Hip Hop, White Supremacy and Capitalism

http://blackagendareport.com/?q=content/corporate-hip-hop-white-supremacy-and-capitalism

Tue, 09/15/2009
Huge media corporations literally bought up Hip Hop in the early to mid-1990s, imposing “cookie cutter themes of senseless violence, excessive materialism, and misogyny.” Progressive voices in rap were silenced. The clear message was, “the minute you dare try to step outside of the 'box' and attack their power structure, you will be omitted.”
Corporate Hip Hop, White Supremacy and Capitalism
by Solomon Comissiong

“I won't believe the hype I understand the Media dictates The mind and rotates The way you think And syncopates slow pace… Brains Can't maintain A certain Insipid inane crass rain. Insane lame Traditions All praise fame Positions Want to be a star. Drive a big car. Live bourgeois…And won't know who you are. Lost in the source And praising the dollar” - Kool Moe Dee (1989)

It is undeniable that hip hop culture is one of the most powerful marketing tools America has seen in quite sometime. Had hip hop been around during the earlier part of the 20th century the unscrupulous public relations pioneer, Edward Bernays, would have probably also used it to promote the smoking of Viceroy Cigarettes to women. Various aspects of hip hop culture, mainly rap music, generate billions of dollars. However, who is generating this wealth, where is it going and at what cost?

“Their unfettered corporate feeding frenzy was similar to that of the European conquest of lands inhabited by people of color.”

Hip hop culture (rapping, djing, graffiti art, and breaking, etc.) was unequivocally created by youth of color in the Bronx during the early 1970s. Even though the origins of hip hop are entrenched in black and Latino communities throughout New York City it is currently pimped/used by large white owned corporations (media, record labels, etc.) to create astronomical bottom lines, reinforce capitalistic ideals, and adversely mass program black and brown youth. Hip hop has been co-opted, from the black community, by the white corporate establishment in much the same manner as was rock-n-roll (originally called rhythm and blues). Everyone from Allan Freed to Pat Boone cashed in on the original works of black artists, many of whom died penniless. However, where the corporate establishment left off when it came to thievery of rock-n-roll they picked up with hip hop. Once white corporations recognized the multi-billion dollar earning potential of rap music, the mass commercialization of hip hop began. They bought out everything from record labels to urban radio stations. Their unfettered corporate feeding frenzy was similar to that of the European conquest of lands inhabited by people of color.

RAP (rhythm and poetry) music has provided corporate radio stations and record labels, alike, with gigantic revenues almost beyond their wildest capitalistic wet dreams. The corporate takeover and commoditization of hip hop began to grow exponentially in the early to mid 1990s. The more money they made the less diversified rap music became on the radio and television airwaves. Balance on the mainstream airwaves rapidly became a thing of the past. Before corporate usurpation of rap music record labels, and subsequently airwaves, the fledging genre (RAP) was the embodiment of resistance for many.

During the late 1980s and early 1990s rap music provided many black and Latino youth, including myself, with countless hours of culturally edifying and politically oriented music. If I was not learning how to “Fight the Power” I was proudly sporting my leather African medallion and rocking the map of Alkebulan (Africa) shaved in the back of my head.

“The more money they made the less diversified rap music became.”

These behaviorisms, however, did not emerge out of thin air; I was actually mimicking my favorite rappers. Witnessing lyrically gifted brothers and sisters embrace their Africanness on album covers and in music videos, I could not avoid doing the same. Whether it was Queen Latifah standing proudly in front of the image of Africa on the cover of her album “All Hail the Queen” or watching Chuck D wear his African medallion in the “Fight the Power” video, I was profoundly influenced. With each lyric the stronger and more confident I grew as a young black man. My desire to learn more about my African ancestry as well as to become more involved in social issues affecting people of color deepened by the day. And beyond all that, I developed critical thinking skills that I carry with me to this day. I, however, was far from a novelty. This transformation was occurring within the psyches of black and brown youth throughout America. This was the power of “Golden Era” Hip Hop.

