get em KILLA.

An analysis of hip hop as we know it and its contribution to universal ruin. My offensively late contribution to black history month 2009. Thank you for your consideration.
By: Kristen Robinson

(If Muhammad Ali was riding in your car right now, would you SERIOUSLY want him to know what was in your discman, and if he didn't understand would you be ready to explain it all? back it up? HMMMMMMM…….)


I want to make it clear that in no way am I knowledgeable enough to thoroughly comment, nor deserving enough to receive praise for the light that I am about to shed on this next topic. I am just as guilty as the next person; black or white, rich or poor; I have contributed both consciously, subconsciously, and ignorantly to this sad epidemic. I am NOT pointing fingers; this is simply an observation/interview, or to euphemize, an intervention of some sort to bring to a head a foul and sinister pattern of behavior that is going to ruin the fucking world. Yeah I said it. Ruin. Universal. My main issue here is music- but this is obviously so much bigger than music. Honestly, my own self-absorption was probably what brought it to light, which later after reading this you will realize is ironic and if you are so lucky to know me might even find hypocritical lol. I initially felt compelled to talk about the slow, unfortunate and depressing self-destructive behavior of current day hip hop. Then I realized its time for hip hop to go to rehab. My diagnosis:

Lately I've spent hours and weeks and minutes pining over this subject all the way down to trying to work my way around the obvious downward spiral (M.I.A.'S engagement and pregnancy, Diplo’s seemingly Janek like isolation, Weezy completely crossing the "I don't give a fuck about anything" line (i.e.- guitar toting, new lip-piercing, way too punk rock image with no grunge- I could go on forever) Diddy calling himself "Ciroc O'Bama" over a breakfast of turkey bacon and asparagus, telling us lower class citizens under a cashmere throw just precisely how we should react to the weather that day on a daily blog basis or whatever, to just trying to come up with a beginning to and end to all of this. Or a solution, if you will. Are we like Michael Myers mom, who continued to neglect her son's OBVIOUS and official issues; while he grew up to be a "monster"… then trying to tell him he's a beautiful kid AFTER the slashed immediate family's jugulars, torture, etc.; multiple stabbings with a motherfucking salad fork? Is it too late to tell the youth of today that the "we shall overcome" approach is still viable in the midst of a "recession"? Or is it simply time to reflect? Strategize? There is a serious void in hip-hop that I feel directly stems from the exploitation of individualism, image, overacceptance and materialism. By the way, Webster solidly defines void as to make ineffectual, invalidate or nullify; like to void a check. Wow.


Problems:

1. Image
"Fuck hip hop: that's my opinion. Either you're part of the problem or the solution. That's it. Image fucked up hip hop…people not knowing who they are or where it came from, and even some that do sell out to be "cool" its whack…we had substance, an obligation to community now its just about what ad gig you got bc of the circle you run in not because you’re dope. There used to be mad mc's or artists and every one of them was different….now you can tell who's forced or who's just whack and the internet's not helping. People are just thirsty for anything new. That is a major issue…but the bigger one is the internal war we're losing through false standards. Music was ours, especially hip-hop and we let it go a soul for the soul….Rappers are showing us everything but what is real, they’re not mirroring real life anymore, rappers have fallen into the trap; watching what the other one did and not calculating his steps. Now media has set that trap for him because he wasn't watching where he was going…….KING DURKA

2. Overacceptance
There are no filters anymore, our generation did it to ourselves. Like take Weezy for example; never had faith in the dude…cash $ was nigga at its lowest form, black people (smartones) felt we moved past that bum line of thought years ago. He's on some straight bamboozled shit. Could Lil Wayne stand next to Huey P? The Nazi's had all kinds of amazing breakthroughs, but how far are people willing to go to allow something new? When we give props to buffoonery it only hurts us. I wouldn't be surprised if I got gigs sometimes cause white people think I'm gonna give them some bamboozled shit they don't understand. Just because no one is doing anything new….everything's a bite. I would love if some new jack changed the game…..What has been added in the last five years? Autotone and dirty south rappin…..blech.
(At this point I throw around a few rappers I think are blogworthy)
Scarface is dope, clever smart rhymes lots to quote there. Never got into 8ball, they were so deep into "I sell rock/ cook this" I wasn't sure why they even rhymed…that music was made to accompany nigs while they cook crack. Outkast is dope not on top of my list. Gnarls Barkley; they aiight, but I would never hate on someone who loves them. There is true craftsmanship there. Just because I don't like it doesn't mean I have to label it whack. I like Qtips joint but wonder how well it will do for the masses. I just want him to get $$$ cause if he doesn't, no more tip just dirty ear canals. I even used Itunes to get it cause I’m so sick of the whack…. WYLIE STYLES


