Post by abisai on Oct 20, 2004 2:47:14 GMT -5
People never seem to get what I mean when I say that hip hip left USA in the cold post-9/11. Basically to me the preface of rapping about your surroundings combined with rap's heart in NYC demands something big from the heavy hitters. I'm still waiting. I don't mind rockers not doing this (although many have) because they don't sing about topical things and don't yell about keeping it real.
Specimen A:
Jadakiss has a hit single wherein he questions various stupid things. One asks why Bush knocked the Towers down. JayZ saying "leave Iraq alone" in a hit song is one thing, but Jadakiss fully feeding into idiotic conspiracy theory is quite another. What's worse is this is not really a controversial thing to put out on a radio played song in the world of hip hop.
Specimen B: www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=6353859&cart=157916278&style=music&frm=lk_ultimatecd
You may not know Paris, but you know Public Enemy and dead prez, both of whom appear on this 2003 album that has a song with lyrics "fuck bush" titled "Freedom".
ALSO in "What Would You Do" by Paris:
"Now ask yourself who's the people with the most to gain (Bush)
before 911 motherf***as couldn't stand his name (Bush)
Now even brothas waivin' flags like they lost they mind
Everybody got opinions but don't know the time
'Cause Amerikkka's been took - it's plain to see
The oldest trick in the book is MAKE an enemy
Of phony evil now the government can do its dirt
And take away ya freedom lock and load, beat and search"
There's surely lesser known dudes with stupider things recorded too.
Specimen C:
www.urbanconnectionz.com/DiplomaticImmunityReview.html
You may not know the Diplomats (aka the Taliban), but you know Master P, Cam'Ron, and DMX who appear on this album with these gems:
on a track called 'I Love You' from the Diplomats as yet untitled album, runs: "I worship the prophet/The great Mohammed Omar Atta/For his courage behind the wheel of the plane/Reminds me when I was dealin' the 'caine."
Specimen D:
www.hiphopsite.com/?I=1
www.templeofhiphop.org/ (that is his real homepage)
KRS ONE, called by some one of the best ever, has made critical remarks in a NYC newspaper and then supposedly "clarified":
"However, when I was asked about why Hiphop has not engaged the current situation more (meaning 911) my responds was “because it does not affect us, or at least we don’t perceive that it effects us, 911 happened to them”. I went on to say that “I am speaking for the culture now; I am not speaking my personal opinion”. I continued to say; “911 effected them down the block; the rich, the powerful those that are oppressing us as a culture. Sony, RCA or BMG, Universal, the radio stations, Clear Channel, Viacom with BET and MTV, those are our oppressors those are the people that we’re trying to overcome in Hiphop everyday, this is a daily thing. We cheered when 911 happened in New York and say that proudly here. Because when we were down at the trade center we were getting hit over the head by cops, told that we can’t come in this building, hustled down to the train station because of the way we dressed and talked, and so on, we were racially profiled. So, when the planes hit the building we were like; mmmm justice.”
And just as I began to say “now of course a lot of our friends and family were lost there as well” but I was interrupted.
My intent is never to demean or disrespect anyone’s loss or gain; and of course I did not literally “cheer when 911 happened”. I made an objective statement about the feelings of those who were oppressed by world trade policies. I was just as saddened as everyone else on 911. However, for many of us that were racially profiled and harassed by the World’s Trade Center’s security and the police patrolling that area as well as the thousands of American protesters that spoke out against the World Trade Organization months before in Seattle, Washington there was a sense of justice, a sense of change, a wake up call watching the twin towers fall. These are not my views only; these views represent a popular truth that few people are really ready to hear. No one wished death on anyone or just sat and “cheered when 911 happened”. But some of us can see through the bullshit! America must change its approach to the world and its citizens. This, I believe is what all Americans should be thinking about. How do we make our country better?"
Sort of a specimen 2002 BS article with hip hop journalists (including Kevin from Real World I):
www.daveyd.com/FullArticles/articleN984.asp
Starts off "And there is no question in my mind that Dr. King would want to see whoever it is that was responsible for this despicable 11th act brought to justice. But I am also sure that he would not want to see us going to war and killing innocent people to do it." and continues; "I have seen gang members, thugs, hardcore street cats, some of the most ruthless cats around suddenly become teary-eyed flag-wavers because they have been told to do so, or because it may help them sell a few more records if they happen to be a rap artist with a deal. That is obscene and dishonest to me."
There's been ambiguous lines here or there in ambivalent support for the US, but the legends of KRS ONE and Public Enemy hold more weight and KRS ONE basically outlines publically the exact damn thing I've been saying for a couple of years as I have been selling rap CDs from my collection on eBay. Basically the genre is full of shit and I want to have nothing to do with it. I guess I just feel vindicated that KRS gives my thoughts credibility - this is a man paid to make public appearances and speak on the genre as if he were a college professor. It bugs the shit out of me that there is at all a preception by ANY American that there was a racial, social, religious, whatever aspect to 9/11. The KRS recent article spurned me to post my ass off. My point is merely this: if there can be lines dropped about 9/11 in a very negative spin, why cannot there be deep rap songs about the pains felt in NYC? The reason to me is that the genre is full of shit and could care less than a shit about keeping anything real.
