Is Hip-Hop Caryying Out its Purpose

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Hip Hop Legendary Icon Daryl (DMC) McDaniels says "The whole purpose of Hip Hop is to inspire, to motivate, to educate" Is it really? Because I feel like the current mainstream Hip Hop is a bunch of glorification of money, self and sex. The message on the surface doesn't really seem to reach that deep. May I state that not all Hip Hop is negative youve got, Common, Nas, Talib Kweli, Lupe Fiasco and a few more that spit that knowledge. Kudos to them for recognizing their roots, purpose and power. But the majority of Hip Hop artists are talking bout some self centered, ignorant stuff. It pains me to say that my Hip Hop degrades me (as a woman) everytime I turn it on. It hurts that instead of educating my generation that knowledge and social justice is the power to be had, they state that money and fame is the only power. As I turn on some of the songs I love to dance to, I'm bombarded with sexual suggestions, desensitized violence and prideful swag. At times these images sound great to a fly beat. But stripped from just "tryna have a good time", when I sit down an listen to the message, the vision and the purpose carried out in these songs, it is nothing that I stand for. Im writing this to say I am unsatisfied with the limited periphial that Hip Hop currently has. Im saddened that the purpose "to inspire, motivate and educate" has not been used for positive ends. If we are to say that our hip hop artists are in a place of social power than should they not be held accountable to stay true to the purpose of Hip Hop once presented with a record deal? DMC states that "Hip Hop was created so that we as people are in charge of our own purpose and destiny". This transcends beyond an individual just "tryna make money". This is a call and a responsibility to model what our purpose and destiny as a Hip-Hop urban culture is. Being that minorities are the majority of Hip-Hop. Hip Hop is rooted from the African American struggle. It was a tool to fight oppression. Wouldn't we want to use our new places of power to continue to define our place of power and justice in society? Remember, Blacks couldn't even vote in America until 1965, that was less than 50 years ago. We are finaly coming into places of power. We are still a community of black people fighting forms of oppression, believe it or not. Our traditional African Culture Values are a "sense of community,  sense of good human relations, sense of sacredness of life, sense of hospitality, sense of the sacred and religion, sense of time, sense of respect for authority and elders, and a sense of language and proverbs."(Emeka.at African Cultural and Values). If we are to define our purpose and destiny, should we not pull from our history? I know some rappers feel like "it ain't that deep, they not part of the movement". But if we as a culture acknowledge you and your music,  Then it is that deep and you are part of the movemnt. You become a depiction of what we mean, and what we say. It's ironic that we want all the fame and the money and the power, but when it comes to the responsibility and accountability that that role aqquires, we get all sheepish about how much power we truly have. So I would love to enjoy my hip-hop and support my fellow brothers and sisters that reflect the urban culture of today and put it to a fly beat. But if they feel their only purpose is to regurgetate the brokeness of our urban culture and not be part of the solution then they are selling themselves short. and Im disturbed that ignorance and controlling images of who we are continue to consume the air. #Imjussayin

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MVP-Most Valuable Poet

hip hop music is about inspiring and creating music that's vibrantly soulful

this is sorely lacking in this generation

thank you for sharing your thoughts

continue to build off your creative mind

 

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