This article saddened me when I read it. And it reinforces why I am convinced Black America, the black American middle class, the progress of black youth and the future/perceptions/strides of black people in America (and beyond) is fucked up because of hip hop and rap music.

HIP HOP IS THE DEATH of BLACK AMERICAN UPWARD MOBILITY. It is a disgrace to the Black Race and has done incalculable amounts of damage to the Civil Rights movement and Black progress. Black America and the Black American middle class is on life support.

BLACK PEOPLE, please read this and e-mail it to your colleagues. It is IMPORTANT.

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I Think I Better Let It Go...
Source: http://www.highergroundon..._it_go.htm

Oh, Teddy P! Why oh why has she forsaken me?! With all of my heart and soul, “I Used To Love H.E.R.” However, I do not think that I can stand the heartbreak any longer. It is becoming too painful to bear.



I watched the film “The Basketball Diaries” for the first time a few days ago. Based on the true-life story of poet/diarist/performer Jim Carroll, Leonardo DiCaprio portrays and immensely talented and gifted individual with unlimited potential, who falls victim to drug addiction leading him to everything from violent crime and robbery to prostitution in order to support his habit. It is a truly disturbing, yet poignant look at the dark side of addiction and how easily potential can be wasted if not channeled in a positive direction.



There is a particular scene that pretty much sums up the way I have been feeling lately, and I believe the sentiment is shared by many others. In the scene, Carroll is basically rock-bottom status with his addiction. He returns to the door of his mother’s apartment, a place where he had been banished from, to beg a woman (played by Lorraine Bracco), whom he had put through hell for money to feed his habit. He bangs on the door, begs and pleads in his whiny little boy voice, only to curse and disrespect his mother in the next breath. He begs for her to open the door and to allow him come inside. Wisely, she keeps the chain on the door. When she finally tells him she can not help him anymore and closes the door completely, Carroll lays into a curse-ridden diatribe that would break even the strongest person’s heart. She realizes what she has to do, calls the police on her own son, and breaks down crying with a $10 bill in her hand, which she was on the verge of giving him despite everything that had gone on.



Unfortunately, this is what hip-hop music has become to me…a drug-addicted, crime-ridden, misogynistic and disrespectful loved-one. It is something that was once so near and dear to my heart, but is now a shell of its former self, to the point that I no longer recognize it. She is now at “Gator” status. You remember Sam Jack’s endearing crackhead portrayal in “Jungle Fever”, right? Well just like Ruby Dee in the film, I’ve grown tired and am no longer entertained by the “shukin’ and jivin’”, and I am ready to pull the trigger and end the whole damn thing.



It is truly a shame what has become of her. The lifestyle she’s led for the past decade plus has brought about a steady decline and deterioration of her character, image, creativity and coherence. She has become too violent and sexually explicit to be around children…even the “clean” versions of her. Her promotion drug use and sale has left everyone in her wake in a narcotic-induced “haze”, to the point where heinous crimes seem commonplace, sometimes humorous, clever, and even in some cases, necessary. She has made heroes and role models out of people who were once the dregs of society.



So my question is, WHEN IS ENOUGH…ENOUGH????



Seriously, when I turn on my television or on the rare occasion that I attempt to listen to the radio, it is damn near appalling what my eyes and ears are greeted with. Think about some of the music in heavy rotation all day every day throughout the country:



Shawna “Getting Some (Head)” – a song about…well…



Busta Rhymes “Touch It” – touch what?



Cam’ron “Suck It or Not” – well, IS you?



