Hipolitics and the era of Obama

Wassup, wassup, wassup to everybody out there in the blogosphere. This is ya man Q Sincere the publisher of this blog, yall know the name "State of the Hip Hop Union"at hx2coalition.blogger.com. And by now if anyone has read my post, you know that I created this blog to discuss or rant about social, economic, and political issues along the backdrop of hip hop culture. With that being said I wanna give a shout out to Tiffany from San Francisco for being the first to peep out my newly created blog, much love to ya out there in the Bay! Anyone else who would like to stop by and check out my page you are more than welcome homies! Anyways......Today I wanna get a lil bit intellecutal if you will with a topic concerning hip hop culture's role in mainstream America and its relationship to the ascendency of America's first African-American President. Be mindful that when I say hip hop's relation to the subject, I mean the hip hop culture as a whole not just the music. Lets get started. As I begin to elaborate on this subject I think of few things......The first thing I think about is a line in one of the late great Tupac Shukur's songs "I Wonder If Heaven Gotta Ghetto" where he says "and although it seems heaven sent/we aint ready to have a black president". The second thing that comes to mind is the excerpt or sample of that line on the Nas "Untitled" album in a song entitled "Change the World" in which the excerpt of the Tupac line is played followed by a harmonizing of the phrase "yes we can, change the world. Then lastly, but most certainly not least, I am reminded of that night on November 4, 2008 when history was made, and that dream that MLK had, that Malcolm X fought for, that Jesse Jackson lived to see, and that Tupac, eventhough he may have wanted to see though he had his doubts, came to fruition. As I watched my tv (still in kind of a state of shock myself) I looked across the crowed that had assembled at Grant Park in Chicago, IL, I noticed something a lil bit more different than I had ever seen. The rare ginuene assembly (ginuene being the keyword) of all ethnicities, social backgrounds, religions, and ages really astonished me because I hadn't seen this type of unity since 9/11. But as I continued to watch the tv I couldn't help but notice the scenes being shot around the nation and the world of places that were celebrating this monument of an event and how the majority of these scenes where taken at college campuses. At these institutions of higher learning where students of all backgrounds were celebrating some even in tears, I realized that this group also known as the "youth vote" (which includes myself by the way) were the catalyst behind this campaign for change. This brought to my attention the labeling of today's generation or "youth" as the "hip hop generation", and as I thought about it more and more, I began to realize that not only was the victory of Barack Obama a win for America, it was a win for the culture of hip hop. I've read alot of conservative articles that try to seperate the two extremes of culture and politics, however in my opinion, the relation of a specific culture and politics has never been more evident. It is a fair assesment to say that the hip hop culture was created primarily in the minority communities as a way to express the ongoing forms of struggle and repression that many inner city urban youths were facing (and still face) at the time. It is also fair to say that as the commercialization of hip hop began to grow and it started to be seen a lucrative cash cow as well as an art form, that it got to the point where eventhough the minority were still in control of the principles and the image, the majority and mainstream America was in control of the market. This in turn, caused the hip hop culture to transcend to new heights outside of music which included, business, endorsements, and yes even politics. However, hip hop culture didn't just become popular in mainstream America because it was a lucrative business, it became popular among mainstream America because of what it represented, style, fearlessness, triumph in the face of adversity and a rebelliousness toward the status quo that was (and continues to be) repressed in the hearts of many Caucasian Americans that make up the majority of buyers of the music. So in a sense the common and now almost dominant language of hip hop culture is the barrier breaker between black and white young and old that brought millions together that night in Grant Park. In many ways Obama himself represents all hip hop has stood for over the years, style, fearlessness, and triumph in the face of adversity that transends bounderies. I like to think that he represents the best of both world's to the degree that he has come from the black struggle, single parent home, moving from place to place, etc. All of which were stories written out in hip hop lyrics through the years. However he represents the ability to rise from the ashes and crossover to mainstream America (attendending Harvard, obtaining a law degree, becoming President) in ways that were once only a dream. And because we as hip hop heads.......no, as the hip hop generation saw the best of both of our worlds in him, we helped to make the dream a reality. That's my opinion, whats yours?

