Rap today focuses on “˜bling bling,’ not social reform

Rizvi graduated UCLA in 1998 with a BA in computer science and
engineering.

By Talha Rizvi

Do you remember Public Enemy? What about Rakim? Do you even know
who KRS-One is? Chances are, if you were entering high school about
the same time I was leaving it (around 1994), you’ve probably
heard their names but not their music ““ or rather their
message. Those were the days before (what I’ve termed) the
“Doggy-Doggization” of rap and hip-hop. And I mean that
title in no favorable terms.

You may ask, “But isn’t hip hop alive and well?
Aren’t there more rap artists being featured on the radio and
MTV than ever before?” This may be true, but to view the
plethora of current popular rap “artists” (term used
very loosely) as a victory for hip hop culture is to view the
constantly growing numbers of Taco Bells and McDonalds’ as a
burgeoning of America’s taste for fine dining
establishments.

The groups I mentioned at the beginning were among the pioneers
in rap; they helped lay the foundations and set the tempo. From the
’80s and well into the early ’90s some of the most
prominent members of the rap community were talking about real
issues, waking people up, promoting social consciousness. They were
pointing out the flaws in the political, judicial and welfare
systems and calling for change. They wanted people to straighten
themselves up and wanted the system to be held accountable for its
misdeeds.

For instance, the message Public Enemy tried to get across was
simply shown in the names of tracks like “Fight The
Power,” “911 (Is a Joke)” and “Fear of a
Black Planet.”

The subject matter hit the social problems plaguing the African
American community on target, like “Air Hoodlum,” which
depicts the life of a promising African American basketball player.
The lyrics talk about how he was scouted by a college and used for
his skills and given no education in return. Later he ends up
injuring himself and can’t ball anymore, which is all he knew
how to do. He then tries to get a job as an assistant coach, but
the college doesn’t need him. Desperate, he turns to crime
and is shot by the police while attempting a stick-up, after which
he is forever remembered as “Air Hoodlum.”

How many promising young African American athletes are scouted
in underfunded inner-city school yards and simply used for their
crowd-pleasing skills and not valued as intelligent people capable
of excelling in anything else?

And it wasn’t just Public Enemy. Rappers like KRS-One had
tracks like “Drug Dealer,” which was an appeal to drug
dealers to change their ways and use their skills to uplift their
neighborhoods. He also made “Black Cop” which is about
African American policemen who lose track of their identities and
end up terrorizing their own communities.

Rakim, amongst other hits, had “Casualties of War”
which is about a marine sent to serve and die in Desert Storm, but
realizing the U.S. government is the real oppressor, turns his guns
on Uncle Sam. And these are just a few examples.

Have you heard the stuff on Snoop Dogg’s latest album? Let
me summarize and save you $10 to $15:

“I’m ridin’ in my ’69 (enter favorite
low-rider car)/With two of my (enter derogatory term for
women)/Smokin’ my (enter favorite illegal
narcotic)/Sippin’ my (enter favorite hard liquor) /Gonna
smoke some poor (enter derogatory term for African
Americans).”

I’m not kidding you. Aside from the different background
beats, it’s all the same hypnotic trash. I challenge you to
find anything different in Puff Daddy’s lyrics, or those of
anybody else who gets radio play.

So why is this the stuff that gives rap its popular face today?
What happened? What went wrong? Well, my theory is that the
original stuff was not as marketable. The message of rap today, is
drugs, sex, money ““ what an easy-to-sell universal
appeal!

Plus, lyrically reminding oppressed people to be conscious of
what’s happening to them and become determined to make
changes, doesn’t fit well in the corporate vision of America
(including people like music distributors and alcohol companies,
among others).

You see, the earlier MCs of rap took their lead from the civil
rights movement generation, not the “bling-bling”
generation. They were trying to use their skills and popularity as
a means to bring attention to the harsh realities of their
communities and lives, and called for reform from within the
communities (while also giving a pretty good rhythm to bounce to).
But that’s changed.

Is that all? Is there any hope? Well, if you’re suffering
from “Doggy-Doggangrene” and want a cure, I suggest
cutting off the limb. If you’re not ready for that (just
gotta have your Snoop, Puff Daddy, Too Short, etc.) and want to try
an antibiotic instead, don’t worry there’s still a
solution. There are still some rappers and groups out there who are
truly “keepin’ it real.” These are the
underground and they still propagate lyrical mastery, like the
original masters ““ and consciousness to boot.

Groups like Jurassic 5, rappers like Mos Def and others are
trying to keep the tradition alive, and trust me, there
aren’t too many of them. Of course, these aren’t
household names, but that’s because they refuse to allow the
message to be “Doggized” just to hit the high stakes.
They’re trying to live by what they call others to.

So, you want a dose? Your chance is coming this Saturday. Hip
Hop for Consciousness is a group that is putting on a benefit
concert for Imam Jamil Al-Amin (formerly H. Rap Brown) on May 12 at
the Watts Labor Community Action Center in Los Angeles. Al-Amin, if
you know your history, is a pillar of the civil rights movement,
and the culture of rap and hip hop are indebted to him for his
contributions to the struggle. He currently awaits trial for
allegedly shooting an Atlanta police officer.

The line up will include Mos Def, Jurassic 5, Dilated Peoples
and Cointelpro along with others. So do yourself a favor and check
it out to get a fresh breath of consciousness in your grooves and
open up your minds and your wallets for a good cause. For more info
check out www.worldlinedesign.com/jamilbenefit.html.

The truth has to be pursued and earned; it rarely comes knocking
on your door. As Mos Def states in his track “Fear Not of
Man,” “We are Hip-Hop/Me, you, everybody, we are
Hip-Hop/So Hip-Hop is goin’ where we goin’/So the next
time you ask yourself where Hip-Hop is goin’/Ask
yourself…where am I goin’?”