Hip-Hop: I Still Love Her

I might've failed to mention that the chick was creative
But once the man got to her, he altered the native
Told her if she got an image and a gimmick
That she could make money, and she did it like a dummy
Now I see her in commercials, she's universal
She used to only swing it with the inner-city circle
Now she be in the burbs lookin' rock and dressin' hip
And on some dumb shit, when she comes to the city
Talkin' about poppin' glocks, servin' rocks, and hittin' switches
Now she's a gangsta rollin' with gangsta [chicks]
Always smokin' blunts and gettin' drunk
Tellin' me sad stories, now she only [messes] with the funk
Stressin' how hardcore and real she is
She was really the realest, before she got into show-biz
I did her, not just to say that I did it ...
But I'ma take her back hopin' that the [bull] stop
Cause who I'm talkin' bout y'all is hip-hop

- Common, "I Used to Love H.E.R."


I just finished reading Michael Eric Dyson's new book Know What I Mean?: Reflections on Hip-Hop. Dyson is the first bonafied hip-hop intellectual (or at least the first one with a PhD to obtain a national platform). I read his first book, Reflecting Black, back in 1997 while working on a research paper for a graduate school preparation program created to encourage more minorities to pursue Doctorates in Philosophy and teach in the academy. Dyson's latest offering reminded me why hip-hop continues to be such a vital part of my life, despite it's questionable attributes, and why hip-hop is an art form worthy of critical, objective analysis.

Dyson speaks to the pathologies of hip-hop, but only within the larger context of American society and highlighting it's connections to other cultural institutions. For example, when examining oppressive patriarchy and sexism he draws a parallel between hip-hop and the church:

If hip hop has a theology, it's pretty consistent with the biblical justification of male misbehavior by blaming the seducing female. Now that's not to deny that there's female complicity. We have to ask the hard question of why certain women conform to the vicious images of female sexual identity promoted in misogynistic masculinity. Of course, that's not simply a problem that shows up in hip hop; it's a culture-wide phenomenon. When women go to religious institutions where they hear clergy justify their second-class citizenship, they are conforming to the dominant images of a religious culture that aims to subordinate them. But it's easier to jump on hip hop videos than it is to target sermons of ministers, bishops, imams, and rabbis who reinforce a culture of male privilege and strident patriarchy (110).

While many may reflexively dismiss what Dyson has to say on such matters, if they take time to absorb his reflections, perhaps a little self-criticism will follow not just on a personal level, but on an institutional one as well. Complacency is the failure to recognize that the status quo can always be made better, and by better I mean more equitable and just. This is why the political undercurrent within hip-hop is so important.

In my new role as an Outreach Coordinator with GenerationEngage, I am charged with finding creative ways to get more young adults, 18-29 (and especially those without a traditional college education) more involved in the democratic process. We plan to leverage hip-hop culture, through music, spoken word, film and curriculum to reach young voters and potential voters where they are and help them see how politics is not external to their lives, but is rather an intrinsic part of it, whether it be in the form of music or actual policy. Dyson expounds upon the political capacity of hip-hop in this regard:

At their best, hip hoppers have the potential to raise people's awareness. And I think hip hop, if it will challenge and renew itself in the cycles of history and social struggle, can continue to play a vital role in inspiring young folk to become politically astute human beings and citizens. At its best, hip hop can challenge young folk to fight for what they believe in. And it's important for young folk to understand that unless they contribute to their own freedom and self-determination, that freedom and self-determination will mean little (86).

I believe art like religion, should be judged on the best of it's traditions, not the worse; even if those better manifestations are outnumbered by those of a lesser quality. This is why I still love hip-hop.