just speaking from my innards ya'll
Recently, "Papa Bear" O'reilly had a segment discussing Virginia Tech's hosting of Queensbridge emcee and hip-hop legend Nas, as part of a free concert for the students. O'reilly suggests that because of the "urban" content of Nas' music, the blatent gun and drug references found in some of his lyrics, that his presence on the campus would be inappropriate; given that the horrific events that occured six months ago are still fresh in many of the students and faculty's minds, perhaps Mr. O'reilly isnt completly wrong in his assertions. However, I can write a two page list of people who's presence on the Virginia Tech campus would be equally if not more inappropriate, starting with President Bush (there arent a lot of things in our world today more violent than Iraq)...
as the show dragged on with the usual right-wing fastballs and O'reilly fodder (he seemed to be fuming, I swear I saw smoke coming out of his ears) I began to think deeply about the nature of this popular trend of always attacking and isolating Hip-Hop music and culture, as the sole purveyor of everything that is wrong in this country. Then I began to dig... to dig deep and mull over the root philosphies that are engraved in Western society; a society constructed upon notions of white male supremacy; fascism would be the extreme, while colonialism, imperialism, and capitalism are sidekicks in a tandum that seeks to perpetuate white male dominance wherever the sun rises. Hip-hop on the other hand, is an art that lies in stark contrast with the traditonal current of the Western psyche. Started in the urban centers of New York as an outlet for poor black and brown people, Hip-Hop is a grassroots movement; a socialist movement where people got together and combined their resources for a common goal. Granted, the true representations of hip-hop have been skewed by ambitious corporations and some of the same forces that seek to pull everything underneath the umbrella of white supremecy; but anyone who is a true fan of the culture and knows its history can attest to the original intent... with that said, I see something bigger here.
It's an obvious culture war, because if Hip-Hop didn't enjoy such great influence, success, and penetration into the ears and minds of affluent white youth, we wouldnt even be having this discussion. There is never as much noise when poor city kids destroy each other; never a reflection or a moment of silence, yet, in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech massecre America stood still; and at the risk of indulging in a cliche... the silence was deafening. There is this disconnection, where people are unwilling to overstand that everything is related. The violence and despair that plague poor communities are linked to Columbine and V-Tech; as is the Iraq war and America's insistence on pursuing domestic and international fascist agendas. To re-phrase myself, it is not a culture war or a generation gap, it is the constant processes of the reconfiguration of white supremacy: where white males hold sway in dictating what is acceptable politically, economically, and spiritually within a given society. So when I hear people engage in scapegoating Hip-Hop music and culture I turn on my third ear and uncover the language at work. The terrible racket that is white male supremacy reverberates through every corridor of our society. It is time to start grooving to a different tune.
**Note to O'Rally, Nas is prounounced nawz. How can you pass a judgement on someone if you cant even say their name right? sheez, you are such a DICK Cheney**