what if hip hop/rap got political

originally posted by: American-philosopher
so lets think of the 5 most influential rappers that are currently alive and still going in our time. kind of the leaders if you will. Jay-z T.I. Lil wayne, Enemien and I guess fill in the blank with your choice and I realize Jay-z is a whole nother topic.

But if we say that some of these artist are the so called standard bearer for rap and hip hop. what are they rapping about?

I mean this is kind of what I meant. T.I. is one of my favorite rappers and I know what most his songs are about.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, there is a reason that political and conscious music - of any kind doesn't get played.
The same reason the real stories don't make the news and the real decent , caring people don't get anywhere in politics.
The game is rigged man.
Anybody who knows can find the good stuff - of course it should be everywhere and every rapper and writer should be speaking out against issues, every reporter and news channel uncovering corruption and bringing us true journalism, but the 6 or so corporations that own ALL OF THE MEDIA now, tv, radio, news stations, papers and websites, do not want or allow this to happen.

It is not because the music isn't out there, its because it's not allowed to be mainstream

Love Immortal Technique and K-Rino, two pieces of proof that good rap is political AND will never be played on the radio. I know a lot about music (..kinda) my dads a musician and can play a lot of instruments, i've known guys in rock bands, I have known underground rappers with CD's on the shelves and i know a rapper who made it big and has been on national radio
for around a year and a half now. I'm not a musician, i just know some and i love music of all kinds. Labeling rap as "stupid" because rappers cant play instruments is rather naive. You dont just ask a computer to make a beat and it spits one out. Also, some rappers play instruments, Smoov-E one of my fav rappers plays tons of instruments from the accordion to the guitar and piano and is totally self taught.

That said.. All of my friends listen to rap, and they hate the rap i listen to like Immortal Technique or K-Rino or any of the more
political, thoughtful rappers. They all want to hear "Gold all in my watch, gold all in my grill nigga nigga nigga" (quoted from a popular song btw). They don't understand the # with any brains behind it because they've been listening to dumbed down nonsense forever. Same can be said for country or rock on the radio. Listen to any country song, it's all about trucks, girls, and alcohol, even weed comes into them now. It's the same # that's popular in rap. This is done by design folks and some of us know that. Any radio DJ will tell you they get paid to play music not to select which music to play, that's done for them.

Tupac was a popular rapper who was raised by black panthers and around political minded, intelligent people. He knew what was going on around him, he didn't like it, and he was a leader. He was too popular and wouldn't let himself be reigned in by the system that controls music, music as a whole not just rap!!! That is the one and only reason he was killed, it had nothing to do with east vs west.

People who say rap is "stupid" then turn on some country to listen to some good ol' music about drinkin' and drivin' and pickin up chicks are about as dim as you get. All that crap country you're listening to comes from the same crap factory as all that crap rap you're talking about being so stupid.

Yeah rap has never been political.... Did he just discover the hip hop section at best buy all the sudden? Old buffoon

Hiphopisread.com

Excerpt:
Hello,

After more than 20 years, I've finally decided to tell the world what I witnessed in 1991, which I believe was one of the biggest turning point in popular music, and ultimately American society. I have struggled for a long time weighing the pros and cons of making this story public as I was reluctant to implicate the individuals who were present that day. So I've simply decided to leave out names and all the details that may risk my personal well being and that of those who were, like me, dragged into something they weren't ready for.

Between the late 80's and early 90’s, I was what you may call a “decision maker” with one of the more established company in the music industry. I came from Europe in the early 80’s and quickly established myself in the business. The industry was different back then. Since technology and media weren’t accessible to people like they are today, the industry had more control over the public and had the means to influence them anyway it wanted. This may explain why in early 1991, I was invited to attend a closed door meeting with a small group of music business insiders to discuss rap music’s new direction. Little did I know that we would be asked to participate in one of the most unethical and destructive business practice I’ve ever seen.

The meeting was held at a private residence on the outskirts of Los Angeles. I remember about 25 to 30 people being there, most of them familiar faces. Speaking to those I knew, we joked about the theme of the meeting as many of us did not care for rap music and failed to see the purpose of being invited to a private gathering to discuss its future. Among the attendees was a small group of unfamiliar faces who stayed to themselves and made no attempt to socialize beyond their circle. Based on their behavior and formal appearances, they didn't seem to be in our industry. Our casual chatter was interrupted when we were asked to sign a confidentiality agreement preventing us from publicly discussing the information presented during the meeting. Needless to say, this intrigued and in some cases disturbed many of us. The agreement was only a page long but very clear on the matter and consequences which stated that violating the terms would result in job termination. We asked several people what this meeting was about and the reason for such secrecy but couldn't find anyone who had answers for us. A few people refused to sign and walked out. No one stopped them. I was tempted to follow but curiosity got the best of me. A man who was part of the “unfamiliar” group collected the agreements from us.

