HipHop Hasn't Done Anything Good For Black People

[#1hiphopjunki3]

I see it as a REFLECTION of SOME aspects of our culture.

They rap about things they have seen or experienced first hand. Thats what we’re talking about as “real”. Not that you GOTTA be a killa or drug dealer. But is what you’re talking/rapping about something you actually relate to.

Even those things that we, here, ALL view as negative.

Gangsta rap exists because niggas was already banging.

Thot rap exists because hoes been hoeing.

Drug dealer rap exists because niggas been slanging.

Pill popper rap exists because niggas been gettin lit.

Even that Chicago Drill rap came AFTER the fact. Von ‘nem was doing play by plays of their murders on twitter well before he started rapping, as teenagers. 15, 16, 17 years old

The questions that should be asked is WHY are these the things our kids are seeing and experiencing and growing up around. Because most of these issues predate the rap music.

Yall can rattle off a dozen times a concert or club got shot up, but you’ll ignore the hundreds of times shit went off without a hitch and everybody had a good time.

BINGO!!!

Every time this issue gets brought up, it really bothers me. It makes it seem like some folks have less influence on the people in their lives than a stranger.

Folks literally perpetuate a super negative stereotype passing blame on stuff like this, with some of their statements.

 

[Stiff]

BINGO!!!

Every time this issue gets brought up, it really bothers me. It makes it seem like some folks have less influence on the people in their lives than a stranger.

Folks literally perpetuate a super negative stereotype passing blame on stuff like this, with some of their statements.

His post would’ve been a great response to the claim “gangs, thottin, and pill popping exist because of rap music”.

But unfortunately it’s just a straw man, knocking down assertions that haven’t been made to avoid the ones that have been.

 

[Elzo69Renaissance]

 

[Elzo69Renaissance]

 

[Elzo69Renaissance]

 

[Elzo69Renaissance]

 

[Mr BFK]

Those are some of the cultural norms. You just don't want anything seen as positive associated with hip hop. Importance of education, community, freedom of expression, family are all consistent themes throughout the history of hip hop no matter whether through music, movies, fashion, speech and all other ways people express and show they're part of a culture.

now that is an interesting take

I'm still trying to make sense of this statement for myself

 

[The Lonious Monk]

If HipHop didn't exists, would there be less violence in the hood? Would there be fewer broken homes in the black community? Would black people as a whole have progressed more?

I don't think anyone can really answer those questions. However, my personal opinion is that the answer to all those questions is "No." HipHop is like a mirror for reality. It doesn't push all that negatives stuff as much as it reflects it. Niggas involved in drug wars would be fighting those wars whether they had a soundtrack for it or not because the music isn't what's causing them to fight.

I'm sure there are examples of some weakminded people who gone down bad paths because they were influenced by the music. Are there enough cases of that to offset all the people who have benefitted from the existence of HipHop? I don't think so. So, that wold mean that the art form's existence has had a net good impact. That's just my opinion though.

 

[Mr BFK]

If HipHop didn't exists, would there be less violence in the hood? Would there be fewer broken homes in the black community? Would black people as a whole have progressed more?

I don't think anyone can really answer those questions. However, my personal opinion is that the answer to all those questions is "No." HipHop is like a mirror for reality. It doesn't push all that negatives stuff as much as it reflects it. Niggas involved in drug wars would be fighting those wars whether they had a soundtrack for it or not because the music isn't what's causing them to fight.

I'm sure there are examples of some weakminded people who gone down bad paths because they were influenced by the music. Are there enough cases of that to offset all the people who have benefitted from the existence of HipHop? I don't think so. So, that wold mean that the art form's existence has had a net good impact. That's just my opinion though.

I agree with everything you said here

trust me mofos was killing each other in the streets listening to classic RnB music from the 70s, so u can't put this shit on the music

however I think the argument about Hip Hop is more focused on the overall culture

Hip Hop essentially has a toxic culture that already encourages negative shit............hence the argument about the behaviors that continue to set the community

the best way to target a population is thru the kids.....and mofos not being honest about the influence Hip Hop has on Black children/which ultimately affects our community as a whole

 

[The Lonious Monk]

I agree with everything you said here

trust me mofos was killing each other in the streets listening to classic RnB music from the 70s, so u can't put this shit on the music

however I think the argument about Hip Hop is more focused on the overall culture

Hip Hop essentially has a toxic culture that already encourages negative shit............hence the argument about the behaviors that continue to set the community

the best way to target a population is thru the kids.....and mofos not being honest about the influence Hip Hop has on Black children/which ultimately affects our community as a whole

The five elements of hip hop are: MCing, DJing, Breaking, Graffiti, and Knowledge. That's the culture.

