This week, we are discussing Hip-hop's relationship to politics. Submit a freestyle blog ( audio reference, art image, lyrics, etc.) that reflects your vision of Hip-hop's relationship to politics.
Is it possible to separate politics from personal identity? How do you see Hip-hop artists present their political perspectives?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-a5zmIQKrQ
ReplyDeleteThis is a link to Eminem's "White America". This song presents Eminem's political perspectives and his view on America. I personally think this song is not only lyrically magnificent, but I think Eminem (although extreme) brings up some valid points.
"Let's do the math, if I was black...I woulda sold half"
I think this song, although controversial, shows how expressive hip-hop allows us to be.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22l1sf5JZD0&ob=av3e
ReplyDeleteThis is Lupe Fiasco's Words I Never Said. If you really listen to the lyrics you can hear him talk about politics throughout the song. For an example:
"Limbaugh is a racist, Glenn Beck is a racist
Gaza strip was getting bombed, Obama didn’t say shit
That's why I ain't vote for him,"
And another reason I picked this song it I really like it.
Many people think hip hop is just about artists expressing their feelings and emotions through MCing, breaking and graffiti. However, hip hop is about much more than that. It has been utilized to express the black urban youth’s frustration with the government. Hip hop has been presenting political messages since it first began. I think it is funny how Republicans and Democrats have been represented in Hip-hop by so many artists and their lyrics. Tupac, Diddy, and Will I Am are just some hip hop artists who are openly liberal. Several hip hop artists use lyrics that involve some type of political movement, or political view point to express their own identity. The song “Whatever you Like” T.I integrated Hip-hop identity with the political campaign that was presently occurring. I remember years ago when “Vote or Die” campaign came out during the Kerry-Bush Presidential Elections. It was a political effort lead by Sean P. Diddy Combs, as he teamed up with hip-hop artists such as 50 Cent and Trick Daddy to encourage young adults to vote. This was not the only Presidential campaign used by hip hop artists. During Obama's presidential run, Will I AM created "Yes We Can", a song to show he supported Obama. These specific hip hop campaigns encouraged more people to vote because these hip-hop artists that created the campaigns reached out to their fans who identify themselves with that artist and got them to vote.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDMyArnIdzY&feature=player_embedded
ReplyDeleteThis is a video of Kanye West commenting on George W. Bush and the US Governments handling of the Katrina hurricane situation in Louisiana. Only Kanye would cause such controversy during a fundraiser. In his later songs, he has defended himself with lyrics such as:
"I mean I might even make him be Republican/So everybody know he love white people"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVmhZW1dDis&feature=related
ReplyDeleteThis song/video is by Mos Def titled "Beef." He comments on the interplay of hip-hop beef compared to real-life issues like poverty, homicide, political corruption, and war. He comments on geopolitics, and America's involvement in Iraq which shows his displeasure for the Bush administration. This song is relevant and interesting because he ties somewhat cosmetic "beef" in hip-hop to a broader perspective dealing with human genocide, black urban plight, and his commentary, as a hip-hop figure, helps many urban youth adhere to world issues where access to internet, television, and newspaper might be unavailable.
While searching for hip-hop songs centered around political messages, I came across KRS One's song, "Self Destruction". In this song, KRS One addresses the issue of Black on Black violence and the need for unification and peace. This led me to discover that KRS One began a movement in the late 1980's known as the Stop the Violence Movement which was in response to the death of Scott La Rock, one of the founders of Boogie Down Productions. He then wrote this song in order to further bring light to the issue.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxyYP_bS_6s
This song and video are a prime demonstration of the ability for hip-hop artists to come together and promote a cause leading to awareness and change.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afgHqFOPDN0&feature=related
ReplyDeleteThis is a song called "50K Deep" by a hip hop group named Blue Scholars. They are from Seattle where I am from. The song talks about the famous WTO (World Trade Organization) riot/protest in Seattle in 1999. The one rapping is named Geologic and he is giving his account of the riot/protest.
Here is a song by Talib Kweli called "The Proud":
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFSiM874Jxg&ob=av2e
Some obvious lyrics that I thought were pretty relevant to our topic:
The President is Bush, the Vice President's a Dick
So a whole lot of fuckin is what we gon' get
They don't wanna raise the babies so the election is fixed
That's why we don't be fuckin with politics
Def Poetry - Common - A Letter To The Law
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=LssFolrpiD4&NR=1
This link is Common speaking on governmental abuse of power.
The prevalence of the ugly word among blacks in America. Nigger, Niggas & Niggaz" by Julian Curry:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=P7JMmR1hnFA&NR=1
This performance of Julian Curry on Def Poetry Jam was one of the biggest ever on the show. He brings up the history of the word "nigga" and how blacks in America have changed it to overcome the derogatory meaning of it.
