Kurtis Blow killed hip hop
When talking about the alleged death of hip hop, conventional wisdom would call for me to throw shade on the Soulja Boys and Gucci Manes of the world. As with many other issues in the black community, it’s treated as unfathomable that the present could have any sort of connection to the past. In fact, egged on by whites, many of us act as though we’re reaching some sort of enlightened state by ignoring the past. This type of arrogant ignorance is largely the reason why we keep falling for the same things over and over again. It’s also the reason why hip hop, to many, is unbearable these days.
I find it disturbing that when discussing the history of hip hop, many black intellectuals and experts can seem to identify every shift in the culture except the fact that hip hop essentially went from having black youth as its gatekeepers to a bunch of old ass white men. Actually, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say they were ignoring this on purpose.
Recalling an episode of the Viacom-sponsored nigger-quarrel formally known as Hip Hop vs. America (BET), I remember rapper David Banner trying to start a discussion on this issue. The result? He was cut off by host and fellow rapper MC Lyte, who shall be referred to as “Mammy Lyte” for the remainder of this post. Sadly, in spite of being in the rap game for God knows how many years, Mammy pretended as though she had no idea what Banner was talking about. And her cluelessness was so contrived; almost as though she had been instructed. Banner was spot-on, though. Over the years, black people had lost a major degree of control over hip hop. To figure out why, we need to backtrack.
In 1979, Kurtis Blow became the first rapper to sign a contract with a major recording company. For this feat, he’s widely considered a pioneer. As a result of Blow’s ensuing success, hip hop – which was once considered a fad – was able to prove itself as a viable industry. In a nutshell, Kurtis Blow can be largely credited with taking the culture from the street corner to the mainstream.
“Well, what’s wrong with that?”
Much like with the Civil Rights movement, it’d be widely considered blasphemous to speak against the road traveled by Blow. After all, what could possibly be more gratifying than being able to rub elbows with white people?
To put it plainly, the gains of both movements did wonders for our short-term gratification. However, they delayed (if not crippled) the longevity of the people they were supposed to be helping. For the life of us, black people can’t seem to figure out why, in spite of our supposed gains, nothing ever really clicks. In my opinion, it’s because we seem to want everything except control over ourselves. When we were begging to be allowed into trailer-trash diners and schools, it never occurred to us what we were doing to our own diners and schools; and when Kurtis Blow was busy “paving the way,” I doubt many of us realized what we’d be doing to our newly-created culture.
"What's good playa? Oh word? Black people are mad about BET? Well tell 'em to go bitch at T.I. again. You know, because obviously he holds more weight at BET than I do."
As is the case with black people in general, present-day hip hop excessively defers to an entity disinterested in its preservation (see: white people). In far too many facets of life, we opt for Faustian bargains and then act “brand new” once the catch is sprung on us. Whether in hip hop or everyday life, this is precisely why we keep acquiring so many trinkets and titles, yet continue to destroy ourselves. It’s a calculated, cruel joke, and black people can’t ever seem to figure out the punchline. We’ve made a history in this country of sacrificing innovation for integration, and because of it, we barely have a leg to stand on. The “success” of a Kurtis Blow merely brought this dynamic to yet another area of the black existence. Thirty years later, and it’s clear that hip hop has quite literally sold its soul. Commissioned by old whites and mainly consumed by young ones, the black role in the culture, at this point, is mainly to lend spirit and manage its subtleties. If any other group were capable of properly duplicating the savoir faire and je ne sais quoi, we probably wouldn’t even be extended that luxury.
These days, the black role in hip hop – something of our own creation – has essentially been reduced to a level where we’re not only begging another man for opportunities, but allowing him to dictate the output. Given this, is it really any surprise to you that socially-conscious music and artistic integrity has been phased out of the mainstream? Is it really any surprise to you that you’re misrepresented? Did you honestly expect Doug Morris, Rolf Schmidt-Holtz, Edgar Bronfman, Guy Hands or Sumner Redstone to empower your black ass? This is what you signed up for. Waka Flocka Flame, big booty hoes, violence, etc. were all in the fine print when your “heroes” signed on the dotted line. Every dollar isn’t created equal, and now it’s finally come to the light.
However, this issue is bigger than just hip hop to me. My primary concern is with the fact that black elders have a disgusting habit of mortgaging the future and then acting retarded once its time to pay up. Or worse yet, pretending as though these are solely the debts of their children. This is happening in far too many arenas. And even more disturbing – given what they know now, I’m not at all confident that things would be any different if they had the chance to do it all over again. Word to Obama.
Dayummmmm…this article is seriously the truth on so many levels – way beyond hip hop.
Going back to your article about 2012 and your dream about how black folk were crying when massa flew off (into combustion!), black people are so busy trying to be included in the white world for validation that we sacrifice creating and maintaining our own world and building our own communities and wealth. It's extremely destructive and depressing and I don't see it getting any better (I, myself, am assimilated in a corporate world until my blog blows up and I make enough to quit **cross ur fingers**, until then I'll be at this plantation e'ryday!).
ANYWAY – we need blunt direct messages like this to be broadcasted throughout the community until action is taken nation-wide to build and change the mindset of future generations…but we all know massa would nip that right in the bud as soon as he smelled black folk growing minds of their own…
1Ok, admittedly I just skimmed this post but I think you are forgetting the catalyst to the whole issue of white people being in control of hip hop. The Beastie Boys. Yes, this quaint little punk band turned “suburban rap” group brought hip hop in general, and rap specifically under the radar of white business men. That’s the thing that makes white business men so good at what they do. They do not care about who created it, what culture it may define or describe, or how it may affect future generations. We simply care about profitability. Which I guess defines the white culture pretty well, “if it’ll make us rich, we’ll get behind it.”
The Beastie Boys introduce rap music to white folks, and white business men who saw massive potential for profit in this relatively new industry (their first album hit the shelves in ’81, just two years after Kurtis Blow’s debut contract signing in ’79). Once this happened, it became only a matter of time before old white men who didn’t even like the music (or even consider it music) stuck their money craving hands in the business to get a piece of the future multibillion dollar industry. You can trust that this will happen with any innovative ideas that come in the future, no matter who comes up with it. The rich white man has no sense of brotherhood and is willing to take from white people just as much as black people if it’ll increase their profit margins.
Disclaimer: The term “rich white man” is a generalization. Not ALL rich white people are willing to fuck over anyone just to get more money. I happen to be wealthy, enough so that I have time to waste commenting on many of your posts (you have a new fan btw), and have never trampled or taken advantage of anyone. In fact, my business helps people, and in some cases free of charge.
2I look at people like the Beastie Boys (and later on, Vanilla Ice, Eminem, etc.) as more of a spinoff. Culturally and financially, the groundwork had already been laid for the relationship between black artists and white businessmen. And to this day, it’s the very core of the industry. Then and now, I think white rappers are, for the most part, inconsequential. They’re symbiotes, if you will. I see them more so as having upped the ante in the minds of some consumers. They’re like the bacon to the already-present cheeseburger. Now, if hip hop ever gets to the point where white artists bump out the black ones, I think then, the Beastie Boys would be a nice point of conversation. If this were possible though, I think it would’ve already happened by now (as I alluded to in the post).
This site is full of generalizations, by the way. All the way down to its title. Some of which, after glossing over your other comments, I see you’ve even found amusing (naturally, the ones that aren’t about you). I even subject myself to them; so it goes without saying that you don’t really have anything coming. But that aside, I didn’t even use the term “rich white men” in this post.