I’m pretty ambivalent about rap music. I’m not an ultra-conservative flame-thrower who curses it as the soundtrack to the fall of the western world. Neither am I a red-capped revolutionary who sees it as the voice of social revolution.
I see there are two sides to the rap story. I see there’s plenty of misogynistic, vulgar rap music being made (’cuz it seems to be all over the TV) and I’m not all that enthusiastic about it. I know also there’s a fair amount of positive rap music being made, intended to unite and equalize rather that fracture and dominate. (I should also mention there’s plenty of so-called “white” music that can be qualified in one of these two ways.)
Summarily, my relationship to rap is thus: I like (or, should I say, I understand) some of it and misunderstand most of it. I take each artist and/or song individually; either I can relate or I can’t. (I don’t relate to death metal, either, again making the point that none of this really has anything to do with race).
All this serves to set the table for an excellent article that appeared in The Economist’s June 28th-July 4th edition. Whenever someone writes something thoughtful I’m first in awe, second in jealousy and third enthusiastic to share the wealth.
Take a click over the The Economist and read The Politics of Rap. Then come back and listen to Gil Scott-Heron, who probably speaks more articulately about this than the majority of us.
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Gil Scott-Heron’s “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” is a great song, even the dated bits about a “white tornado”, etc. Public Enemy were really important for a time, but the message they preached was far different from the rap of today.