Hip-hop played a pivotal role in the election of President Obama in 2008. During fine art week, we discussed how the Obama campaign used street artist Shepard Fairley to design the signature red, white, and blue portrait of Obama. There was the whole “Vote or Die” movement endorsed by numerous celebrities including Diddy in an effort to get the African American community to vote. Below is a link to Young Jeezy’s video featuring Nas for “My President.” Young Jeezy and Nas recorded the song after Obama became the Democratic nominee for the presidency.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9sABRosdNg
“Yeah, our history, black history, no president ever did shit for me
Had to hit the streets, had to flip some keys so a nigga won't go broke
Then they put us in jail, now a nigga can't go vote” -Nas
http://newblackman.blogspot.com/2012/03/rap-sessions-hip-hop-and-politics-at.html
ReplyDelete^^ the link above has a video of a conference that met to speak about hip hop and politics.
Dylan Woodard
ReplyDeleteEminem - White America "To the steps of congress, and piss on the lawns of the White House, to burn the casket and replace it with a parental advisory sticker, to spit liquor in the faces of in this democracy of hypocrisy"
Young Jeezy - My President "Stuntin on Martin Luther, Feelin just like a King, Guess Dis what he mean when he said dat he had a dream"
Tupac - Changes "Cops give a damn about a negro? Pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he's a hero. Give the crack to the kids who the hell cares? One less hungry mouth on the welfare.
http://www.blackyouthproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/hiphop.pdf
ReplyDeleteOne of the hip-hop songs that I thought of when I first saw the topic of this blog post was Nas' song "Black President." I immediately thought of this song not only because Nas is one of my favorite rappers, but because the subject of the song is fairly prevalent to today's society. This song is an ode by Nas to president Barak Obama. The song also talks about how much change the world has gone through and how one of the results of our changing society is that we now have a black President.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69Z5AKVwCNk
This song " All of the Above" by Maino to me does a great job educating about the struggle it takes to overcome any problems. It scream "Politics" to me.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEYxOPtQqWw
"George Bush doesn't care about black people"-Typical Kanye West
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pVTrnxCZaQ
Eminem-White American Lyrics
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/eminem/whiteamerica.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M8vei3L0L8
ReplyDeleteN.W.A's "Fuck Tha Police" is the first song that comes to mind when I think of hip hop and politics. When the song came out, I'm sure no one had heard anything like it; as it breaks all political and ethical barriers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpYeekQkAdc
ReplyDeleteHonestly this song by the Black Eyed Peas, "Where is the Love," is the first song I think of. The video portays ideas in relation to politics and decision-making by individuals and government. It talks about images in the media and war and values that exist in our society, all very relavant to hip-hop's connection to politics.
When asked how he handled criticism during the 2008 election, Obama referenced Jay-Z with the gesture of brushing his shoulder off. Here's a video of it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yel8IjOAdSc
ReplyDeleteAnd here is the NY Times article if you want to see more political hip-hop videos from the 2008 election http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/hip-hop-infiltrates-08-campaign/
http://media.noupe.com//uploads/2010/01/104.jpg
ReplyDeleteIn this image, I like how the artist uses public space, which is a normal part of society, and a familiar historical image of national pride to critique a "normal" part of American society: McDonalds. It uses public space as a political platform and makes the "everyday" the "political".
The other graffiti images on this website also make powerful political statements.
http://www.noupe.com/inspiration/50-stunning-political-artworks.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57405846-503544/dem-rep-bobby-rush-escorted-from-house-floor-for-wearing-hoodie-in-honor-of-trayvon-martin/
ReplyDeleteTo me this fits this week's topic perfectly. The Bakari Kitwana reading was great. I could completely relate to everything that was said from Hip-Hop being influential to the elderly and older generations having trouble accepting the "new" social norms of fashion, media, music, etc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9VQye6P8k0
ReplyDeleteThis track is called Patience, off the "Distant Relatives" Album by Nas & Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley. Not only does it relate well with politics, but is one of my favorite songs! You actually find that a majority of the songs off the "Distant Relative" Album relate or hit on politics, world problems, survival, and other misc. information that relates with politics. This track goes real deep, and if you actually pay attention to the lyrics, you will understand what I'm talking about!
The only good thing about George W. Bush's two terms as president was the protest music. One of my favorites is "Mosh," by Eminem:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M9MTle-8AM
Many songs in rap and hip hop are political and have very valid points. Many people would actually understand what these people mean without it coming through to them as a song. They get what they are trying to say, sometimes without even knowing it.
ReplyDelete"F*ck the Police" by NWA is a very political song and very iconic as well. Some of the lyrics are pretty raw but also makes some valid points.
http://youtube.com/1M8vei3L0L8
Another good one is from the the great Tupac. His song "Changes" is also political but he talks about real problems and differences in the world.
http://youtube.com/o8Y9-JlSRXw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=hdagSIa-UQ8
ReplyDeleteMany of immortal techniques revolve around politics, but this one stands out to me the most. It's about how everyone in government is a professional liar, and that Bin Laden didn't knock down the towers, Bush did.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M8vei3L0L8
ReplyDeleteN.W.A's "Fuck Tha Police" is the perfect song when talking about hip hop and politics. The lyrics are crazy, you need to listen to the song in entirety.