Despite the vastly racist and white supremacist personality of America, black and Latino youth continued to psychologically resist. Even as a youth I knew very well the root causes of many social maladies within the black community. Those causes were inextricably linked to the racist culture of America and its plutocratic government. My favorite rappers “spoke truth to power.” Guru, of the iconic rap group Gangstarr, was right on point in 1992 when he said:

”You can't tell me life was meant to be like this
a black man in a world dominated by whiteness
Ever since the declaration of independence
we've been easily brainwashed by just one sentence
It goes: all men are created equal
that's why corrupt governments kill innocent people
With chemical warfare they created crack and AIDS
got the public thinking these were things that black folks made
And every time there's violence shown in the media
usually it's a black thing so where are they leading ya…
To a world full of ignorance, hatred, and prejudice
TV and the news for years they have fed you this foolish notion that blacks are all criminals violent, low lifes, and then even animals
I'm telling the truth so some suckers are fearing me
but I must do my part to combat the conspiracy”
- “Conspiracy,” Gangstarr

Disenfranchised youth could never expect to get that type of critical analysis from the US corporate media, then or today. Rap music was unequivocally our social, news, and educational medium. American classrooms, as they are today, were filled with racist, biased, and factually inaccurate white supremacist propaganda. Hip Hop music filled in the gaps, exposed the lies, and opened the doors to inquiry that American public education never did. All of the aforementioned aspects of “Golden Era” Hip Hop music are among the reasons why the white establishment had to co-opt Rap. White corporate America very well knew the power and potential of rap music to galvanize, mobilize, and organize youth of color from stolen coast to stolen coast. This is precisely why they had to take it over.

“Hip Hop music filled in the gaps, exposed the lies, and opened the doors to inquiry.”

By methodically buying out rap record labels, the corporate majors were able to silence progressive voices, all the while promoting rappers who would embody an image of black people that corporations felt more comfortable with. As odd as it may sound, the white establishment feels much safer with the image of a black man toting a gun with his pants sagging as opposed to the image of a black man, or woman, intrepidly bucking the system via their lyrics. The resistant black youth represents a direct threat to white establishment power. This is why, by the mid to late 1990s, mainstream rap music had been overtaken by a dull sameness. Then, as now, cookie cutter themes prevailed in corporate rap music, themes of senseless violence, excessive materialism, and misogyny.

Corporations pretend to avoid “controversial” topics and themes. Yet, when it comes to songs featuring black men degrading black women, that is never too controversial. And when it comes to black men rapping about senseless violence directed towards other black men, that is never too controversial or too political. However, if a black rapper, of either gender, addresses the plague of police brutality then the artist is summarily “white-listed” as too “controversial” and prevented from ever seeing the light of day on any mainstream outlet. The clear message they are sending is that if you are black and willing to rap about what they want you to rap about you will be dully rewarded, however the minute you dare try to step outside of the “box” and attack their power structure, you will be omitted.

“If a black rapper addresses the plague of police brutality then the artist is summarily 'white-listed.'”

It is as if the days of the “Minstrel Show” have returned. Those rappers who are most willing to step into the corporate supported stereotypical costumes (lyrically and physically) are the ones who will receive the record deals and unfettered airtime. The utter lack of thematic diversity in mainstream rap music has given black and brown youth a false impression of what options actually exist in the genre. Viacom and Clear Channel want black youth to embrace self-destructive imagery, while the corporations reap the windfall of purloined, mangled culture. After all, that is how America built its empire, on the backs of stolen Africans and stolen lands.

It is not beyond black people’s ability to control their own media outlets at every level, from music to news to entertainment. It is well within our limitless ability to organize, mobilize and establish our own mediums. Such an initiative is needed now more than ever. Until then, as Chuck D, Ice Cube and Big Daddy Kane said, “Burn Hollywood Burn.”

Solomon Comissiong is an educator, community activist, author, public speaker and the host of the Your World News radio program (www.blogtalkradio.com/Your-World-News). He may be reached at: sunderland77@hotmail.com.

Why Does The Michael Vick Case Hurt Hip-Hop?

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1567399/20070817/id_0.jhtml

Aug 20 2007
Why Does The Michael Vick Case Hurt Hip-Hop?
Genre's glamorization of dogfights and pit bulls has led critics to associate it with blood sport.
By Michelle Rabinowitz, with additional reporting by Nick Neofitidis and Jayson Rodriguez

The Michael Vick dogfighting case has created many victims. First, you have the alleged victims: the dogs. There are also the Atlanta Falcons, who are out a quarterback. And there's hip-hop. Yes, hip-hop.

