StillDirrty said:

The Ying Yang Twins need their @$$es Kicked for that song. It makes me wonder if record exec's listen to the music of their artists before they let them put it out there. That song is STUUUUUPID!! Since then we've had our ears polluted with the likes of DL4(Shake Dat Laffy Taffy) and Jibbs (Chain Hang Low) Where does it end?

im writing an essay on this subject for one of my courses. im not quite done with it and i dont have my citations and shit formatted yet but you can get the idea...feedback welcome lol

Hip-Hop Culture, Disgraced by the Masses

I met a critic, I made her shit her draws
She said she thought Hip-Hop was only guns and alcohol
I said ‘Oh hell naw!’, but yet its that too
You cant discriminate cause you done read a book or two
-Andre Benjamin, 2000

"I am societies child, this is how they made me, and now I’m sayin what's
on my mind and they don’t want that. This is what you made me America."
-Tupac Shakur, 1994


Popular music has always been an image of the times. Dating back to its origins, music has been one of the most creative and expressive forms of protest and speaking about the way things are. As examples of its influence, slaves sang ‘We Shall Overcome’ to band together against their enslavement as Neil Young wrote about the fear and frustration that American youth was plagued by in 1970’s ‘Ohio’ as well as Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie attempted to unite the world to fight the war against poverty and AIDS in Africa with their 1984 classic ‘We Are the World’. Just as songs, artists and genres as such have highlighted social issues and problems, Hip-Hop music has emerged today as the voice of the African-American community. The actions of its artists are imitated by those influenced by the culture, and exploited by the media. Just as any other form of expression backed by a minority, the media has taken advantage of Hip-Hop, being sure to take every opportunity to bring it down and create its own image of the culture. The negative image of Hip-Hop as carried by many throughout not only the US, but the World is a creation of the media through its meticulous crafting of the image of the medium to the masses.

Hip-Hop music began in the 1970’s when DJ’s began to spin music that focused on the percussion and beats of the music. Soon after, reggae music was mixed with the art form, and underground American artists began to work on a new craft called rapping. This new style caught on not only with people that wanted to emulate it, but it became a hit with the masses. The Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” was not only one of the first released Hip-Hop recording, but it was the very first Hip-Hop song to hit Billboard’s Top 40 Pop Singles Chart. Hip-Hop gained strength in the 1980’s behind acts such as LL Cool J, Public Enemy and Grandmaster Flash who made songs for people to dance to often highlighting popular themes and issues. Although Hip-Hop originally started as a outlet for African Americans, it was now beginning to branch out.

The mid 1980’s brought about the expansion of Hip-Hop to wider audiences. Acts such as the Beastie Boys, a rap group comprised of three Caucasian males, and Run DMC, who produced Hip-Hop’s first Top 10 Pop Single with their rap-rock collaboration with popular rock legends Aerosmith, were now relating the art form to people outside of the African American culture. As Hip-Hop grew into the 1990’s, so did its audience and acts began to take advantage of that. Artists such as Tupac Shakur, Public Enemy and NWA made songs highlight social issues such as police brutality, drug use and teen pregnancy. Many unaware or unaffected by such issued viewed the music as inappropriate, while those who made the music viewed it as the only way for them to expose what was really going in their lives in hopes to help their peoples.
"My raps are a decision, rabble rousing, spiritual, like gospel music. I don't want to dance. We have so many things to deal with, we need to talk straight up and down." (Tupac Shakur)

Many caught offense with the artists of the times, and took a stand against Hip-Hop. Censorship ensued. With help from Tipper Gore and the Parents Resources Music Center, artists were boycotted, CD’s destroyed and the media broadcasted to the masses that Hip-Hop music was ‘bad for people’(interview). This just made artist even more frustrated and upset, reiterating their feelings of apathy within White America. Still, labeling such music as condemned just made it more desirable, and the popularity of Hip-Hop hit a new high.