Bubba Sparxx “Ms. New Booty” – “booty, booty, booty, booty, rockin everywhere!” said the 5 year old boy…



Juvenile “Rodeo” – “this not the right spot to let ya daughters visit”



Rick Ross “Hustlin”, Lil Wayne “Hustler Musik/Mind on My Money” – calling it “hustling” doesn’t change the action



Three 6 Mafia “Poppin My Collar” – and of course “workin these hoes”



I mean, “I can go on for days and days with rhyme displays that engrave deep as X-rays”…



See, THAT last line that has been engrained in my subconcious to be recounted at the precisely apporopriate moment...that line right there is what I miss most about Hip-Hop music. That butterfly in my stomach feeling she used to give me when I’d first hear an incredible line or verse or song. That hit me in my chest/blow to the head that came about when something fresh and new was first debuted. Every once in a while, it seems like she might get herself together for real. Kanye sells a few million. Common gets some heavy rotation. Little Brother gets signed to a major after years of toil doing the indie thing. But that small glimmer of hope is quickly dashed as one struggles to find “Lovin It” on MTV Jams (if you don’t have digital cable…oh well) and the video for The Musicianz (irony at it’s finest) song “Shake Something for the Camera Phone” debuts on 106 & Park and begins it’s 3 month reign in the countdown. She’s back on that stuff, again.



I for one am tired of it and I have lost faith in her ever recovering. I think it is time that we as a collective swallow the hard, honest truth.



Calling up DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Marley Marl, Paul C, The Bomb Squad, Showbiz, Diamond D, Buckwild, Large Professor, etc., isn’t going solve anything for any of our “legends.” That sound is no longer relevant to the masses and it never will be. Boom Bap in a commercially viable sense is dead.






Rakim is not going to come back and save Hip-Hop, no matter who makes his tracks. Neither is KRS-One. Ever. The most we can hope for is that they do take heed to #1 so that we fans can have our perverse fascinations satisfied. Chances are after all these years though, whatever would come of those projects would be a letdown.







There is no comparison between Rakim, KRS, Kool G. Rap, Kane, MC Lyte, Slick Rick and early LL with the stars of today like Jay-Z, Nas, 50, Snoop, T.I., Lil Wayne, Cam'ron and even the late greats Biggie and Pac. Those pioneers were our icons. There is no way to accurately convey what happened in the past that would allow someone of this generation to completely understand and give proper respect and admiration to those individuals and the music that they created at the time it was created.






The Early 90’s “golden age” era hip hop is never coming back. Though folks like De La Soul, The Roots, Mos Def and Talib Kweli, Common, Slum Village and MF DOOM are making a valiant effort to keep it alive, in addition to cats like Tanya Morgan, Little Brother, Strange Fruit Project, Binkis and Lupe Fiasco picking up the torch, it is not returning to the forefront as the “mainstream” sound that dominates the airwaves and media outlets.







This is no longer “our” music. Not only are we getting older and losing touch with what young people find entertaining…not only has Hip-Hop gone the way of Jazz, Blues and Rock & Roll before it, being adulterated and exploited by corporate entities…and not only has our “underground” counter-culture become mainstream pop culture, but this has all occurred during a complete upheaval of the business of music as we know it due to technology. There are no more crates, vinyl and pause tapes recorded from the radio. We now have mp3s, file sharing and blogs that put just about any song heard anywhere in the world at one’s fingertips within seconds. And that has a lot to do with the type of music we have now…it is immediate and DISPOSABLE.





I know it will be hard to let go. Hell, it was hard for me to write about. But it’s real, and there is really nothing I can do for her at this point. I am washing my hands of her. I can no longer contribute to her demise. I am Jim Carroll’s mother closing the door on her drug addicted son. But on those rare occasions where she cleans up her act, I’ve got $10 in my hand ready to support her.

HIP HOP IS THE DEATH OF BLACK AMERICAN PROGRESS.

BLACK PEOPLE... if you think it's JUST MUSIC.. keep this in mind.

Why the fuck are our black males selling drugs when they live in the SUBURBS and go to high-end schools?

Why are black girls embracing "PORNOGRAPHY"/WHORE/STRIPPER CULTURE. What happened to the pride black girls once had?

HIP HOP HAS DEGENERIZED BLACK AMERICA. OUR YOUTH HAVE WHOLEHEARTEDLY EMBRACED LOW-LIFE, THUG CULTURE. PEOPLE WHO WE USED TO SCORN WE NOW SEE AS HEROES.

