Since the release of The Sugar Hill Gang's Rappers Delight hip hop music and culture has inspired vigorous debate.
Didn't hip hop originate in the Bronx? Can you call people rapping music?
Perhaps one of the most spirited and ongoing debates
has been about hip hop's glorification of violence and disrespect of
women. The truth is, the list of rappers to never discuss violence or sexual escapades
with various women is extremely short. You even have women like Lil Kim
that glorify gun play, the drug game and her sexual adventures with men.
Still, other forms of art such as TV and film are rarely called to task for their depictions. However, hip hop music and culture has
always been deeply rooted in real homes and families unlike the
Hollywood sets for TV and movies. There are also several generations of
fans that claim ownership of "real hip hop" vs. what other generations call "real hip hop."
So less than a week since Time Magazine has officially released their list of 100 most influential people of the day with Jay-Z on the cover, the debate about who and what is acceptable and positive in hip hop and for the youth has renewed.
Discussing the issues revolving around Jay-Z on the cover are two successful and upwardly mobile women of color.
Naila Mattison is a mother of a pre-teen son. She is also the writer of a collection of soul jarring poetry about hip hop, called Lyrically Gifted. Mattison has also had a front seat for the emergance of the Philly Hip Hop scene sinces The Roots were the Square Roots.
On the other side of the discussion is Elizabeth Rozier a NJ native that describes herself has a fan of the music and culture since the 1980's. Rozier is also a producer on the radio show Saturday Night's After Dark which airs on 91.7 FM WLFR.
Naila Mattison is a mother of a pre-teen son. She is also the writer of a collection of soul jarring poetry about hip hop, called Lyrically Gifted. Mattison has also had a front seat for the emergance of the Philly Hip Hop scene sinces The Roots were the Square Roots.
On the other side of the discussion is Elizabeth Rozier a NJ native that describes herself has a fan of the music and culture since the 1980's. Rozier is also a producer on the radio show Saturday Night's After Dark which airs on 91.7 FM WLFR.
Naila-I'm
surprised at your post/reaction to this, specifically because you're a
poet = story teller = the same thing Jay-Z is. This man NEVER hid his
his not so squeaky clean background and let the world witness his GROWTH
and TRANSFORMATION as an artist, as
a MAN and as a BRILLIANT BUSINESS MAN which in my eyes are ALL of the
reasons he deserves this cover. A man who speaks his mind at all times,
stands up for what he believes in and has made ONE HELL OF A MARK on
MUSIC, the BLACK COMMUNITY, BUSINESS and the WORLD is a lot to dispute
to me. I mean if you don't think Ivy League schools teaching classes on
him and creating text books around his grind and talent etc etc and so
forth is a big deal and that he doesn't deserve this because of his
street cred, then all I have to say is WOW!
Naila- Jay
z is not an island, he had a marketing mogul give him the backing to
get to where he is. I'm not looking for a boy scout, but the fact is
that as an mc, and you can pull quotes from his own albums, jay z made
the conscious decision to push derogatory images to make money....again,
I don't ask for a boy scout, but someone with integrity.
Elizabeth- I've
been into hip-hop since the early 80's and within those 30 years I
wouldn't classify J as one of the artists who glorified derogatory
images etc. did he do a bit of that, why yes he did BUT just as you said
he isn't an island, guess what? He didn't create his own videos. The
video producers did. And as we all know most images in videos aren't the
most pure. BUT once he began to "own" more, there was less and less of
that in the videos off the top of my head to be truthful, Big Pimpin is
the main video that comes to mind that had the most derogatory images.
No others jump out at me. And in regards to his rhymes, like I said, he
is a master storyteller who told what he lived so I can't knock anything
he has said. But let's agree to disagree on this one.
Naila- Tyler Perry, Jay Z and BET....all impactful at the expense positive images.
Now that we have heard from the ladies. Can we get two gentlemen to discuss this issue?
Ladies and Gentlemen both...where do you come down on this issue?
Now that we have heard from the ladies. Can we get two gentlemen to discuss this issue?
Ladies and Gentlemen both...where do you come down on this issue?
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I feel that urban anything(music.movies,tv) is highly criticized for its depictions as reality compared to other genres looked at as fiction. An example The Wire never received any Emmys but The Sopranos which glorified the mob won every year. No one judges Al Pacino or Robert Deniro for some of their roles they played, but judge people like a Jay-Z off screen as if his depiction is more of a thug compared to being one of the most successful business people of this time and that why he is on the cover of TIME.
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