Peace
-Q Sincere

Dumbing Down?

Wassup, to all those out there in the blogosphere, from everywhere across the globe, on every coast, continent and hood. This is ya man Q Sincere. The creator and publisher of the State of the Hip Hop Union blog at hx2coalition.blogger.com. As you all know this is the blog where I express my views of politics, business, social, and cultural issues while using the platform of our culture of hip hop as a means to convey these views and message. This is also about chopping it up in convo with fellow bloggers who have similair or different views on issues so feel free to view my blog and hit me up, this is what it is all about. Today, as indicated by the title of the post I want to discuss the state of hip hop and the dumbing down of lyricism in the art. In my post before this one entitled "The Power of the Mic" I discussed a panel on BET which I watched that was entitled "State of the Hip Hop Union". In the post I mentioned the guest which included rap artist, executives, and intellectuals alike who were discussing some of the negatives of current hip hop artistry, one of the problems being lyrics that nowadays lack actual substance (except from a select few classic, underappreciated, or "underground" artist) being that they are either aimlessly loaded with overly violent or misogynistic undertones (keyword is aimlessly), or that these rhymes represent an overly clueless style of hip hop which trendy beats and dance steps are the main subject of some artist and not a trace of the actual meanings of the words. While I dont have anything against the artist who are all about the entertainment and recreational style of rap (because every form has its place) I do want to discuss why today's modern rap culture is so dominated by what at times is such non-sense, and in my opinion while artist and executives still share alot of responsiblility for this influx of goofiness, it is not solely on them, nor is it any particular region's fault, as so many blame artist claim. In my opinion a real inconveinent truth that all of us are attempting to ignore is that a big part of the reason this type of hip hop has become dominant is because we as a culture have develop a "dumb it down" attitude toward life itself. Yes, thats right! History shows that music, fashion, and entertainment culture as a whole has always been a reflection of the times and the mindset of the people during those times, of course there are always exceptions but for the most part this is very true. Even before the creation of hip hop culture entertainment reflected the issues, styles, and attitudes of the day. With the 20's 30's and into the early to mid 40's the main music we fashioned ourselves around was the swinging jazz music and look, conks, zuit suits, and the like. Many jazz songs had coded titles or messages in those songs that not only talked about the issues of race and poverty (which every other genre of black music addressed as well) but, the hieghtened attitude towards sex during that 15-20 year period of time. From the mid to late 40's through the early 60's the attitude toward sex was still a topic in society but in music and entertainment it had softer more crooning undertone with the introduction of R&B and groups like The Temptations, Smokey Robinson and The Mircles, and the Chi-Lites. The emphasis in style and music was more fixed on the methodical wooing of women and smooth dress. As we entered the mid to late 60's into the 70's the tone of songs and style of dressed turned just a bit more blue collar. Artist like Marvin Gaye and Donny Hathaway often created songs aimed at more social concerns of life like Hathaway's "Ghetto" or Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On?". In the late mid to late 70's through the 80's due to increasing social problems, race, drugs and crime, the underground then "subculture of hip hop was born. So in essence music has always reflected the life and times of the people. I say that to say this, maybe the reason for alot of the bland tones in hip hop or the overtly and aimless explicit tones in rap can be attributed to the short attention span and lack of emphasis on intellegence in America itself. The attitude of most of today's American culture is that of keeping up with short-lived trends or gratification. Unlike cultures of yesteryear who used intellegence to make dynamic changes and create innovative solutions to problems, we live in a time where everything is already programmed and convienient for us, therefore forcing no critical thinking about, what we watch, what we listen to, or who we follow. The advancements in our life are great and I'm not knocking them, however, it seems to be getting to a point where its effecting our ability to grow as a culture and be intellegent and different. Its evident in the music on a wide scale. For instance, if we were to critically look at some of the lyrics to some of today's most popular artist, alot of us would probably feel immensly foolish that we even consider it meaningful. The higher ups at labels (who I say again could help somewhat change some things) understand the short attention span of Americans and therefore gives us a half-assed artist with a half-assed product, and it usually succeeds, while talented all around artist struggle to find a way in the doors to fame and fortune. Also, in this country, and as a people, it is my opinion that our standards have become very low. We don't have as much regard for our minds as we used to because everything is systematic and set up to do most of the work for us, so as a result we are entertained or mesmerized by the simplest of things (myself included sometimes, but at least I know). The "dumbing down" problem is also evident in television as well. Modern day televison has become a barage of "reality tv shows" (which used to be cool when they were reality), "baby mama drama" talk shows, and just all out side shows like Jerry Springer. These genres of TV dominate the market and are some of the most profitable to networks, and while smart programs haven't been completly wiped out, there is alot less emphasis on them. All of entertainment is not bad might I remind you, however, it has to be said that the popularity of non-sense is surley as much our fault as anybody's. It is a new day, and with all of the advancements we have made I feel that if anything, we should be stepping our game up mentally, socially, and financially. These modern advancements can be our best friend or our worst enemy if we allow it. Don't forget that contrary to popular belief, corporations don't control the market, consumers do and if we step up our game, so will go the principles of the market and entertainment can become decent again and not downright ignorant. Thats my word, whats yours?