I AM CONVINCED THAT HIP HOP, IN ITS CURRENT STATE AND FUTURE STATE, IS THE DEATH KNOLL OF BLACK AMERICAN MOBILITY.

OUR RACE IS IN SHAMBLES.

DON'T THINK SO...?



BLACK AMERICA, WAKE THE FUCK UP.



.
[Edited 4/26/06 19:19pm]

What's the difference between rap and hiphop?

And MOST of those titles are fed fast-food style to the modern generation who eat it up like Mickey-D's!!!!! Don't call Pete Rock, DJ Premier and them, cuz they've been here ALL ALONG!!!!! It's up to US as people to take a stand & not go for the "Happy Meal"!!!!! Buy some Hip-Hop with SUBSTANCE & you won't have these problems!!!!!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: TWO of the best hip-hop CD's out there today

1) J-DILLA "Donuts"

2) MADLIB "Beat Konducta"


Here's the kicker: THEY AIN'T SAYING A FU**IN' WORD!!!!!

WE SOLD OUR SOULS FOR WHAT WE DON'T OWN ANYMORE.

WE SOLD OUR SOULS FOR WHAT WE DON'T OWN ANYMORE.

WE SOLD OUR SOULS FOR WHAT WE DON'T OWN ANYMORE.

BLACK AMERICA WAKE THE FUCK UP. YOU ARE NOT IN CONTROL OF YOUR DESTINY ANYMORE.

A grown man can rape a little girl, but we still hear his shit on the radio.

A grown man can rape a little girl, but we still hear his shit on the radio.

A grown man can rape a little girl, but we still hear his shit on the radio.

I think somebody has lost their mind alright!

lilgish said:

BLACK AMERICA.

lilgish said:

BLACK AMERICA... WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH US?
BLACK AMERICA... WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH US?
BLACK AMERICA... WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH US?
BLACK AMERICA... WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH US?

WHY HAVE OUR BLACK GIRLS EMBRACED PORN/STRIPPER CULTURE?

IT'S HIP HOP.

WHY HAVE OUR BLACK BOYS EMBRACED HUSTLER/STOP SNITCHING/THUG/LOWLIFE MENTALITY.

IT'S HIP HOP.

WHY HAVE WE EMBRACED THUG CULTURE?


IT'S HIP HOP.

WHY ARE OUR BLACK BOYS, WHO ARE NOW IN THE FUCKING SUBURBS, WEARING WHITE TEES AND SELLING DRUGS?



IT'S HIP HOP.

It's not true.

So STFU already.

People want to blame hip hop because it's easy to do.

There is no/none evidence to support this argument.

If you think it is true, then you really need some help.
[Edited 4/26/06 20:24pm]

The decline of hip-hop into the state of hit-pop is like an aggravating symptom of the larger problems that have plagued the black community before Kool Herc rocked the party, or for that matter, before Bird met Diz.

But it's hard to dispute that hit-pop has more of a negative influence on the black community than virtually any other art form has in recent memory, And everyone knows it.

But it isn't THE cause of our problems. And to say so amounts to a copout.

workingupahiyellasweat said:

High yellow sweat, I've already given MORE than enough evidence in the past several posts.

WE just don't want to wake up and fucking admit it. We all need some fucking help right about now.

namepeace said:

Hip hop is not controlled by us anymore. Jay-Z has even said the shit himself -- "there's a glass ceiling for blacks in the music industry."

A lot of Black Americans are being pigheaded right now and don't want to look in the mirror OURSELVES to see what's exacerbating the fucking problem. It's Hip hop.

It is cool and okay to call black girls and women BITCHES.

It is cool and okay for blacks to refer to each other as NIGGAS.

It is cool and okay to be a THUG.

It is cool and okay to be a PIMP.

It is cool and okay to be a HUSTLER.

It is cool and okay NOT to be a SNITCH.

