{"id":586691,"date":"2023-08-12T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-12T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/hip-hop-hits-50-as-powerful-tool-for-black-americans\/"},"modified":"2023-08-12T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-08-12T10:00:00","slug":"hip-hop-hits-50-as-powerful-tool-for-black-americans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/hip-hop-hits-50-as-powerful-tool-for-black-americans\/","title":{"rendered":"#Hip hop hits 50 as powerful tool for Black Americans"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/hiphop50_08012023getty.jpg?w=900\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Fifty years after it was created in New York City\u2019s Bronx borough, hip hop is a multi-billion dollar industry that doubles as a powerful political tool for Black Americans.<\/p>\n<p>The music for a half-century has highlighted the experiences that Black, Brown and poor people face in America, and has operated as a breaking <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> service of sorts \u2014 often ahead of the rest of the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a> \u2014 in drawing attention to injustice and police brutality.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>It\u2019s also become a global phenomenon, which Harvey Mason Jr., the CEO of the Recording Academy, says is because it is an art form that can be understood globally.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHip hop has absolutely put a voice to a lot of issues that many groups of people have had. It\u2019s been everything from a political tool, a power that can make people pay attention. It\u2019s been a lesson, history teacher, has been a future prognosticator, it\u2019s been an outlet, a way for people to fantasize and imagine or aspire to things. It\u2019s been so many things to so many people,\u201d Mason told The Hill.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of different communities, constituencies that can listen to it and find some commonality, the humanity of it, and the shared human experience of hip hop music goes across borders, it goes across socioeconomic fences, it goes to people that might not be living in the same community where the music is coming from, but there\u2019s something about it that resonates.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Hip hop is unique in that there is no one specific way to create its music. It can incorporate hard beats, rapid-fire lyrics, DJs spinning on turntables, sampling and so much more; even breakdancing and visual art is part of the genre.<\/p>\n<p>DJ Kool Herc, a Jamaican immigrant, is credited as the founding father of hip hop.<\/p>\n<p>In 1973, he and his sister hosted the \u201cBack to School Jam,\u201d and Herc began spinning the same record on twin turntables, toggling between them to isolate and extend percussion breaks.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>The importance of the genre is, for many, embedded in the artists themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), hip hop filled a gap in his life from the time he was a young boy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHip hop is my life. It\u2019s literally an art form and culture that raised me ever since I was about seven or eight years old,\u201d Bowman told The Hill. \u201cI didn\u2019t grow up with a father, so many of the artists were like father figures to me, and really gave me the intellectual, social and political blueprint that I lived by as a kid growing up and and I live by now as a member of Congress. It\u2019s been everything. It\u2019s the father I never had, pretty much.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Revolt CEO Detavio Samuels referred to hip hop as the anchor to his life, telling The Hill that he listened growing up in Colorado to Tupac Shakur, DMX, Wu-Tang Clan and Jay-Z before dabbling in rap himself and releasing his own album.<\/p>\n<p>Revolt is a media company founded by hip hop mogul Sean \u201cP. Diddy\u201d Combs.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know, I\u2019m a child of the 80s and 90s and so as hip hop is going from what people think is going to be a fad to the globalization of this incredible cultural phenomenon, like that\u2019s my childhood,\u201d Samuels said. \u201cAnd so hip hop was the soundtrack to my life, it impacted everything that I do from the music I listen to, to the clothes that I wear, to the words that I use to how articulate and communicate hip hop has been core to my beings since I was probably like, seven years old.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr4_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Bowman said he often thinks of one of the first hip hop songs \u2014 \u201cThe Message\u201d by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five \u2014 for what it was telling American about itself.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s really important to discuss hip hop not just as an art form \u2014 which in and of itself is incredibly powerful \u2014 but as a political force. It has always been,\u201d said Bowman.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Message\u201d chronicled what life was like in the New York neighborhoods where the group grew up and lived.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr5_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cBroken glass everywhere, people pissin\u2019 on the stairs, you know they just don\u2019t care. I can\u2019t take the smell, can\u2019t take the noise. Got no money to move out, I guess I got no choice,\u201d\u00a0the artist raps.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The song\u2019s lasts line \u2014 a child is born with no state of mind, blind to the ways of mankind \u2014 is now in the Library of Congress.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was born from neglect and marginalization and policy that defunded public education within redlining communities that were also devalued,\u201d Bowman said. \u201cIt was born within a political context, so in that context, it has to be viewed and discussed and understood through a political lens.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr6_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Hip hop has been controversial since its inception, with many often criticizing its lyrics as overtly sexual, violent or misogynistic.