Black Out: Until Hip Hop Is A Phoenix

     I just watched this video, and the information in it is nothing new. This is the talk that has been discussed for years. Black people don't believe anything is handed to us; must be genetic. The topics in this video discussed by Black Dot, author of Hip Hop Decoded are so believable that I felt compelled to give you a backdrop. Otherwise, you'd think we're just conspiracy theorist, or even worst "haters".

     It's important for you to understand, that in the beginning there was a raw culture of hip hop. Black, Puerto Rican, and Dominican people united for many reasons behind it. It was our thing. Created in my home borough of The Bronx, we ran it, we staged it, we sold it. By selling of course, we could fill a party with it. Hip Hop.

     Eventually Hip Hop spread. It intrigued lower levels of businesses. It attracted the second levels of corporate America, and eventually it made its way to the top. Its rise seemed like progress. The people responsible for the rise, historically, are still considered as pioneers and credited with moving Black America. We give them a pass, but we despise those that follow.

     What do I mean by give them a pass? Well, back in 1991, hip hop introduced one of its greatest rappers, Tupac Shakur. Tupac was more keen to whitewashing. He was very aware of black people's place in America, and how we are viewed. Despite his career moves, Tupac did most things because of his talents, versus crossing over. He is an example of a pass. You can't deny his role in Juice, Poetic Justice, and Above The Rim. At that time, I lived in Bronxdale Housing, and he resembled the people from my neighborhood. Tupac was in no way, in my opinion, a corporate sell out.

     Jumping up a few years later, we are reacquainted with Jay Z. Now Jay didn't act. Yes he appeared in a few movies, but he didn't act to crossover. However, Jay's population regularly increased. This is my first experience with the hip hop speculation. When Biggie was killed, a void was left. Jay Z took his spot. They were partners, in the business; rumors have it that before Biggie's death, Jay Z and Biggie were working on their own label called The Commission. Remember the line from Man of the Night "Just like ya soul. The Commission remains".

     Jay Z's opportunity had come at the helm of his friends death. One person told me Jay killed Biggie for the lime light. This is how preposterous the speculation gets. But like every conspiracy, there are some stories that are true. This wasn't one of them. Jay Z capitalized on his new popularity. This caused the talks about him to intensify. He also gets a pass, however, because everything Jay did was business. But he is also the beginning of the end.

     Dame Dash discussed recently how Jay Z can't do a lot of things because he's corporate. This is why I say he's the beginning of the end. While we must always act accordingly, Hip Hop doesn't encourage that. Hip Hop expects you to express yourself. He is a person that can walk that fine line because, we understand the aspect of how to act. We know his real character though.

     If we skip into 2014 to Iggy Azaela's incident with Snoop Dogg, we begin to see those corporate situations controlling artists. We are very convinced that our music is controlled by corporate people. Our culture no longer belongs to us, yet it is constantly used against us. The youth is pretty much hypnotized, and just takes things as they are because their options are nonexistent. I'm pretty sure my grandparents said that about my generation.

      Your question now is probably, what do we do? Well Hip Hop is the example. Hip Hop is the first lesson in what is really happening. This is not a conspiracy. The reason Hip Hop can slip away so easily is because its not black owned. Gangsta rap was a category at one point. Now its the entire genre. We have to take control of the genre and control who comes in and who is put out. Control what they wear to the extent that its presentable and clean, but still a resemblance of what the streets wear.

     We can't just regulate everything done within the Hip Hop community. We have to focus everyone in fields outside of music. We have to send adults back to school for law, accountancy, health, engineering, fashion, communications, marketing, and more.We have to support them and ensure their commitment to education. When we take ownership, we run things our way.

     We are branding ourselves into a box, leaving us with no artistic freedom - or any other freedoms for that matter. Black Dot makes a point, the youth want to hear from the minds their age, that lived through what they lived through. We're grooming failures because they're chasing the almighty dollar. If a rapper like Young Thug can say what he said about the St. Louis, Missouri tragedy and still get airplay with Lifestyle, the youth don't have a chance at their representatives speaking up for anything.

     Watch Young Thug's video. When Jay Z and Tupac entered the rap music industry, they had something called Artist & Repertoire. This is an artist who said it, outright, "I leave that to the critics and lawmakers." That's what they are all doing. They do it because they cannot legally speak on anything that they're not under contract for. The corporate representatives coach them on these things, and they don't have A&R's to do that for them as a representative of where they come from.

     Some may consider this a satire piece, but there's a bigger picture. This is just the first part to our renovation as a people. While you wait for my next piece, Black Out: Branding Ourselves Into A Cage, read my first two answers to our problems, Investment Club Challenge, Take Ownership of Your Earnings and  Black Wall Street, Harlem Renaissance Reborn.