The Power of the Mic

Wassup hip hop nation, fellow bloggers and headz from all reigons north, south, east, and west. This is ya fellow bretheren Q Sincere publisher of the hx2coaliton.blogspot.com blog. As I said in my introduction post this is gonna be the spot for all of the hip hop headz, artist and activist alike to discuss all subjects involving the culture politally, socially, artistically, and in the world of business. Responses and open discussion are welcome so all of my people out there in the blogosphere hit me up and let me know what and how you feel.

As indicated by the today's title, I wanna start off my first actual discussion post by touching on a topic that has been at the center of debate and analysis since the explosion of the art in the 80's. What I wanna to talk about (and want you to respond to) is the effect of the corporate influences in hip hop on the art and the culture itself. Let's get into it. I was once watching a panel on BET in that was entitled "State of the Union" (yes, like my first post title). The panel was hosted by BET's own Jeff Johnson(one of the realest dudes out there) host of the black news show "The Truth". Guest on this panel included several distinguished guest from the intellecutal, hip hop, and business worlds. These guest included Dr. Cornel West, Michael Eric Dyson, Benjamin Chavis, Stanley Crouch, Kim Osrio, David Banner, T.I., M1 of Dead Prez, and a host of others (it was a three part series). At one point during the panel they discussed the topic's of misogyny, drugs, and violence in the lyrics of today's rap artist. As with so many panels on this delicate subject, at one point the debate became heated in which opinions on how to solve the problem went flew back and forth across the stage between the panelist. From the artist perspective the solution was to combat the problems that the music reflects. In many areas of the country (mainly urban) the drug, prostituion, and violence problem existed long before the inception of hip hop and to those artist blaming the culture was just a scapegoat for s0-called leaders to not do their jobs. From what I considered to be the "liberal minded intellecutal" perspective the solution to this problem laid in both the hands of artist, educators, as well as government. The aim to them was not to limit freedom of speech, nor was it to promote outrageoeus music but to have people take awareness in the power of that right to speak for better or for worse. From what I considered to be the "conservative minded intellecutal" perspective, the solution was to go to the heads of record companies and regulate or ban material that included misogyny, or violence in the lyrics. Their version of the solution was to also ban or regulate (but mostly ban) video expression of these topics.