My problem is that some of you would see a gang banger that doesn't take part in any of the 5 elements above, but because he dresses a certain way and acts a certain way, you'd call that HipHop. Meanwhile, you could have a Christian rapper who doesn't look HipHop at all, but he makes actual music and uses it to educate and promote clean living. That's two of the elements right there, but ya'll would just ignore him even thought technically, he's the one that's partaking in the actual HipHop culture.

 

[Mr BFK]

The five elements of hip hop are: MCing, DJing, Breaking, Graffiti, and Knowledge. That's the culture.

My problem is that some of you would see a gang banger that doesn't take part in any of the 5 elements above, but because he dresses a certain way and acts a certain way, you'd call that HipHop. Meanwhile, you could have a Christian rapper who doesn't look HipHop at all, but he makes actual music and uses it to educate and promote clean living. That's two of the elements right there, but ya'll would just ignore him even thought technically, he's the one that's partaking in the actual HipHop culture.

not disagreeing on the elements at all

what I'm saying is take it a step further in regards to the actual people who participate in those elements and the overall influence/mindset

ur Christian rapper point is spot on...........but what about the other rappers that are promoted more by the business side of Hip Hop

Christian rappers do not have the same reach/influence on our youth in comparison to the negative rappers that are pushed by the capitalist machine



plus the people who are associated with Hip Hop essentially represent the overall culture of Hip Hop

until the mainstream "popular" artists can consistently promote values/mores that are beneficial to our community

even our children who do come from homes with resources will still be negatively affected.....hence the school achievement arguments that were made earlier in the thread

 

[BlackRain]

now that is an interesting take

I'm still trying to make sense of this statement for myself

Improve your taste in music and entertainment maybe? Might be exposed to different topics and subjects

 

[BlackRain]

not disagreeing on the elements at all

what I'm saying is take it a step further in regards to the actual people who participate in those elements and the overall influence/mindset

ur Christian rapper point is spot on...........but what about the other rappers that are promoted more by the business side of Hip Hop

Christian rappers do not have the same reach/influence on our youth in comparison to the negative rappers that are pushed by the capitalist machine



plus the people who are associated with Hip Hop essentially represent the overall culture of Hip Hop

until the mainstream "popular" artists can consistently promote values/mores that are beneficial to our community

even our children who do come from homes with resources will still be negatively affected.....hence the school achievement arguments that were made earlier in the thread

The "mainstream" artist aren't who people think they are. And that's been discussed in this thread. The most mainstream artist today in hip hop are Drake, J Cole and Kendrick Lamar. Rap music itself has spent the last 15 years being run by a Canadian nigga, a college graduate who raps about folding clothes for his wife, and a Compton nigga whose last 3 albums have been about his mental health stuggles. Not the over the top drill rappers who barely sell but are tweeting all day. Folks often magnify the bullshit while ignoring the other things going on. Nobody is denying the negatives or their influence, but that influence often isn't reflected in the overall culture the way some think.

 

[Stiff]

The five elements of hip hop are: MCing, DJing, Breaking, Graffiti, and Knowledge. That's the culture.

My problem is that some of you would see a gang banger that doesn't take part in any of the 5 elements above, but because he dresses a certain way and acts a certain way, you'd call that HipHop. Meanwhile, you could have a Christian rapper who doesn't look HipHop at all, but he makes actual music and uses it to educate and promote clean living. That's two of the elements right there, but ya'll would just ignore him even thought technically, he's the one that's partaking in the actual HipHop culture.

Those were the 5 essential elements at its inception sure, but the culture (as cultures tend to do) evolved.

I don’t think you or anybody here would argue that those are the ONLY elements, for instance in 2024 fashion is a huge part of hip-hop.

