Peace, Love and Hip-Hop Therapy

After reading this article from Globeandmail.com, I find myself digging further into the messages in today's hip hop lyrics. Hip hop industry has channeled into a mainstream audience, thriving off of the glamour, sex and wealth that is all-too-often portrayed in the music. Selected songs, these days, do carry a real message, one of reality and truth and not just glamour and bling. This article examines how some artists, such as the Black Eyed Peas, use their voice in hip hop to send a message of reality to their listeners.

On July 10, the Black Eyed Peas paid tribute to those who were affected by the London bombings. "At the request of Black Eyed Peas lead man, William Adams, thousands among the 11,000-strong audience at Toronto's Molson Amphitheatre on July 10 held up their lit cellphones and cigarette lighters and swayed in unison to the Peas' 2002 Where Is the Love?" says writer Unnati Gandhi. The message behind this song, if taken in heart, is what this world needs: (lyrics provided by lyricsondemand.com)

What's wrong with the world, mama

People livin' like they ain't got no mamas

I think the whole world addicted to the drama

Only attracted to things that'll bring you trauma

Overseas, yeah, we try to stop terrorism

But we still got terrorists here livin'

In the USA, the big CIA

The Bloods and The Crips and the KKK

But if you only have love for your own race

Then you only leave space to discriminate

And to discriminate only generates hate

And when you hate then you're bound to get irate, yeah

Madness is what you demonstrate

And that's exactly how anger works and operates

Man, you gotta have love just to set it straight

Take control of your mind and meditate

Let your soul gravitate to the love, y'all, y'all

Chorus:

People killin', people dyin'

Children hurt and you hear them cryin'

Can you practice what you preachA

nd would you turn the other cheek

Father, Father, Father help us

Send some guidance from above'

Cause people got me, got me questionin'

Where is the love

It just ain't the same, always unchanged

New days are strange, is the world insane

If love and peace is so strong

Why are there pieces of love that don't belong

Nations droppin' bombs

Chemical gasses fillin' lungs of little ones

With ongoin' sufferin' as the youth die young

So ask yourself is the lovin' really gone

So I could ask myself really what is goin' wrong

In this world that we livin' in people keep on givin'in

Makin' wrong decisions, only visions of them dividends

Not respectin' each other, deny thy brother

A war is goin' on but the reason's undercover

The truth is kept secret, it's swept under the rug

If you never know truth then you never know love

Where's the love, y'all, come on (I don't know)

Where's the truth, y'all, come on (I don't know)

Chorus

I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder

As I'm gettin' older, y'all, people gets colder

Most of us only care about money makin'

Selfishness got us followin' our wrong direction

Wrong information always shown by the media

Negative images is the main criteria

Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria

Kids wanna act like what they see in the cinema

Yo', whatever happened to the values of humanity

Whatever happened to the fairness in equality

Instead in spreading love we spreading animosity

Lack of understanding, leading lives away from unity

That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' under

That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' down

There's no wonder why sometimes I'm feelin' under

Gotta keep my faith alive till love is found

Chorus

Behind this song is a message that more people need to pay attention to. I believe that music is therapy; in times of struggle and pain, people turn to music to communicate and overcome those struggles. Black Eyed Peas' William Adams states, "That's where music comes in. You can talk about it and have people listen." And thats the beauty behind musical pieces such as Where is the Love?. These type of artists take advantage of the tools they are given and spread messages of hope and experience. What the hip-hop industry needs now, especially during times of conflict, is to move their attention to what this country really needs: community and unity.

Go with the "Flow"

Today marks the theatrical debut of Hustle & Flow, which is a movie about a pimp with a dream to make it big time in the music industry. The movie, as stated by Desson Thomson of the Washington Post states, that this movie, "...which won the Audience Award at this year's Sundance Film Festival, is about something finer: the primary conviction of these characters, who have dared to step from poverty to dream state." Ahh, this is the essence of hip hop. The real artists are those that know poverty or struggle and real life, as opposed to those that fake their shift from struggle to glamour. This movie sounds as if it will catch the very heart of hop hop from the beginning.

I have yet to see this movie, but it sounds appealing to the hip hop any loving crowd. I do plan to go see what this film has to offer...and it will be then that I'll critique the true message that producers are trying to send. If you see it, let me know how it is!

