Responsibility?

A subculture, by definition, is a group of people with a culture that differentiates them from the larger culture or the ‘mainstream’.  As a result, subcultures will inevitably offend people and be criticized by the mass.  Hip Hop is no exception.  Hip Hop culture has long been associated with sex, drugs, violence, gang mentality and other illegal behaviour.  In this post I do not plan to debate whether Hip Hop is a bad influence because there is a case for both arguments.  Hip Hop music can vary from the intelligent, socially aware music, like the work of Common or Dead Prez, to the more vulgar gangsta rap which glorifies ‘thugery’ and violence.  Instead, I will question who is responsible for the content and themes of Hip Hop music.

 

The Hip Hop movement is no longer just a subculture existing in the streets of New York.  It has evolved into a multi-million dollar global industry.  As discussed in the attached episode of Hip Hop in Review, “People have to understand it’s a business, and it’s treated like a business, but it didn’t originate as a business.  Hip Hop originated as an expression, a way to get out from under the oppression, and be able to express what people were really feeling during certain periods of time in our history” (Mahdi Fard Muhummad).  As such, the intentions of many parties in the Hip Hop industry have changed from creating art to making money.  This poses a critical question: Should artists, producers and record labels take more responsibility for the content and themes of Hip Hop music?

 

In a perfect world the answer would be yes.  However, Hip Hop music is not set in the perfect world.  Quite the opposite.  A major theme of Hip Hop music is either overcoming personal battles (like poverty or drug addictions) or the plight of an oppressed population (like ‘blacks’ in America).  If Hip Hop music is to be a true form of expression, artists should be able to tell their stories uncensored.  As T.I. states in the attached video, “The things that I say come from the life that I used to live.  And this is the harsh reality that most of you were fortunate enough to have not dealt with”.  Listeners need to take this into consideration when comprehending Hip Hop music.  They also need to understand that the lifestyle portrayed in many Hip Hop songs and film clips is merely a fantasy. 

 

Critics of Hip Hop would argue that not everyone has the cognitive ability to separate reality and fantasy.  Particularly children, who are most vulnerable to the influence of popular media.  As discussed in both videos featured in this post, it becomes the role of parents and mentors to educate children.  Creating greater awareness of the subculture and dispelling myths about the genre will minimize misinterpretations of Hip Hop music.

 

The second point made by Mahdi Fard Muhummad is that Hip Hop is a business.  However, many of the players in the Hip Hop industry have not had any experience or training in business.  As a result, they do whatever they can to get ahead of the game.  As D. Solo puts it, “They do business like they deal dope”.  Many Hip Hop artists are not concerned with long-term consequences of their music.  At the end of the day, they just want to sell records.  And at the moment, there is a demand for ‘snap’ music, which fuels the Hip Hop fantasy – money, bling, drugs, women etc. 

 

There are artist in the Hip Hop community who produce responsible music.  However, the darker side of Hip Hop is a reality and will always be intertwined with the genre.  Ideally, artist, producers and record labels should take more accountability for their actions and think how Hip Hop is being portrayed to the public.  But the key is to educate the public so that clear distinctions are made between real Hip Hop culture and the Hip Hop fantasy.