Hip-Hop GOOD or BAD?
Micheal Eric Dyson poses a question to his website readers: Is Hip-Hop good or bad for the culture at large? Here are excerpts from four of the interesting comments.
Brent, Louisville, KY
“Breakin', graf-writing, dj-ing, rapping; these things in and of themselves are not bad. I come from a church culture that is now taking up a crusade which says that ALL Hip-Hop is bad and furthermore, that Hip-Hop culture itself is inherently evil and Anti-Christ. I do not believe that. The Bible says that God created every good and perfect thing. Breakin', graf-writing, dj-ing, rapping; these were all created by God. But when these tools are used to glorify money and street life, to degrade women, and visually molest our children, this is when it becomes an evil and vile work.” READ MORE...
Melvin, Chicago, Illinois
“Those cats from the South are modern day minstrels. They need to be silenced. Hell, if nothing else they should be censured. Them cats don't understand the immense power they have. Today's rappers shape the perception of the world. I'm afraid they are woefully under qualified for such a job. As a fan, I'm calling for an end to all Chiken George Southern rap.” READ MORE...
Rudi, Rye, NY
“It is mainly a message of rebellion. White kids may take on the trappings of Hip-Hop for a time but they eventually go on to become mature, productive adults. But for blacks it doesn't offer anything beyond trappings, so they become mired in it.
And then there are the black intellectuals who try to legitimize it in black studies courses.
Rudi, Ph.D. (white and 70)” READ MORE...
Maliek, 14 years old, District Heights, Maryland
“But I noticed my opinion of Hip-Hop can radically change based upon the aspect of Hip-Hop being discussed and who it affects. Most definitely today’s Hip-Hop is bad for the culture at large. In that same aspect we must all realize that Hip-Hop of twenty years ago and Hip-Hop in the current day society are two different things. I am not a fan of Hip-Hop music overall but there were a few songs from the past and present I really liked but still I couldn’t say I got the message of that and it really had meaning.” READ MORE...
Honestly, the way I define hip-hop may be different to others than the way I see it. To me there is hip-hop, then there is rap music. Rap is the candy paint, chain hanging, bitch slappn, overpriced rims, baggy clothes wearing, I just spent 60K on an earring when my signing bonus is only 50K and my child has nothing to eat music. It's The Hurricane Chris, the Mims, the Lil'Waynes that tell everyone it's okay to sell drugs. It's okay to be with a different women and brag about how you had them **** you off in three different cars. The guns, the drugs, the girls the money. These rappers lyrics are getting old, I don't understand how people still get excited over the same old lines. Whenever I go home from college, I always try and spend time with my younger cousins. I try to let them know that what they see on videos isn't all that it's hyped up to be. I mean, they're running around dancing to the latest explicit song with red cups in their hands pretending its VODKA and they can't even tell me their ABC's and their time tables. Where are the Lupe's and the Common's on their latest MP3's TV's and DVD's? These lyricists actually have a message to tell. Something meaningful to cast out and share. They're trying to teach us something. They are the new activists, the new leaders not rappers but poets and lyricists and no one wants to hear them because they want to "Rock Their Hips." In my opinion, if Hip-Hop was defined as I see it. I would definetly say that Hip-Hop is GOOD. Rap, NOT A FAN. You can't charm me with catchy beats and a simple chorus. Give me something I have to analyze, I have a brain let me use it. In the words of the great Lupe Fiasco "They told me I should come down cousin, but I flatly refuse I ain't dumb down nothing"
Thanks for the feedback A.L., I really enjoyed reading about your experience. For me, today hip hop is being marketed as if it is synonymous with rap. Rap used to be a feel good thing (Treacherous 3, Eric B. & Rakim, Fat Boys--until they converted to mainstream, Doug E. Fresh, etc, without all of the sexual connotation. It used to be fun music, and the message has changed so much to the detriment of our culture. So, overall, what is being mass marketed, is bad for the culture at large.
You know, It's sad... We blame Rap music for our disrespectful, ignorant, mislead youth. Rap music is the voice of young, black America. It is there testimony of what they're life experiences manifest. The sad part is we blame artists for a 3-4
minute testimony when "We," as parents, should be building life-long values and discipline at home. Once We start doing that, it doesn't matter what kind of music or what kind of movies they watch or listen to. I grew up listening to Run-DMC, NWA, PRT, etc. I even listen to some of today's artists. If we can allow a 3 minute track or a 4 minute video "contaminate" our youth, what type of foundation are parents really building for our kids...??? Wake up, PEOPLE...!!!
hii...
uhmmm..
in my opinion, hip hop is not bad. because hip hop dependent with each person to expression . dependent to how you see hip hop.
so during that someone wearing hip hop stuff with good attitude that isn't bad.so hip hop is talking about style in someone self. and hip hop is not impression to attitude someone.
LDMOVEMENT:
Hip hop has developed into a term that can be given so many definitions but through the mass of society it is related to commercialized misogyny rap music or even the hoodlum style of an individuals outerwear. It's sad that hip hop that once brought the fucked up communities together can also tear them apart by. Dividing each other with labels and negativity of such categories because of what the big corporate companies are feeding us. Hip hop to me is a fuse of everything from jazz to reggae, spoken word, to comedy, sculptures to graffiti art and even Dj's spinning to beat boxing. nothing bad about that right? Its such a beautiful thing, that in many communities it has become a culture and has progressed to reaching out to the youth. The reason why there is that bad connotation to the term hip hip is due to the filthy rich corporate companies that plan to poison the mind and expose ridiculous ass shit to their interpretation of what hip hop is for the sake of lucrative money flow for their business, hey, we all know it, sex sells ...which is so whack! That is why corporate hip hop sucks and always support independent artists!
unity
LR