I say all that to say this.....In my opinion, I take a moderate position on this issue. From the standpoint of an aspiring artist and poet I have to say that I find it absolutely crazy to limit what people can say due to the right of free speech. Art is an individuals interpretation on the realities of life( in alot of cases it is also the true facts on life) and everyone has the right to their own
opinion. To ban or try to regulate an artist work, in my opinion, would do nothing in attempting to solve the problem's that confront us a nation (mainly minorities in America). If you look at the history of this country and our people, one could argue that centuries upon centuries of oppresion as well as some of the inequalities economically, politically, and socially were the background for creating this often ugly picture of the drug trade, prostitution, violence, gangs, as well as other vices. It is when we as a people stood up to the systems that created these problems in the past, that progress was made and we saw many accomplishments, and it is my belief that it will be our ability to unite across racial, social, political, and class lines and fight for solutions to these problems that will ultimately change the negative aspects of these urban areas and this nation as a whole. However, as an apiring poet, musician, and writer, I do believe that the written and spoken word is the most powerful weapon on the face of this earth and we who have been blessed with this gift have a responsiblity that comes with the use of that weapon. I state again, by no means am I suggesting that we limit what we say or do as artist, however there is another element which I believe often waters down the artistic genius and may possibly contribute to the overly and unecessary negative monotony of some of today's lyrics. I believe that element is who has the corporate control to our art. Hip Hop has come along way from undergroud sub-culture to lucrative multi-billion dollar enterprise, due to this fact, many of the culture's earlier nay-sayers (usually suburban or upper-class mainstream America) have turned to hip hop as lucrative cash cow first and an art last. As a result of this many well educated (not that there's anything wrong with education!) rich business executives with little to no knowledge of the art (because believe it or not the Russell Simmons, Kevin Liles, L.A. Reids, Sean Combs and Shawn Carters are few and far in between) are in control of what goes and what doesn't in our art! As a result many of today's mainstream artist follow suit and play the game the executives way in order to get rich insted of playing their way (like a Jay-Z , Nas, or Kanye) and getting the same results. It is ultimately this factor that produces watered down, unintellecutal, dense music that passes as modern entertainment. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with the entertainment side of music (I know every song can't be like a lecture hall) but there is a thin line between crossing over and selling out. Get your money artist! Get rich! I sure as hell want to get rich too! But we have the most powerful weapon in our arsenal.......the spoken and written word. With this weapon we can change the world and get rich........our way. That's my word, whats yours fellow bloggers?

One Luv
-Q Sincere

Allow me 2 introduce myself

Wassup world, hip hop fans from the north, south, east, west, both hemispheres and everywhere in between. This is ya bretheren Q Sincere and Im the publisher of the blog hx2coalition.blogspot.com But, before I get in to all of that, let me give you a lil background info on me. I am currently 23 years of age born and raised Richmond, Virginia. I am an alumni of JMHS's class of 2004. I did a year of college a Virginia State University where I was majoring in mass communications before having to leave due to personal reasons. I am an aspiring entrepreneur with plans on someday running my own entertainment and media group (including a website that I am currently building from scratch). I am also into poetry, music, and aspiring to be an author (I'm contemplating writing a few social/culture dialouge books someday) I've been in love with hip hop since I've been old enough to comprehend and not only do I live for the music, and the business of hip hop, I live for the culture as a whole. I'm creating this blog a venue to dialogue on the whole culture of hip hop music, lifestyle, business, politics as well as the undeniable social influences that we have on the world, and the power we have at our disposal. I'm creating this because there are things we can improve on in this culture, there are things we have achieved that need to be acknowledged, things that we haven't achieved, qualities we gained, qualities we've lost, and there are critisims (some deserved and some undeserved) that have been placed upon our culture and this is the place to for discussion. Intellect in hip hop.

One Luv,
-Q Sincere

P.S. ; I am also an intern at WRIR lpfm 97.3 "Radio for the rest of us" (the flagship low power fm radio station in the country!) so if you live in or near the Richmond, Virginia area or know someone who does, or if you are tourist in Richmond, Va check us out there's great shows, with interesting topics, not to mention a ton of diverse music genres