|
Hip Hop CDs
Straight Outta Compton (Priority, 1988)
/
Ghetto
Music: The Blueprint Of Hip Hop (Jive, 1989)
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50 Cent CDs
Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
/
The Massacre /
Guess Who's Back /
Power of the Dollar
* * * * * Books on Rap &
Hip Hop
Todd Boyd,
The
New H.N.I.C.: The Death of Civil Rights and the Reign of Hip Hop
(2003) /
Sharif Responds to Todd
Boyd /
Is Hip
Hop Really Dead?
Brian Cross,
It's Not About a Salary... Rap, Race and Resistance in Los
Angeles: Rap, Race, and Resistance in Los Angeles (1993)
Tricia Rose,
Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America
(1994)
Russell A. Porter, Spectacular
Vernaculars: Hip-Hop and the Politics of Postmodernism
(1995)
Bakari Kitwana,
The Hip Hop Generation: Young Blacks and the
Crisis in African American Culture
(2003)
Imani
Perry,
Prophets of the Hood: Politics and Poetics in Hip Hop (2004)
*
* * * *
Enough
with the Poisonous Lyrics
Women’s Role in
Hip Hop
By
Jane Musoke-Nteyafas
Toronto, Canada
Sunday, 28th August, 2005
Many black women
(and men) have had enough of hearing music that
denigrates them. It seems as though many people are
cashing in from lyrics that describe us as ho’s and
bitches. I am a generation x baby or the name now seems
to be the hip hop generation. I was born in the late
70’s and I am confident enough to say that I am a young
beautiful black woman. I am confident enough to write
that I do not feel that woman-bashing lyrics are
addressed to me in particular, but I am observant enough
to see how they subconsciously and directly affect ALL
black women.
When I heard my
two-year-old niece dancing to and clearly singing the
words ‘ooh, ah, oh baby oh baby please’ and ‘do me baby,
oh’ that rang bells of alarm in my brain. Her
five-year-old sister knew all the words to ‘It’s getting
hot in here, so take off all your clothes’ by Nelly.
This negative conditioning apparently starts from the
early baby stages. Black women are being negatively and
wrongfully represented in hip hop lyrics and we can no
longer sit down and permit this to continue.
When I was a tweeny
and growing up, expressions like video vixen and video
ho were non existent. It was while I was in my late
teens that these expressions started taking prominence.
It started very subtly with people like Snoop Doggy Dog
rapping about “it ain’t no fun if the homies can’t have
her.” Innocently and naively I nodded my head to the
banging beats but it was only after I was a few years
older that I realized the implications of those lyrics.
But from then on from the late 90’s well into the
2000’s, matters just seem to explode into full blown
vituperative lyrics. It seems that the more attractive
the beats are the more unconstructive and harmful the
lyrics are.
An African Canadian
male friend of mine always says that people that name
call and curse do so because they lack the
intellectuality to express themselves in a proper manner
and they have a very limited vocabulary. Very harsh
words but definitely food for thought.
I am an avid fan of
watching interviews, hearing interviews, and reading
interviews. I love getting to know people and one of the
best ways is by analyzing their interviews, especially
those on television because you can also read into their
body language and gauge whether or not they are
convinced by their own words. A small nervous tic, an
eye that won’t quite look at the camera, an uneasy cough
when certain words are being said, there are many dead
giveaways that there is a degree of lying going on.
I am always amused
by those hard core thug rappers that say things like
they would never let their kids watch BET (Black
Entertainment Television). The best ones are those that
say they never allow their children to watch their own
music videos on BET. Some of them are even female
rappers that are unashamedly wearing skimpy clothes as
they are being interviewed, surgery augmented breasts
spilling out of their tops. That implies that they are
FULLY aware of how poisonous their lyrics and materials
are. They are fully aware of how negative, denigrating,
disrespectful, non-nourishing, self-esteem destroying
and dangerous these lyrics are.
The finger has to
be pointed towards us women because those songs are
selling and it is not just males that are buying them.
We continue to buy CDs that denigrate us and even worse
are those women that continue to flash their 75% naked
bodies in music videos. As long as there is a market, it
will never stop. As long as there is a supply of
beautiful young women that are ready to jiggle and
wriggle their wares for a few dollars, or even for no
dollars these videos will never stop. They justify
themselves by saying that actresses do it and that those
that are offended by it, should turn their TVs and
radios off or flip to other channels.
