style "played-out." Which came first the b-boy or the DeeJay? B-boyin' is considered the 2nd element of hip hop just after graffiti. How dare you disrespect your predecessor? Who put who on for real? Anyway, I know I have commented on b-boys in earlier posts but I truly feel like I embraced that element more than the others (before Bambaataa added the 5th element). I am a b-girl at heart and I have to rep.
What's in your heart?

Planet B-Boy

On Saturday, February 27th, the Historical Society of Washington, DC showed Planet B-Boy. This documentary took viewers around the globe to check out how B-Boying has exploded over the years. Afterwards, there was a discussion panel consisting of present and ol' school breakers. It was enlightening. I was amazed to see how dance moves have evolved into true acrobatic feats. I was disappointed to learn that eventhough breaking started here stateside, to really get paid doing the craft dancers must travel overseas. One of the dancers told us about how promotors would invite them to events and then say, "We didn't get as many sponsors as we thought... So why don't you guys get out there and break, not for the money but for the love of the dance." That concept is whack. DeeJays and rapper get paid for their time and sweat. Breaker should enter they game on an equal playing field. Everybody gotta eat. Now I want to see the Frreshest Kidz. I was hype and thought maybe I'll start working out again so I can sharpen my skills. Then again, maybe not, I'll leave that to the real B-Boyz.

Are You Serious??!

The hippest couple in Hip Hop has been accused of being satanists. I was really surprised when I first learned of this accusation. Some people are crazy -- Jeffrey Dahmer, David Koresh, Jim Jones, Charles Manson -- but to put Jay-Z and and Beyonce in this category is a stretch. I came across countless sites dedicated to "revealing the truth." YouTube has videos of Pastors delivering sermons about the subject. The sad part is the congregation all agree with a misguided message. They don't even recite the lyrics correctly. For example, instead of hearing "Lucifer, dawn of the morning, I'm gonna chase you out of her' [here]," haters think Jay-Z says "Lucifer son of the morning I'm gonna chase you outta the earth." Many blogs are filled with "facts" and analyze his lyrics line by line. I sat back and thought, "Wow! Are your serious? You cannot be serious?" Is your life that empty that this is how you choose to spend your days? Why put that much energy into something like that? Yo, I will admit that I do not care much for the whole Jay-hovah proclamation. Being a Christian, I think it's sacrilegious for obvious reasons. (Jay-Z says he is the rebirth of rap.) At the same time, as a Christian, it is not my place to condemn anyone to Hell. That's God's job so let that man do his thing.

"Hip-Hop Turns 30" Tate Article

“Happy birthday ‘cultural genocide’!” Greg Tate is passionate regarding what Hip Hop has become over the years. No aspect goes untouched in his 2005 Vibe article titled “Hiphop turns 30 Whatcha celebratin’ for?” After reading this article, I started wondering how we let Hip-Hop slip away. Were the ramifications of shifting from the voice of freedom to the subliminal voice of "the man" ever really considered? Trailblazers and originators did not want this for Hip Hop.
I agree to an extent. Nowadays I feel like we are being spoon-fed garbage too often. Maybe that is why I hardly tune into "Hip-Hop" stations and opt for CDs or an MP3. The body needs sustenance and lately I have been feeling hungry. Political rap artists like Dead Prez hit the nail on the head with “It’s Bigger Than Hip Hop”, but who recalls or even paid attention to more than just the chorus. Had we really listened maybe the path would have shifted to take us where we should have been going all along. Then too, who wants to awaken to harsh realities and fight when sweet dreams of money and pseudo power fill your head. America was built on capitalism. "It's all about gettin' mine," is the meaning behind most songs in today's Hip Hop; whether it is sex, money, cars, etc. Others would argue if Hip Hop did not cross over or become commercialized the culture would have remained underground or maybe died long before now. Commercialism gave Hip Hop permission to be a sounding board for our people regardless of the size of the soapbox. An album with 13 tracks may have one or two purposeful cuts. Commercialism gave Hip Hop the exposure it needed so Public Enemy could fight the power and Jay-Z to become a “business, man”. Hip Hop did not die. It simply evolved.
Even with that said, my heart still longs for old school Hip Hop. Or maybe what I really long for is to revisit my youth when Get Used Jeans and Cross Colours were cool, “Self Destruction” was in heavy rotation, and I felt like the world was filled with endless possibilities.

How I listen to music?

My mood dictates the type of music of choose to hear. I only really listen to the radio in the AM if/when I drive to work. Even then I do not tune in for the songs, but rather the morning show. But back to the question... I like to think I'm connected to the artist when I listen to music. I feel the lyrics and beats wholeheartedly. For example, when I was a youngin' fresh out of HS my college friends and I would get hype about the weekend and tune our stereos into the same station. Music would blast through the corridor of our dorm as we got ready to party. Biggie, Junior Mafia (Playa's Anthem), and Foxy Brown were constants. We were all on that NYC thang. (I was feeling Bone-Thugz then too.) I refuse to listen to sad music when I'm down. What's the point in channeling into someone else's heartache too? I will listen when I'm in a good mood. Otherwise, why ask for extra blues? You know?

Why are you so d*&% loud?

I was riding the Metro train home from class on evening when a large group board downtown. They were loud and very obnoxious. You sort of expect that type of behavior from young people trying to fit in with their peers and being the center of attention. That night I was embarrassed for 3 reasons. 1) These people were at least my age (33) or older. 2)They broadcasted their sexuality in a way I considered vulgar. (I am openly in the life.) And 3)they were of people of color. I cringe at the memory. I know I talk a lot about old school HH and how different the sub- culture is nowadays. Take a look at this video. People my age may still be loud and "crazy". But how many of us recite lyrics while wildin' out? Take a look at this video.

A little bit about my Blog

What's up people? I am a D.C. Native taking an Intro to Hip Hop Studies class. I registered for this class as an elective for Sociolgy. I am diggin' the course work and I feel like I am learning a lot about the world that existed around me as a child. I watched my older brother and cousins embrace a subculture I would grow to love.