Record companies began to create their own form of Hip-Hop, straying from its origins. This new tune sought to cash in on Hip-Hop’s popularity through any means necessary. One hit wonder Hip-Hop artists such as Vanilla Ice, Sir Mix-A-Lot and Too Live Crew became the new icons of Hip-Hop, promoting images of misogyny, expensive cars and violence. Acts who were once at the forefront preaching to “Fight the Power” such as Public Enemy were now at the bottom of the Hip-Hop charts behind a catchy club classic objectifying women, “Baby Got Back”. Chuck D of Public Enemy realized early on what was happening with this new form of Hip-Hop,
“The rap that we're exposed to is maybe 15% of what's out there. What the major companies have done in the last few years is find out that they couldn't find any more Whitesnakes. They took a look at their marketing budget and put it behind hip-hop and figured out how to make it pop.” (Chuck D)

This trend of moving Hip-Hop away from its origins, at least in the eyes of the public has only become more evident since the 1990s. The late 1990’s brought about the ‘Bling Bling’ era with rappers sporting expensive jewelry and cars in every possible public outlet while recording hits inspired by their record companies to sell records. Songs of the era such as Juvenile’s “Back That Ass Up” sporting the lyrics “Girl, you looks good, won't you back that ass up/You'se a fine motherfucker, won't you back that ass” have become hit singles, while doing little to prove that Hip-Hop is more that glorifying women, violence and expensive items.

Hip-Hop promoting such ignorant themes has become popular with the masses, however it does not represent all that Hip-Hop is. The industry that Hip-Hop has become has changed. What started as an outlet for artists to expose the wrongs observed by those in the community has now become the outlet for record companies to exploit black culture in means of making money. According to Billboard sales charts, Hip-Hop has become the biggest selling genre of the time, shelving any ideas that Hip-Hop today is what it started as(Billboard).

Still, many have been trying since Hip-Hop’s golden age to preserve what Hip-Hop truly is. Artists such as Tupac Shakur, Nas and Ludacris have all released songs that not only warn against buying into this newfound ‘pop’ manufactured Hip-Hop, but continuing to preach about social and political issues. Shakur posthumously released “Changes” in 1998 describing the current state he witnessed within his African American community
I see no changes wake up in the morning and I ask myself
is life worth living should I blast myself?
I'm tired of bein' poor & even worse I'm black
my stomach hurts so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch
Cops give a damn about a negro
pull the trigger kill a nigga he's a hero
Give the crack to the kids who the hell cares
one less hungry mouth on the welfare
First ship 'em dope & let 'em deal the brothers
give 'em guns step back watch 'em kill each other
It's time to fight back that's what Huey said
2 shots in the dark now Huey's dead
I got love for my brother but we can never go nowhere
unless we share with each other
We gotta start makin' changes
learn to see me as a brother instead of 2 distant strangers
and that's how it's supposed to be
How can the Devil take a brother if he's close to me?
I'd love to go back to when we played as kids
but things changed, and that's the way it is

Nas followed with a tune titled “I Can” in 2003 preaching to Hip-Hop youth that they can escape treacherous paths
Be, be, 'fore we came to this country
We were kings and queens, never porch monkeys
There was empires in Africa called Kush
Timbuktu, where every race came to get books
To learn from black teachers who taught Greeks and Romans
Asian Arabs and gave them gold when
Gold was converted to money it all changed
Money then became empowerment for Europeans
The Persian military invaded
They heard about the gold, the teachings, and everything sacred
Africa was almost robbed naked
Slavery was money, so they began making slave ships
Egypt was the place that Alexander the Great went
He was so shocked at the mountains with black faces
Shot up they nose to impose what basically
Still goes on today, you see?
If the truth is told, the youth can grow
Then learn to survive until they gain control
Nobody says you have to be gangstas, hoes
Read more learn more, change the globe
Ghetto children, do your thing
Hold your head up, little man, you're a king
Young Princess when you get your wedding ring
Your man is saying "She's my queen"

And just recently, rapper Ludacris relased “Runaway Love” detailing the story of runaway children, a story very common in urban areas.
Now little Lisa is only 9 years old
She's trying to figure out why the world is so cold
Why she's all all alone and they never met her family
Mama's always gone and she never met her daddy
Part of her is missing and nobody will listening
Mama is on drugs getting high up in the kitchen
Bringing home men at different hours of the night
Starting with some laughs -- usually ending in a fight
Sneak into her room while her mama's knocked out
Trying to have his way and little Lisa says 'ouch'
She tries to resist but then all he does is beat her
Tries to tell her mom but her mama don't believe her
Lisa is stuck up in the world on her own
Forced to think that hell is a place called home
Nothing else to do but get some clothes and pack
She says she's 'bout to run away and never come back.

However you may not be as familiar with these songs as much as you may be familiar with the news developments each has been involved in.

