Hip Hop 50th Anniversary

After a pivotal period in American history that culminated in the rise of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, the very next decade gave birth to a musical art form that took that same energy and message from African Americans and transformed it into an even larger and embracing expression. Hip Hop music.

In the beginning it was not considered controversial by any means because it mostly ignored the national trials and injustices of this community. It focused on having a good time and making the listener feel good, like most music genres set out to do.

Early mainstream Hip-Hop artists such as The Sugar Hill Gang, Kurtis Blow, and Run DMC were instrumental in sparking the international attention that would soon follow. Because making music with the intention of making the listener feel uncomfortable, with unpopular content, still with the intention to genuinely reach the consumer had never been a successful formula until Hip Hop music emerged.

Hip Hop gained growing recognition for being a completely unique style of music that blended message and melody, by putting significantly more emphasis on the words than harmonizing.

It was similar to putting a musical beat behind an impassioned speech that rhymed. It was revolutionary in the world of music the same way the Civil Rights movement was revolutionary to the citizens of that time and instrumental in paving the way particularly for those of darker complexions who would later emigrate in great numbers.

The artists who were now making up this growing juggernaut known as Hip Hop would go on to gain more progressive ground in the realm of racial and social issues with this form of music than with previous decades of marches, rallies and boycotts.

As the 1990s approached, the energy of the music Hip hop produced matched more with the community’s message from the Civil Rights era with artists such as Public Enemy, NWA and Tupac Shakur, increasing the popularity among music lovers worldwide.

In doing so, Hip Hop music as a genre has brought more cultures together than any other form of music, ever, ironically spear headed by a demographic who had experienced the worst atrocities of any nationality in the history of the United States.

This was the first time that young Black American men and women had the attention of their nation, let alone the world, spoke unapologetically, and it was overwhelmingly embraced.

The ears and hearts of tens of millions of people who you would never have expected to embrace Black culture began to genuinely open up for reasons other than just pure entertainment as with prior Black speakers, athletes, musicians and other artists of the past.

People were now actually listening to a combination of frustration, melodic beats, high energy expression, incredible word play and stories of overcoming severe adversities to success told in real time. And what compounded the attraction to the music was the artists consistency to establishment where they were from, city and state. Every prominent Hip Hop artist that came out, the fans knew where they were from. This was also irregular in music. The reason for this was to signify to the rest of the artists in the country “We’re here too”. It was a call to arms if you will, a roll call of alike minds and experiences from the same community.

Everything from battle rapping, fashion, unique forms of dancing to album production and song creation were being directly mimicked by other cultures throughout America and around the world. The influence was now undeniable.

Who would have guessed that given all of the controversy that surrounded Hip Hop and Rap music as it became nationally recognized, like drawing the ire of presidents, government representatives, religious groups, corporate sponsors and law enforcement, that this genre would still make millionaires and household names out of people coming directly from some of the most impoverished areas in the country.

And these artists had a bone to pick with the same powers that be. And to add icing on the cake, this new notoriety afforded them the luxury to travel the world and tell their stories to hundreds of millions from other cultures, potential allies, who had no idea what was going on in the U.S. This was unprecedented.

It was obvious that the ability to make the general public think beyond what the establishment had influenced them to believe about Black Americans was shifting greatly from decades past. This was seen as a threat, which ironically only added to the popularity.

The FBI publicly sending threatening letters to rap group NWA regarding their music only emboldened them more and greatly increased their sales and fanbase. The fearful, race bating tactics of old were no longer working with the general public of the white community. There was a blatant fear that this once hated and mistreated demographic of Americans could change the mindsets of the masses to embrace them instead. And the country’s puppet masters were forced to adjust their strategies to attempt to regain control of the centuries long racial and class divisions that had cultivated the nation.

What people most take for granted about Hip Hop is that it did effortlessly through music what governments have spent trillions of dollars on in order to influence their own populations. Hip Hop helped bring America closer together by confronting its faults and hypocrisies head on while embracing its diverse commonalities at the same time. Everyone was invited, and everyone was drawn to it.

And with that level of popularity comes money, and it was substantial. Now you are talking about international influence and a product that is generating billions of dollars, eventually trillions of dollars.

Artists like Tupac, Jay-Z, Outkast, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, Eminem, Lil Wayne, DMX and Nelly, were selling multiple millions of copies of multiple albums that they released. And the list is significantly longer with influences like LL Cool J, Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliot, etc. Including the most acclaimed actor to come out of Hip hop, Will Smith, the artist who also won the first ever Grammy award for a Rap category.

On the flip side, the primary Achilles heel of the progression of the Civil Rights movement was financing. People could not voice their opinions and express their ideas without risking their jobs, endorsement deals etc. Hip Hop changed that completely as it began to garner more value nationwide. As a result, the artists could now voice their honest opinions of the injustices facing their community now through what was considered art, as opposed to what was used to be simply categorized as racial anarchy.

Hip Hop captured the attention of every ethnicity in America while simultaneously creating revenue to fund platforms to continue to promote the talent and ideas of its artists.

However, the problem soon became apparent that we had no strategic preparation to accompany this generational talent that was sweeping across the world. We had no practical plan to fix many of our most serious community issues. We had no plans of action for other races who sympathized with our struggle in America either. All we seemed to produce was talent. The only artist whose influence and talent matched this mindset was Tupac Shakur. And unfortunately, he was killed at only 25 years old. This void of racial economics was notices and that eventually created a lack of respect for the message, the pain and true intentions of the genre.

To put it in better perspective, Malcolm X made himself a prominent target of the government, specifically the FBI and CIA, once he began his travels abroad speaking with other heads of nations. He not only spoke about what was happening to Black Americans but also the potential threats to their nations as well from the same system. This was often heard in the more revolutionary era of Hip Hop.

The difference was Malcolm had specific, strategic plans for his culture and other ethnicities who wanted to become allies. The Hip Hop artists had no such plans, who had now gained the sought after international stage, had no such plans. They didn’t have the initiative to even educate themselves on their own history or how they could make lasting economic progress in their communities across the country.

Granted, you could argue it should not be their responsibility, nevertheless the opportunity had been presented. Instead, untold amounts of money was spent in other communities on jewelry, clothing, vehicles etc, all in industries Black Americans still do not own or control. We wasted a generation’s worth of resources we desperately needed. And other racial groups began to take notice. This is why you see a repetition of the same injustices today, yet we seem to be no closer humanity wise to other racial groups. They are just as quiet in times of injustices, yet just as loud and supportive only when the music starts. It is the responsibility of Hip Hop, its originating community and its artists to change this narrative.

And ownership is the most powerful expression to convey. If Hip Hop had more Black American ownership in its earlier days to the current, then the quality, the artistry and the financial opportunities would currently mirror when Hip Hop was in its prime. Also, the highly competitive nature of Hip Hop artists would’ve become much more artistic and less violent than it eventually became.

Ownership was always a contentious subject when it came to Black music because the Black community had been so used to being exploited by corrupt means, and Black ownership is still seen as taboo. Most non black demographics see our financial independence as a culture as a dangerous thing. A remnant of America’s racist past.

Yet as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the meteoric rise and influence of a genre that seemingly came out of nowhere, it is important to not forget the pioneers, the level of opposition against it in its early stages from radio to television refusing to play it, and its miraculous ability to bring those from different worlds together under one umbrella of musical appreciation.

In closing, Happy Birthday to Hip Hop, more than a music genre but an answer to so many prayers to the impoverished, oppressed and undervalued. You answered so many prayers. There will never be another to do what you did.

Happy 50th to Hip Hop!!