What they do not
take into consideration is just how successful the most
negative elements of hip hop music have been imported to
the rest of the world. Huge billboards celebrate it,
several television channels support it, the radio
channels play it, and all the advertisement and
commercials down to selling cars use it and use the same
pitch of hard core sex-selling to sell their wares. Sex
has always sold to some degree but hip hop has stamped
its approval on it and this has spilled into many other
sectors. So that would mean you would literally have to
become blind and deaf to tune it out. You cannot hide
your kids from that negativity unless they become
hermits or move to Mars.
Even in the deep
villages in Africa, and South America people are
listening to hip hop, sold into it by the intoxicating
beats. So your children may not see it in your homes but
they have friends and not all parents are strict about
these things.
Besides, I have to
ask the question, is it ok to protect your own children
from your own lyrics and those of your clique and yet
fill other people’s children’s heads with all this
garbage? Is it fair to blame other parents for not
banning their kids from watching material that you are
producing, material that the children will have access
to in some way shape or form even if they are from the
best families in the world? Is it fair to throw
responsibility for your negativity and trashing ways on
other people?
The fact that sex
is selling hip hop brings out two points. What has
happened to the talent? Hip hop used to be a medium to
spit ill, poetically profound, politically aware,
socially conscious, creatively unique, intellectually
original, soulfully inspiring lyrics with positively
charged messages in the lyrics. But right now, it seems
that there is a formula that gets your music banging on
radio stations and selling records.
The mélange
includes a drop of bling bling—showing off your wealth,
cars, and diamonds; a spoonful of women bashing and
including how many women you had sex with, you have to
show off your masculine sexual prowess even if you look
like a gorilla; a stirring of sexy, ass jiggling, bikini
clad women that would not have paid attention to you if
you had no money—but hey, if you want to delude yourself
and keep your heads in the clouds it’s your prerogative;
a cup full of gangsterism—after all you have to prove to
the world what a thug and stud you are; and finally a
pinch of ghetto glorifying.
Make sure you have
all these ingredients and you will make it, even if you
are just repeating the same lyrics all over again. Don’t
forget adding guns, pimping, drugs, and violence! That
will make you a winner!
All sarcasm aside,
the second issue is why are the women doing it? Why are
they taking off their clothes to enhance other people’s
marketability? Fame? Wealth? Acting gigs? Modeling gigs?
Fun? Association with the artist? Is it all worth it?
Half the time these
same artists are dissing video ho’s that show up in
different videos. Very unflattering lyrics about them
have been written. Many rappers say that they prefer
using new girls each time and so the shelf life of a
video ho is very short. A very miniscule number are even
seen in glamour magazines as models or on the big screen
as actresses. Which begs the question, what is the
point?
What is less spoken
of in the media though, are the women that do not make
it as video ho’s but still play a part in perpetuating
the negative image of black women out there. These women
are often mentioned to in these distasteful lyrics and
they are even more dangerous than the video ho’s. They
are the source of inspiration for many a song and the
reason why many hip hop artists lists of women that they
have slept with are as long as a plane flight from here
to Australia.
These are the
groupies that follow these artists around. There have
been many stories about women being raped by some of
these artists, but as a woman your credibility is
already shot when you are found alone in a hotel room
with a drugged up or drunk perfect stranger. These same
artists do not respect these women and at the end of the
day, they will go look for a decent, unadulterated,
woman with principles to marry. It’s a double standard,
I agree, but these women have a role in their own
mistreatment.
A friend of mine
from Montreal told me a story that brought the point
home. She mentioned that some African American group
went to Montreal to perform. As expected after the show
many young females, many of them barely legal, threw
themselves at the artists, and a few ended up in the
hotel rooms. While the rest of the girls were shacked up
with the artists and their entourage, two of the girls
came back to their senses. They had just wanted to see
the artists in person and interact with them, but they
were not interested in opening up their legs for anyone.
So they refused any of the sexual advances from the men
and stayed downstairs in the lobby where they had a
great conversation with two of the artists and went home
after that without having compromised their morals and
dignity.
