Hip-Hop is Dead

originally posted 2008-03-11 06:23:57 --promoted for some intriquing analysis, cho

Anatoly Kirichenko
“Hip-Hop is Dead”

In recent years, rap music has become too well connected with the culture industry, and the politically charged overtones and meaningful messages are non-existent. Rap is not only selling albums, but also a lifestyle and a “culture” to its listeners. Essentially, rap music has been transformed into a form of marketing, encouraging young African Americans as well as whites and all other ethnic groups to purchase items that bring these groups more in line with the “ideals” of rap music. The industry has a goal of creating consumers rather than giving them something good to listen to. According to Michael Quinn, “Never Shoulda Been Let out the Penitentiary",

What is intriguing about rap is that it is the culture industry’s main strategy for bringing economically and culturally marginalized blacks into the consumer society. To this end, it is necessary that contemporary notions of black identity must be engaged by the culture industry itself. Quinn 81

Towards this end, rappers (and their producers and managers) are willing to tell just about anything to their listeners. Quinn gives us a good example of this phenomenon from a popular rap magazine called The Source. In the magazine, the front cover states “24 PAIRS OF SNEAKERS YOU MUST OWN” (Quinn 82). In another example, the recent song “Throw some D’s” by the artist Rich Boy also encourages consumption and describes the euphoria the rapper feels as he drives around in a Cadillac with D’s (dubs, or twenty inch rims). In the lyrics he states,

Hit the block on some new 10 thousand dollar wheels
Can't explain how I feel,
Toucha gator on my wheel
Got peanut butter ice cream
Petter pan seats just gotta
Fresh cut
Now we looking for them freaks
Take a bad yella bitch
Make her drop them draws

Throughout the track, Rich Boy constantly reminds us that he “Just bought a Cadillac” and that he intends to “Throw some D’s” on it. This is a direct allusion to empowerment one feels by spending a great deal of money on luxury items.

In another example from the recent song “Diamonds on my damn chain” by Fabolous, we are presented with a prime example. In the song, Fabolous talks about the jewelry he is wearing and its affect on the women around him the lyrics:

Diamonds In My Damn Chain!
I'm like ooh daddy, I see you do the damn thang'
Got ma vote, I'm feelin' ya campaign
I like you but, I really like your damn chain!
Diamonds In My Damn Chain!
It kinda explains the way she be actin'
She liked my necklace so she started relaxin'
Now that's what the f--- I call a chain reaction!

This sort of lyrics is a direct appeal to consumers, telling them that buying a diamond chain will cause a sexual “chain reaction” in women. Even the video depicts women adoring Fabolous simply because he has diamonds (as well as a great deal of other jewelry) on his person. In addition to these obvious displays of sex in return for jewelry, we also see the rapper wearing countless items that do not even match their outfits. In the video, Fabolous wears three watches, he wears sunglasses, sparkling diamonds on his wrist, a fitted hat, diamond earrings, an expensive suit, and expensive sneakers. This is meant for those consumers who watch the video but cannot afford “Diamonds on their damn chain.” Instead, they can settle with expensive hats, suits, and sunglasses that cost significantly less but are also luxury items beyond their income. This sort of lyrics and imagery has very destructive affects on African Americans, or anyone else for that matter, even though it may work unconsciously. It makes supporters of this music believe that buying expensive items is the only way to gain empowerment and become successful with women. Instead of saving money and using it wisely, one is encouraged to just throw it around (as if it’s as easy as throwing some D’s) and not worrying about the consequences. Current music intends to create a mentality of reckless spending and doing other things on impulse. Whether its sneakers, Cadillac’s, jewelry, or fast food (Ludacris recently made a song during which he yells “Pepsi, next generation,” out of nowhere), the ultimate goal is to make people (often people with no discretionary income) buy things they cannot afford. Another problem with this marketing approach to music is the reduction of its quality and originality. Rappers are often sponsored by major companies to promote their products, and they often do this with little regard to the quality of the sound.

Rap music was originally a powerful, political, and meaningful way to express one’s frustrations with discrimination and poverty. During what many consider the golden era of rap, the African American experience was brought to the surface and described in incredible, powerful records that revolutionized music and popular culture.
[See background below] Today, the commercial nature of rap has completely destroyed the form of music. Ironically, the intent of this music today is to increase consumption, mostly amongst African Americans. In addition, rap music has lost all its originality and integrity, it no longer has any message at all, and it is often riddled with unnecessary violence and explicit content. For this reason, current rap music is a vice and is destructive to everyone except the record labels who are collecting the profits.

Background

Since the 1970’s, rap music has been around to test new limits and present a form of music that was considered revolutionary in nature. Early rap, especially during the 1980’s, highlighted the problem of poverty and life in a city ghetto for African Americans. Rappers created songs with politically charged overtones, important messages, and their passions regarding the black experience. Some of the songs would protest various injustices facing the black community, such as crime and police discrimination and brutality. Hits by groups such as Public Enemy in the late 80’s and early 90’s were overtly political, especially with songs like “Fight the Power” and “911 is a joke,” which described discrimination and encouraged black youth to battle stereotypes. Today, the political overtones are almost non-existent, and rap music has become a commercialized form of marketing that rarely comes from the heart. Promoting ideas such as casual sex, crime against the police, empowerment through illegal activity, and drug usage are prevalent themes; however this is not the ultimate problem. The reason why rap music can be considered a vice today is that it has been transformed into a form of marketing intent on increasing demand for certain products, and it has encouraged prolific and irresponsible spending on the part of rap fans.

In the late 1980’s and early 90’s, rap music contained deep and important messages that helped the black community define themselves and make their voice heard. For example, the song “Fight the Power” by Public Enemy contained the following lyrics:

Got to give us what we want
Gotta give us what we need
Our freedom of speech is freedom or death
We got to fight the powers that be

These lyrics are a direct allusion to the struggles facing the black community, and the song is filled with a meaningful passion to fight for the rights that black people deserve. Ideas such as freedom of speech and other basic rights were considered of utmost importance by Public Enemy, and the group aroused a great deal of controversy with songs such as this one, often verbally assaulting their oppressors and encouraging the black community to make important changes.

Other groups such as R.U.N. DMC also created rap with politically charged overtones that gave their listeners something to reflect about. In the song “Down with the King,” for example, the lyrics is stated as follows:
:

I'm the man you see, in the place to be
I went to John Jay University
and since kindergarten I acquired the knowledge
and after twelve grade I went straight to college

Once again, we see rap music that encourages black youth to follow this example and also obtain an education. R.U.N. DMC was well aware that education was the key to helping to bring an end to African American oppression, and their approach was to encourage this behavior in young people. Part of their goal was to get people to change and improve themselves, as well as to give African Americans a voice that can finally relate their experiences and the discrimination they constantly faced.