The HipHop TURKEY-NOW WHAT??
Since the Days of DJ Kool Herc and the emergence of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, SugarHill Gang to RUN DMC -Hiphop has survived while most Executives walked away stating “Hiphop is just a FADE-It will NEVER last.”
With Pop & Rock changing but dominating the radio networks and airwaves there was no room for an alternative. Jazz and Rnb was thriving but Rock dominated. A few musicians like Bob Marley, Michael Jackson and the old 70s artists were dominating music play. In the early 80s a young man took the torch by the name of Todd Smith aka LLCOOLJ that changed the game- INTERNATIONALLY. His style, the clothes, the cars, the exotic animals-to the Ladies.. COOLJ did that.
Hiphop stated to merge popular culture along w/ Rich Entertainers when RUNDMC did “WALK THIS WAY” w/ AEROSMITH & ROCK LEGEND STEVEN TYLER. As Rock was all about Love & Party’s..HIPHOP was something more..HIPHOP is/was the soul of streets for everyone to understand problematic circumstances within our communities and ICE-T with “COP KILLER” & NWA made the World Aware of that- with “F&$k the Police!!
Every-time I think of NWA-I think of my friend DARREN WHITE -out of all my friends that were mostly black.. Darren a white boy said-MAN YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO THIS!! All my friends didn’t have the tape-No one had this tape but Darren.. and he gave it to me to listen…and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and then second I remember saying -these Niggas Crazy- the Pigs gonna get them!! Lol and I was right..Also what was Amazing- in the Movie “Straight Outta Compton” the scene w/ Dr Dre where they had the big pool party..I actually saw that footage on VHS in middle school. So imagine what I saw -I WOULDNT WANT MY KID SEEING THAT.. but guess what-we wanted to throw a party like that.. again the process continues.
With the 50th Anniversary of Hiphop hitting every media network worldwide especially National News on ABC, NBC, CNN, FOX and even ESPN-HIPHOP IS HERE TO STAY & THATS FACTS!!
But with the emergence of Social Justice, Hiphop was challenged bc of its use of profanity, disrespecting women, gang and drug music and the direction of where Hiphop was headed. If you remember Jayz spearheaded “CHANGE” along with hundreds of music industry professionals and congressmen and women in the 90s -but NOTHING CAME ABOUT THIS CHANGE..bc we couldn’t work together within our own communities to make change. And I’m assuming our Government wasn’t going to promote this as well..
So we are in 2023 when the world is in its most dangerous place with theft, sexual assault, rape, and drugs continues to rise.. and it doesn’t help when we see Musicians act out this bad behavior with our kids mimicking every move then do a community TURKEY GIVEAWAY??
Today in Hiphop killing is cool-JAIL is a mandatory prerequisite to get your music to take off, and drugs is discussed like it’s skittles like what color you want??
Hiphop was NEVER THAT!! ICE-T and Cube talked about police brutality and showed the world what was FACTS!! HOW DRUGS CAME TO THE STREETS BY OUR GOVERNMENT?? The GRIND WAS REAL!! Everything was against us back then..and it still is but back then it was real. Nowadays our kids are LAZY…and sell drugs just to look cool while they live in the suburbs in a 4,000 sq feet home..and you ain’t struggling.
Only if NAS, BUSTA RYHMES, EPMD etc had your TECHNOLOGY back then…
With Chuck D and PUBLIC ENEMY w/ Flavor Flav hitting the streets.. change was happening.. but not within the judiciary system nor in our own communities.
SO I ASK.. you have the Turkey- What now?? WHEN will change happen within Hiphop?? Although Hiphop has made the Turkey giveaways more famous than getting a Turkey during THANKSGIVING- Change Must happen. I’m actually tired of seeing artist just hand out Turkeys when no substance behind it. Then kids go back & rep the artists by playing their gun & drug related music and the CYCLE CONTINUES!! Maybe add a hiring event, scholarship program, community project etc. to your Turkey giveaway events.
Let’s talk.. a millionaire giving away Turkeys???A millionaire giving away Turkeys. Ok.. maybe it’s over your head…but it’s like Oprah going to Africa and giving starving kids a piece of fruit?? You did all this work to get to Africa -just to give a piece of fruit to the poor…they still hungry..instead of using resources and producing meaningful solutions.
SO I ASK YOU HAVE YOUR TURKEY-WHATS NEXT??
THE Turkeys looking like- what is next bc you killing us like you mad at us. Every hood got they Turkeys?? Artists beefing amongst other artists about how many people they feed?? Like they a hood-boss in the 60s..
ALSO this narrative of one must have Beef to sell your music....Now artists mad at DEE-1 bc he is saying enough is enough..ENOUGH BEEN ENOUGH!! Just imagine if RICK ROSS AND 50CENT COME TOGETHER & make clean & positive music..look at NAS & JAYZ how they squashed there BEEF. Them coming together made money for the team, local businesses, families, cities and bringing in politicians to help with there initiatives-ALL BC OF HIPHOP. And it’s still continuing!!
I feel that DJ KOOL HERC, KRS-One ,KANYE WEST, SUGARHILL GANG, NAS, QUEEN LATIFAH, EPMD, LLCOOLJ, 50Cent, MC LYTE, JAYZ, RICKROSS, RUNDMC ETC to make a UNION.. NAME AND ELECT 5 and make this UNION work within HIPHOP and our communities. This UNION WILL specialize in creating monetization projects, distribution company, radio platforms, streaming platforms and most importantly a Pension PLAN..in place for all artists that’s in the union especially the pioneers of Hiphop to benefit the MOST.
I feel Just as the Continent of Africa is cutting its resources from imperial thinking.. HIPHOP must do the same bc we are already in GAZA like scenario?? REALLY Think about that??
Until NEXT TIME!!
LGTM