3. Materialism
Oh.Em.Gee. Basically materialism is the umbrella that this genius to some, seemingly coke-induced rant to others, is being comfortably sheltered under. Let me make it clear that when I say materialism, I am not talking about simply the ugly concept of confusing wants, with needs of tangible and temporarily therapeutic objects. Objects that often cost a lot of money. This is the new breed of futuristic materialism. I’m talking about materialism as a mindset. In my personal opinion, Hip- Hop has become materialism personified. WHY? Simple. A. The most successful entities in the game (no, they aren’t just rappers anymore: entities) justify their ignorance, blatant intellectual slight and general lack of cultural responsibility by calling themselves moguls. Moguls who are the same self made multi-millionaires who allow horrid, low-budget, sweatshop endorsed, urban designs that almost always make their way to off-the-rack stores after their first month out. The same moguls that coined, cultivated, and condone “making it rain”. The ones who make it okay to do anything morally foul, stupid or cruel by reminding us that it’s OK because they are rich. They can do stupid shit with their money and absolve themselves from charitable cause because they are simply rich. I’m pissed because as much as I hate to go there, Moguls hold the most power and influence over the youth of today, who naturally develop the same opinions, But with one catch. THEY AREN’T FUCKING MILLIONAIRES. B. Materialism has become glorified through the most fucked up forms of cultural genocide. Seriously because of the fact that explaining the next three concepts would make this essay like 2 years long and would include me crying like a bitch throughout the whole thing, I will leave it in raw form for you to analyze to the best of your ability: Gangbanging, Drugs and Jewelry. Talk about it with your friends. Start a revolution. Seriously. C. Lastly (and yes I say this as an ex- hipster; 4 years removed) materialism has developed such a generic form of exclusivity from party life to fashion, it has literally started moving backwards. The fucking word “exclusive” means NOTHING anymore. Sub culture is mainstream. There is no longer ANY intrigue; I can tell every imported indie DVD you own or don’t own for that matter based on how tight your jeans are, if you wear dookie ropes and snapbacks, Levi’s and porkpies…..the list is sorry. Oh yeah and everyone is a rapper and a DJ. Managers, actors, agents, photographers, environmentalists lol….. I remember back in the day my mom signed me up for dance class. At some point before every recital, I ended up having to get a tutor. Finally my dear mother broke it to me that maybe I wasn’t cut out for dancing. I then started classical piano at the tender age of 5. So Yeah I make some whack assed beats, but I know my circle of fifths goddamnit. Checkmate.


4. Exploiting individualism

So self explanatory:

A. EXPLOIT= to use selfishly for one’s own ends.
B. INDIVIDUALISM=The pursuit of individual rather than common or collective interests; egoism. (As in the non-political connotation)
C. To quote King Durka one last time “An example would be the force of image, hit singles, musical content. The influence of major and independent labels to carry out a certain image. Wu-tang introduced us to 9 ill mc’s all while Nas, Big and Cube, etc. were all doing their own thing.” Basically there wasn’t no ‘bow throwing’ going on to BECOME them. It was cool just to get familiar. Everyone was cool in their comfort zone. Style had nothing to do with how good of an emcee you were. *sigh*………


So it is time for hip hop to go to rehab, and I don't know about anyone else, but I'm willing to hold its hand kicking and screaming through the detox process. Some say THC stays in your system for up to 30 days; fuck it lets shake this shit. In rehab a common form of intervention is to make sure that the subject at hand is indeed ready to make a self willed- open and conscious challenge to change their life/style, and focus on personal voids that make for such behaviors and outcomes. So what's the solution? I wrote this damn frustrating piece and dodged my own friends just to try to answer this question. Do we write this off as a careless mistake for our generation? We accidentally went down the road less traveled and realized why? Should we write off our youth as victims of their own time, tell them to read a few books, and hope for the best?

“I hate this part right herrrrrre…” This is where I wish I had the mental capacity at hand to articulate just how good I wish this section could be. This should be the fucking CON-MOTHERFUCKING-CLUSION. The part where I say something truly phenomenal, atom Breakingly brilliant and kick you in the head with rocket science!!!! But really the only answer I can come up with is this. What I thought was first a matter of inflamed egos and money comes back to the complete opposite. Low self-esteem. It's that simple. We have got to fucking believe in ourselves without all the smoke and mirrors, fucking costumes, without the skinny jeans and ice, limited edition sneakers and money-throwing antics. Its all these condoned behaviors that lead to everyday conversation that lead to documentation (in our case music) and if you do stupid shit all day long, that's all you have to talk, rap and sing about. All you can distract yourself with, and the only filter you can judge yourself and others by. Until we can understand that we as people are bigger than the things we buy and decorate ourselves with, bigger than the drugs that some of us have to sell, and bigger than the system that has enslaved us. We will be listening to ringtone rap and fucking lame as indie hipster "The" bands forever. And that, good sports, is fucking that.

KILLA KRI$