( 4UMF NEWS ) The Gentrification of Rap:
Did Hip Hop Sell Us Out ?
TRUTH Minista Paul Scott
“aka a sellout /rap definition/get off that boy/change your mission”
Crossover- EPMD
Although broken glass was everywhere, unemployment was at a record high and 911
was a joke, Clive Saddler’s Sedgwick Ave neighborhood was not the jungle the
media portrayed; it was home and full of promise. But everyday the six o’clock
news would run stories about drugs, murder and falling property values.That was
until Universal Development Corp. came in with the bulldozers. One year later,
the streets are clean, new businesses are on every corner and the police know
everybody by name. Clive still lives there, behind the garbage bin of Sal’s
Deli. What happened to the rest of his neighborhoods who couldn’t afford
the rent of the new brownstones? Nobody knows and nobody cares….
If you live in any ‘hood in America chances are you have heard of
gentrification. In every city it’s the same story, businesses close down,
property values drop and the local news starts reporting about how dangerous the
neighborhood has become. Then one day a development company rolls in and buys up
all the property dirt cheap. A few years later the projects have become a
paradise and the news is reporting how it is one of the best places to live in
America.
The same can be said for Hip Hop.
In the early years , rap music was seen as the authentic voice of “inner city”
America. Groups from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five to Run DMC made
records about the trials and tribulations of growing up in the proverbial
“ghetto.” Within five years, rap music had grown from just an obligatory
observation to a critical analysis of the socio-economic conditions that created
the ‘hood in the first place.
Although Hip Hop has had a small group of hip, suburban fans since the early
years, for most of mainstream White America, rap music was something to be
feared and best avoided. However, by the end of the 80’s, MTV and major
corporations had come to realize that the money that could be made from what
they once considered ghetto garbage outweighed the risk of getting mugged in
some dark alley way in the South Bronx.
As the popularity of Yo MTV Raps began to grow, so did White America’s
acceptance of Hip Hop. So, by the time Treach of Naughty By Nature issued the
chilling warning “if you ain’t never been to the ghetto, don’t ever come to the
ghetto.” White America saw it as a party invitation. If you watch some of the
throwback Hip Hop documentaries, the climax is always when a teary eyed ol’
school rapper reminisces about that glorious day when his majority Black
audience turned lily white.”
In retrospect, was that a good thing?
Of course, the added exposure meant more money in the bank but at what cost?
Contrary to the title of LL Cool J’s classic album, “bigger” ain’t always
“deffer.”
Crossover kills.
Probably, the area hardest hit by crossover was Afrocentric, conscious Hip Hop.
While it was briefly tolerated by white America, it was never truly accepted by
the mainstream. There were just so many times that Poindexter was gonna allow
himself to be called a “slave maker and bloodsucker of the poor” regardless of
how funky the beat was. Thus, answering the great philosophical question, “can a
man condemn himself” with an emphatic no.
While much attention has been given to “gangsta rap” as the cause of the demise
of pro-Black Hip Hop, it must be remembered that the the less racially
“offensive” De La Soul and the Native Tongues Movement as well as the dance
music of MC Hammer and the rise of Vanilla Ice played a role ,as well.
During that era, while the average Black rapper rejoiced in his new found
suburban fans , it was, actually, white rappers, MC Serch and Pete Nice from 3rd
Base, that warned of the change that was coming on songs like “Gas Face” and
“Pop Goes the Weasel.”
So, as time progressed the measure of the success of a rap artist became how
many middle class White kids bought his CDs. And eventually Yo MTV Raps
eclipsed the popularity of shows like BET’s Rap City. For instance, although,
many rap fans are familiar with Ed Lover, Dr. Dre and T-Money, only a true Hip
Hop head can tell you about Chris Thomas, Joe Claire and Big Lez.
While many may point to money as the motivating factor behind crossover, that is
not entirely true, as one cannot put a dollar value on the psychological need
for White acceptance in the Black psyche.
Have you ever wondered why the superstar rapper who always shows up grinnin’ at
the Grammy Awards is always missing in action at the Soul Train Music Awards?
There is that annual awkward moment when the nervous presenter has to say,
“And the winner of the Life time achievement/Hip Hop song of the year award
is……Well, um, he couldn’t be here tonight, so…um..I’m gonna accept this
on his behalf….”
It is said that “once you go black, you never go back” but once you go white
forget about it. If Biffy leaves Sally Ann for Shaquana, he may get a little
more swag in his style and start listening to “some Marvin Gaye, some Luther
Vandross, a little Anita to set the party off right,” but he’s basically the
same dude. When Rasheed leaves Bonita for Becky , he loses his darn mind.
His whole world perspective changes. All of a sudden even the most culturally
aware brotha develops cultural amnesia and becomes a color blind Hip Hop hippie ,
vehemently, attacking any discussion of “black” issues as outdated and racist.
As we wind down another Black Music month, the point here is not to whine about
what happened to our culture, but to develop ways to save it.
Or else one day when our children ask us what happened to real Hip Hop we’ll
just shrug our shoulders and sing like Joni Mitchell.
“They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.”
TRUTH Minista Paul Scott’s weekly column is “This Ain’t Hip Hop,” a column for
intelligent Hip Hop headz. He can be reached at (919) 308-4233 or
info@nowarningshotsfired.com His website is NoWarningShotsFired.com Follow on
Twitter @truthminista