Specimen A:
Jadakiss has a hit single wherein he questions various stupid things. One asks why Bush knocked the Towers down. JayZ saying "leave Iraq alone" in a hit song is one thing, but Jadakiss fully feeding into idiotic conspiracy theory is quite another. What's worse is this is not really a controversial thing to put out on a radio played song in the world of hip hop.
Specimen B: www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=6353859&cart=157916278&style=music&frm=lk_ultimatecd
You may not know Paris, but you know Public Enemy and dead prez, both of whom appear on this 2003 album that has a song with lyrics "fuck bush" titled "Freedom".
ALSO in "What Would You Do" by Paris:
"Now ask yourself who's the people with the most to gain (Bush)
before 911 motherf***as couldn't stand his name (Bush)
Now even brothas waivin' flags like they lost they mind
Everybody got opinions but don't know the time
'Cause Amerikkka's been took - it's plain to see
The oldest trick in the book is MAKE an enemy
Of phony evil now the government can do its dirt
And take away ya freedom lock and load, beat and search"
There's surely lesser known dudes with stupider things recorded too.
Specimen C:
www.urbanconnectionz.com/DiplomaticImmunityReview.html
You may not know the Diplomats (aka the Taliban), but you know Master P, Cam'Ron, and DMX who appear on this album with these gems:
on a track called 'I Love You' from the Diplomats as yet untitled album, runs: "I worship the prophet/The great Mohammed Omar Atta/For his courage behind the wheel of the plane/Reminds me when I was dealin' the 'caine."
Specimen D:
www.hiphopsite.com/?I=1
www.templeofhiphop.org/ (that is his real homepage)
KRS ONE, called by some one of the best ever, has made critical remarks in a NYC newspaper and then supposedly "clarified":
"However, when I was asked about why Hiphop has not engaged the current situation more (meaning 911) my responds was “because it does not affect us, or at least we don’t perceive that it effects us, 911 happened to them”. I went on to say that “I am speaking for the culture now; I am not speaking my personal opinion”. I continued to say; “911 effected them down the block; the rich, the powerful those that are oppressing us as a culture. Sony, RCA or BMG, Universal, the radio stations, Clear Channel, Viacom with BET and MTV, those are our oppressors those are the people that we’re trying to overcome in Hiphop everyday, this is a daily thing. We cheered when 911 happened in New York and say that proudly here. Because when we were down at the trade center we were getting hit over the head by cops, told that we can’t come in this building, hustled down to the train station because of the way we dressed and talked, and so on, we were racially profiled. So, when the planes hit the building we were like; mmmm justice.”
And just as I began to say “now of course a lot of our friends and family were lost there as well” but I was interrupted.
My intent is never to demean or disrespect anyone’s loss or gain; and of course I did not literally “cheer when 911 happened”. I made an objective statement about the feelings of those who were oppressed by world trade policies. I was just as saddened as everyone else on 911. However, for many of us that were racially profiled and harassed by the World’s Trade Center’s security and the police patrolling that area as well as the thousands of American protesters that spoke out against the World Trade Organization months before in Seattle, Washington there was a sense of justice, a sense of change, a wake up call watching the twin towers fall. These are not my views only; these views represent a popular truth that few people are really ready to hear. No one wished death on anyone or just sat and “cheered when 911 happened”. But some of us can see through the bullshit! America must change its approach to the world and its citizens. This, I believe is what all Americans should be thinking about. How do we make our country better?"
Sort of a specimen 2002 BS article with hip hop journalists (including Kevin from Real World I):
www.daveyd.com/FullArticles/articleN984.asp
Starts off "And there is no question in my mind that Dr. King would want to see whoever it is that was responsible for this despicable 11th act brought to justice. But I am also sure that he would not want to see us going to war and killing innocent people to do it." and continues; "I have seen gang members, thugs, hardcore street cats, some of the most ruthless cats around suddenly become teary-eyed flag-wavers because they have been told to do so, or because it may help them sell a few more records if they happen to be a rap artist with a deal. That is obscene and dishonest to me."
There's been ambiguous lines here or there in ambivalent support for the US, but the legends of KRS ONE and Public Enemy hold more weight and KRS ONE basically outlines publically the exact damn thing I've been saying for a couple of years as I have been selling rap CDs from my collection on eBay. Basically the genre is full of shit and I want to have nothing to do with it. I guess I just feel vindicated that KRS gives my thoughts credibility - this is a man paid to make public appearances and speak on the genre as if he were a college professor. It bugs the shit out of me that there is at all a preception by ANY American that there was a racial, social, religious, whatever aspect to 9/11. The KRS recent article spurned me to post my ass off. My point is merely this: if there can be lines dropped about 9/11 in a very negative spin, why cannot there be deep rap songs about the pains felt in NYC? The reason to me is that the genre is full of shit and could care less than a shit about keeping anything real.