Posted by Min. Paul Scott on 7/19/2002, 7:04 am With the history of violence, bloodshed and disunity Battlin is nothing new in the Rap world as it was a The Rap Wars of the 80s were between struggling The Black community in America is one big project. Not We must also hold our brothers and sisters in the rap The message that this is sending to the young brothas What we are fighting for is the survival of Afrikan Despite the strategic placement of Black faces in high Minister Paul Scott is founder of the Durham NC based
The Hip Hop Hatin that Hate Produced
Min. Paul Scott
Massa Thomas and the good ole boys laid their bets
down as Big Buck and Black Sam threw down in the
cotton field. All it took was for Massa Thomas to tell
Big Buck that Black Sam was bragging that he was the
baddest slave on the plantation and then tell Black
Sam that he caught Sallie Mae round the cabin with
Big Buck for it to be on.
After the fight Massa Thomas walked away counting the
money that he had won, while Buck and Sam lay on the
ground in a puddle of blood. Although they fought each
other with everything they had, the bottom line was
they were still slaves and Thomas was still the
master.
The white exploitation of Black on Black violence has
long been a stumbling block for the advancement of
Afrikan people. From the manipulation of tribal wars
during the African Holocaust (Transatlantic slave
trade) to the tribal wars taking place in hoods
across America, today, the damage that this has done
cannot be overstated.
that this has caused, it is a cryin shame in 2002, we
see our people falling into the same trap, especially
among those in Hip Hop.
sure fire way to prove your superiority on the mic.
Many of us old school brothas can remember battles
between the Cold Crush Brothers and the Fantastic 5.
Or, those impromptu MC battles that were waged in high
school halls between classes, with two brothas rappin
and one kicking the beat by beating on a locker with
one of those big wooden brushes , the ones that came
with the Murrays and doo rag that we used to keep our
waves tight.
teenagers fighting to carve a living out of a cold
world that cared nothing about them. However, in 2002,
we have 30-year-old millionaires still trying to prove
to each other who is the hardest.
in the sense of a bunch of buildings surrounded by a
black iron fence and miles of poverty but a project
meaning an experiment to see if people are thrown
together in cramped conditions and denied economic
opportunity, so much so that they have to fight each
other for the crumbs that fall from the white power
structures table, will they be so indoctrinated with
that mentality that even when they break the physical
and economic barriers of tha hood they will still
keep the same psychological programming that was
produced as a survival technique in the projects.
This year has seen the resurgence of the Hip Hop Wars
with the much-heralded Jay Z vs. Nas, KRS vs. Nelly,
Dre vs JD; etc. While some of the rhetoric coming from
artists such as Nas and KRS may seem revolutionary to
16 year old kids, if the dialogue is not put in the
context of the struggle for the survival of Afrikan
people, it quickly becomes counterrevolutionary. The
fight that the more conscious rappers must rage is to
put Black consciousness back into Hip Hop and not
allow these so called Hip Hop Wars to divert
attention away from the real issues facing, not only
the Hip Hop Generation but Afrikan people, in general.
In post 9/11 America, where the issues that are
exclusive to the Black community have all but been
forgotten by the so called mainstream, Hip Hop must
play a major role in shoving these issues in Americas
face.
game accountable for their actions. Yeshua (misnamed
Jesus) once said he who is without sin, cast the
first stone. This can be applied to Hip Hop, as all
have come up short when their ways and actions are
weighed against that historical struggle for Black
Liberation. So, it seems somewhat hypocritical for a
rapper who has never owned up to the contradictions in
his own music to point fingers at another rapper whom
he considers less conscious than himself.
and sistas is also problematic as they will see the
insanity of disunity among Afrikan people as not only
normal but as a cause for celebration and admiration.
This will later manifest itself into them developing
the same intense hatred and mistrust of other Black
folks from which many of us are suffering. Malcolm X
once pointed out that the media is so powerful in its
image making role that it can make your enemy seem
like your friend and your friend seem like your enemy;
so it is in Hip Hop.
people; not lyrics; not respect for Hip Hop; not even
which Hip Hop radio station is the best. If we are not
clear on this, we will be forever running around in a
circle, like a dog chasing its tail and wondering why
with all the talking, Black folks are still living in
such hellish conditions.
places within the entertainment industry, it is the
white owned corporate giants that control the media
images that our children see and ultimately it is
white businessmen who reap the profits from the Hip
Hop Wars (whether the artists themselves survive them
or not). So history repeats itself; the slaves fight
each other while the slave master laughs all the way
to the bank.
New Righteous Movement and has recently launched the
National Hip Hop Reformation Campaign. For more
information contact: operationmedia@yahoo.com
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