Quickly after the meeting began, one of my industry colleagues (who shall remain nameless like everyone else) thanked us for attending. He then gave the floor to a man who only introduced himself by first name and gave no further details about his personal background. I think he was the owner of the residence but it was never confirmed. He briefly praised all of us for the success we had achieved in our industry and congratulated us for being selected as part of this small group of “decision makers”. At this point I begin to feel slightly uncomfortable at the strangeness of this gathering. The subject quickly changed as the speaker went on to tell us that the respective companies we represented had invested in a very profitable industry which could become even more rewarding with our active involvement. He explained that the companies we work for had invested millions into the building of privately owned prisons and that our positions of influence in the music industry would actually impact the profitability of these investments. I remember many of us in the group immediately looking at each other in confusion. At the time, I didn’t know what a private prison was but I wasn't the only one. Sure enough, someone asked what these prisons were and what any of this had to do with us. We were told that these prisons were built by privately owned companies who received funding from the government based on the number of inmates. The more inmates, the more money the government would pay these prisons. It was also made clear to us that since these prisons are privately owned, as they become publicly traded, we’d be able to buy shares. Most of us were taken back by this. Again, a couple of people asked what this had to do with us. At this point, my industry colleague who had first opened the meeting took the floor again and answered our questions. He told us that since our employers had become silent investors in this prison business, it was now in their interest to make sure that these prisons remained filled. Our job would be to help make this happen by marketing music which promotes criminal behavior, rap being the music of choice. He assured us that this would be a great situation for us because rap music was becoming an increasingly profitable market for our companies, and as employee, we’d also be able to buy personal stocks in these prisons. Immediately, silence came over the room. You could have heard a pin drop. I remember looking around to make sure I wasn't dreaming and saw half of the people with dropped jaws. My daze was interrupted when someone shouted, “Is this a f****** joke?” At this point things became chaotic. Two of the men who were part of the “unfamiliar” group grabbed the man who shouted out and attempted to remove him from the house. A few of us, myself included, tried to intervene. One of them pulled out a gun and we all backed off. They separated us from the crowd and all four of us were escorted outside. My industry colleague who had opened the meeting earlier hurried out to meet us and reminded us that we had signed agreement and would suffer the consequences of speaking about this publicly or even with those who attended the meeting. I asked him why he was involved with something this corrupt and he replied that it was bigger than the music business and nothing we’d want to challenge without risking consequences. We all protested and as he walked back into the house I remember word for word the last thing he said, “It’s out of my hands now. Remember you signed an agreement.” He then closed the door behind him. The men rushed us to our cars and actually watched until we drove off.

A million things were going through my mind as I drove away and I eventually decided to pull over and park on a side street in order to collect my thoughts. I replayed everything in my mind repeatedly and it all seemed very surreal to me. I was angry with myself for not having taken a more active role in questioning what had been presented to us. I'd like to believe the shock of it all is what suspended my better nature. After what seemed like an eternity, I was able to calm myself enough to make it home. I didn't talk or call anyone that night. The next day back at the office, I was visibly out of it but blamed it on being under the weather. No one else in my department had been invited to the meeting and I felt a sense of guilt for not being able to share what I had witnessed. I thought about contacting the 3 others who wear kicked out of the house but I didn't remember their names and thought that tracking them down would probably bring unwanted attention.

a reply to: American-philosopher





There's loads of epic conscious rappers out there man, but you'll never hear about them from the mainstream culture. All the best rappers are usually forced to do their thing through underground and independent networks, but thanks to the internet we have more conscious artists of all genres than ever. The trouble is sifting through all the bulls#t to find them!

originally posted by: DrumsRfun

As a musician....no,as a fan of music yes.
Can't stand that crap....I get pissed off when people can't play a single instrument,can't read or write music and need computers to do it all for them while they call themselves artists and musicians.
No time for it.

