Prometheus 6   

THE HIP HOP WAR
by Umar Ben Ivan

Hip-Hop, the music that was once called "the voice of the voiceless" and the "ghetto CNN" is now the preferred music of choice for American soldiers occupying the streets, homes, government buildings, mosques and schools of Iraq. So, the music that has railed against the police in the US, due to first hand experience that artists have had, is now the music of the imported police in Iraq.

This should not be surprising, given the traditional methods of US corporate co-opting of movements. Hip-Hop definitely poses an established threat to the understood order in the US, so instead of banning, which would be almost impossible to do under US law, Hip-Hop has been commercialized and removed from its grassroots foundation. Those Hip-Hop artists who remain true to the code are denied the needed airplay that is needed on radio and television by corporate forces who wish to present an acceptable Hip-Hop.

What is acceptable? Messages glorifying crime, thuggery and destructive behavior are deemed acceptable, because not only do they sell records, but the behavior that those songs may inspire fits into an overall unstated goal of the American elite - keeping the black community weak, divided, and self-destructive.

However, messages that offer hints of liberation, universal brotherhood, social, political and cultural awareness are deemed non-marketable.

Finding artists willing to sign record deals who will rap and sing about anything no matter how stupid doesn't seem to be a problem. Artists intoxicated with the millions that they have earned and yearning for more ill-begotten games, for the most part, do not have the time to sit and think about the social ramifications of what they are saying. Instead of realizing that they can be the voice of the oppressed worldwide and make a contribution to humanity that will change the course of history, artists are satisfied to live lives full of intoxication, destructive sexual behavior and mindless consumerism.