diamonds 2: rap and responsibility

Some of you who watched Kanye West's Diamond's video may have noticed a bit of a disconnect between the actions in the video and the words to the song. Well, our little busy bee rapper Kanye rectified that issue with a remix of the original Diamonds Are Forever, featuring his mentor Jay-Z. In the remixed song, Kanye admits feeling conflicted about wearing diamond jewelry. He even makes a connection between black materialism in the US and the consequences of those actions abroad. "Over here, its a drug trade, we die from drugs/Over there, they die from what we buy from drugs," Kanye raps. He ponders giving up his chain... but decides against it.

Which brings me to a different but related matter. I attended a panel at the Harlem Book Fair on Saturday called "The Devolution of Hip Hop: Hip Hop Turns 30." The panel was moderated by Mark Anthony Neal, author of New Black Man (if you ain't got it, go out and get it). Discussants included Nelson George, Gwendolyn Pough, Danyel Smith and Bakari Kitwana. I immediately took issue with the title of the panel as it perpetuates this nostalgizing tendency us 'ole heads' cling to as we bemoan the platinum sales of 'fiddy' cent or cram to understand the appeal of "The Whisper Song." Wha?! What he say?

"Oh hip hop, where art thou?" ole heads lament (see "Hip hop is dead").

My Phdiva sistafriend Eve brought up another important but usually oversimplified hip hop matter--political responsibility. Part of the ole head lament has to do with a level of political and social consciousness that existed in some early hip hop and the sheer paucity of it in today's more commercialized rap music a la "Wait til you see my #@*%." Most of the panelists and audience members agreed that an artistic and sociopolitically conscious hip hop exists underground, but haven't we learned anything from Ellison? The folks who need to hear messages from the underground can't always access those top secret venues or internet radio. They may be miles away from that organic cipher that congregates on a Brooklyn corner some nights.

On the other hand, do we have the right to demand that 'artists' be political? Why are we placing all our hopes, dreams and burdens on hip hop when clearly some folks in the game just want to make some money? Eve pointed out that our previous sociopolitical movements were spearheaded by people ... people just like us. And granted black music has been integral to these movements but neither Donnie Hathaway, James Brown nor Nina Simone were expected to make conscious music. Though they did.

And maybe that's the rub. Those artists created a soundtrack to a movement that was already happening. Some of us act like hip hop artists have the responsibility to rap us into a revolution. That would be great. But rather than await a rappin messiah, regular people--including but not limited to the hip hop generation(s)--can mobilize around common issues that plague our corners. If we supply the movement, maybe hip hop will provide the soundtrack.