Good read, but ?uestlove makes two big mistakes in setting up his argument…1) he equates Hip Hop culture solely with Hip Hop music and 2) he fails to recognize Hip Hops aesthetic interventions that when practiced at the local level still offer individuals the world over the tools necessary to resist oppressive cultural and structural hegemonic order (and which yes, makes things such as a Hip Hop intellectual, cook, custodian, etc. possible). Perhaps the missing revolutionary agency that he laments cannot be found in his Hip Hop world--a world driven by the need for popular accessibility (and in no way is this a diss…?uestlove has continually been able to successfully manage the line between pop and avant garde). But I wonder when the last time ?uest found himself at bboy/bgirl jam, or rocking in a cipher of beatboxers and multi-lingual emcees. I wonder if he still manages to find time to rock alongside younger generations of Hip Hop practitioners and aficionados who may never reach the commercial success that he has managed to achieve, but who breath, eat and bleed Hip Hop to the point that it makes them better human beings. I do agree that Hip Hop has been co-opted by institutions, corporations, media outlets and yes, even governments to push forward agendas that reinforce the status quo. And I too am frustrated by the perceived lack of diversity in black music. However, Ive spent too many years working at the grassroots level to accept ?uests oversimplification. Hip Hop is more than a hyphenated-adjective. It is the cipher. It is pedagogy. It is community. It is the power to critique, reaffirm and remix. And it is the ability to do all this and have fun at the same time! #SayWord #ReEducate
Posted on: Wed, 23 Apr 2014 14:34:23 +0000
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