ashtyn-hiphopreligion

[ashtyn-hiphopreligion]

Nipsey Hussle was known as “Neighborhood Nip” within his community. He was a  Grammy-nominated artist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who was born and raised in Los Angeles.

Nipsey Hussle is quoted as having said, “I remember being young and really having the best intentions and not being met on my efforts…you see no structures or infrastructure built and you get a little frustrated.” In this, he was expressing his frustration to a system that was not made to support him. This is why he chose to give back to the community so that other kids could have those opportunities that he was not afforded.

Nipsey Hussle created business opportunities that uplifted those around him. For example, he invested in opening an affordable housing complex. He had other business ventures that would be considered socially responsible. Just last year Nipsey Hussle entered in a partnership with Vector90, a coworking space which he owned in order to launch the artist launched Too Big To Fail this was a STEM initiative for youth of color.

Nipsey Hussle did have an affiliation with the Crips and was a well known gangbanger, however, he is known now for speaking out in the reduction of gang violence in his community. The article states that “[h]e sought to use the money gained through his music career to provide youth with better alternatives.” He was actually scheduled to meet with the Los Angeles Police Department and Jay-Z’s entertainment agency to discuss strategies to reduce gang violence but was tragically killed before he was able to attend that meeting.

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Every once and a while, the conspiracy theory that rapper Tupac is still alive resurfaces among the internet community. This past week, there has been a slew of articles around the web that discuss Tupac and the theory that he is still here despite dying in the hospital in Las Vegas after being shot. If Tupac Shakur was alive right now, he would be turning 48-years-old on June 16. According to a conspiracy theory, Tupac Shakur is not only alive, but they claim to have a photo that “proves” that the legendary rapper didn’t die.The photo below (in the middle) is the new picture that people believe is Tupac with faded tattoos this year.

He lives on through his music and his influence on the culture and community. Tupac himself is quoted as having said that he didn’t fear death. Yet some crazy people like to discredit that and believe that he’s still here for some reason. 

This is interesting to me, not just because it’s silly, but because of some of our class discussions about death and hip hop. Many rappers, including Tupac himself, discuss death and dying. Some of the readings show that rappers talking about death is just another way that our society can articulate and come to terms with it. Artists more than anyone, have a legacy and will be remembered.  

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Eden Dersso is a young, black, Jewish, female rapper in Tel Aviv who was recently featured in Vogue. When I saw this article on Vogue it really excited to see a young woman facing so many obstacles being honored by such a prestigious outlet. On her status as a minority and an Ethiopian immigrant, she had this to say:  “I am the youngest rapper, so I always talk about it. I always rap that I am better than a man because they need to know. They need to know that a girl can do it better than them, and they don’t,” she says. “They expect me to come out sounding like Beyoncé, but I’m more like Tupac. And then I spit, I spit my heart out.” Another interesting thing about Dersso is that she wants to be an icon and, like she said earlier, she wants to compete alongside the men and even surpass them. Many times in her lyrics, she calls herself “The New Queen of Sheba“. Much like Nicki Minaj or Beyonce, she considers herself a queen. However, it’s different because she was not influenced by them, as she stated. She said she actually didn’t know who Beyonce was at first. She had been influenced by Tupac and lil Wayne. 

“I want to touch every girl like me, so I want to be an actor, a fashion model, I want to write, make music videos,” Dersso goes on. “I want to be everywhere for everyone to see, acknowledge, and respect what I do, because I would have loved to see a black woman spinning this country when I was a child. I want Israel to eventually be sick of my face.”

Dersso is very exciting to me because of how driven she is. Looking at the quote previous, one can see how much she wants to be on the map and not just gain fame, but bring other girls up with her. She wants them to see a strong black girl like her at the top of her game. ��This is much of what we discuss in class regarding people’s obligation to their community and to the culture. While she wants to achieve greatness, she does not want to leave her community or make them the ‘other’. 

Dersso is young, she’s excited and she’s very talented. She writes raps in both English and Hebrew. In this article though, many of the struggles that Ethiopian Jews face both in Ethiopia and Israel effect Dersso. She felt that many times she was too Ethiopian in Israel but too Isreali everywhere else she goes. This is how many immigrants feel and certainly informs her music. 

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“The archetype of the Olympian is evolving, as evidenced by the potential arrival of a new sort of athletic competitor at the Summer Games: B-boys and B-girls.

As part of an effort to appeal to younger fans, the organizing committee for the 2024 Games in Paris announced on Thursday that it would recommend break dancing — yes, the street dance form with moves like flares, headspins and windmills — as a new sport to be added to its program.” 

The Olympic committee is considering the petition to add break dancing, among other new sports to the Olympics in 2024. I think that legitimizing the sport could be seen as both a good and bad thing for the culture.  For one thing, it will bring recognition and awareness to the sport and this particular style of dance. But on the other hand, this will bring an incentive for those who can afford training to take over the activity. It could mean that the street dancers are not the ones who will be participating in a competition at the highest level.

