Re: Hip-hop intellectuals

Date: 21 Jul 2003 11:41:08 -0700
Newsgroups: rec.music.hip-hop
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I could not help but respond to the comment that there is no hip-hop
subculture.
I can't speak for the rest of the world, but in New York a subculture
centered on hip-hop is very much alive. This community does not
recognize Nelly and other wannabe hip-hop artists as part of their
community. Nelly, and artists like him, are pop stars that feed off
the market we created.
Hip-hop culture is composed of 4 artistic elements; mc'ing (or
rapping), dj'ing, break dancing and graffiti. (Plus the newly added
5th element of knowledge, which means "hip-hop intellectuals" do
actually exist somewhere, I suppose.) This group of artists is what
our community is composed of and you can trust that there are
sufficient numbers to make our community a strong one.
In addition, the fact that our community is made up of so many
different cultural backgrounds is exactly what makes us what we are.
Our diverse backgrounds don't eliminate us from being a subculture any
more than the diverse backgrounds of U.S. citizens keep America from
being a country. If that was the case, you could just classify all of
us as living in an English colony.
Aside from that, the bulk of our hip-hop community is made up of
proactive members and we fight for what we believe in (I would say
more aggressively than the average member of society). In saying
that, most of us do vote, myself included, because we don't like the
way things are done and feel it is our responsibility to be part of
the solution.
There is a fine line between people that listen to hip-hop and people
that live hip-hop. If you have any doubts that the community I
described exists, go to some hip-hop events. (I don't mean the
commercial feeding frenzies sponsored by your local radio station.)
This week is the Rock Steady Crew's 26th Anniversary and there are
events each night this week (rocksteadycrew.com) that will be packed
with members of our community. Visit scratch.com and see their work
with 'truth' (the anti-smoking campaign), or go see an ITF or DMC
battle (hip-hop.com or dmcworld.com), or order a great book at
hiphopimmortals.com with some awesome photography of hip-hop artists,
or go to www.homegrownmedia.net, a group of independent hip-hop
artists that won't succumb to commercial influences.
If you're still in doubt, I really don't care. It's just amusing to
me how many people, like my 'good friend' Bill O'Reilly, don't realize
the force behind the music we make. I can argue these points until
I'm blue in the face, but non-belief is like alcoholism, you can't and
won't change until you see for yourself; and some people never do.
Long live the Art and Peas...
Homegrown a.k.a Bill Green a.k.a The Site Seer