Most identify Tupac Shakur with his unsolved murder in 1996, following a string of consipicuous events. Many say that Tupac’s “Thug Life” mentality that kept him in touch with the streets he grew up on led to his death, although no suspect has ever truly been identified. Other blame the murder on a rap feud between Tupac’s west coast and the emerging east coast which produced such sensations as Puff Daddy, 50 Cent and most notably Christopher Wallace, the Notorious B.I.G. Many say that the so called “beef” between the two, and specifically between Wallace and Shakur indicates that each may have played a role in the others death, Wallace’s murder occurring a year later. However, both admitted before that the rivalry was no more than media hype
We are in the midst of a very dangerous, non-productive, self-destructive civil war. And it's not just rap shit. It's ideals. And this rap shit is just bringin' it to a head. The East Coast believe one thing, and the West Coast believer one thing. The East Coast got one way of life, the West Coast got another way of life, it always co-existed. We're coming to the turn of the century where we gotta mash together. But we can only do it one way, one style. And that's what we're trying to figure out now, and I think the world is watching that. (Shakur)
As well Shakur admitted soon before his death that the rivalry between the two was truly no rivalry at all, but rather an opportunity that exposed itself to sell more records(Shakur).

Nas is most remembered for his similar fued with rapper Shawn Carter, also known as Jay-Z. Media outlets blew the rivalry out of proportion, comparing it to the feud between Shakur and Wallace. However, the feud looks to be non-existent in reality as each realeased their diss-records at the same time as the released brand new albums. Since then, both rappers have reached a truce, recording and performing together, becoming leaders in the revival of classic Hip-Hop.

Rapper Ludacris, who’s real name is Christopher Bridges, has most possibly the most compelling background of media influence. Although he has released such influential songs as mentioned earlier, he has been publicy ostracized in a number of cases. Talk show host Bill O’Reilly, famous in the Hip-Hop world for originally blaming Hip-Hop for ruining urban youth and not allowing rapper Cam’Ron and record executive Damon Dash to explain their side of the issue, is blamed by many incuding Bridges for costing him his endorsement deal with Pepsi-Cola after O’Reilly made on air remarks criticizing Pepsi for hiring a ‘foul mouthed’ Hip-Hop artist to endorse their product. O’Reilly called for a nationwide boycott of Pepsi, who in turn fired Ludacris, and hired The Osborne family to replace him. Outraged, popular Hip-Hop mogul Russell Simmons took a stand for Bridges, demanding that Pepsi apologize to Bridges for dropping Bridges for a just as controversial Osborne family, and donate the extent of Bridges contract to Simmon’s Hip-Hop Summit Action Network – a group dedicated to harnessing the cultural relevance of Hip-Hop music to serve as a catalyst for education advocacy and other societal concerns fundamental to the empowerment of youth.
I
n addition to being a multi-platinum rap artist, Bridges has also established himself as an actor, starring in major roles in the Oscar winning films Hustle and Flow and Crash. When asked to appear on the Oprah Winfrey show after the release of Crash, Bridges did not expected to be berated by Winfrey’s attacks on his music’s lyrical content, only to have his own remarks edited out of the show. Following this, other rappers including entrepreneur Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and award winning actor and originator of Hip-Hop O’Shea “Ice Cube” Jackson also criticized Winfrey for having an anti Hip-Hop bias(wiki). Bridges, who later said the media took some of his context out of proportion went on to say that he regarded Winfrey as “a great individual”, but noted that Winfrey may not have her eyes open to all that Hip-Hop brings to the table(wiki).

If nothing else, these cases document that not only White media, but Black media in the US as well is at times ignorant to the positive aspects of Hip-Hop, being sure highlight its negatives more than its positives. Although only a handful of cases are highlighted here, there have numerous instances where such bias has been evident not only to Hip-Hop artists, but fans such as myself. Possibly the most telling truth in this saga is shown by Hip-Hop’s effect throughout the World.

Since its beginnings in New York in the late 1970’s, Hip-Hop was not only making its way to the ears of American listeners, but to those outside of the US. Hip-Hop has become a staple of modern music in many areas, most notably New Zealand, Australia and Asia. Rap styles differ vastly from American style in these regions, where the main draw of rap is still utilizing crafty lyrics, catchy beats and exposing political and social issues. At a recent international Hip-Hop festival, Nigerian rapper MC Oke blamed US rap on perpetuating the idea that Hip-Hop is “a criminal art form, as being the home of the uneducated and non-thinking people”(BBC). Elsewhere Oke argues, “people are embracing hip-hop as the force to change and transform the world”(BBC).

