Jigga, Please: Hip Hop and the Mainstreaming of Self Hatred

I never thought I'd be one of those people who'd pontificate on the way things were or should be. In my youth I can recall shutting down upon being subjected to yet another "old person's" endless diatribe on "the way we were...or should be." Suddenly, without warning, I've become that "old person." Intolerant to useless noise, startled by the seemingly permissive vile that has become everyday speech, bewildered by an almost devoid sense of civility, lack of chivalry, and a complete apathy toward accountability. I suppose something happens or clicks with age; that somethings, no matter how old fashioned or routine, simply matter.

Indeed, many a time my attention would wane and drift during one of those lectures on yesteryear. Yet, somehow, some way when those tired musings addressed the journey from which I came, it mattered. Stories of freedom hard won, by ordinary people. Men, women, boys, and girls denied access to the liberty not merely promised them by the laws and statutes of men, but, afforded by God Himself. Stories of genius repressed (or stolen) and erased (or whitened) from the pages of history and civilizations they created. Stories of a people, who despite being the very genesis of humanity, were (and are) conditioned to hate themselves. All these things and so much more, ordained and justified via one word, Nigger.

This is not another pointless reprimand of Hip Hop. I refuse to join the myriad of voices, i.e. lazy journalists, opportunistic personalities, and dishonest intellectuals who have found it far too convenient to lay the ills of the day upon the back of a musical genre. The world is round and history merely rewinds. The rapper assesses correctly indeed, their craft is a reflection of the age. Take a musical journey into the past when the very names of musical genres we deem as sacred today, such as Jazz and Rock and Roll, were merely down home slangs for kinky sex. I assure you it doesn't end there. Even those holier than though classical melodies, be they art song or opera, were touched with a tinge of humanity. Such revelations do not excuse the Hip Hop artist, but, they most certainly reveal that the genre itself is not a lone assailant in reflecting or reveling in the abyss of our humanity.

However, in a perversely phenomenal way, Hip Hop distinguishes itself in this; the wickedly ingenious (and profitable) practice of propagating self hatred. No honest student of history, rather, no respecter of history, particularly their own, can with any hint of integrity, by any means validate the use of that vile and awful utterance, created for the sole purpose of one's humiliation. No reasoning whatsoever makes sense. I know, I've tried them. Like many African-Americans, I, too found a twisted and naive comfort in its usage. After all, it's about intentions, right? "It's like Soul Food. We took the scraps given to us by that cruel slave master and created cuisine." However, here in lies the dilemma in such logic; no matter how finely laid out, no matter how it may delight the palate, those scrumptious scraps, are still death on a plate; designed to disconnect you from your "Soul, Fool." One need only review the statistics of health that testify to the seemingly perpetual health crisis which overwhelmingly affects African American communities. So much like that tempting destruction at your dinner table, that word, no matter how you sanitize it, no matter the intent, was, is, and will always mean your dehumanization. As a former member of the notorious Bloods gang put it: "It's easier to rob a nigger, than it is to rob your brother."

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue..."* Hip Hop is reluctant to learn this timeless truth, despite all the death which has been made manifest from such careless utterances. No other people on planet earth do this to one another and if so, it is certainly not glamorized beyond their community. The celebration and justification of our wretchedness has become a world wide phenomenon, yet, ambassadors of modern day Hip Hop will have you believe its genre "has done more than any leader, politician, or anyone to improve race relations."+ Their reasoning: "It's hard to disparage a Black person when you and your kids are bopping to their music." What the "ambassadors" don't understand is that one needn't "disparage" us when you've done the work for them. One needn't take your cries of respect seriously when you've made it permissible to disrespect you. One needn't see your woman as anything honorable, when you yourself do not honor her.

I can imagine it's hard to recognize such truths amidst the mire of "Bling." Gone are the imposed chains which held us down during those dark and horrific nights of slavery. They've been replaced by a new and self imposed bondage, Bling. Shackles of materialism and self which disables one from possessing a hint of integrity as it relates to one's own work or people. The "shine" blinds you, while the concern for your "bottom line" hinders you. This is a "slavery" more vile and perverse than the first. At least during our captivity we had no choice. We were demeaned and humiliated against our own will. But, this new kind of self imposed slavery takes great cowardice. No one in their right mind should ever disavow the hard earned gains these artists have acquired for their work. As an artist myself, I am in awe of the business acumen of today's Hip Hop artist. I applaud any artist that manages to acquire and maintain a significant piece of the financial pie for which their labor is responsible for making. More power to them! May every artist be so fortunate. However, with such gains, comes great responsibility. We are in a brand new era. The days of the desperate Hip Hop artist who had to sell his soul to the highest bidder just to survive are long gone. In this day and age when artist are not merely artist, but, brands, surely we can do better. Surely we as an audience should demand better.

* Proverbs 18:21
+ Shawn "Jay Z" Carter Best Life Magazine (2009)