Most of the strides made by the Civil Rights movement are erroding right before our very eyes. We've been "desegregated" into mainstream society [depending on who you ask], blacks have overwhelming achieved the middle class dream in many sectors of the US, but yet, we're erroding its very foundation by latching on to this hip hop garbage. And the effects have already happened and are happening year after year. It is deriding us. It is PLAYING us. We Are/have allow-ed/ing to consume our better judgment.

Bill Cosby was right.

You do know that there is alternative rap out there. No reason to ever have to listen to the bad stuff. People like this stuff, because people find it catchy or poppin. Peer pressure plays a lot with this stuff. Kids will be made fun of if they do not conform to the crunkaphiliacs.

The best way to avoid this stuff, is to avoid it.

Dont blame hiphop. Blame corporate America and these record company empires. What you're sayin is the biggest misconception of hiphop - hiphop is NOT negative. Everybody seems to want to blame with problems on hiphop. Dont be fooled by what you see or hear the radio and the TV - there are plenty of rappers with good messages but they either dont get proper push or any shine because knowledge doesnt = big sales.

For a good example, read this Talib Kweli interview on how Interscope handled him compared popular acts like G-Unit, Black Eyed Peas and Gwen Stafani:

http://community.allhipho...p?t=245357

And one thing you have to understand is that record companies dont give a fuck about rebuilding the community, uplifting a race, staying true to an art form or roots or bringing real hiphop back, etc. etc. - record labels only care about selling records and the only way to sell records is to give them people what they want to hear. And you cant always blame the rappers for making the songs they make cause record labels wont put their put their album out unless its "trendy" and its something for the radio, something for the clubs, or something for the bitches, something hit-worthy. Payola is supposed to be illegal, but record labels put large amounts of money behind radio play as well as promotion.

And do you ever wonder why Bow Wow, Chris Brown, Omarion and B5 songs (whom 14-year-olds love) are in the same rotation/countdown as Shawnna, Dipset, Bubba Sparxxx, etc.? I mean, its always been that way, but have you ever wondered why?

The problem is mainstream urban music in general lacks balance between what we want to hear and what we need to hear. Yes, hiphop is influential, but whatever happen to the rap that educated us were you we came from and what was going on out there? Its still being made, but its doesnt get played on the radio or TV.

Today's young generation has been brainwashed, but dont question or blame hiphop - its time to question corporate American and record companies.

And as far as the children, they cant seem to distinguish entertainment from reality - yeah, alot of these artists have low-life thug/gangsta/porno-ish images, but at the end of the day, these same artists go home to their big manison where their children are - so this is something today's sorry-ass parents need to discuss with their children, cause if not, they'll pointing their finger at the their kid's favorite idol on TV as if its their job to raise them.

And somebody asked earlier what the difference between hiphop and rap was. Hiphop is the culture (graffiti, fashion, b-boy dancing, rapping etc), and rap is just what you do.
[Edited 4/26/06 23:31pm]

interesting article!

Well there's even a black gay rapper...It's the end of the world has we know it!

WE ARE DOOMED!!!

MADGE, SAVES FOR THE INFORTUNE!!!!

Prospect said:

^^^^^ END OF POST ^^^^^
and , very WELL SAID btw !

Prospect said:

I think your post is very intelligent, but the fault isn't the record companies'. It's the audience's. I find the whole blaming record company argument tired. Companies don't make money if people aren't buying.

Krytonite said:

According to KRS-One: Rap is what you do (on the mic), Hip-Hop (Culture, Lifestyle) is how you live.

woogiebear said:

Hip-Hop Instrumentals is he way of the future. Just make the beats without the lyrics.

AquafineDream said:

CORRECTION: Your real enemy is the C.R.A.P. they play on TV & FM Radio.

C.R.A.P. = Contemporary Rap And Pop

AquafineDream said:

Finally - someone with some sense!!

I think MLK and many others that fought and died for black civil rights would be totally disgusted.