While most new sports in the Olympics are usually scrutinized at first, it does bring them out to the attention of some of the most prestigious coaches, athletes and judges in the world. This could cause an investment in b-boys and b-girls, but it could also push them out of their space. 

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Nicki Minaj is no stranger to using religious imagery in her videos and music. She often talks about God in her lyrics and claims to be very devout. In fact, just two years ago, she was trending on Christian music charts with a worship song she featured in by Tasha Cobbs. Her fans consider her to be respectful of Christian culture, while many believes she is exploiting it. This of course is criticism not restricted to Nicki, but as a female rapper, she faces much more scrutiny for her behavior and performances.

In 2012, Nicki faced scrutiny for bringing a man with her as an accessory dressed like the Pope. Her performance of “Roman Holiday” was sexually charged, but features a singing verse of “Come all Ye Faithful”, a hymn usually sung by Christians during the holiday season. On stage, she had stain glass windows like that in a Catholic churches and called the performance “The Exorcism of Roman“.  While some critics likened the song to “hip hop’s version of Bohemian Rhapsody“ as it was a long song with many genres and styles worked in, many people found it to be downright offensive and it’s considered a controversy in her career.

I think that this goes to show how seriously people take their religious imagery in the United States, especially. I think this mostly happens with the outspoken Christians who use social media especially. They consider it offensive and possibly a threat if someone uses their imagery and icons in a way that they deem inappropriate. However, with the article that I linked to Nicki’s newest video which came out this January, people did not take offense to much of the religious implications in that video. The performers are un-dead bodies and they are performing rituals. Some might say that her crown mimics a halo in some  traditional paintings, yet there was no controversy. I think that this goes to show that people will only be offended and annoyed with a performer if they feel that it threatens them personally. 

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“artists such as Juice Wrld — who gained massive popularity through the internet — have songs like “Empty” that speak to a loneliness and nihilism that deeply resonates with [this] generation. Just as some may plead to God for relief, others speak directly to their lack of fulfillment, preaching to the emptiness created by a world seemingly without cohesion. In a world where black youths are  five times more likely to be incarcerated over white youths, and unarmed black boys are still being killed, these prophets of nihilism speak to our fear and sorrow.”

In this article, a young theology student is exploring what it means to be a black Christian and enjoy rap music. I found this to be very similar to the class discussion that we had where we compared religion to Hip Hop. For Kyle Mason, the author, rap helps him articulate and understand his feelings. He says that his faith does not mean he has to sacrifice the music that he enjoys. I came to a similar conclusion in thinking that a person can use hip hop to articulate themselves and navigate the world around them. Dance, music and art are all ways in which people can express themselves and feel free from whatever burdens they have in life.

Many forms of music, espeically in the black community came about simply as an escape from the reality of their lives. From slavery, to segregation to jim crow to mass incarceration and police violence…black people in America have created new forms of music to talk about these issues and communicate them. Some music, like the gospels, this helps people feel closer to their God. Some music may be a cry for help. Like in the article, many young people relate to the rappers as they articulate and express their frustration with the system. In a way, calling out to society and maybe a God to hear their problems and struggles.

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While I understood that graffiti was a part of Hip Hop culture, I did not realize that it was formally a part of Hip Hop until we learned about the pillars of Hip Hop in the first class we had. 

Soul One was involved in many aspects of Hip Hop culture. He made music, art and was a dancer. Another thing that was unique was the fact that “he was Irish and Japanese in a scene that was birthed by and once dominated by African Americans and Latinos”.  He broke into the scene and then became a true part of it, which likely is what earned him this deep respect.

This article talks about the DJ, B Boy and graffiti artists Soul One who passed away in his sleep. Members of the hip hop community and Seattle, in general, mourned the loss of this man. I think that it’s very interesting because he represented many aspects of Hip Hop all rolled into one. Especially, as someone who does not really consider themselves to be a part of the culture, I think that it’s fascinating to see someone who is very much a part of the aspects that are often misunderstood or ignored. While I may not have known who Soul-One was, thousands of people did and had a deep appreciation for his work. So while it may not have been super mainstream, it was widely known and respected. 

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This is a video from January 30th, where musician Chuck D and some B-boy’s Douglas Colon and Trixie speak with Ari Melber about politics and hip hop. 

This is a video that explored the culture of fearing a “black and brown planet”. In many cases, the system has been manipulated to encourage fear of black culture or at least to suppress and discourage it. This discussion talks about the government having the power to divide people instead of bringing them together. Chuck D talks about how sports, art, music and more all tend to bring people together, but that this is not what people in power want. 

While I wouldn’t agree that powerful people inherently want to divide, I believe that many people in power who benefit from the misfortune or oppression of others very must encourage a system which keeps the poor and the marginalized down. The most outstanding statement that Chuck D made was how we need more funding going into the culture instead of people building barricades like a wall (he’s referencing the gofundme which raised over $20 million for a border wall to Mexico).