What happened after
that is interesting. While all the other girls were
showing off that they had slept with the artists and
their entourage, down to the drivers, they never heard
from any of these men ever again. But for the two girls,
it was different. They got call backs from the two
artists they had conversed with, who went out of their
way to contact them despite their busy schedule. These
men respected the fact that the girls had respected
themselves and sent them money, tickets, jackets from
the group, other memorabilia and kept in touch. But the
other girls had nothing to show for their association.
Point taken?
Women, we have to
stop this cycle. We have to stop this cycle of hatred.
We have to put our feet down and let our voices be
heard. Our daughters are being affected by these self
hating lyrics. Our sons are looking up to these hip hop
stars as role models. Millions of dollars are being
made, but also millions of young souls are being misled,
and taught wrong messages. Freedom of speech is allowed
but how much hatred can be churned out?
All artists need to
take responsibility for what they produce, including hip
hop artists. The unchangeable fact is that a
significantly colossal market for this lyrical madness
is children. All marketing agencies for most industries
are aiming for tweenies, teens, and generally people
under age 24 and so responsibility is key. Hip hop
artists need to take responsibility for the damage they
are causing. My thought is that Malcolm X and Martin
Luther King must be turning in their graves right now.
Are there positive
hip hop artists out there? The answer is a resounding
most certainly! Yes, the list is endless but they are
not being supported enough. We have artists like Common,
Lauryn Hill, Wycleff Jean, KRS One, Mos Def, Paris,
Azarel, Dead Prez, The Roots, De La Soul, Talib Kweli,
Black Eyes Peas, Arrested Development, Chuck D & Public
Enemy, Speech, Guru, Roots Manuva, MC Lyte and so many
more.
If that list is not
enough to satisfy you can also try some R&B artists such
as Erykah Badu, Eric Bennet, India Aire, Musiq Soulchild,
Jill Scott, Les Nubiens, Angie Stone and Sade. There is
a world of music out there. Have you ever heard African
music? People like Youssou N’dour, Lucky Dube, Angelique
Kidjo, Suzzana Owiyo, Cesaria Evora, and Me shell
NdegeOcello? What about Haitian, Cuban, English or
Canadian music? The list is endless . . .
How am I contributing as a black woman? In several ways
including writing this article and starting a musical
and poetical revolution using my poetic skills. I am
joining women like Mc Lyte in this revolution to
challenge the status quo. This poem [see below] is my
stand as a black woman regarding the general situation
of hip hop today and how I feel as a black woman and as
an artist. Let us all spread the message and bring about
positive changes. Change starts with individuals. You do
not have to be a celebrity or rich to effect change; you
just have to follow the Nike logo and ‘just do it!’ This
poem ‘Musical Revolution’ is open to be reprinted by the
Public Domain
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| Musical
Revolution
By
Jane Musoke-Nteyafas
This is
a musical revolution
This is
a lyrical revolution
This is
a poetical revolution
This is
a wordology revolution
This is
a phraseology revolution
This is
an ideology revolution
This is
a respectology revolution
This is
an imagery revolution
This is
a dictionary revolution
This is
a humanitarian revolution
We
refuse to take off our clothes.
we
refuse to be ho’s
we
refuse to play these games
we
refused to be called names
just to
sell
just to
tell
our
souls to the public
our
stories to the public
our
music to the public.
We
stand on merit of our poems
We
stand on merit of our songs
We
stand on merit of our talents
We are
calling for a change
and do
not call us deranged
if we
want to be portrayed
in a
more positive light
in fact
we are the light
that
brings you delight
and
brings you insight.
We take
you to creative heights
Our
words sing with sensual sights
We
shout our message with might.
We are
the female voices
that
are making positive choices,
enough
with the sexual noises.
We are
the messages
of
beautiful womanly images.
We do
not need to strip
in
order to make that video clip.
We are
beautiful even with our clothes on,
we’ve
got brains that can turn you on.
We
refuse to show you our breasts
just to
boost our record sales.
Isn’t
it enough that we tell tales?
We
refuse to jiggle in thongs
just to
sell our songs.
We
refuse to wiggle
what
our mamas gave us
instead
we choose to juggle
with
the gray matter that our creator gave us.
