One of my favorite classes that I
took during my time at Rhodes was Hip-Hop Theology with Dr. Earle Fisher. Sadly,
I don’t think the class is taught anymore (although I could be wrong about
that), but I loved learning about the evolution of hip-hop, especially when it was
in its infancy where it primarily served as an outlet for African-Americans to freely
express their struggles and obstacles they had to overcome. We listened to
songs like, “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, which was
one of the first hip-hop songs to be created. The song is a social commentary
that describes the dangerous reality of living in a low-income neighborhood and
the pervasive nature of being trapped in the cycle of poverty.
He
compares living in these urban neighborhoods to living in the jungle, because
they are so chaotic and there is no dominant power structure of order set in
place. (“It’s like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder how I keep from goin’
under”). In the song, he mentions the dilapidated and disgusting living
conditions, getting his car repossessed (which makes leaving impossible and
getting to work difficult), violent drug addicts, prostitution, theft, poor
public transportation, and the effect of poor quality of education that is
taught in the public schools. The most interesting part of the song, in my
opinion, was his story/narrative that followed a Black male from birth to death
and making note of all the influences that affect the decisions that he makes.
The boy begins his childhood with innocence, but due to negative influences the
lack of positive role models in these communities, he grows up and wants to
become a part of the criminal activity that goes on around him. After getting
in too deep, he gets arrested and eventually kills himself there, due to the
pressures and stress of living in low-income communities filled with violence,
poverty, and crime.
It is
interesting and disheartening how hip-hop began as such a cultural commentary
on the despair and difficulties of being Black in a society where all odds were
against you, and has not changed much since that point in time. From tracks
such as “Gangsta’s Paradise” by Coolio, “Fuck tha Police” by N.W.A., and “Changes”
by 2Pac to Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly”, Lupe Fiasco’s “Words I Never Said”, and Killer Mike's music, it seems like the general messages are
still the same with only new examples of these pervasive issues that Blacks
experience.
This post was interesting to me. I feel as if a lot of the black stereotype comes from the lives lived by the poor, which makes me think of the white counter-part. What does a poor white community look like? Is it similar to the poor black communities? If, then why would there be these negative stereotypes only surrounding poor African Americans? It is because of the deep prejudice that is passed down the generations. This is very sad to me, because if we weren't so focused on race relations, then we might be able to focus on other issues such as education and poverty.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree that the evolution of hip hop is extremely interesting. The constant narrative from N.W.A and all of those early groups was the chaotic struggle that they had to experience. These are also experiences that African Americans still have to deal with today, such as police brutality and racial profiling. Although our nation prides ourselves on the social progression that we have made over the years, the same problems still exist. How many terrible stories do we hear on Television about unarmed African Americans being killed at the hands of the police. Examples such as Eric garner are honestly pretty sickening. Watching the you tube clip of him saying “I can’t breathe” is one of the most frustrating and angering videos that I have ever watched. What’s even worse is that the police around him don’t quickly call an ambulance after he collapse’s. The police did not need to respond with that kind of force, it was completely unnecessary. Despite not being African American, it still is extremely disturbing to watch. As he is unjustly murdered for what? Illegally selling cigarettes? As a whole, African Americans have had to grow up understanding that they have to live in a completely different world when it comes to dealing with police. Because of this, they feel as if the system is designed for them to fail. It is so easy to understand how hip hop gave a voice to a community desperate to be heard. The sad truth of this reality is that this system is still in place today after all of these years. It is incredibly amazing that there are success stories from people living in this terrible environment. I am just glad that I have been fortunate enough to have grown up in a much better situation.
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