We both know the part I placed in bold is just not true. Unless you're utilizing a template or premade track, you still have to tell the computer what to do. Sure, the stuff you hear in Run DMC or NWA is simple to make but a lot goes into a big chunk of the music you hear in pop/rap/hip hop today. Hell I'd wager that most ATS members' computers aren't powerful enough to handle the processing needed to make a nice sounding 'beat'. Not to mention the increasing number of producers who are using manual sequencers/grooveboxes/whatever the hell they would be called instead of DAW based sequencers. Definitely warrants the title 'artist' in my opinion:


As for the OP topic, rap has always been political. The stuff with a real message is obviously never going to come to the front and be overplayed on the radio. Why would we want to hear rappers with a thought provoking message when we have rappers telling us to chase possessions and live for money?

a reply to: American-philosopher
What u need to ask is "Why are the gatekeepers of rap and urban culture continually promoting negative stereotypes..?" There are many conscious urban artists who do not receive the same amount of coverage in the media.. It has become obvious that the medias main concern is selling hyper-sexualised product because it is motivated by $$$... Mainstream media has been this way for years now, it's nothing new to those who've been watchin'...

The radio doesn't represent hip hop. Corporations control the media, of course they don't allow political raps on the radio, because it's not in their best interest. There is a lot of political rap, and all of us that listen to it constantly demand it gets more representation.









And since OP mentioned Alex Jones, here's immortal Technique on Alex Jones

a reply to: stargatetravels
Said what was in my mind AND posted immortal technique and jedi mind tricks as good examples, thanks for saving me time bro haha! Not keen on hip hop and rap but if you listen to real rappers who dont just boast about guns n whips, you will quickly realize that they are in the exact mind predicament as us here. Think of Dilated peoples, the pen is mightier than the sword because the pen gives the message sending swords to war. its all around you dude, turn off lil Wayne

That idea would have to address music that people who vote and participate in political discussion listen to.

He is considered by many to be the best in Hip-Hop right now. From watching some interviews, he's a very bright young man from Compton, who understands the power he has with his words in the position that he is in.

Hip hop started out political but it went away and the commercial gansta rap too over.

The early Rap master

You were right...Hip Hop was a product of the post Cold War Western Hemisphere and the social, political, religious and economic conditions imposed upon the America's by foreign/alien entities.

the generation that brought it to its plateau are now in their 40s and prepared to bring it to places unexpected.



outside and inside of the Americas it was embraced by some, rejected by many...and whatever the feelings, its an embedded and irremovable part of History.

in the late 80s and throughout the 90s hiphop were like a big 'F U' to anyone that didn't want it produced...it was selling albums without Radio exposure.

this guy might be a billionaire by now...and not even for hiphop but for other reasons related to music and the industry.



now its like...LEARN HOW TO BE A TEAM PLAYER OR YOU NOR CHILDREN (if you have any) WILL HAVE ANY OPPORTUNITIES IN THIS REGION OF THE WORLD IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

yeah...it was political to say the least.

in 2006, i think it began to develop a spiritual identity...as a result of the exposure to what the Global War on Terror really was and what it was going to take to continue to survive on Earth.

I am shocked and appalled no one has brought up Rappin Ronnie Reagan, the baddest rapper this side of D.C.






In other words - just going with the general consensus that yes, rap and hip/hop already "got political" - in fact I believe it was BORNE from political and social issues.

Push push into George Bush \m/

www.youtube.com...

The FBI watches anyone or thing that gets to big from hippies to biggie. And we seen how that ended. Just seen mlk suicide letter / s from the Feds. So I think unless it grew into a party it would be a threat. Something viewed that can sway or control the masses is scary to them. They were founded under such premiss and haven't changed. It's like leaders only employing a male if they were or became a eunuch.


a reply to: American-philosopher

An epic musical journey... I used to listen to this on repeat...a lot.




Always like me some PRT - This track features KRS one












Some lyrics from this track...really is a great track... sick beat, lyrics on fire.

Before they collapse the market, they're criminalizing farming
They're silencing you for talking, while turning us all into peasants
Agricultural patents, ConAgra created the famines
Monsanto's seeds that terminate the natural birthing action
Controlling the food supply, choosing who should live or die
Confusion rules you choose the lie, illusion illuminates your mind

I don't particularly like rap, but I do come across some songs that I do like. Most of them are ones that actually speak out about something that's happened in the world or is happening. Sadly, that sort of music is far and in between in present time, when it comes to rap and hip hop music. I'm seeing it more in Alternative/rock music than anything lately.
As far as rap goes, pretty recently Macklemore came out with a song. Okay, okay. I know some people would say Macklemore is more pop than anything. But I think hes pretty close middle when it comes to rap and pop. It's not so much political, but it's talking about stuff going on in the world, trying to unite ALL people, and stop hate... I guess that could be seen as political.
www.youtube.com...