We be
the poets
We be
the singers
We be
the rappers
We be
the artists
We be
the writers
We be
the creators
that
are calling for a change
calling
for a change
calling
for a change
calling
for a change.
This is a musical revolution.
Copyright Jane
Musoke-Nteyafas ã2005
/Written Monday 15th August 2005 |
*
* * * *
Jane Musoke-Nteyafas,
poet/author/artist and playwright, was born in Moscow,
Russia and currently resides in Toronto, Canada. She is the
daughter of retired diplomats. By the time she was 19, she
spoke French, English, Spanish, Danish, Luganda, some
Russian and had lived in Russia, Uganda, France, Denmark,
Cuba and Canada. She won the Miss Africanada beauty pageant
2000 in Toronto where she was also named ‘one of the new
voices of Africa’ after reciting one of her poems. In 2004
she was published in T-Dot Griots-An Anthology of Toronto's
Black storytellers and in February 2005 her art piece
Namyenya was featured as the poster piece for the Human
Rights through Art-Black History Month Exhibit.
She is the recipient of
numerous awards for her poetry, art, and playwriting and is
becoming a household name in Toronto circles. She is a
columnist for Bahiyah Woman Magazine and is also a fellow
for the Crossing Borders-British Council Writers Programme. www.nteyafas.com
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 |
1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus
Created
By Charles C. Mann
I’m
a big fan of Charles Mann’s previous
book
1491:
New Revelations of the Americas Before
Columbus, in which he
provides a sweeping and provocative
examination of North and South America
prior to the arrival of Christopher
Columbus. It’s exhaustively researched
but so wonderfully written that it’s
anything but exhausting to read. With
his follow-up,
1493, Mann has taken it to a
new, truly global level. Building on the
groundbreaking work of Alfred Crosby
(author of
The Columbian Exchange and, I’m
proud to say, a fellow Nantucketer),
Mann has written nothing less than the
story of our world: how a planet of what
were once several autonomous continents
is quickly becoming a single,
“globalized” entity.
Mann not only talked to countless
scientists and researchers; he visited
the places he writes about, and as a
consequence, the book has a marvelously
wide-ranging yet personal feel as we
follow Mann from one far-flung corner of
the world to the next. And always, the
prose is masterful. In telling the
improbable story of how Spanish and
Chinese cultures collided in the
Philippines in the sixteenth century, he
takes us to the island of Mindoro whose
“southern coast consists of a number of
small bays, one next to another like
tooth marks in an apple.” We learn how
the spread of malaria, the potato,
tobacco, guano, rubber plants, and sugar
cane have disrupted and convulsed the
planet and will continue to do so until
we are finally living on one integrated
or at least close-to-integrated Earth.
Whether or not the human instigators of
all this remarkable change will survive
the process they helped to initiate more
than five hundred years ago remains,
Mann suggests in this monumental and
revelatory book, an open question. |
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|
The Warmth of Other Suns
The Epic Story of America's Great Migration
By Isabel Wilkerson
Ida Mae Brandon Gladney, a sharecropper's
wife, left Mississippi for Milwaukee in
1937, after her cousin was falsely accused
of stealing a white man's turkeys and was
almost beaten to death. In 1945, George
Swanson Starling, a citrus picker, fled
Florida for Harlem after learning of the
grove owners' plans to give him a "necktie
party" (a lynching). Robert Joseph Pershing
Foster made his trek from Louisiana to
California in 1953, embittered by "the
absurdity that he was doing surgery for the
United States Army and couldn't operate in
his own home town." Anchored to these three
stories is Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist
Wilkerson's magnificent, extensively
researched study of the "great migration,"
the exodus of six million black Southerners
out of the terror of Jim Crow to an
"uncertain existence" in the North and
Midwest. Wilkerson deftly incorporates
sociological and historical studies into the
novelistic narratives of Gladney, Starling,
and Pershing settling in new lands, building
anew, and often finding that they have not
left racism behind. The drama, poignancy,
and romance of a classic immigrant saga
pervade this book, hold the reader in its
grasp, and resonate long after the reading
is done. |
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ChickenBones Store
(Books, DVDs, Music, and more)
update
4 February 2012
|