Also, what nobody readily considers is what language says about a culture’s values.

In hip-hop culture how many ways are there to describe murder using slang?

Clapped, bodied, merked, drilled, spin the block etc.

How many words are there for starting a business?

How many words are there for books?

How many words are there for guns and their accessories?
Tool, hammer, chopper, yopper, blicky, extendo, dick etc.

This is an undeniable indication of values, priorities, and what’s generally accepted and elevated in the culture.

How many slang words in Hip-Hop are there for rape?

Not many—because rape isn’t socially accepted or valued in Hip-Hop culture. Violence is, drug dealing, and promiscuity is.

So many slang terms in Hip-Hop around promiscuity intersect with violence:

Shoot the club up, catch a body, body count etc.

In order to defend the impact of Hip-Hop you have to be dishonest about what contemporary Hip-Hop is by intentionally narrowing its scope and influence for the sake of argument.

We have to pretend that street/trap/gangbanging culture doesnt influence Hip-Hop and that there isn’t a 2 way relationship between them.

We also have to pretend that the values of hip-hop are really just emblematic of American culture and that if you go into any ethnic enclave or neighborhood the convos and values will be generally be the same. That’s false.

Hip-Hop wouldn’t be the predominant culture of a Christian Rapper — the church would be. His music would reflect Christian values moreso than the values of hip-hop. Rap music would just be the medium.

Hip-Hop IS the predominant culture of Black American youth. To say otherwise is to be disingenuous.

 

[Stiff]

The "mainstream" artist aren't who people think they are. And that's been discussed in this thread. The most mainstream artist today in hip hop are Drake, J Cole and Kendrick Lamar. Rap music itself has spent the last 15 years being run by a Canadian nigga, a college graduate who raps about folding clothes for his wife, and a Compton nigga whose last 3 albums have been about his mental health stuggles. Not the over the top drill rappers who barely sell but are tweeting all day. Folks often magnify the bullshit while ignoring the other things going on. Nobody is denying the negatives or their influence, but that influence often isn't reflected in the overall culture the way some think.

I see you ignored my post where I addressed this:

To support my claim that some main values of Hip-Hop"culture are promiscuity, normalization of violence to resolve interpersonal conflicts, and shallow materialism, we can pull the lyrics from the most popularly stramed Hip Hop Songs from the past few years and break down the themes.

We can pull the transcripts from recent episodes of the most popular Hip Hop media(ie. The Breakfast Club, Joe Budden Podcast, Vladtv, etc.) and analyze the discussion topics. We can look at how these topics are framed.

We can list the most popular and influential films of Hip Hop culture and revisit what the themes of said films were.

We can do that if you're willing to be honest...I'm not sure you are. It may be true that you listen to rap about the importance of education and helping old ladies across the street but that's just not enough to say THAT'S what hip hop culture is about.

 

[AP3.0]

This is some good back and forth regardless of what side of the discussion you are on

I'm just glad I haven't been called a soft shoe coon

 

[Dwayne]

This is some good back and forth regardless of what side of the discussion you are on

I'm just glad I haven't been called a soft shoe coon

You ain’t a coon.


















But

























You

 

[BlackRain]

I see you ignored my post where I addressed this:

The most streamed rap song of the year is a song calling out one of the biggest rappers for his materialism and a character that lacks no substance and being many of the things people criticize about hip hop as a whole. Again what's popular on social media ain't always what's actually being supported by numbers.

 

[Stiff]

The most streamed rap song of the year is a song calling out one of the biggest rappers for his materialism and a character that lacks no substance and being many of the things people criticize about hip hop as a whole. Again what's popular on social media ain't always what's actually being supported by numbers.

This is what we call cherry picking.

 

[Dwayne]

This is what we call cherry picking.

And then turned around and had gang members on stage during Juneteenth.

While doing numerous songs with artist that rap about the same shit he was so call calling out.

had Kodak black all over his last album like he ain’t a predator



he just as fake as the dude he’s “calling out”

Even though that material shit or substance had anything to do with him and the rest of them dudes going at drake






Like me and @TTBF said, Kendrick did a great job of convincing folks that he’s more like us than he is like drake. Even though they very much had more in common