Politics has been a reoccurring theme throughout many hip-hop artists and songs. For my example I chose the song "Mathematics" by Mos Def because he raps about many issues facing the United States (although the song is a little bit outdated, 1999).
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v0hk4FGTDU
Whenever I think of politics and Hip-hop...the first thing I think of is easily this music video.
ReplyDeletehttp://youtu.be/STlJW0uv4DY
Absolutely hilarious.
Also, Chief Keef, who is 16, is definitely an up-and-comer. --> http://youtu.be/2WcRXJ4piHg
http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&biw=939&bih=600&tbm=isch&tbnid=swCWpLXfA_mSgM:&imgrefurl=http://blkgrlsblush.blogspot.com/2010/01/vote-for-me-and-ill-set-you-free.html&docid=wd9SG1xqzU4D4M&imgurl=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HXFju2o3ZS8/S2ERJoOMRkI/AAAAAAAAAF8/pdooUtP94B0/s320/vote_or_die2.jpg&w=256&h=300&ei=LDeYT97rMsKK2gX-4KCVBw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=3&sig=106562132103022375393&page=1&tbnh=108&tbnw=94&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0,i:86&tx=67&ty=160
ReplyDeleteWhen I thought of hip hop and politics, I thought of the vote or die campaign. This campaign urged young people to vote in the 2004 election. This was a very powerful message and many young people listened and went out to vote on Election Day. Sean Combs was the featured face of the campaign along with other celebrities.
I stumbled onto a cool quip from Banksy on advertising. He talks about not needing permission to be original and to take shots back at the people who take them at you. Might not be politics directly concerning Capitol Hill, but Banksy does bring up the legal issues surrounding advertising. http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/banksy-advertising-guess-what-he-doesnt-love-it-138679
ReplyDeleteThis may have nothing to do with hip-hop and politics... unless you think about it as a critique of 18th century politics and racial ideas.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGhgJ4YjwxY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ffh9xDf2S9c
ReplyDelete"...Obama for mankind
We ready for damn change so y'all let the man shine"
"Just cause you got opinions, does that make you a politician?
Bush robbed all of us, would that make him a criminal?
And then he cheated in Florida, would that make him a Seminole?"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZAuY4ULNcE
ReplyDeleteThis song is by Young Jeezy and Nas and it was the first song that I thought of when it came to hip-hop and politics. The song was released shortly after Obama was elected president of the united states. The lyrics of the song are pretty self-explanatory.
It is almost like hip-hop artists state the reality of politics that everyone else is afraid to admit. 2pac’s song “Changes” sends a political message about how the corrupt government oppresses African Americans and nothing is changing. When 2pac says in the song “First ship ‘em dope and let ‘em deal to brothers. Give ‘em guns, step back, watch ‘em kill each other,” he is referring to the conspiracy theory that the government intentionally distributes drugs and weapons to the black community to either get them in trouble or get rid of them. 2pac also talks about how people who try to create change, like Huey P. Newton of the Black Panthers, get killed.
ReplyDeletehttp://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4003088084480594390#
"Words I Never Said", through out the entire song Lupe is constantly calling out and addressing the problems in society both locally and globally. Although this also tends to be a style notable to Lupe as his lyrics often incorporate current political and social issues.
ReplyDelete"Words I Never Said" - Lupe Fiasco
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22l1sf5JZD0&ob=av2n
I think there is none more famous relation to Hip-hop and politics at this point than Kanye's Hurricane Katrina outbreak.. just a lil blast from the past for ya'll.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDMyArnIdzY
When I think of politics in hip-hop I think of Public Enemy and a perfect example of this is "By the Time I get to Arizona." They talk about the state not recognizing MLK day as a national holiday and what's wrong with their state. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrFOb_f7ubw&ob=av2e
ReplyDeleteThe song that I chose is Changes by Tupac. This song is very political and talks about how society isn’t changing and how the people need to start helping to change society. In addition this song talks about the flaws in American society. “Instead of war on poverty they got a war on drugs so the police can bother me.” This is a very political song.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay9BWM8lwOA
Hip-hop has always been a medium in which artist where able to express their ideas and beliefs. One major controversial topic over Hip-hop’s history has been politics. Many artists often reference politics in their songs. I have two main examples.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oZT77pvuig
Patience – Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley & Nas
This song is a political outcry that expresses Marley and Nas’ disappointment in the political system that has still left many starving.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhOJVoyRyOI
My President is Black – Young Jeezy & Nas
This song is an exclamation of happiness and appreciation for life, due to breaking the racial barrier that formerly existed in the presidency.