Killa for illiteracy in hip-hop
By Bill Beene
Of the St. Louis American
In my philosophy of Hip-hop there exists what some may call a paradox: the Hip-hop intellectual.
Some examples are contemporaries Kevin Powell and Lauryn Hill, KRS-One, formerly of Boogie Down Productions, and Chuck D, the former head of Public Enemy, as well as newcomer Kayne West.
The late great Tupac could be included as well, though his temple housed the co-existence of intellect and “thuggism.”
Locally, I can point to the Russell Gunn, Fly DX of KDHX, rapper/producer Black Spaide, Lyfstyle, Israel, Jai Davis, the lyrical finesse of Chip Price – and it goes on and on and on and on.
But it does stop.
Let’s be honest, keep it real, if I must: a lot of rap cats are straight up illiterate, let alone intellectually stimulating.
They couldn’t make a verb agree with a subject if a multi-million-dollar, no-strings attached deal was the prize. And let’s not even mention reading one of those reader-unfriendly contracts.
Many will argue that literacy isn’t a necessary tool in the making of a good rap song.
Sure a hit track can carry a song, say Biggie’s “One More Chance.” Biggie could ride a beat like whoa, making it much “mo betta,” but the music can definitely stand alone.
But rappers need to recognize that everyone isn’t going to make it as a national recording artist. There are probably more professional football players than there are big time rappers, making the chances even slimmer than becoming a pro athlete.
As more and more young people opt rapping as their way out of the ‘hood, they need to up their language arts skills as well other academics.
With so many mediocre rappers out there wasting time, money and energy on a dream whose reality is more of a nightmare, they need something to fall back on.
In fact, be honest with yourself, and if you’re around an aspiring performer who really doesn’t have it, don’t be afraid tell him or her.
I admit, there’s a lot of talent out there and black people can be very creative with the language. Ebonics and slang are beautiful. However, while the King’s English has its flaws, becoming at least functionally literate is “all to the good.”
Once mastered, the rules can be cleverly broken.
Rapper Bow Wow demonstrates this well on his new hit single “Fresh Azimiz,” where the hook is “You ain’t fresh as I’m is.”
The song could have been an embarrassment in the eyes of intellectuals if Bow Wow actually thought he was jamming grammatically correct lyrics.
The illiteracy rate in the black community is far too high for this little birdie not to call attention to the situation plaguing so many Hip-hoppers today.
Hip-hoppers do have a responsibility to their impressionable listeners. After all, philosophically, I believe that Hip-hop has given voice to the most voiceless people in this country: young, poor, black boys. And if Hip-hop is the spiritual tool that I believe it is, Hip-hoppers must preserve it by uplifting the music.
If we don’t, it might continue to be used to exploit us – boys, men, girls and women.