The coming wave of Post Hip Hop -Trust Me, You’re Ready!
By: Kyva Holman
Mar. 17‚ 2006
Kyva Holman is the co-founder of the hip-hop group, the Subterraneanz. In the wake of the controversy surrounding rapper Kanye West on the Katrina flood, and the ever evolving role of hip-hop and rap in our society, he offers this editorial on the state of post-modern hip hop. - E. “Doc” Smith.
In 1994, the rapper Common released a song called “I Used to Love HER”- a diatribe against the “gangsta” ethos which had hijacked Hip Hop culture. At the time, he spoke for a small but passionate subset of the community, myself included. The question was very clear: should Rap music be primarily negative or positive? The song hit a raw nerve and touched off a controversy which has never really ended.
In the 12 years since, things have become much worse. Gratuitous, violent death, mindless consumption and brutal misogyny are the genre’s stock in trade. Beefs on CD, radio and print media spill into the streets as a matter of course. People die with alarming regularity. The masses watch, fascinated, and await the next catastrophe.
Rap music is more popular than ever, raking in billions annually and spawning odd and fascinating local imitations in every corner of the globe. And yet in the US- amongst the very youth the culture is supposed to represent- there has recently been a major change in attitude:
“Hip Hop doesn’t speak to or for me”
..anonymous 19 year old
Rap is alienating a great portion of its intended audience. Some people will tell you that real Hip Hop died many years ago. At the same time, corporate interests feed off the music’s popularity. Ghetto dysfunction is exploited both by commercial rappers and the multinationals that distribute their product. Rap music, as a driving force of popular culture, can’t help but reflect the ills of the broader society. But is it really nothing more than a gigantic, bloody minstrel show?
As an African American thirty-something, I defined myself through the prism of Hip Hop and found a place in the world as a result of Hip Hop. And you know what? I miss Hip Hop. I grieve for my shattered community. I can’t be the only one who longs for the return of conscious, positive vibes, and is willing to embrace the progressive social changes of our time. I’ve had to will myself to believe: someday the pendulum is going to swing in the other direction.
That day is at hand. Consider the words of Riggs Morales, head of A&R for the new Eminem imprint, Shady Records:
”Hip-hop’s demographic is growing more and more. It’s beyond just the ballers and the drug dealers; now you have 9-to-5 working class people who need to be catered to. What you need are artists who can represent those people”.
A month ago, the San Francisco Chronicle published an article by M.K. Asante Jr., heralding the arrival of “Post Hip Hop”:
“The term “post hip-hop” describes a period of time — now — of great transition for a new generation of black youths in search of a deeper understanding of themselves in a context outside of the hip-hop monopoly”.
This does not mean, as Asante points out, the death of Hip Hop as we know it. There’s crump dancing in Compton, the Bay Area’s “Hyphy” movement, and slam poetry is everywhere. Post Hip Hop will re-energize the vibe of A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, etc. It will draw on musical traditions and vocal techniques from across the globe while firmly rooted in its funky foundation of kick, snare, bass. It will be Rap music for grown folks- a mature, socially/politically aware crowd that wants to see their perspectives reflected. Personally, I want to see and hear things that take me beyond the drudgery of everyday reality- not deeper into it- opening up new opportunities for discovery and growth. Post Hip Hop will bring old friends back into the fold, as well as winning new allies. It will open hearts and minds, raise spirits and sell records. We are ready for the return of peace and positivity, cooperation and community. We are ready to celebrate life.
Change is in the air.