Biggie's Last Stand

March 9, 1997. Christopher Wallace, known as Biggie Smalls, was shot and killed near the mid-Wilshire district in Los Angeles. Within the next eight years, hundreds of witnesses were interviewed and a number of allegations and denials were made. David Segal, from the Washington Post, writes, "There were dozens of potential witnesses that night, and the Los Angeles Police Department would later say it completed more than 200 interviews in the case. But no criminal charges were ever filed." Many people questioned a link between Biggie's death and the death of Tupac Shakur, yet neither death brought a single case to court. In June, Voletta Wallace, mother of Christopher Wallace, sued the Los Angeles Police Department, claiming that a cop named David Mack had close professional ties to Death Row Records, and that Biggie was killed by Mack at the behest of Suge Knight. Russell Poole, who was a former detective in the case, "resigned from the department in 1999, claiming that higher-ups had blocked his aggressive pursuit of allegations of widespread corruption in the department."

If this allegation is true, then I believe a whole new chapter to the book will open up. Currently, Mack is serving time for bank robbery. So, I think that he could very easily be connected in the murder of Biggie. The article I read on this matter is very interesting. Check it out!

The article continues on the idea of how Tupac and Biggie's deaths lead to a change in the way that modern rapper's feud. Segal writes, "People still talk gun talk, but there's a difference between talking gun talk and actually doing it," says Cheo Hodari Coker, author of "Unbelievable: The Life, Death and Afterlife of the Notorious B.I.G." "Now rappers are more likely to keep their beefs on records rather than let it escalate." Consider Ja Rule and Eminem, Murder, Inc. vs. Shady Records. There is an on-going feud that listeners can recollect hearing through both of their albums. The tension has died down within the lyrics, but questions still rise about the intensity otherwise. It's funny to think about hip hop music from the beginning; there has always been competition, but not his much, not to this degree. The problem arises where because of these tensions, the hip hop culture may be getting an image that is far from the truth.

Flavor 2 Savor

July 15th kicked off the opening of the "MGD Flavor 2 Savor" concert series. Terry Haley, brand manager of Miller Genuine Draft says,

"Whether it's R&B, hip-hop, neo-soul or jazz, the broad, global appeal of these progressive art forms is testimony to the creativity, talent and traditions that make these artists great. We're pleased to continue to honor that heritage by presenting 'MGD Flavor 2 Savor.'" (courtesy of http://www.nobodysmiling.com/hiphop/news/84903.php)

The series will be touring Minneapolis, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia before the series finale in New York. The line up consists of hip hop artists such as Common, Cypress Hill, Talib Kweli and Big Boi from Outkast . In addition to these headliners, other featured artists also include Q-Tip, Res and Jean Grae. Whats intriguing to consider is that nearly each of these artists are artists with a strong and meaningful message, holding true to those back in the early days of hip hop. These artists carry messages of history, struggle, success and hip hop culture, not just of sex, money and glamour. Artists such as Common continue to rap about the meaning and history behind hip hop. That's what hip hop music needs to continue to do today; rap about whats real in their lives. Consider comparisons of Common to artists such as 50 cent. By all means, 50 cent is successful and has chart-topping singles and albums. But look at the message behind the music. In Common's I Used to Love H.E.R., he raps about the hip hop culture in relation to a girl he used to know. In 50 Cent's Just a Lil Bit, he raps about sex, women and...lets face it, more sex. The messages are completely different. This idea makes me more aware to the messages within music and has helped me realize that hip hop is more than just music.

28th Anniversary of the Rock Steady Crew!

I'll be honest. Before Hip Hop Literacies, I can't vouch for myself and say that I honestly knew who the Rock Steady Crew was. Little did I know how much these guys impacted the world around us. When I think of hip hop, I not only think of history, power, and music, I also think of the rhythm behind the music, the moves...the dancing. I mean, think about it. When hip hop first began, the Rock Steady Crew paved the way for hip hop dance today. In Jeff Chang's Can't Stop Won't Stop, Trac 2 states that b-boying, "was alot of motion and alot of gestures, what one person was going to do to another, what one gang was going to do to another gang" (p. 116). Dance here, was about power and competition, much like graffiti and emceeing was. Think about how much hip hop dance has transformed since then. Dance, today, has multiple meanings, through power, sexuality and through style. I tend to think, however, there is a stronger sexual presence in hip hop dance today. I think today's generations overlook the history behind the dance, similar to how the messages in hip hop songs have become more materialistic and glorified.

All of this arises after reading an article on AllHipHop.com. I was surprised to know that this month marks the 28th anniversary of the Rock Steady Crew (http://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=4591). The celebration runs from July 28th - 31st, 2005 in New York City, NY. Some of the events that will be ongoing will include an Underground Celebrity Basketball Game, Concrete Classic Solo Bboy/Bgirl Battle Renegades Of Funk Party, Presentation of the first annual "Spy Award" and a Free Outdoor Concert (information provided on http://www.rocksteadycrew.com/). I wish I could experience this...anyone who goes, let me know how it is!

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