"Obama will likely weather this storm even easier than the previous ones. But what the Ludacris controversy reveals for the hip-hop activist community is much more profound: the baggage presented by hip-hop’s public image compromises the hip-hop activist community’s attempts to place its issues on the national agenda."
Previous posts
Luda Could Use Some Education
National Hip-Hop Political Convention Opens
Throwback Friday :: Conspiracies & The X-Files Aft...
Obama's Award Tour
Nas On Fox And Colbert
Nas Joins ColorOfChange To Put Fox News On Blast
National Hip-Hop Political Convention Opens In 2 W...
Why The Papers Are Getting The Race Polls Wrong
Kevin Powell :: It's Time For New Leadership
New Yorker Goes Imus On Obamas
Archives
June 2002
July 2002
August 2002
September 2002
October 2002
November 2002
December 2002
January 2003
February 2003
March 2003
April 2003
May 2003
June 2003
July 2003
August 2003
September 2003
October 2003
November 2003
December 2003
January 2004
February 2004
March 2004
April 2004
May 2004
June 2004
July 2004
August 2004
September 2004
October 2004
November 2004
December 2004
January 2005
February 2005
March 2005
April 2005
May 2005
June 2005
July 2005
August 2005
September 2005
October 2005
November 2005
December 2005
January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
July 2006
August 2006
September 2006
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
January 2007
February 2007
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007
October 2007
November 2007
December 2007
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
August 2008
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
December 2008
January 2009
February 2009
3 Comments:
Maybe hip hop doesn't belong in politics?
Can't young people of color come together without a soundtrack?
i think that's a good argument to have. been reading mk asante's new book coming out this fall 'the rise of the post-hip-hop generation', and it's got me rethinking some things about the role of culture in politics and vice versa. what's your take?
bakari's on point as usual, though i'd like to see a bit more anaysis than this brief take.
as for westindianarchie's comment, "Can't young people of color come together without a soundtrack?"
the short answer is no. if you think about it historically, we always had a soundtrack before there was any kind of political platform, so why should this change? the real question is, is the soundtrack "move bitch" or "move on up"? imagine the civil rights era without sam cooke's "change gonna come," black power without james brown's "say it loud," or the reagan years without "the message."
hip-hop would still be politicized even wiithout any attempts to organize, simply because of where it comes from. but artists and activists alike need to think about where it's going. there are far too many contradictions on both the activist side and the artist side.
obama's candidacy represents a chance for hip-hop to grow up and become part of a larger process. there's a huge difference between a debate and a battle rap; you just can't call mccain a "sucker mc" and be done with it.
as for the role of culture and politics, well, i guess that depends on what culture and whose politics, doesn't it?
Post a Comment