Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - What is holding Black America back, if not Hip Hop?

billege · 08-21-2003, 10:22 AM

I'll say this,

Hip hop is holding blacks back.

You want to know what else is?

The refusal to think that a huge anti-progress campaign like hip hop has no effect.

I never said hip hop was the one factor preventing black success. I said it isn't helping.
It's not.

Hip hop has been so successful it has earned Black America a whole new stereotype. Namely, the weed toking rapper.
If that's not proof of how widespread music's effect is, I don't know what else to tell you.

I can drive through my city's ghetto, and point to dozens upon dozens of rapper wannabees. They dress like them, they talk like, well I can't understand it, and they all seem to have $2000 rims on a beat to shit 94 Caprice.

I do find it interesting that when we discuss the positive effect music is capable of, there is no shortage of belivers. Read the music forum. There are plenty of threads, posts, about how a particular band, or song, or album touched a poster in a certain way. How that music meant so much, how it changed the way they thought, how it helped them through...

Denying that music is an ancient, powerful, form of human expression is to deny facts that are plainly obvious.
Music has power. It always has, it always will.

Like any form of power, music can have a negative effect.
The refusal to believe that is pure folly.

To all those that say this is the same yelp yelled when rock and roll hit the scene, I say it's possible they were right.

I don't think our society is anywhere near as peaceful or cohesive as it was before rock and roll. Who's to say it didn't cause some of the disentigration of our culture.

08-21-2003, 10:22 AM	#42 (permalink)
billege Watcher Location: Ohio	I'll say this, Hip hop is holding blacks back. You want to know what else is? The refusal to think that a huge anti-progress campaign like hip hop has no effect. I never said hip hop was the one factor preventing black success. I said it isn't helping. It's not. Hip hop has been so successful it has earned Black America a whole new stereotype. Namely, the weed toking rapper. If that's not proof of how widespread music's effect is, I don't know what else to tell you. I can drive through my city's ghetto, and point to dozens upon dozens of rapper wannabees. They dress like them, they talk like, well I can't understand it, and they all seem to have $2000 rims on a beat to shit 94 Caprice. I do find it interesting that when we discuss the positive effect music is capable of, there is no shortage of belivers. Read the music forum. There are plenty of threads, posts, about how a particular band, or song, or album touched a poster in a certain way. How that music meant so much, how it changed the way they thought, how it helped them through... Denying that music is an ancient, powerful, form of human expression is to deny facts that are plainly obvious. Music has power. It always has, it always will. Like any form of power, music can have a negative effect. The refusal to believe that is pure folly. To all those that say this is the same yelp yelled when rock and roll hit the scene, I say it's possible they were right. I don't think our society is anywhere near as peaceful or cohesive as it was before rock and roll. Who's to say it didn't cause some of the disentigration of our culture. __________________ I can sum up the clash of religion in one sentence: "My Invisible Friend is better than your Invisible Friend."