It has been told to me by the writer of this blog that my view towards life and towards America is somewhat Conspiratorial and skeptical. An outlook that shows its ugly head most frequently when there is an article or book that explains the hidden side of things. This "epiphany" that was told to me is shared not by one person but many others. The ironic part about this earnest and candid opinion delivered to me by a very keen and astute observer was not the opinion itself but how the mind boggling preciseness that is the Universe orchestrated myself coming in contact with the next book I was going to read. A book that would instantly challenge my view towards life but primarily one aspect of life. HIP HOP.
The book at hand is the same as the title of the current post of this blog(hip hop America). From the very beginning of the hip hop America the author(Nelson George) does a wonderful job in providing the reader with a very accurate chronology that is the history of Hip Hip culture. The time line serves as an insightful train ride and sometimes train wreck of an art form that is arguably the most dominant and impacting art of the 20th and dare I say it the 21st century. The book explains very thoroughly how hip hop came to be from its post war(WW II), civil rights and revolutionary 50' and 60's to the blaxploitation and disco 70's even further to the Reagan/conservative infested crack dominating 80's all the way to the technologically enhanced 90's. It is no question that the only parents that can possibly give birth to the RAP/HIP CULTURE was DESTINY AND NECESSITY. It would make you think that such a culture had to exist in order to make humanity across the globe reevaluate its relationship between different ethnic groups.
This book touched on virtually every aspect of American and some times non-American culture and lifestyle that has created, influenced and most times infiltrated the Hip Hop experience. Although this book is an excellent read for those people that have found themselves distance from what some call quite flatly "RAP" or live in a totally different UNIVERSE where the deny the ubiquitous of this dominant culture, I must caution all those that have not read this book. THIS BOOK MAY IRRITATE THE CRITICAL AND MOST PASSIONATE HIP HOPPER. If you live and breathe this culture and pride yourself on knowing the ins and outs of all that is Hip Hop Nelson George may piss you off by his blatantly mainstream approach to the portrait of the Hip Hop picture. Reading this book you may at times get the feeling that Hip Hop is not what it is and what it will be in its purest form and sadly to admit its not so purist form. HIP HOP IN ALL WAYS OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION IS AN ART FORM CREATED BY YOUNG BLACK MALES. However, after reading various pages of this book you may begin to feel that hip hop would not be a huge success let alone still be extremely relevant had it not been for every other ethnicity especially Caucasians and Jewish people. This excerpt from the book in the chapter "black owned" would further illustrate my point:
In 1989 Public Enemy was widely accused of anti-Semitism because of public sentiments given by its Minister of Information Professor Griff(William Griffen). This flap, which generated plenty of handwringing and column inches in the music press, resulted in Griff's removal from the group. Later lyrics in one of the band's greatest records, "Welcome to the Terrordome" on the 1990 Fear of a Black Planet, were interpreted to be anti-Semitic--generating much morning talk show fodder. The great irony of these two infamous is-Public-Enemy-anti-Semitic controversies was how many Jews were working for and with the band at the time. Public Enemy were signed to Def Jam by the Jewish Rick Rubin. Their tours were organized by the Jewish Lyor Cohen at Rushy Management in conjunction with agent Cara Lewis. Much of their spin doctoring at the time was done by the Jewish Bill Adler at Rush Management. And Chuck D and Hank Schocklee were partners in Rhythm Method Productions with two Jews, Ed Chalpin and Ron Skuller. If P.E. hated Jews, then they must have been applying the gangster ethos: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."
What was most disappointing about this book was that the author in my opinion made it his duty to go out of his way to point out the "oh so wonderful contributions" that Caucasians have injected into the beauty that is hip hop. After a while at various moments throughout the book you get the feeling that in its growth hip hop was and is a 50/50 partnership between its FOUNDERS YOUNG BLACK MEN and everyone else not in that category. Well as a black male let me SCREAM IT OUT LOUD the creation of HIP HOP IS NO PARTNERSHIP. Its success is primarily due to the natural rhythms that are exemplified with African-Americans. Its rise, dominance and penetration to almost every facet of American and global social interdependence is due first and foremost to African-Americans(largely Black males) uncanny and amazing ability to adapt and create in the midst of ever changing oppression and a relentless search for self-identity and countless voices desperately waiting to be heard. And any relationship and/or success that is placed upon hip hop by non-African Americans is due to the fact that African-Americans control and influence globally especially in the U.S. is miniscule and in order to express themselves and gain a certain level of identity and freedom there has to be a certain level of dependency(which some might see as help) on others which may or may not be welcomed if there was an alternative.