Vick's indictment on federal charges related to a dogfighting ring allegedly run on his Virginia property — to which he agreed to plead guilty on Monday (August 20) — has brought the brutal blood sport into the public consciousness. And hip-hop is one of the only outlets in America where you'll find references to it. Dogfighting's presence in videos and lyrics led to critical newspaper editorials and columns, along with on-air berating from Fox News personality Bill O'Reilly.

All of them addressed the same explicit examples: The scene in Jay-Z's "99 Problems" video where everyone is getting ready for a big dogfight just as Jigga goes down, DMX's album Grand Champ (which is the title given to a dog that wins five matches without a loss), and DVDs of dogfights sold alongside mixtapes in some parts of the country.

There was also a lot of grumbling about the less blatant examples: Pit bulls seem to be the breed of choice among rappers, appearing on many album covers and in numerous videos — without direct references to fighting, but nearly always looking threatening. Rappers and video directors seem to love playing up the same features that make the breed so popular with dogfighters.

"That pit bull, it's a statement dog — it's that beast dog that you have to have," said Bow Wow, whose first video, "Bounce With Me," featured the then-12-year-old morphing from a running pit bull. "Those are the go-get-'em dogs that are really going to protect you and get down. When they bite you and lock their jaws, there is no escaping that."

Despite the glamorization of pits in videos and magazines, most of the imagery doesn't actually show them fighting — and it's worth noting that voices inside hip-hop have been critical of Vick. Russell Simmons was one of the first public figures to call on Nike to pull Vick sneakers. Producer Just Blaze posted a scathing criticism of the quarterback on his blog, citing his love for his own dog as justification for his suggestion of throwing Vick "in a pool and [letting him] play catch with a few hair dryers."

The sport has a long history in this country. Dogfighting has been documented in the U.S. as far back as the 1750s, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or ASPCA. It grew in popularity after the Civil War, leading to many states banning professional matches and passing anti-cruelty laws. For many years, dogfighting remained most popular in parts of the rural South, especially North Carolina and Louisiana. In recent decades, however, it's moved into urban and suburban areas all over the country.

Dogfighters, also known as "dogmen," often breed their own animals and favor traits like aggression and a strong jaw. Dogs are raised to be fighters from the time they are puppies. They are conditioned like athletes: There are dog treadmills, swimming workouts and strength-building regimens that often include hanging dogs by the neck. They are often trained to fight by sparring with "bait animals" — which can be other dogs, cats or smalls animals — to test their fighting prowess. If a dog has potential as a fighter, its ears and tail are often cut off.

"[One reason] they do that is so the dogs don't get grabbed by the other dog and cause harm and injury," said ASPCA Senior Vice President Gail Buchwald. "But really, they are doing it to mask certain forms of body signals that dogs will use to signal one another to say, 'Here is my white flag of peace — I submit, the fight is over.' "

The fights themselves are high-stakes gambling operations with purses sometimes totaling upward of $100,000. In some communities, the high-rolling fight attendees resemble crowds at a prize fight.

"One of the reasons it has been difficult to investigate and eradicate the dogfighting rings is that they are so well-attended by citizens of influence," Buchwald said. "So we do have attorneys and doctors and judges and lawyers attending dogfights."

The fights can last for hours and are often fought "to the death." Even dogs that don't die in the ring are often victims of the sport: Animals that don't live up to owners' expectations are sometimes killed by other methods, including electrocution, drowning and shooting.

While she acknowledges the glamorization factor, Buchwald said hip-hop doesn't bear much responsibility for the popularity of dogfighting.

"We don't feel as though it is actually adding fuel to the fire and proliferating the dogfighting itself," she said. The real problem, she said, is that the glamorization of pit bulls has led to there being too many of them.

"We are finding that too many people are attracted to the machismo — this image of this macho breed that is strong and dominant," she said. "People acquire these dogs, and these dogs are not easily trained or managed. They are very high-energy and typically they end up in streets and in shelters because they are acquired for the purpose of an image."

While the ASPCA estimates around 10,000 dogs are involved in dogfighting every year, many more pit bulls end up on the street and in shelters — or worse.

Pits are the number-one breed of dog euthanized — put to death — every year in the U.S.