Other rappers at the conference blamed the American music industry for Hip-Hop’s content in the US. Artists at the April 2006 conference collectively believe record labels and radio conglomerates are actively promoting negative stereotypes to bury rap with a positive or political message. In an area that is all about sales, selling Hip-Hop music in the US has become all about being sensational about violence, drugs and women. Tanzanian rapper MC Dola comments that records like those popular in the US don’t even get played in Tanzania.
“You don't get airplay if you talk about these things in your music. Over 99% of the rap in Tanzania is in Swahili - and it actually has a political message to it.” (Dola)
Still, BBC urban radio programmer Jacqueline Springer argued that artists in the US do have such a voice, but such songs are not as accepted because American listeners do not want their Hip-Hop filled with political or social issues.

And Springer is right in this sentiment, current rappers are trying to force a new voice, stressing the importance of political and social awareness to listeners. Artists such as Kanye West, who is one of the leaders of the new hip-hop era are already working towards righting the wrongs Hip-Hop has encountered. West has made millions in his young career by making songs highlighting such issues as the diamond crisis in Sierra Leone, the War in Iraq, and crack use in urban neighborhoods just to name a few, while still making catchy, non-oppressive tunes that amount to #1 hits.

However, those in the media have already made a scapegoat out of West, saying he takes too much liberty with the words he says. Many criticized West for the comments he made during a Hurricane Katrina Fundraiser, stating “George Bush doesn’t care about Black people”(West, 2005). Although his comment infuriated many, it is a fact that many African Americans and Americans in general share this sentiment.

West, and many of his cohorts leading the way for Hip-Hop share in West’s feelings of resentment toward the media. His most telling statement came recently to Rolling Stone magazine “If I was more complacent and I let things slide, my life would be easier, but you all wouldn't be as entertained. My misery is your pleasure” when referencing the media’s tolerance of his music. West, along with the likes of rappers such as Common, Lupe Fiasco, Nas, the Black Eyed Peas are all leading us away from the negative sterotypes the media has created for Hip-Hop, but until the media embraces its positive influences, Hip-Hop will always face the same issues.


Rap has a bad reputation in white circles, where many people believe it consists of obscene and violent anti-white and anti-female guttural. Some of it does. Most does not. Most white listeners don't care; they hear black voices in a litany of discontent, and tune out. Yet rap plays the same role today as Bob Dylan did in 1960, giving voice to the hopes and angers of a generation, and a lot of rap is powerful writing." Roger Ebert

mehogeni said:

Are you sure about PHarrell and the GAme? I think they've made some hoochie mama videos

ladygirl99 said:

again i have to laugh at vainandy because she keeps naming electro songs and artists and saying it is Hip Hop, when CinisterCee says hip hop he mean rocking over breaks, that is hip hop, Vainandy needs to stop naming electro artist like Egyption Lover he might have had some rapping but he wasn't really hip hop. and you say 1978 - 1986 most hip hop was 85 original is a lie, and thats one of the main reason i love laughing at your so called musical snobs on this board.

KingKrazy said:

Wow last time I checked vainandy is a cool funk lover white guy from down south.
Are you trying to say that from 1978-86 era wasn't as you called it "rocking over the breaks"? Then you seriously need to enrolled hip-hop history 101. BTW way when I listened to my collection of songs they are much original than hip hop from the 90s itself. They might have use some sampling with the "shoutouts" and some other lyrics and beats too but that wasn't a lot.
[Edited 12/3/06 23:52pm]

ThePunisher said:

yes the song is stupid just as stupid as Head, just as stupid as Sister just as stupid and corny as 100 Prince songs, i mean some of yall call rap videos ministrel shows but how many of yall take a look at the same artist you like a judge them the same way

Exactly!

Hey I think we should come up with a list of rappers who DO make creative and interesting music videos, I'll start.

KingKrazy said:

THANK you! And I always have to go to the fact that sampling directly from records became more affordable by the mid 80s, which was to mimic the sound of rocking over breaks.

And even Sugarhill Records catalog, although played by Brass Wood & Steel in-house band... they were always trying to emulate the kinds of records rappers used in live shows. Even electro, which was b-boy music, like "Planet Rock" was on some Kraftwerk shit.

ladygirl99 said:

KingKrazy said:

Don't you DARE compare Prince to crap like the Ying Yang Twins."Head" is a damn masterpiece compared to bullshit like "The Whisper Song (Wait Til You See My Dick)" a song in which they do nothing but they whisper all through it.That's your idea of a good song?!