It drains the sober brain attempting to figure out how the Hip Hop generation has had a positive effect on our (Black) culture. With all due respect to musicians both legendary and current, with respect to the Harlem Renaissance, the Blues, and Motown, and the many past and present celebrities that vouch for and praise Hip Hop as a positive cultural movement in Black American development, time and the actual state of Black America testifies differently.

When walking the streets of Detroit's' west side in the late 70's, early 80s, when Rap hit the mainstream RnB stations, one can recall the lyrics and the moods associated with this new sound. Three or four young Black men riding through the hood listening to Run-DMC "My Adidas" turned up so the bass could be heard on the next corner usually meant the four-deep were posturing their readiness to throw-down with anyone opposed.

When Adidas, Max Julian Hood Jackets (or Bums as considered in other urban cities), and 2 inch gold ropes, knuckle rings, and Herringbone necklaces were displayed by popular Rap groups that visited urban cities on tour, the trend in that city followed and every young Black male and female who wanted to prove their hardness copied the look.

However, along with the look came attitude and the anticipated ability to live up to that attitude, which meant fighting, gang-banging, and afterward, during the crack decade, selling dope, slangin, throwin, or whatever it was called in your town. Also, during Reaganomics came a huge separation between the haves and the have-nots, which brought about a stronger era of struggle and materialism in the inner cities.

This materialism brought greed and when mixed with crack, attitude and thug rap that glorified it all, thus came robbery, theft and eventually murders in the form of drive-bys and kids being killed - all over the country and all for the sake of materialism and ghetto clout. Call it crazy, but if Rap had not hit the mainstream urban radio stations, and Earth, Wind, and Fire along with the Isleys and other actual musical groups had stayed, maybe Black America would not be as screwed up as we are.

The late eighties and the early nineties brought even more violent rap lyrics suggesting killing cops and rising against the government. It brought an "I don't give a f**k." attitude that entered many of our youth and ourselves and many did not after that. About school, family, the cops, jail, or even life itself. Personally, we walked tall with empty pockets and criminal minded all day long.

By the time one had grown up from the early rap style and began listing to normal RnB or Jazz, the Rap/Hip Hop attitude had entered into that genre in some form or fashion. The Rap artist attempted a self-identification type revolution in the early nineties but it quickly failed and gave way to East/West rivalry, which ended up with two of Rap/ Hip Hops most talented young brothers dead, unnecessarily. Was that positive? Did it give rise to Black America? Hell no, so where is the glory?

Now, today, it has escalated to where the attitude cannot be stopped. The "I don't give a f**k." attitude and indifference toward the community and life in general including the family, the Black male/female relationship, and even the father/son-mother/daughter relationship, all now a distant memory in the Black mind.

Urban radio today is a complete joke. The liberal/political undertones it sends to the Black community is rotting our brains and draining our innovative energies sending us into an abyss of dependency, samboized antics, and mega-church erroneous beliefs about life. Urban radio DJ's glorify rappers who make millions off songs that do nothing more than tempt Black youth to commit contemptible acts of sexual immorality, individualistic material greed, and rebellion against their own people.

What makes this whole Hip Hop generation so superficial is that major Black celebrities, Black leaders, and church preachers have embraced it as some kind of Cultural Revolution that should have a page in Black America's history books. Although it will, it will read similar to the words above as a time when Black America sunk to its lowest moral state due to the self-hating voices of Black men and women who thought they were living the American dream.

When a teacher, parent, or any concerned, responsible person reveals the secrets of life into the ear of a listening child, it is loudly drowned out by the misconceptions of life from the voices of the Hip Hop generation. When our Black children should be learning the skills of self-actualization and development, they are copying the lifestyles of the rich and arrogant. And who is encouraging this - Black leaders and Black entertainment media gatekeepers who glorify this crap and feed it 24/7 to our children.

Therefore, no Black intellectual or leader who would give Hip Hop any dap should speak a damn word about the behavior of our youth, our family structure, or the Black state of America. For your privileges have just been revoked. Now, how has Hip Hop strengthened Black America?

© November 2005 By CR Hamilton