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRap is targeted because it\u2019s rap and because it\u2019s people of color, men of color, but it\u2019s also targeted because that\u2019s also a genre that is probably the most popular genre in the world,\u201d said Bowman. \u201cAnd there\u2019s power in that, and not just financial power and economic power, but also political power, and that\u2019s another reason why that target remains on the backs of r<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Artists such as Young Thug, Gunna and the Young Stoner Life (YSL) crew have had their lyrics used against them in a court of law when they were hit with RICO charges.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr7_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>But this infringes upon artists\u2019 First Amendment rights, advocates say \u2014 and there\u2019s also a bias that\u2019s cropping up in whose lyrics are being used.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe know there\u2019s this inherent bias around Black music, and hip hop artists specifically,\u201d Mason said. \u201cSo the idea that they would be using those types of lyrics or that type of a bias to prejudicially potentially incarcerate or accuse someone of a crime based on using their art form, as evidence is just unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bowman added that other genres of music can also have dark and even violent undertones, but the bias around rap artists rests in the bias around Black communities in <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause of our historic discrimination and bias and racism towards Black people, what we know, is structurally, prosecutors and juries view rap lyrics more as commentary, as documentation, of what that particular artists has done,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>The recording academy has been working with rap artists to protect them. Bowman and Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) earlier this year reintroduced the\u00a0Restoring Artistic Protection Act, or the RAP Act.<\/p>\n<p>The legislation would limit the use of evidence of an artist\u2019s creative or artistic expression against them in court. When the bill was reintroduced, Bowman and Johnson were joined by the Black Music Action Coalition, the Recording Academy, the Black Music Collective and SAG-AFTRA.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>More broadly, the wider music industry is taking care to honor hip hop\u2019s 50<sup>th<\/sup> anniversary.<\/p>\n<p>The recording academy this year closed the Grammy\u2019s with a 12-minute homage to rap, with artists like<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.grammy.com\/news\/grandmaster-flash-to-deliver-special-message-on-grammy-nominee-special\">\u00a0Grandmaster Flash<\/a>,\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.grammy.com\/artists\/run-dmc\/8333\">Run DMC<\/a>,\u00a0\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.grammy.com\/artists\/flavor-flav\/2549\">Flavor Flav<\/a>,\u00a0\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.grammy.com\/artists\/Ice-T\/14192\">Ice-T<\/a>, and\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.grammy.com\/artists\/jay-z\/9815\">Jay-Z<\/a>.\u00a0For years, such artists did not get primetime play with the Grammys. Grandmaster Flash is also now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n<p>More celebrations will take place throughout the year, Mason said, including a two-hour special.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe haven\u2019t always done everything exactly right around the genre, and I\u2019m pretty sure we\u2019ll make other mistakes and I\u2019m going to try not to,\u201d he added. \u201cWe are very aware of the importance of hip hop and the community around that genre of music and how influential they are, how important they are and how we have to accurately honor and represent them going forward. So it\u2019s going to be this year, but it\u2019s also going to continue on into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bowman said the Congressional Black Caucus\u2019s annual legislative conference will have a variety of parties recognizing the 50th anniversary of hip hop, along with panel discussions about how the culture is leaning into building political power.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Bowman is also in the process of creating the first Congressional Hip Hop Caucus as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s really important to discuss hip hop not just as an art form \u2014 which in and of itself is incredibly powerful \u2014 but as a political force. It has always bee. It was born from neglect and marginalization and policy that defunded public education within redlining communities that were also devalued. It was born within a political context, so in that context, it has to be viewed and discussed and understood through a political lens.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Olafimihan Oshin contributed to this article<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more News articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/race-politics\/4147930-hip-hop-hits-50-as-powerful-tool-for-black-americans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fifty years after it was created in New York City\u2019s Bronx borough, hip hop is a multi-billion dollar industry that doubles as a powerful political tool for Black Americans. The music for a half-century has highlighted the experiences that Black, Brown and poor people face in America, and has operated as a breaking news service&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":586692,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/hiphop50_08012023getty.jpg?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[134417,134343,134661,145003,70532,137666,4953,115,143551,145004],"class_list":["post-586691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-blog-briefing-room","tag-campaign","tag-energy-environment","tag-harvey-mason-jr","tag-hip-hop","tag-jamaal-bowman","tag-new-york-city","tag-news","tag-race-politics","tag-the-recording-academy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=586691"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586691\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/586692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=586691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=586691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=586691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}