Copyright 2009 Johnathan L. Iverson Baptiste

The Evolution Will Be Painful: What the Conservative Fuss is All About

Vigilance is the soul of patriotism. I applaud honest debate over our government, even if I disagree. But, it must be honest. I've actually found myself trying to concede that there may actually be some legitimacy to the sudden wave of vitriolic dismay with our new administration. I've heard all the readily made Conservative replies: "Oh, don't be so hypocritical, there was the same disdain when Bush was in office...You had the same crack pots from the Left...Why must every critique of Obama be categorized as 'racist'...Come on, Rush Limbaugh is just an 'entertainer'?" It reminds me of Sarah Palin's emergence onto the national scene. As if on cue, Conservatives suddenly became proponents of feminism, before the former Alaska governor uttered a word. It's a classic and might I say a wickedly brilliant strategy; build a defense before the opposition mounts an offense of the obvious, thus, placing them on defense as the Left has become so pathetically accustomed to doing. And so it is within the first ten months of our 44th President's tenure. A sudden and resounding clarion call for "patriotism" has been decreed by the Republican leadership: Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Michelle Malkin, the Fox News Network, etc. And yes, they are the Republican leadership. Anytime elected officials within your own party, men and women whose actions and votes affect national policy, find the need to apologize to the likes of Rush Limbaugh, for daring to whisper a dissenting view, it is clear who the leaders of the Republican Party are. Michael Steele is nothing more than an impotent figure; and that's just how they like him. Perhaps he didn't receive the memo detailing his actual job description as the first African American chair of the RNC: "To act merely as the Black face for our agenda; and one whose very presence we may use to shield us from charges of racism should they arise." Brilliant!

Although there might very well be some legitimate concern and angst regarding the new Administration on the Conservative side of the aisle, let us not kid ourselves, the zeal that has driven this sudden "patriotism" is race. However, dare I say something even more offensive to the Conservative contingent is fueling the opposition toward the current Administration, Change. For sure the money changers (corporate interests and their congressional minions) are hardly motivated by race. They love business as usual and Change for them is a hideous aggravation. Therefore, they will jump on, take advantage of, and even fund whatever (no matter the motive) opposition to the present administration. The opposition to our 43rd President though extreme at times was crystal clear. To many he stole an election (both), our reasons for invading Iraq (WMD's) were thoroughly debunked, the federal government's unapologetic debacle of Hurricane Katrina was shameful, and under his watch our national economy nearly descended into the worst debt since the Depression. All this with vehement support from the likes of Beck, Limbaugh, Malkin and the entire Fox News regime. Not a single voice of dissent from the Right. Not a single decree to "take our country back!" After all "the Bush administration kept us safe for eight years." You know after they neglected to read vital reports warning us of a POTENTIAL ATTACK on 9/11. Not one Conservative voice! Not one call to march on Washington and tell congress what you think. Nothing! And I thought these people loved America. Therefore, one must ask the obvious. How is it that within only ten months we've seen more outrage and massive demonstrations than at any point during the eight year tenure of the last Administration?

Conservative -disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones and limit change.* MY BAD! It's been staring me in the face. Conservatives are resistant to, Change. You know, the natural order of things. Evolution if you will. Now don't get me wrong, all Change is not good and I dare not suggest that we all should move in blind and unscrutinized step with every decision made by our current Administration. That would be unpatriotic. However, we've been here numerous times before; and I do not doubt that like in times past, things will get worse before they get better, violently worse. Ron Regan articulated it perfectly, "they fear the future;" and none other than Bill O'Reilly made it clear what that "fear" is exactly, "the white male 'Christian' power structure is in danger." So, let us not kid ourselves, November 4, 2008 shocked many Americans into the reality that their country like it or not, with or without them is evolving. To many it was and is a day of limitless possibility. To others it was and is a day of infamy. A day the Right so viciously and shamelessly fought and continue to fight against. As with all Change, there are growing pains. Those pains are vividly evident in the surge of hate crimes and the prominent reemergence of Hate Groups, among them this nation's greatest domestic terrorist network, the Klu Klux Klan. It is ridiculously evident in the Republican Party's (and even some rogue Democrats') opposition to any and everything, including Healthcare Reform which the President and his Administration might propose; even to the detriment of their own constituents. Instead of accepting and growing with the will of the people, they are sworn to serve, they would much rather burn down the house to spite us all.

The 1960's are a grim reminder of how severe these growing pains can get. This outrage is certainly not new, but, we needn't continue the nonsensical diatribe that the creation of the Tea Parties, the Birthers, and the 9/12ers have anything whatsoever to do with dissatisfaction over national policy or even a dismay with Congress. They were never worried about the national debt or our national security, because they would have never elected the 43rd President for a second term. They're not fearing Socialism for the simple fact that many among their ranks haven't the faintest clue of what Socialism is. Furthermore, if such fear were actually sincere grandma would have abandoned her Medicaid and Social Security years ago. They're not fearing Big Brother, they've got Myspace and Facebook. Indeed, Gay is not the new Black, but, Socialist, Marxist, Communist, Nazi and all the other "big words" they've learned from Glen Beck and company, have certainly become the new, Nigger. They are trying, though in vain, to hold fast to America as they knew it, no matter how detrimental it has been to their fellow citizens and even themselves. It's what's familiar; and the very image of an African American holding the reigns of power in the greatest Western nation the world has ever known, is a clear and resonant symbol of that impending Change.

Of course, Conservative leaning authors like Frank Luntze would have you believe that these "Concerned" Americans are just fed up with business as usual. They are not. They were pleasantly asleep while it was going on. Don't take my word for it they said it themselves, "this [current] administration has awakened the sleeping giant." They're bemoaning the fact that America as they knew it, the one, that no matter what horrors around the world its government indulged in, no matter what great injustices their fellow citizens had to endure or how many of their own rights were violated, as long as the idea of their idyllic existence was left unfettered, America as they knew it was perfect. Hence, the cries to "take our country back!" They have always feared this Change; and as we have seen in days past, repeatedly and almost instinctively have reacted violently towards it. From the Civil War to the turbulent 1960's, the high price of Change has almost always been met with vile vitriol and blood. I hope that in this instance, that this time around I will be absolutely wrong. But, when have people ever heeded the lessons of the past?

*Random House Webster's College Dictionary

Copyright 2009 Johnathan L. Iverson-Baptiste