Does Hip Hop Deserve the Flack that It Receives?

Lately, a lot of buzz has come from the article by Jason Whitlock called "The Black KKK." In it, he likens the criminal activity of some of Black America's constituents to that of the Ku Klux Klan, mainly because he sees them as a generation of people who terrorize and kill Blacks, much like the KKK did in the early 20th century. He also takes a very pointed approach towards placing some of the blame on Hip Hop and the violent messages that have emerged in music as a catalyst for alot of the trends we see in Black America.

The last portion of that paragraph is where all hell broke loose.

Many of the young people who read this article and others similar to it began to lash out at critics of Hip Hop by saying that it is taking an unfair beating for several reasons. The rest of this blog will deal with the predominate arguments that I have heard, and my take on each one.

1. Hip Hop is just a mirror of what happens in society. Drugs, guns, and violence have always been a part of American Culture, not just Blacks.

Okay, so this is a valid point. American culture has made a nice name for itself as being one of the most unsavory breeding grounds for violence, drugs, crime, etc. And yes, it affects all cultures, not just Black America. But let's look beyond the emotion of this argument to see what the people who espouse this argument are saying. Basically, this is a way of saying that it's okay, everybody is doing it. That, to me, is a cop-out, and should not be accepted. Just because other societies, other media, and other groups are doing the same thing does not make it right. But the fact of the matter is, some Hip Hop has become the vehicle through which this violence has made it to our community. This is in addition to drugs, gangs, etc. But the thing we have to remember is that these elements co-evolved, and Hip Hop has played a role in the integration of gangs, gun violence, and drug use into our communities by bringing it to our doorstep in a nice, neat little package.

2. Poor-parenting is the problem. Kids need to be disciplined more, and Hip Hop can't negate personal responsibility of the home.

Now this argument is the one I think carries the most weight. Poor parenting in the home started long before Hip Hop was ever created, and it manifests itself tremendously in the overall regression of our children and their activities. But we have to remember the theory of "tabula raza." Tabula raza (or clean slate) says that a person is born with a mind that is essentially a clean slate, and that societal influences (parenting, community, music, arts, etc.) write on that slate and create the individuals consciousness. To expand it a little further, some of this stuff can be erased, or overshadowed by other events that write HARDER on the slate (so if a parent is doing their job, then the influence of other outside forces should be minimalized) and that essentially the biggest influences will take up the most room on the slate. With this being said, the Hip Hop industry is one of many things that write on the slate of our children, so even with parenting, there is still a chance for it to affect the minds of our youth, especially when you have negative music and lyrics infiltrating our parental influences when our children are at school, on the bus, etc. So unless you live on an island, this negativity can still reach the children, and therefore, can still cause negative influences, despite good parenting. So Hip Hop is still not off the hook.

3. We have so many other problems in Black America, so music can't be that big of a deal. If we fix the other problems first, then we can deal with Hip Hop.

I pose a question...if someone has gonorrhea and chlamydia at the same time, which do you treat first? The answer is...you treat them both simultaneously. You don't wait for one to be cured first, because the other will fester until then. You have to use a multi-faceted approach, and the same goes with the ills of Black society. If we really want to try and fix our communities and our people's issues, then we have to divide our energies and resources to address all of the problems simultaneously. So for critics like Whitlock, who points a finger at Hip Hop, that is where he chooses to focus his energies, and I don't blame him. Anyone who has a problem with his assessment of Hip Hop's negative influence on Black America should simply find an element of society that bothers them and work on it. But you cannot knock him for choosing to address this issue as HIS priority. It's called smokescreening, and when people try to say "This major problem is not as big as another major problem" then the problems eventually get skirted, and nothing ever gets solved.

And lastly...my favorite.

4. Hip Hop is no longer our culture. You can't blame the artists for doing what sells and what the white men that are over these companies make them do.

This is the biggest cop-out and hypocritical statement that could ever be made. On one hand, people love to say that Hip Hop is a powerful voice in the community when something good is coming out of it. But as soon as something negative is mentioned, then the argument becomes "Artists can't help what the companies tell them to put out." That is pure hypocrisy. Yes, there are people who pull the strings that may not relate to Black America, but Hip Hop is one venue by which the middle men (aka the artists) can actually make changes, if they were to all get on one accord. But let's face it, it is easier to take the big chain and contract then it is to take a stand. No one wants to see that though!

Bottom line is this. If you love something, then you should want to see it progress, and you should want to see it be positive. And you should want to evaluate it from time to time to see if it is representative of the thing you fell in love with in the first place. To me, a lot of the people that defend Hip Hop have not taken a critical look at it in order to make it progressively better. That is what real love does...it enhances all parties involved. So if you love Hip Hop, then try to enhance it, and make it better. And if there is still an issue after you have done your part, then maybe Hip Hop(in its current form) simply doesn't love you back!