As I finished work today, I started thinking about modern popular music. Something told me that there was, and still is something definitively wrong with it. I guess it started by thinking about the most recent of pop music, and possibly the most popular current genre today, that is Hip-Hop. When I think about the history of this music, in particular, what the most well known artists had originally been trying to achieve, I can’t feel a little let down by the state of it. Take this song for example.
When I think about the message that this song carries, I guess I feel slightly refreshed to know that in a time when the tides of the civil rights movement seemed to be receding, that a group of young black men in America were able to say what the problem was, and to say it right to the face of the people oppressing them. They stood for nothing other than the idea that they should be able lead the lives that they choose, without the persecution of the government and their enforcers, namely, the police. In the years that followed, somehow, this music that continued this message was high-jacked by corporate America. They saw hip-hop as a medium to put forward their brands and products, because they were sly enough to recognize that this was the easiest way to reach the fastest growing ethnicity within their country. Artist, after artist was swayed into trusting that what they were doing was right, it is little wonder that those groups who actually did verbalize about the injustices of the world had to bow out under the pressure of the combined attacks from the corporation machine (which were ironically the people ‘the message’ was aimed at taking the power away from.) Bands such as Jurassic Five and Rage Against the Machine, had to indefinitely halt the progression of their groups, as they saw this as the only alternative to eventually being used as an advertising mule, someone with enough following to generate profit for the very people they were attempting to stand up to.
My point about hip hop is this: When all the kids are listening to an artist ‘rapping’ lyrics like 50 cent's "In Da Club," who the FUCK is going to take the notion of social progressiveness seriously?
This isn’t to say this mutilation of a pop-music genre is isolated solely to hip-hop. In fact, punk rock, rock, dance, disco, etc, etc, have all had moments where they end up selling out their fans for free lunch, and quite honestly, it sickens me. Songs from these originally rebellious genres should never be used to sell you a product. They should be a protest, a verbal riot and A BIG FUCKING MIDDLE FINGER to all those who think that this pilfering of the people’s music is acceptable.
I’m not saying that these bands are the devil. And I’m definitely not saying that there isn’t amazing hip-hop doesn’t exist anymore. I just want you to know that we can fight against the robbery of OUR music, whatever genre that may be.
Some wise words to finish this one off:
“If we settle for nothing now, then we’ll settle for nothing later!” – Rage Against the Machine
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Post Script: Just thinking about other sellout hip hop groups, I've come to the conclusion that The Black Eyed Peas are probably the biggest of them all. In a lot of regards, they used to carry a distinct message about the state of the world, right up to their last real song "where is the love"
After that, they were taken over, Fergie, who was only ever a fringe member of the group became prominent, a sex symbol, not only used to undermine the message of social solidarity, but also to undermine women in general. So fucked...
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